A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

anticipatory sense as the next dynasty of Egyptian rulers was Ethiopian kings (i.e., Twenty-third
Dynasty of Egypt).
When Asa met Zerah for battle outnumbered more than two to one, he did so in
dependence on God. He recognized that God was so related to His people that an attack on the
people of God was in reality an attack on God Himself. Asa reminded God of the nation’s unique
relationship with God as he prayed, “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 our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (v.
11)
The Lord responded to the prayer of Asa and gave Israel a significant and decisive
military victory that day. “So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for
they were broken before the Lord and His army” (v. 13). As a result of the battle, the army
returned to Jerusalem victorious, bearing the booty they had claimed from the enemy camp.
Also, they “carried off sheep and camels in abundance” (v. 15). It was a time of great rejoicing
as they returned to their capital.
Often in the history of God and His people, God has blessed them when they called on
Him in their helplessness, only to have them turn from Him in their time of abundance. Perhaps
it was to warn Judah not to fall into this common trap that the Spirit of God came on the Prophet
Azariah and prompted him to take a message to the victorious king and his army. The message
was simple: “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found
by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (15:2). The prophet reminded the king that
the nation had come through a period of spiritual darkness and ignorance, a period in which they
were “without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without Law” (v. 3). The prophet not
only commended the king for the beginnings of a national return to God but also reminded him
there was much work still to be done.
Asa was encouraged by this message from God to engage in further reforms. During this
phase of reform the practice of sodomy was opposed and the altar was restored. As people in the
Northern Kingdom recognized the blessing of God on Judah, many chose to migrate south.
About the same time as the Feast of Pentecost, Asa gathered the nation together at Jerusalem for
a national religious assembly. During that time, the people celebrated in the worship of God and
“entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all
their soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether
small or great, whether man or woman” (w. 12-13). So sincere were the people in their
commitment to this voluntary covenant that Asa removed his own grandmother “from being
queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah” (1 Kings 15:13). Asa tore
down the Canaanite goddess and burned the image to ashes. Though a few high places remained
in the land where some of the people may have worshiped false gods, the Scriptures make it clear
that Asa’s heart was right with the Lord.
As Baasha witnessed the migration of his people to Judah, he began to fortify the city of
Ramah located near the boundary which separated the two nations. Baasha may have been taking
the action primarily to keep his own people from migrating south, but Asa viewed it as a threat to
the defense of Judah. Recalling that his father had formed an alliance with Damascus, Asa sent a
gift of some of the temple wealth to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, with a request that Syria attack
Israel’s northern boundary. Ben-Hadad agreed and did so, distracting Baasha from his work at
Ramah. When Baasha left Ramah to do battle with Ben-Hadad, Asa invaded Ramah and took