Did you ever see the old black and white version of the movie “War of the Worlds”? The final scene, as I recall, was a bleak time when people gathered in a church that had destroyed buildings all around. The alien ships were closing in, destroying one place after another. The people came together and prayed, feeling they had done all to resist the conquerors they could. Almost suddenly, the aliens began to slow the attack and their crafts began to fall from the sky. It seems they were allergic to some of the common cold germs that were abundant on the planet! What stuck in my mind was the way Hollywood solved the problem, a surrendered time of prayer in a church. It seems that back then, it was ok to admit that surrendering to God was something that might be helpful!
It seems contradictory to most people on the street to say that those who surrender are the powerful ones. Yet, in God’s plan, it is when we fully trust Him – fully surrender to Him – we are at our most fulfilled and most powerful. Nowhere in the Bible is this axiom clearer than in the story of one of the Kings of ancient Judah, King Asa.
Preparation (14:1-8)
In the first ten years (910-900 BCE) of the reign of King Asa, he followed after the Lord. The writer notes that he “did right” before God. The text then follows with some significant steps that he took to surrender his heart, and lead his people into a right relationship with God? He focused his energy on three areas:
He Faced the Past and Reversed the Wrong Directions of His Fathers
In order to deal with his future, he had to address issues of his and the people’s past. The writer shared four things that he addressed. First, he removed foreign altars (14:3), because these were what the people envied from others that stole their hearts away from God. What an opportunity to distance his people from their adoption of the pagan world’s lifestyle and holidays. Next he took down High Places (14:3) in the land. This was critically important because they represented what the people came to honor that took the place of God. These high places (Hebrew: bamot) were markings for great accomplishments and honored their history as well as their former leaders. In and of themselves they were not the problem, but they replaced the honor of the living God! Third, he smashed sacred stones (14:3), and directly attacked what people came to trust that was mere superstition. God has never been a fan of being “found” in the astrological section of the newspaper! Finally, he cut down “Asherot” poles (14:3), the places of fertility worship in the culture, for he knew what the people depended on for their future prosperity was not their God, and that was wrong. He addressed all four issues, then turned his attention to the present.
He Faced The Present and Brought People Back to a Relationship with their God
Once Asa dealt with the distractions that pulled the energy, trust and hope of his people from God, he moved more distinctly into dealing with their present walk with God. He did this is two ways. First, he commanded the people to seek the Lord (14:4), because he knew that a relationship with God precedes living any list from God. List without love is pure religion, and that was not his goal. Next, he moved to the specific and measurable mark of commanding people to obey the standards found in God’s Law. He was not ignoring relationship (as we just saw), but acknowledging that with relationship comes standards (14:4)! A wedding based on mutual love is followed by a marriage based on mutual respect for the standards. It was ever thus. He addressed the heart and the hands, and then turned his face to their future!
He Faced the Future and Made Responsible Plans for The Defense of the People
Securing standards for the relationship with the people and their God was not cause to set aside the physical necessary preparations for defense. God was never interested in leaders who decided to trade the physical for the spiritual – both needed attention! King Asa took on three tasks that helped to form and prepare the people. First, he led them as they built up the fortifications of Judah’s city defenses (14:6). This sensible precaution for coming troubles was wise, and was something the people could do to focus them on the coming issues. Next, he very wisely stopped to recognize the goodness of God (14:7). This sensitivity to the real reasons for their success and prosperity helped the people understand the spiritual nature of their physical work. It again rooted them in their identity as God’s people, doing God’s work. Finally, Asa prepared the people as he built up a strong and well-equipped army (14:8). This significant union of the people offered a bonding process to the people, making their self interest give way to the needs of the nation for any coming wartime tests.
The Test (14:9-11)
The testing for one who surrendered to God was, and is, inevitable. Asa lived in a fallen world opposed to his focus on the surrendered life. It is no accident that the writer contrasts the players in the test – the enemy and the believing king.
The Description of the Enemy:
The Scripture writer takes special pains to indicate four elements in his description of the enemy that came to test King Asa and his people. First, the army came from the south after the days of Shishak, an attacker from Egypt in the generation before. Perhaps this army marched on Judah because they recalled the former days of self-reliance (12:1-3). What a different nation they would see on the battlefield this time. Changes of the heart inevitably affect the mind, the determination and the diligence. These Judahites were changed, because their leader re-focused them on a surrendered life! The second part of the description was their naivety, as they came to test the new king (14:9). They had confidence, because they were vastly superior in size (14:9) and brought technology not fully available to God’s people (14:9). They had a reason to be confident, but they did not understand the sources of Judah’s strength.
The Description of the Believing King:
Fortunately, the Biblical writer also shares with us the practical description of the surrendered king. It was the writer’s purpose to show what that view did to Asa in terms of his practice. First, the king went out to face the problem (14:10). He stood at the doorway to his kingdom’s most important assets (14:10) and saw the coming powerful army. He did not run, and he did not presume on God’s power by remaining home in prayer. He turned his face upward and he called on God. The prayer is a classic! Look at the way he began, as he acknowledged God’s ultimate power (11a). He faced his own vulnerability and personal powerlessness before his Mighty God (11a). He addressed the need directly realistically (11b), and became absolutely submissive to God (11b). He directly appealed to God to uphold HIS reputation as the caretaker of this people (11b). Asa faced the test, and knew that he was unable to face life without a surrendered heart to God.
The Outcome (14:12-15)
What happened as a result of Asa’s dramatic surrender was made part of the annals of Judah’s military history. The enemy was dramatically struck down (14:12). Stunned, as their army wasted away, they lost the huge stores of food and supplies to the smaller Judahite army. Large
amount of plunder (14: 13, 15) were recovered as Judah advanced in the rout against the Cushite hoards. Judah pushed them out, and backed them off the borders, while they took advantage of the opportunity to secure the southern borders and have the future threat of
enemy removed (14:14).
God came through for His people. God saved those who acknowledged they could not save themselves. Nation pride was not what was called for, rather national surrender to God. It began with a leader, but it swept the nation. The changes to surrender did not include a foolish disarming of the nation, but rather a strengthening in tandem with the renewed commitment to God and His Word. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord. (Psalm 144:15b).
