You’re Invited to Our Series, “Chasing the Wind” – Ecclesiastes

Posted on August 1, 2026 by dkoop

You’re invited to our new message series “Chasing the Wind!” – The book of Ecclesiastes

 Description: “What’s the meaning of life? Why does my life feel meaningless?” These are the feelings of many today.  As we try to fill our lives with possessions, power and pleasure we find that life has let us down.  In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon takes us on a mental journey through his life explaining how he tried and tested everything to find meaning and enjoyment in life. He tries to spare his readers the same disappointment he learned through personal experience.  Everything apart from God is empty and meaningless.  Solomon has an honest approach to life.  His comments may come across as negative but his attempt is to lead people to center their lives around God. Not any substitutes. He affirms the value of education, pleasure, work and possessions, but only in their proper place. All of these things must be seen in the perspective of God’s purpose.  True enjoyment of life is comes from knowing that what we are doing is part of God’s purpose for our lives.

 Dates             Titles                                      Scriptures                            Events

 Aug. 2 – Chasing the Wind (Ecc. 1-2)

Aug. 9– Chasing Work (Ecc. 2-3)
Aug. 16 – Chasing Relationships (Ecc. 4-5)                                School Starts

Aug. 23 – Chasing Possessions (Ecc. 5-6)

Aug. 30 – Chasing Meaning (Ecc. 11-12)                                    Communion

 Introduction:

The chocolate bunny lies in the basket, surrounded by green “grass.” With Easter morning eyes wide with anticipation, the little boy carefully lifts the candy figure and bites into one of the long ears. But the sweet taste fades quickly, and the child looks again at the candy in his hand. It’s hollow!
Empty, futile, hollow, nothing—the words have a ring of disappointment and disillusionment. Yet this is the life experience of many.
Grasping the sweet things—possessions, experience, power, and pleasure—they find nothing inside. Life is empty, meaningless—and they sink into despair.
Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon spoke of this human dilemma; but the insights and applications of his message are relevant to our time. Ecclesiastes, Solomon’s written sermon, is an analysis of life’s experiences and a critical essay about life’s true meaning. In this profound book, Solomon takes us on a reflective journey through his life, explaining how everything he had tried, tested, or tasted had been “meaningless”—useless, irrational, pointless, foolish, and empty—an exercise in futility. And remember, these words are from one who “had it all”—tremendous intellect, power, and wealth. After this biographical tour, Solomon made his triumphant conclusion: “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (12:13, 14).
When Solomon became king, he asked God for wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:7–12), and he became the wisest man in the world (1 Kings 4:29–34). Solomon studied, taught, judged, and wrote. Kings and leaders from other nations came to Jerusalem to learn from him. But with all of his practical insight on life, Solomon failed to heed his own advice, and he began a downward spiral. Near the end of his life, Solomon looked back with an attitude of humility and repentance. He took stock of his life, hoping to spare his readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience that everything apart from God is empty, hollow, and meaningless.
Although the tone of Ecclesiastes is negative and pessimistic, we must not conclude that the only chapter worth reading and applying is the last one, where he draws his conclusions. In reality, the entire book is filled with practical wisdom (how to accomplish things in the world and stay out of trouble) and spiritual wisdom (how to find and know eternal values).

As we read Ecclesiastes we will learn about life. Hear the stern warnings and dire predictions, and commit yourself to remember your Creator now (12:1).

Purpose:  To spare future generations the bitterness of learning through their own experience that life is meaningless apart from God

Author: Solomon

Original Audience: Solomon’s subjects in particular, and all people in general

Date Written: Probably around 935 B.C., late in Solomon’s life

Setting: Solomon was looking back on his life, much of which was lived apart from God.

Key Verse: “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (12:13).

