In this daily Bible reading is the account of the reign of King Asa, son of Abijah. Asa reigned in Judah for 41 years. For the most part he was a good king, serving and dedicating Judah to God. He removed all the articles of demonic worship from the land. He also commanded Judah to “Seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe Law and the Commandments.” So, God blessed Judah and gave them rest from war.
At one point though, Ethiopia marched against Judah with a 1 million man army. Judah and Benjamin combined had a 580,000 man army. Asa appealed to God for help. God routed the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
After this, many from Israel began to defect to Judah when they saw that God was with Asa. This caused Baasha, King of Israel, to fortify the city of Ramah to prevent further defections from Israel. In response Asa hired Ben-Hadad from Damascus in Aram to help Judah fight against Israel. This act angered God because Asa did not put his trust in God.
God sent a Prophet to speak to Asa about God’s displeasure, and Asa put the Prophet in prison. As a result of Asa’s response, God caused Asa’s feet to become diseased severely; but Asa did not seek God for help. Rather he only sought his physicians.
Asa’s life demonstrates that God wants our loyalty for our entire lives, not just for a period of time. The Bible says that when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, God will not remember his righteous acts. God will judge us on how we finish our lives. Our lives must end in obedience to God if we want to go to Heaven.
