Asa: The Backslidden King (1 Kings 15:9-24)
1 Kings 15:9-24
Picking back up in our study of the Kings
At the present time, we have two kingdoms, dwelling simultaneously.
We have then northern Kingdom (Israel), with it’s first King: Jeroboam.
We have the southern Kingdom (Judah), 5th King just died: Abijam.
And of course Abijam was the fortunate King.
There really wasn’t a whole lot good you could say about Abijam,
Except that he was fortunate to have David as a great-grandfather.
But at this point, Abijam has died,
And it is now time for his son to take the throne.
The sixth King is ASA.
Now before we dive in to our study of Asa,
I want us to embark on a little memory exercise.
I just want to ask you to travel back in your mind to a day in your past.
What day would you consider to be your signature day as a Christian?
Maybe it was a day of great obedience…
Maybe it was a day of great seeking…
Maybe it was a day of great submission…
Maybe it was a day of great sacrifice…
Because this morning we are going to see a King
Who had not just one but several big days in his past.
On many days, Asa was a follower of God like no other.
Yet, when we see his life as the complete picture,
We will learn that despite all his victories,
His life didn’t end in obedience, but in a state of spiritual decline.
We would call it backsliddenness.
This morning, I want us to learn from Asa,
What it means to live with your best days still in front of you,
And not behind you.
We will be taking our outline this morning from the book of Kings.
However, I have told you that when studying the Kings of Judah, we can also find helpful information from the book of 2 Chronicles.
But in looking at 1 Kings 15, there are three major points of remembrance
I want you to see in Asa’s life.
#1 HIS PURE DEVOTION
1 Kings 15:9-15 (9-10)
As is common with the listings of the Kings,
The writer begins with an overall evaluation of the life of Asa.
(11) “Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father.”
We are dealing with a good king here.
Asa was a saved man,
He truly loved God, he genuinely desired to serve God.
Now, like David, Asa was not immune to some bad decisions,
But when the final judgment is passed,
It is important to note that Asa passed the test.
All in all, Asa was a good king.
He “did what was right”
IN THE CONTEXT OF THE KINGS,
THIS MEANS THAT ASA DID NOT WORSHIP OTHER GODS.
This is echoed over in 2 Chronicles.
2 CHRONICLES 14:1-5
So there is no doubt to the type of person Asa was.
• He believed in one God.
• And He believed that one God should be worshiped alone.
He was not given to pluralism in the least
In fact, he actually made it a command to seek God, and God only.
No more idols, no more foreign deities.
Asa was wholly devoted to God.
Let’s take a look at some of his “Banner Days” as King.
1) HE REMOVED IMMORALITY
(12-13) “He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his fathers had made. He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron.”
He was definitely a man of conviction.
He goes on a rampage to clean up Israel.
The “male cult prostitutes” who led in worship to foreign deities, were removed.
The “idols” that Abijam had made, were gone.
But if you want to see conviction.
“He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah”
It’s one thing to claim to love God, but Asa is taking it serious.
No doubt many today would call him a fanatic.
This guy is devoted to God.
Matthew 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
He was referring to people like Asa.
Even his own grandmother could not get away with idolatry.
WHY WAS ASA SO COMMITTED?
2 CHRONICLES 15:1-8
God had warned Asa, and Asa took the warning to heart.
Now there was one chink in his armor.
(14) “But the high places were not taken away”
It is not that Asa worshiped on them, in fact, he had already removed their priests.
The problem is that he didn’t destroy the sight,
And it would prove to be a nagging temptation for future generations.
But despite this one mistake.
(14b) “nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days.”
The point here is that throughout Asa’s life,
He never turned to worship another God.
A devoted husband never goes to another woman,
A devoted follower never serves another master.
Asa was wholly devoted to God, he would never bow his knee to another.
He Removed Immorality
2) HE REEMPHASIZED WORSHIP
(15) “He brought into the house of the LORD the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold utensils.”
On this day, Asa gave an offering.
Asa had some good days in his past.
Days of conviction and days of consecration.
HERE HE GAVE GOD THE BEST THAT HE HAD
He Removed Immorality
He Reemphasized Worship
3) HE ROUTED THE ETHIOPIANS
2 CHRONICLES 14:9-15
So at this point, we could pick the day that Asa did best.
• The day he Removed immorality
• The day he Reemphasized Worship
• The day he Routed the Ethiopians
He could easily look back on any one of those days
And see it is his best day as a Christian.
He had a definite devotion about him.
And that is important for us to understand.
First – His pure devotion
#2 HIS POOR DECISION
1 Kings 15:16-22 (16-17)
We know this man has commitment to the LORD
But we also know that even committed men mess up from time to time,
And that is precisely what Asa did.
There was war between Asa of Judah and Baasha of Israel.
We have not talked about Baasha yet,
Just know that he will become king in Israel after Jeroboam.
And if you go back and read 2 Chronicles 15,
You will notice that a considerable number of Baasha’s subjects
Had deserted him and were pledging their loyalty to Asa.
Speaking of Asa
2 Chronicles 15:9 “He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.”
No doubt this bothered Baasha, and so Baasha goes to war with Asa.
The Bible says that Baasha fortified a town called Ramah,
And used it as a means to put the squeeze on Asa.
Now based on Asa’s track record, we would all expect him
To do the same thing he did when he routed the Ethiopians.
(Call on God)
But that is not what Asa does.
(18-19) “Then Asa took all the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”
Asa didn’t seek God, Asa sought Ben-Hadad.
He offered him God’s treasure in return for help against Israel.
Scripture doesn’t tell us why he did it.
• We don’t know if he got deceived with bad counsel.