Outline

1. Solomon’s personal experience (1:1–2:26)
Ecclesiastes shows that certain paths in life lead to emptiness. This profound book also helps us discover true purpose in life. Such wisdom can spare us from the emptiness that results from a life without God. Solomon teaches that people will not find meaning in life through knowledge, money, pleasure, work, or popularity. True satisfaction comes from knowing that what we are doing is part of God’s purpose for our life. This is a book that can help free us from our scramble for power, approval, and money, and draw us closer to God.
2. Solomon’s general observations (3:1–5:20)
3. Solomon’s practical counsel (6:1–8:17)
4. Solomon’s final conclusion (9:1–12:14)

Main Ideas: 

Searching – Solomon searched for satisfaction almost as though he was conducting a scientific experiment. Through this process, he discovered that life without God is a long and fruitless search for enjoyment, meaning, and fulfillment. True happiness is not in our power to attain because we always want more than we can have. In addition, there are circumstances beyond our control that can snatch away our possessions or attainments.
People are still searching. Yet the more they try to get, the more they realize how little they really have. No pleasure or happiness is possible without God. Without him, satisfaction is a lost search. Above everything we should strive to know and love God. He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy.

Emptiness – Solomon shows how empty it is to pursue the pleasures that this life has to offer rather than seek to have a relationship with the eternal God. The search for pleasure, wealth, and success is ultimately disappointing. Nothing in the world can fill the emptiness and satisfy the deep longings in our restless hearts.
The cure for emptiness is to center on God. His love also can fill the emptiness of human experience. Fear God throughout your life, and fill your life with serving God and others rather than with selfish pleasures.

Work – Solomon tried to shake people’s confidence in their own efforts, abilities, and wisdom and to direct them to faith in God as the only sound basis for living. Without God, there is no lasting reward or benefit in hard work.
Work done with the wrong attitude will leave us empty. But work accepted as an assignment from God can be seen as a gift. Examine what you expect from your efforts. God gives you abilities and opportunities to work so that you can use your time well.

Death – The certainty of death makes all human achievements futile. God has a plan for each one of us that goes beyond life and death. The reality of aging and dying reminds each individual of the end to come when God will judge each person’s life.
Because life is short, we need wisdom that is greater than this world can offer. We need the words of God so we can live right. If we listen to him, his wisdom spares us the bitterness of futile human experience and gives us a hope that goes beyond death.

Wisdom – Human wisdom doesn’t contain all the answers. Knowledge and education have their limits. To understand life and make right choices, we need the wisdom that can be found only in God’s Word—the Bible.
When we realize that God will evaluate all that we do, we should learn to live wisely, remembering that he is present each day, and learn to obey his guidelines for living. But in order to have God’s wisdom, we must first get to know and honor him.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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Source: Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 1060–1061.

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Doing Right in God’s Eyes – Hezekiah – 2 Chronicles 29-31

Posted on July 28, 2026 by dkoop

Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who was constantly aware of God’s acts in the past and His involvement in the events of every day. The Bible describes Hezekiah as a king who had a close relationship with God, one who did “what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20).

Hezekiah’s story is told in 2 Kings 16:20—20:21; 2 Chronicles 28:27—32:33; and Isaiah 36:1—39:8. He is also mentioned in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; 26:18–19; Hosea 1:1; and Micah 1:1.

Hezekiah, a son of the wicked King Ahaz, reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah for twenty-nine years, from c. 715 to 686 BC. He began his reign at age 25 (2 Kings 18:2). He was more zealous for the Lord than any of his predecessors (2 Kings 18:5). During his reign, the prophets Isaiah and Micah ministered in Judah.

After Ahaz’s wicked reign, there was much work to do, and Hezekiah boldly cleaned house. Pagan altars, idols, and temples were destroyed. The bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert (Numbers 21:9) was also destroyed, because the people had made it an idol (2 Kings 18:4). The temple in Jerusalem, whose doors had been nailed shut by Hezekiah’s own father, was cleaned out and reopened. The Levitical priesthood was reinstated (2 Chronicles 29:5), and the Passover was reinstituted as a national holiday (2 Chronicles 30:1). Under Hezekiah’s reforms, revival came to Judah.

Because King Hezekiah put God first in everything he did, God prospered him. Hezekiah “held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook” (2 Kings 18:6–7).

1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old…2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD  2 Chronicles 29:1-2 (NKJV)

 How do we do right in God’s eyes?

