In an earlier post, I discussed Abijah, king of the southern kingdom of Judah and Jeroboam,  the king of the northern kingdom of Israel.  In this post I want to discuss Asa, the son of Abijah, who ascended the throne over Judah after his father’s death. This is the first of several (it looks like) parts on Asa. What I am interested in is the progression of the fall of nations and kings.

I am attempting to write these entries in shorter posts, partly as a way of saying thank you for reading.  It is difficult to read from a computer screen – especially when there are more than two or three paragraphs, so we’ll see how this works out and if I can limit my words. This scripture section lends itself very well to smaller divisions, thankfully.

 Asa Ascends the Throne

Today, we’ll look at 2 Chronicles 14:1-82 Chronicles 14:1-8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 ¹ So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years. ² And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: ³ For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: images: Heb. statues ⁴ And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. ⁵ Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. images: Heb. sun images ⁶ And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. ⁷ Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. ⁸ And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.  

WP-Bible plugin.  Abijah died and was buried with his fathers and Asa became the ruler over Judah. All was well in this initial stage of Asa’s rule. There was a period of rest that lasted for ten years after Asa gained the throne.  The reason for this is attributed to the fact “that Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord.”

I wonder if peace may have been something of an anomaly at this time because the chronicler states in three separate verses (1,5 and 6) that the land had rest.  So what exactly did he do to gain this standing in the eyes of God?  He:

1. … took away all the “foreign” altars – those altars dedicated to a god other than Yahweh;
2. … removed from  the land the high places – sites where foreign gods were worshiped and where sacrifices were made;
3. … cut down the Asherim – phallic symbols, usually a wooden pole or possibly a stone that was set in the ground to honor the god Ashera;
4. … commanded all of Judah to seek the Lord and keep the Law and the commandment. (I would think this commandment is “thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”

Yahweh must have been happy because Judah prospered.

Asa, the Good Steward

In addition, Asa was a good steward of what he was given.  He protected what he had by building cities surrounded by walls with towers and gates and bars.

2 Chronicles 14:72 Chronicles 14:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.  

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“Let us build these cities, and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars.; the land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.”

Being a good steward, he attended to the necessities in a timely manner

2 Chronicles 14:62 Chronicles 14:6
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.  

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“He built fortified cities for the land had rest.”

Asa’s Foresight

He had foresight and didn’t wait until the million-man army of Egypt was crossing the border to start building his defenses.  He had at least ten years of peace and he took advantage of it.  He built fortified cities and he trained up an army.

The people must also have been confident in him, if not pleased by all he did and this is evident by his ability to motivate the builders of the cities and his ability to amass an army.  By the end of the ten years, he had three-hundred thousand men from the tribe of Judah that carried shield and spear.  In addition, the tribe of Benjamin brought two-hundred and eighty thousand archers with shields!  A sizable army!

Look in verse 8.  These men were mighty men of valor.  Dictionary.com defines valor as “boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery.”

Tomorrow we will see how this stewardship paid off for Asa.

How Does Asa’s Story Apply to Us?

What made Asa’s standing in the eyes of the Lord good and right apply to us, too.  We can’t hope to have God’s presence if we have articles in our houses that are images or are tied in any way to a god other than Yahweh.

In our house, we have removed everything that even hints at a pagan god.  Movies, pictures, books, symbols – all of it is gone.  And you know … our house feels cleaner and I think God is blessing us for it.  We made a stand to clean up our act and God is honoring us for it.

We also need to be good stewards of what God has given us.  This includes finances, property, children, relatives, neighbors, and strangers.  We are better stewards today than we have been in the past – it is something that we have had to work on – and the times that we are living in now have shown us that we are able to get along with less and be happy – joyous, even.  Sometimes, I am not sure how I am going to get to work because both gas tank and bank account are at the same level, but we have found that when we put our trust in the Lord he always comes through.  We often laugh because we think He likes to wait until the last minute before opening doors – yes, he has a sense of humor.

Thank you for reading!  God Bless!

Job’s wife is a little-known, unnamed woman who plays an apparently minor part in the story of the most famous person in the Old Testament – Job.  But, is her part as minor as we think?