• We don’t know if he doubted God would come to his aid.
• We don’t know if he just didn’t think about it.
And just so you know, this is NOT acceptable to God.
He continually calls us to not find our hope in man, but in Him alone.
Psalms 20:7 “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.”
Psalms 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.”
Isaiah 40:27-31 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
God expects for us to trust Him and Him alone.
(One of the times that Israel wanted to seek Egypt for help)
Isaiah 31:1-3 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the help of the workers of iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.”
Today people do the same.
I heard that they recently named this year’s “Vocabulary Word of the Year”
BAILOUT
It started with banks.
You don’t see banks humbling themselves of their greed and crying out to God.
Now the auto industry has followed suit.
You don’t see General Motors humbling themselves before God because of the pornography they support.
You don’t see Ford humbling themselves before God because of the gay agenda they support.
Instead you see them running to the government for a “bailout”
And people are just as bad.
We expect the government to take care of my healthcare…
We expect the government to make sure my job pays me enough…
We expect the government to make sure my retirement is safe…
We expect the government to make sure my home value remains high…
We expect the government to make sure we are safe from attack…
We expect the government to make sure my children are educated…
People today turn to the government like crazy.
THEY TRUST IN MAN, WHEN THEY OUGHT TO BE TRUSTING IN GOD.
Adrian Rogers said, “All the government can do is make the world a better place to go to hell from.”
Yet people seek help from man.
For whatever reason, that is precisely what Asa did.
And first let me show you, that his wish was granted.
(20-22) “So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah and all Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali. When Baasha heard of it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah. Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah — none was exempt — and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built. And King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.”
From a political perspective, it appears like Asa made a good decision.
But in a spiritual sense, he was in great danger.
It made God angry.
2 CHRONICES 16:7-10
Asa didn’t make a good decision,
All he really accomplished was to let Aram escape.
And the real sad part is that instead of repenting,
He got angry at the preacher, and decided to grow bitter.
His pure devotion His poor decision
#3 HIS PROBLEMATIC DISEASE
1 Kings 15:23-24
Now these last two verses just sound like
A necessary closing to the life of Asa.
However you will notice that the writer
Adds just one little tidbit of information about Asa.
“But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.”
I always find little tidbit statements like that fascinating in Scripture,
Because you know there is a whole story behind that little statement.
AND THERE IS A STORY BEHIND THIS ONE.
2 CHRONICLES 16:11-12
And now we see why the writer of Kings mentioned this illness.
He mentioned it because it gives evidence
To the stubbornness that Asa died with.
Even when a sickness hit,
Asa did not allow it to drive him closer to God,
Instead Asa continued to seek for his salvation in man.
There is no doubt that Asa ended on the decline.
We look at Asa as the backslidden king.
• He was the King whose best days were behind him, not before him.
• He was the King who lived on his past obedience.
• He was backslidden.
When I read about him, he reminds me of a church
Listed in the book of the Revelation.
The Church at Ephesus
Revelation 2:2-5 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent.”
Ephesus was backslidden.
No way would Ephesus worship other gods.
They just weren’t as committed as they could have been
To the God they claimed to worship.
That is Asa
Asa was “WHOLLY DEVOTED” but “UNDER COMMITTED”
He was “wholly devoted” in the sense that he would not have dreamed about worshiping another god.
He was “under committed” in the sense that he wasn’t very committed to the God that he claimed to worship.
DOES THAT MEAN HE WASN’T SAVED?
(No, the text said “he did what was right in the sight of the LORD”)
Asa was a Christian, he just wasn’t a very good one.
Asa was a man who would never even think of worshiping a foreign God,
He just didn’t worship the true God as much as he should have.
I WONDER HOW MANY CHRISTIANS FALL IN TO THIS CATEGORY.
They would never even consider entering a Muslim Mosque,
Or a Buddhist Temple, Or a Hindu Shrine.
They believe there is only one God, and Jesus is His name.
They just aren’t as committed to Jesus as they should be.
• They rely on the world for their provision and protection…
• They rely on the world for their security…
• They seek the world to solve their problems…
• They did some good in the past, but today, they aren’t committed.
It is to be “wholly devoted” but “under committed”.
You see, when we talk about having a relationship with God,
We must understand a very important aspect to that.
RELATIONSHIPS ARE ALL ABOUT THE PRESENT
God is not nearly as concerned about how you loved Him in the past, as He is about how you love Him today.
God will forgive your past.
God will protect your future.
GOD JUST WANTS YOUR “TODAY”
Psalms 95 “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”
The writer of Hebrews used that very passage in Hebrews 3.
Hebrews 3:12-15 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”
God is interested in how committed you are to Him today.
This past week I watched some videos.
I watched some of the old Mission Trip Highlight videos from our church.
As I watched I rejoiced at what God has done
In and through our church over the past 4 years.
In four years:
11 mission trips
7 different countries
47 different people participating (some on many different trips)
And I rejoiced at all that God has done.
But I will admit, that rejoicing was short lived.
I soon found myself in prayer,
Begging God that He wasn’t finished.
I don’t want to be an Asa.
I don’t want to accomplish something great for God,
And then try to live on it the rest of my life.
I want “Today” to be the best day I ever lived for God.
What day do you consider to be your signature day as a Christian?
Now live the rest of your life in an attempt
To make that day the 2nd best day of your Christian life.
Be wholly devoted, but also be totally committed to God until the end.
• Don’t retire early…
• Don’t live on your past obedience…
• “Today” make an effort to serve God and trust God with everything you have.
Paul said:
Philippians 3:12-16 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
Make that your passion as well.
Forget what was behind, and love “Today” for Jesus.
