War

Dear Friend:

Recently I read and studied this passage while on a trip.

2 Chronicles 1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. 4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. 5 In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord's temple. 9 Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. 12 They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. 13 All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. 14 They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side. 16 King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 18 He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

I looked at this passage and made this outline:

1. Asa hears the word of the Lord from a man who is filled with the Spirit of God.

a. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

b. Asa for a long time was without the TRUE GOD. It was not safe to travel around at that time because of the great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. Asa was told “do not give up for your work will be rewarded.”

2. Asa believes the word and takes action.

a. Removes idols, cleans the temple up, assembles a large number of other people that were willing to listen and see that the Lord his God was with him. They celebrated and agreed to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul. They got excited. Made a loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. They made an oath and swore it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly. (worship and assemble like church)

3. The Lord gave them rest on every side. There was no more war!

So the Jews learned that turmoil and war in their lives came from not seeking God with their whole hearts. Here is the modern day breakdown of this passage:

Hear the word of the Lord.

1. Aware

a. We hear the word and become aware there is a problem.

2. Accept

a. Accept the fact that you have been separated from God and His plan to unite with you only by the blood of Jesus Christ.

b. Accept what God has to say about they way he wants us to live.

3. Action

a. Make changes-get rid of all idols (idol= anything that stands in the way of us obeying, loving or following God. False God’s including Allah, Buddha, Mohammed ) Work on character so you can be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and having self-control . Get rid of immorality, unforgiveness, excessive use of drugs, and alcohol.

b. Find your purpose God’s way.

4. Assurance

a. Being with God in heaven

b. No more inner turmoil wars. He will show you how to work through things.

c. Generational sin. Illness and disease

d. Peace-before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

It can stop. Guess what? It is just a prayer away. Just a simple action of prayer. Asa put aside his idols and PRIDE and became humble enough to realize he was ready to surrender to God and his way. God’s way is the better way. When he says “don’t be immoral”, he means it.

Jesus said:

John: 12:48 there is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

I speak God’s word not the words of my own. I did not write the word.

Pray: Father in heaven show me how to live today. I want to know you wholeheartedly. Help me read about Jesus and learn his ways. Amen.

I guess when I read this passage it reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw

Know Jesus, Know peace

No Jesus, No peace.

Pride aside I have had to surrender myself. This is a hard message to write. It calls for honesty. We must believe Jesus will take care of everything. It is His promise to us. He said to Asa “do not give up your work will be rewarded.” He is my creator. My Father I can trust in.

Humbly writing,

Elaine