  1. Acknowledge Wrongs

 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.  4 Then he brought in the priests and the Levites… 5 and said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 2 Chronicles 29:3-6 (NKJV)

Hezekiah began by opening and repairing the doors of the Temple. Its closed doors had been a symbol of the national rejection of the LORD; to reopen them was the first step in the reconciliation.  The doors were open as a sign that the LORD was invited to return to His people and again to manifest His presence in the Holy of holies, so that through those open doors Israel might have access to Him by means of the priests. But the Temple was no place for the presence of the LORD in its trashed state. With its lamps extinguished, its sacred vessels destroyed, its floors and walls thick with dust and full of all filthiness, there was some clean up and and trash removal necessary.

We too must take out the trash that keeps us from God’s work.  Accordingly Hezekiah sought the help of the Levites.

Hezekiah reminded the Levites of the wrongs of Ahaz and his adherents and the problems which they had brought upon Judah and Jerusalem; he told them it was his purpose to admit these wrongs, clean God’s house and reopen the doors for public worship.

The Levites, chosen by God to serve in the Temple, had been kept from their duties by Ahaz’s wickedness (28:24). But Hezekiah called them back into service, reminding them that the Lord had chosen them to minister.

We may not have to face a wicked king, but pressures or responsibilities can render us inactive and ineffective. When you have been given the responsibility to minister, don’t neglect your duty. If you have become inactive in Christian service, either by choice or by circumstance, look for opportunities to minister (and listen to the “Hezekiahs”) God will send your way. Then, like the Levites, be ready for action (29:12–15).

The next step for doing right in God’s eyes is to…

2. Assemble for Worship

 27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. 29 And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30…So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped. 2 Chronicles 29:26-30 (NKJV)

Throughout the Old Testament, the sacrifice or “burnt offering” was God’s appointed way of approaching him and restoring a right relationship with him. The sin offering made by Hezekiah was a sacrifice given to God for forgiveness for unintentional sins. (For more information on why God required sacrifices and how they were carried out, click here)

29:22 The blood sprinkled on the altar represented the innocence of the sacrificed animal taking the place of the person making the offering. The animal died so the sinner could live. This ritual looked forward to the day when Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, would sacrifice his innocent life on the cross in order that the sinful and guilty human race might be spared the punishment it deserves (Hebrews 10:1–14).

After confessing sins, notice the flow of worship.

  • The Signal: Hezekiah gave the formal command to begin the burnt offering on the restored altar.
  • Simultaneous Worship: The moment the sacrifice started, the music and singing to the Lord launched in full unison.
  • Singers and Instruments: The singers instruments used were those ordained by King David, linking the current revival to Israel’s golden age of faithful worship. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Assembly’s Response (Verses 28–29)
  • Active Response: The entire congregation bowed in worship while the musicians played until the offering concluded.
  • Humility: Once the sacrifice finished, King Hezekiah and all the people present knelt down to honor God. [1]
Praising God (Verse 30)
  • Scriptural Praise: The people sang praises with gladness using the Psalms of David and Asaph. 
  • Joyful Attitude: The people did not worship out of grim duty; they sang praises with gladness, enthusiasm and bowing down in deep respect.

The third step to do what’s right in God’s eyes is…

3. Appoint Offerings for God’s Work

3 The king also appointed a portion of his possessions… as it is written in the Law of the LORD.  4 Moreover he commanded the people to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. 5 As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 And the children of Israel and Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the LORD their God they laid in heaps… 10 Azariah the chief priest, answered and said, “Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for the LORD has blessed His people; and what is left is this great abundance.” 2 Chronicles 31:3-10 (NKJV)

 Some today think the tithe, since it went to support the Levites (who were, in a sense, government workers in ancient Israel), is covered by government taxes of today, and that the free-will giving mentioned in the Old Testament answers to the New Testament emphasis on giving. We can say that the New Testament nowhere specifically commands tithing, but it certainly does speak of it in a positive light, if it is done with a right heart (Luke 11:42).

It is also important to understand that tithing is not a principle dependent on the Mosaic Law; as Hebrews 7:5-9 explains, tithing was practiced and honored by God before the Law of Moses.