Who is Job?

Everyone knows about Job.  Even people who are not familiar with the Bible have a basic understanding that Job was a man who lived in ancient times and suffered a lot.  The storyline goes like this:  Satan, the accuser, stood before God and accused Job of following God only because of the blessings and protection God had given him. He challenged God to remove the hedge of protection and let Satan at him.  God knew Job’s heart and trusted him with suffering, knowing that He would not turn away from Him.  So Satan was allowed to test Job and he brought on four calamities.

• The first calamity was announced by a lone survivor who told Job the Sabeans had raided his fields, stolen all the animals and killed all the farmhands.
• The second calamity was announced by another sole survivor:  Fire fell from heaven and burned up all his sheep and shepherds.
• The third calamity was announced by yet another sole survivor: Chaldean raiders had stolen all the camels and killed the servants.
• The fourth calamity was the death of all of his children, seven sons and three daughters, who perished when the house they were in was demolished by a windstorm and fell in upon them.

Job was devastated at this torrent of bad news and tore his robe, but he did not disappoint God!  He worshipped God and cried out, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be the name of Yahweh.” (Job 1:21Job 1:21
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.  

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Satan is not deterred

Not to be defeated so easily, Satan again appeared before God, throwing down an additional challenge:  “But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”  (Job 2:5Job 2:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.  

WP-Bible plugin)  But God knew Job’s heart.  He knew He could trust him with additional suffering.  He knew that suffering would not turn Job against God.  Satan was allowed to strike his body, but not kill him.  Poor Job developed boils from head to foot.  Those of us who have suffered even one boil can appreciate Job’s agony.  Not only are boils painful, they are filthy and can attract flies which lay eggs and produce maggots.  The New Living Translation states it best:  “My body is covered with maggots and scabs, my skin breaks open, oozing with pus.” (Job 7:5Job 7:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.  

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EWWW!  Disgusting!  Boils are about the most humiliating experience known to man.

Enter Job’s wife with her only statement made in the book of Job.  Here we catch a glimpse of her heart.  The King James translation reports her words as: “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.” (Job 2:9Job 2:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.  

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The accusers of Job’s wife

Job’s just cause has garnered a tremendous amount of sympathy, yet the calamities of Job were not his alone.  They were also his wife’s calamities.

Satan the accuser did not need to accuse Job’s wife before God.  Her accusers number in the millions and span generations.  She has been accused and judged a faithless and weak wife.

Job’s faithfulness to his wife

Job apparently didn’t subscribe to polygamy.  Job 31:1Job 31:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
31 ¹ I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?  

WP-Bible plugin describes his covenant not to cheat on his wife: “I made a covenant with my eyes, How then should I look lustfully at a young woman?”  Job 19:17Job 19:17
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
17 My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body. mine...: Heb. my belly  

WP-Bible plugin describes his anguish over his condition that had become a block between him and his wife sexually:  “My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.”

Job claims his innocence and faithfulness to his wife in Job 31:9-11Job 31:9-11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; ¹⁰ Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her. ¹¹ For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.  

WP-Bible plugin: “If my heart has been enticed to a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door; Then let my wife grind for another, And let others sleep with her.”  Job knew that adultery was wrong as he stated: “For that would be a heinous crime; Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges.”  And so we know that these ten children who perished were all born of Job and this one wife.

A mother’s pain

As mothers, most of us would rather die ourselves than have one of our children be injured or killed.  To our peril we carried them in our bodies and birthed them in pain.  We nursed them through their sicknesses, cried with them in their sorrows and rejoiced with them in their triumphs.   As wives, we are distressed at our husband’s suffering and do all we can to relieve his discomfort; taking him to the doctor, praying for him, making chicken soup and doing whatever else it takes, to our own inconvenience, to help him.   Job’s wife was no different than we are.  Yet all of her ministrations could not relieve Job’s suffering.  Can we not feel her anguish?  Can we not see her humanity?  Can we not sympathize with her suffering?  What would we have done if we saw maggots oozing from our husband’s skin?  Would we think death preferable to that suffering?

