8/16/2023 0 Comments Jehoshaphat bible study for teens![]() ![]() No matter what crutch we use, we need to avoid Asa’s actions. Others may go to a friend for advice before they seek the counsel of the Lord. For some, they rely too much on money and finances. Often, God can take away whatever we want to use as a crutch, so that we will lean into his plan more. Yes, God does place circumstances, people, and opportunities on our path, but we cannot rely on such for our salvation. No matter how hard life gets, or how much aging takes its toll, we cannot grow lazy in our race.Īsa isn’t the only king to get in trouble for relying on foreign aid (read about Hezekiah and Jehoiakim, for instance). Although you do want to keep a consistent pace on every leg, toward the end of a race, a runner will sprint to the finish line, giving every ounce of energy they have remaining toward finishing well. Paul commands us to run the race of our Christian journey well ( 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).Īs someone who ran cross country and track for several years, I can tell you the most important parts of the race are the beginning and the end. We may begin our Christian journey fully on fire for God, only to end up embittered, selfish, and untrusting of the Lord’s promises toward the end of our lives. ![]() They caught something known as “senioritis.” Their grades plummeted, and they put the possibility of colleges accepting them into jeopardy.Ĭhristians (as well as Asa) can encounter the same problem. In high school, most of my friends worked extremely hard.until their senior year. We Need to Run Every Part of the Race Well Even though he saw God’s protection against the Ethiopians, he gets cold feet against the Northern Kingdom of Israel and turns to foreign aid instead of to the Lord.Ĭhristians can learn a great deal from this ruler who started with a bang and ended with a foot infirmity.ġ. Often, in the Bible, we’ll see heroes such as Moses and Gideon having a faltering faith at first, which then turns into something more solid as they see the Lord move.īut Asa does the opposite. No doubt, the story of Asa takes a weird turn. In return, God gives Asa a foot disease, which he carries into the grave. Asa gets annoyed and throws this seer into prison. Instead, he makes an alliance with Syria.Ī prophet of the Lord named Hanani chastises Asa for not trusting in the Lord and warns that the rest of his reign will be filled with war because he didn’t rely on God. When the Northern Kingdom, under the rule of a man named Baasha comes against Judah, Asa doesn’t rely on the Lord’s help this time. Josiah’s father Amon worshipped idols as well and participated in the cults of Baal, star-worship, and Molech worship ( 2 Chronicles 33).įor those unfamiliar with Molech, some rituals to worship this false god involved child sacrifice.Īmon serves as a foil to Josiah who completely undoes his evil acts and reintroduces God’s word to the people of Judah.Īlthough Asa does start off well, he finishes the race with a fizzle. Jehoshaphat undid many of his wrongs ( 2 Kings 16). For instance, Jehoshaphat’s father brought foreign and idolatrous customs into the kingdom of Judah. We can often see this as the case of other good kings in Judah. In spite of the corrupt seed in his family, Asa stops the wicked reforms set by his family and creates a new legacy. This included a shrine to Asherah, a tribute to a Canaanite goddess. Instead, Abijah, with the help or influence of Maakah (or Maacah), scattered idols throughout the kingdom and engaged in cult practices. ![]() Abijah waged war against the Northern kingdom, and just like his father Rehoboam, he did not follow the paths of righteousness ( 1 Kings 15). ![]() The story of Asa follows up after the evil king Abijah’s reign. Let’s learn what happened in Asa’s life, and explore how to avoid some of his mistakes in our everyday lives. Nevertheless, Asa had a number of faults that cut his reign short after roughly three decades. Son of the evil King Abijah (1 Kings 15), Asa undid many of the reforms of his father and evil grandmother Maakah. Not one of them followed the paths of righteousness.Īlthough the Southern kingdom had its share of terrible kings, which ultimately led to its downfall and captivity in Babylon (Daniel 1), a number of godly leaders found their way throughout the Southern Kingdom’s history.Īsa was among these, for most of his life. The Northern Kingdom produced all evil rulers. However, King Asa (from the kingdom of Judah) had a great ruling streak until the very latter years of his life.įor those unfamiliar with Israel’s history, after the time of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel split into two factions: the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Many of us may not recognize the name ‘Asa’ as a significant Biblical character. ![]()
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