What the New Testament does speak with great clarity on is the principle of giving; that giving should be regular, planned, proportional, and private (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); that it must be generous, freely given, and cheerful (2 Corinthians 9).

Since the New Testament doesn’t emphasize tithing, it need not be strictly applied by Christians (though some Christians do argue against tithing on the basis of self-interest); but since giving is to be proportional, we should be giving some percentage – and ten percent is a good benchmark – and starting place. For some to give ten percent is nowhere near enough; for others, at their present time, five percent may be a massive step of faith.

If our question is, “How little can I give and still be pleasing to God?” our heart isn’t in the right place at all. We should have the attitude of some early Christians, who essentially said: “We’re not under the tithe – we can give more!” Giving and financial management is a spiritual issue, not just a financial one (Luke 16:11).

That they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD: This reminds us of another duty of the Levites, beyond what was mentioned in 2 Chronicles 31:2 – the study and teaching of the Law of the LORD. The support of the Levites through the tithes of the people enabled this.

This is much the same principle as what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 5:17-18: Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

“As soon as the commandment was circulated…they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything: The response of the people was impressive. Instead of thinking of reasons why this command did not apply to them or excuses to relieve themselves of the obligation, they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.

Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”   He acknowledged wrongs or sins, assembled the people for worship and appointed his own funds for God’s work.  We too can do these steps to be right in God’s eyes: Confess our sins and let Jesus be our Lord and savior, assemble to worship, and appoint our gifts and tithes to continue God’s work.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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Sources: https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Hezekiah.html
Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 705–707.
W. H. Bennett, “The Books of Chronicles,” in The Expositor’s Bible: Samuel to Job, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, vol. 2, Expositor’s Bible (Hartford, CT: S.S. Scranton Co., 1903), 575.
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Boldness in God’s Work – 2 Chronicles 17-20 – Jehoshaphat

Posted on July 22, 2026 by dkoop

Are children more likely to learn from their parents’ mistakes or to simply repeat them? In the lives of the people in the Bible, we find that the effects of parental examples are powerful and long lasting. For much of his life, Jehoshaphat seems to have been a son who learned from his father Asa’s mistakes and followed his positive actions. But on several occasions, his decisions reveal the negative aspects of his father’s example.

When the challenges were obvious, like the need for religious education of the people or the threat of war with a vast army, Jehoshaphat turned to God for guidance and made the right choices. His dependence on God was consistent when the odds were clearly against him.

Jehoshaphat’s Strengths

• He was a bold follower of God, he reminded the people of the early years of his father, Asa

• He carried out a national program of religious education

• He had many military victories• He developed an extensive legal structure throughout the kingdom

Just as David had done, Jehoshaphat worshipped the LORD, rejecting false gods, in particular the false gods of Baal. While Jehoshaphat was ruling over Judah, King Ahab and his infamous wife Jezebel were ruling over the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Jezebel had led Ahab to institute the worship of Baal throughout the Northern Kingdom. Apparently, there were worship centers built to Baal throughout the entire northern territory. But Jehoshaphat rejected this false worship, worshipping the LORD and Him alone. He did all he could to keep the false worship of Baal out of the Southern Kingdom. Just as his own father Asa had done, he sought the LORD and obeyed His commandments instead of following the idolatrous practices of Israel (v. 4).
As a result of his faithfulness, Jehoshaphat was blessed by God (v. 5). The LORD enabled him to establish the kingdom under his control. In addition, the LORD blessed him with the esteem of the people who gladly paid their taxes and built up the economic wealth of the nation and the honor of the king.

Jehoshaphat’s heart was wholly devoted to the LORD (v. 6). As evidence of his total devotion, he had all the false worship sites throughout the nation destroyed, removing the high places and the Asherah poles from the nation. Asherah was the goddess of sex and war, with a strong emphasis on sex or reproduction symbolized in the fruitfulness of the land. In worshipping this goddess, the people engaged in fertility rituals of prostitution and homosexuality.

