Asa began to reign over Judah . . . 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord – 1Kings 15:9b, 11a)
You see some interesting things in the accounts of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Many times it plays out like a sitcom. Good king, bad king, good king, super bad king . . . it just keeps going.
Asa was a good king. Scripture always celebrates those who love the Lord and Asa has a good part of chapter 15 devoted to him and his obedience.
12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image. – 1 Kings 15:12-13
The first decision as a leader was to make up for the sin of his parents. It would be easy for Asa to ignore and build his own dynasty, yet he knew to be an effective leader, he had to first acknowledge the past. To do so meant family conflict. I can only imagine the holiday meals. Followers of God face evil no matter where it resides. I cannot imagine the people were thrilled about elements either. He was tackling false gods of sexuality and worship. Because of these faithful choices, Asa reigned forty-one years. While many of those who came before and after rose and fell quickly, Asa lasted.
When we focus on the Lord through the lens of our leadership, we have staying power
I can only imagine what Asa was walking into. A land of spiritual passivity and material worship. To say he started in popularity would be wrong. Yet, at the end of his reign he was celebrated.
When we walk humbly and thoughtfully with the Lord, our end is justified
May we have the faith of Asa today. May we choose the difficult over the easy. May we wage war against the demons of the past with the raging grace of Jesus.
Matt simon blog 