In this daily Bible reading is the account of the succession of kings in Israel while Asa was King of Judah. Asa was a good king who followed God.
During the first 36 years of Asa’s reign there were six kings in Israel: Jeroboam, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab. All these kings were ‘evil in the sight of the Lord.’ Each succeeding King became more evil than the ones before them. God killed all of them because of their sins and for leading Israel away from God to serve idols and demons.
It seems to me that God was being patient with Israel in delaying their removal from the land. I am grateful that God is patient, giving people time to repent of their sins and turn to Him.
We are all on a journey in this life. We are born with a sinful nature and are in bondage to sin until we turn to God. God’s remedy for mankind’s sinfulness is Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus is our only hope to be free of bondage to our sins.
When we truly repent of our sins and turn to Jesus, we are finally able to resist temptations and turn away from sin. We are always tempted and may still on occasion sin. However, we fight against it. The sin will no longer define or characterize us when we believe in Jesus Christ.