Jehoshaphat set a dynamic example for us. We must turn away from all false worship, and we must worship the LORD and Him alone. We must seek the LORD and obey His commandments. We must be wholeheartedly devoted to Him. When we commit our lives to the LORD, the LORD demands that we be loyal, faithful, and totally given over to Him.

Jehoshaphat not only eliminated the false worship and false teachers throughout the land, but he also instituted a program of godly teaching. Once the false worship with its erroneous instruction was removed, the people needed to be taught the commandments of God. A life of righteousness needed to be held up before them, and the way of righteousness taught them.

Jehoshaphat realized that knowing God’s commands was the first step to getting people to live as they should, so he initiated a nationwide religious education program. He reversed the religious decline that had occurred at the end of Asa’s reign by putting God first in the people’s minds and instilling in them a sense of commitment and mission. Because of this action, the nation began to follow God.

Churches and Christian schools today need solid Christian education programs. Exposure to good Bible teaching through Sunday school, church, Bible study, and personal and family devotions is essential for living as God intended.

Note that this program of godly teaching was launched in the third year of his reign (v. 7). Sixteen instructors were sent to handle the teaching responsibility: five laymen from the royal court and eleven religious personnel, including nine Levites and two priests. Traveling from city to city throughout the Southern Kingdom of Judah, these sixteen men taught God’s Word, His law to the people (vv. 8–9). Most likely, the material taught included Genesis through Deuteronomy, and possibly other books through Samuel and even some of David’s and Solomon’s writings. All these books were in existence at that time.

Next, in launching his reforms, Jehoshaphat reorganized the judicial system of the nation. Apparently, the judges of that day had been neglecting their duties, tolerating injustices, and showing partiality; and, in some cases, they were accepting bribes for favorable judgments. Whatever the case, Jehoshaphat launched a major overhaul of the judicial system. Scripture gives a clear picture of the steps he took:

Jehoshaphat delegated some of the responsibilities for ruling and judging the people, but he warned his appointees that they were accountable to God for the standards they used to judge others.

Jehoshaphat’s advice is helpful for all leaders or people who serve:

(1) Realize that you are serving or judging for God (19:6);

(2) be impartial and honest (19:7);

(3) be faithful (19:9);

(4) act only out of fear of God, not people (19:9). God holds us accountable for the authority we exercise.

19:8 Jehoshaphat appointed priests and Levites to help in administering civil laws. Many years earlier, Moses had chosen men who were capable, faithful, and honest to help him judge disputes among the people (Exodus 18:21, 22). Obviously the best kind of leader is one who always acts with reverence for God. Effective leaders get the job done; faithful leaders make sure the job is done in God’s way and in God’s time. They are careful to instill God’s wisdom in future leaders and God’s values in the entire community.

Lastly whenever we face a severe crisis in life, we need either a way to escape the crisis or the inner strength and knowledge to conquer the crisis. But many times we have no means of escape and no clue how to deal with the emergency or predicament. It is then more than ever that we need the help of someone who has the power or resources to deliver us from the crisis. The crisis may be due to an accident, illness, death, a criminal act, war, a work related matter, or some failure on our part.

But no matter what crises we may face, there is wonderful news. There is Someone who has the power and resources to deliver us, Someone who can make a way for us to escape. This Someone is God Himself. This is clearly seen in the story of the present Scripture.

Unexpectedly and shockingly, Jehoshaphat faced the crisis of his life, that of an invasion by a coalition of three powerful nations. Standing all alone, the Southern Kingdom of Judah faced the distinct possibility that it would be utterly destroyed as a nation and taken over by foreigners. Only one hope for escape and deliverance existed. That hope was in the LORD and His mighty power.

When the nation was faced with disaster, Jehoshaphat called upon the people to get serious with God by going without food (fasting) for a designated time.

By separating themselves from the daily routine of food preparation and eating, they could devote that extra time to considering their sin and praying to God for help. Hunger pangs would reinforce their penitence and remind them of their weakness and their dependence upon God.

Fasting still can be helpful today as we seek God’s will in special situations.

20:6 Jehoshaphat’s prayer had several essential ingredients.

(1) He committed the situation to God, acknowledging that only God could save the nation.