Let’s take a look at Job 2:9Job 2:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.  

WP-Bible plugin from a different perspective, lining up the literal words in this passage according to Green’s literal translation and Strong’s definitions, and using the plain meaning of each Hebrew word.  This method of study gives us a mental picture of the words as they appear (it is not meant to step on exegetical toes!)  This method of study just provides a fresh perspective, and allows God to speak to us through mental pictures rather than just seeing dehumanized words on a page.

We could literally translate this verse as:  “Said wife, ‘properly fasten upon your innocence.  Kneel, bless God and die.’ ”  Job’s wife wasn’t telling Job to curse God, she was telling him to kneel and bless God.  She wasn’t chiding him for hanging onto his integrity, she was reaffirming his innocence and telling him to keep strong in his contention that he was innocent.

From this perspective Job’s wife appears to be trying to reassure him:  “It is enough.  We know you are innocent! I understand if you want to die.  Bless God and die.  I will be okay, don’t worry”.   Sound familiar?  How many of us have seen a loved one hang onto life for our sake?  Don’t we reassure them?  Don’t we tell them we know they are innocent and are ready to die?  Don’t we let them know they can let go – we will be alright?  From this perspective Job’s wife made a very generous offer, especially since this grieving mother was also grieving over her husband’s apparent imminent and painful death.

Job’s Loving Response

Job responded to his wife’s anguish with: “But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10Job 2:10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.  

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Job’s response to his wife was righteous and kind.  He knew that she was suffering.  He did not rebuke her: he reminded her that she should not lose sight of her faith in God and become like a foolish person.  Note that he did not accuse her of being foolish, only that she was speaking like a foolish person.  If Job did not accuse his wife, who are we to accuse her?  He let her know he was not ready to die yet!  He reminded her that together they would receive both good things and trials from the Lord.  Together!  His use of the word “we” is significant.  Job included his wife in his trial.  He acknowledged that she was suffering with him, that she was standing beside him in this, just as she had done throughout all of their life together.

Job’s wife was a grieving wife and mother who cried out in her anguish and was comforted by her suffering husband who understood her pain.  This courageous woman cried out once, was comforted, then suffered in silence throughout the rest of the trial.

The End of the Trial

It is interesting to note that Job had not three people who spoke to him during this trial, but four:  Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, and Job’s wife.

At the end of Job’s trial, God instructed Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite to bring sacrifices to Job so that he would make petition before the Lord to forgive them for their misrepresentation of God.

Job 42:7-9Job 42:7-9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. ⁸ Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. him: Heb. his face, or, person ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job. Job: Heb. the face of Job  

WP-Bible plugin  And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.  Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.

However, there were two people in Job’s life who were not required to make sacrifices for forgiveness:  Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite and Job’s wife.   And so the question again is raised:  If Job does not condemn his wife, and God does not condemn here, who are we to condemn her?

Thank you for reading!  God bless!

Praise is an important component of prayer.  Many psalms start off with a verse or two of praise before petitioning for  wants and needs.  It’s a great way to begin prayer. Psalm 18 is a psalm that is filled with praise.  I have just finished a page on this psalm and invite you to take a look at it.  It is long, but it is filled with praise and thanksgiving and describes the power and might of God.

Psychologically, praising God and His work in our lives puts us in a positive frame of mind because we are talking about the good that he has done for us.  It forces us to count the  blessings we have in Jehovah.  It reminds us about His power and might in the shadow of danger and reveals the solid rock we can cling to in the face of uncertainty.  Praise can take us back down the path to that high tower where we can find refuge and safety in the fortress of our Lord.

Relationally, praise improves our relationship with God. He loves to hear praise from us.  No, I don’t think He is narcissistic.  I think that when He hears praise coming from His people, He knows they understand who He is and where their protection, deliverance, and blessings come from.  If you are a parent, doesn’t it make you feel good when your child gives you a few words of praise?  What was it about the praise that made you feel good? Do you even know? Are you able to put you finger on the “Why”?

I think it has something to do with appreciation.

May Yahweh bless you and shower blessings and peace upon you.  Thank you for reading.