(2) He sought God’s favor because his people were God’s people.

(3) He acknowledged God’s sovereignty over the current situation.

(4) He praised God’s glory and took comfort in his promises.

(5) He professed complete dependence on God, not himself, for deliverance. To be God’s kind of leader today, follow Jehoshaphat’s example: Focus entirely on God’s power rather than your own.

20:15 As the enemy bore down on Judah, God spoke through Jahaziel: “Do not be afraid!… for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

We may not fight an enemy army, but every day we battle temptation, pressure, and “rulers … of the unseen world” (Ephesians 6:12) who want us to rebel against God.

Remember, as believers, we have God’s Spirit in us. If we ask for God’s help when we face struggles, God will fight for us. And God always triumphs.

How do we let God fight for us?

(1) Realize that the battle is not ours, but God’s;

(2) recognize human limitations and allow God’s strength to work through our fears and weaknesses;

(3) make sure we are pursuing God’s interests and not just our own selfish desires;

(4) ask God for help in our daily battles.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Sources:
Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2 Chronicles, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 130–147.
Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 687.
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Rely on God’s Strength – Asa – 2 Chronicles 14-16

Posted on July 18, 2026 by dkoop

As we move on from Solomon, we enter a period of Israel’s history called the Divided Kingdom or Israel (North) and Judah (South)

In Judah there were a few good kings and many evil ones. The writer of Chronicles faithfully records their achievements and failures, noting how each king measured up to God’s standard for success. Clearly a good king obeyed God’s laws, eliminated the places of idol worship, and made no alliances with other nations. Judah’s good kings include Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Hezekiah, and Josiah.  Our series will focus on the good kings, the first being Asa, whose name means “healer.”  Here’s the  first of the good 8 kings of the 19 kings of Judah.

“Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for 10 years.” Asa is going to reign 41 years. The first 10 years are times of peace. “Asa,” verse 2, “did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.”

14:1–6 Asa’s reign was marked by peace because he “did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God.” This refrain is often repeated in Chronicles—obedience to God leads to peace with God and others. In the case of Judah’s kings, obedience to God led to national peace, just as God had promised centuries earlier. In our case, obedience may not always bring peace with our enemies, but it will bring peace with God and complete peace in his future Kingdom. Obeying God is the first step on the path to peace.

“And he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places. He broke down the sacred pillars–” those would be the wooden Asherah poles– “and cut down the wooden images.” Those would be poles to Baal. Now, just a little bit about Baal worship. It’s nature worship. It’s the worship of the environment, Mother Nature. All good things come from Mother Nature.

But they ascribed to Baal certain properties of fertility. And so they would worship Baal and Asherah sexually. It was believed that Asherah was the consort of Baal. And so Asherah was worshipped with a pole. Whenever a carved pole was placed and it was used to burn incense upon and was a place of worship.

But Asa, he’s a reformer, “he removed the altars of the foreign gods, the high places, broke down the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.” Notice in that verse the relationship between seeking God and following his word.

14:3–5 Simply attending worship services is not enough to secure God’s peace. Like Asa, we must it also actively remove anything that is offensive to God. Becoming more active in church attendance or doing good deeds will still leave us in turmoil if we have failed to eliminate sinful practices from our lives. We should continually ask God to help us remove any source of temptation from our lives.

Also, if we’re going to seek God, it is hand in hand with following the written revelation, the Word of God, what God has commanded in his scripture. “So seek the Lord God of their fathers, to observe the law and the commandment. He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom was quiet under him. And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest, he had no war in those years because the Lord had given him rest.

Therefore he said to Judah, ‘Let us build these cities and make walls around them, 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 has given us rest on every side.’ So they built and they prospered.”

14:7 Judah had peace with all her neighbors. Times of peace are not just for resting. They allow us to prepare for times of trouble. King Asa recognized the period of peace as the right time to build his defenses—the moment of attack would be too late. It is also difficult to withstand spiritual attack unless defenses are prepared beforehand. Decisions about how to face temptation must be made with cool heads long before we feel the heat of temptation. Build your defenses now before temptation strikes

“And Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin 280,000 men who carried shields and drew bows, and all were mighty men of valor.

Asa’s Tested By God

 Then Zerah the Ethiopian,” or the Kushite, he is sometimes called in translation. Kush included Ethiopia, part of Egypt, lower Egypt, as well as Sudan.

So Zerah was a Kushite and in control of those areas. And they “came out against them with an army of a million men and 300,000 chariots.”

This is a large army! Asa is outnumbered 2 to 1!

 

Chariots are like tanks. “And he came to Mareshah. Asa went out against him and set up troops in battle array in the Valley of Zarephath at Mareshah.” This is 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

And here it is, I love this. “And Asa cried out to the Lord his God and said…‘”

“‘Lord it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power, help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, you are God. Do not let man prevail against You!'”

The Kushites, the Ethiopians, the scripture tells us, were men of tall stature and fleet of foot, or they were fast on their feet. They were runners. They were tall. They were agile. They could run. They were a million of them. Difficulty must always be measured by the capacity of the agent that is doing the work.

And Asa recognizes this is impossible for me. 300,000, 500,000, if you could take Judah and Benjamin, 550,000 men against a million of these Ethiopians? No way. But size and number mean nothing to God. God is not dependent on that. And if you know anything of the history of Israel, both biblically and extra-biblically even up to modern times, that has been proven to be true over and over and over again.

And I love this in verse 11. “O Lord our God, for we rest on you.” We just don’t rest in you, we rest on you. We’re leaning hard, man. We’re pressing in. We’re just laying completely on you. You have to carry us is the idea. “And in Your name, we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God. Do not let man prevail against you.”

In other words, Lord, we’re going to fight this battle, but we trust that you’re with us and we just pray that your will be done. Don’t let man prevail. You do your thing. I’m leaving the results with God.  This is a good example on the purpose of prayer. The purpose of prayer is not for us to get your will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on Earth.

The purpose of prayer is for us to line yourself up with the purposes of God and see that happen. And that may mean he answers our prayer. That might mean he comes through and he heals us. It might mean he doesn’t heal you, so that you have to depend and find that “in your weakness, he is strong.” But the purpose of prayer is to get God’s will done.

And Asa says as much, “Do not let man prevail against you.” Let your will be done. “So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar.” Gerar is down at the Gaza Strip, down in the southwestern corner of the land.

“So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army. And they carried away very much spoil. Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them. They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.”

14:11 If you are facing battles you feel you can’t possibly win, don’t give up. In the face of a vast horde of enemy soldiers, Asa prayed for God’s help, recognizing his powerlessness against such a mighty army. The secret of victory is first to admit the futility of unaided human effort and then to trust God to save. His power works best through those who recognize their limitations (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is those who think they can do it all on their own who are in the greatest danger.

Chapter 15

15:1, 2 Asa wisely welcomed people who had a close relationship with God, and he listened to their messages. Azariah gave the armies an important warning and encouraged them to stay close to God.

Keep in contact with people who are filled with God’s Spirit, and you will learn God’s counsel. Spend regular time in discussion and prayer with those who can help explain and apply God’s message.

15:3 Azariah said that Israel, the northern kingdom, was “without the true God.” Eight kings reigned in Israel during the 41-year rule of Asa in Judah, and all eight were evil. Jeroboam, the first ruler of Israel, began this wicked trend by setting up idols and expelling God’s priests (11:13–15). Azariah used Israel’s problems as an example of the evil that would come to the people of Judah if they turned away from God as their northern brothers and sisters had.

15:7 Azariah encouraged the men of Judah to keep up the good work, “for your work will be rewarded.”

This is an inspiration for us, too. Recognition and reward are great motivators that have two dimensions: (1) The temporal dimension. Living by God’s standards may result in acclaim here on earth. (2) The eternal dimension. Permanent recognition and reward will be given in the next life. Don’t be discouraged if you feel your faith in God is going unrewarded here on earth. The best rewards are not in this life but in the life to come.

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Sources:  Life Application Bible Notes (Tyndale, 2007), 682–685
.https://connectwithskip.com/teachings/#/series/339/sermon/4962
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