In the southern kingdom the people of God faced similar problems to those in the north. During the reign of Rehoboam, the grandson of David, the people ignored the commands of God, and so God permitted Shishak, king of Egypt, to invade Jerusalem and ransack the temple. God, however, did not let Shishak destroy the people, because they submitted themselves to God once again.

Then Asa and the people made a promise before the LORD, shouting with a loud voice and blowing trumpets and sheep’s horns. All the people of Judah were happy about the promise, because they had promised with all their heart. They looked for God and found him. So the LORD gave them peace in all the country. 2 Chronicles 15:14-15 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “You depended on the king of Aram to help you and not on the LORD your God. So the king of Aram’s army escaped from you. The Cushites and Libyans had a large and powerful army and many chariots and horsemen. But you depended on the LORD to help you, so he handed them over to you. The LORD searches all the earth for people who have given themselves completely to him. He wants to make them strong. Asa, you did a foolish thing, so from now on you will have wars. 2 Chronicles 16:7-9

    Not until Rehoboam’s grandson Asa reigned did the southern kingdom truly move back toward God. Asa destroyed the idols and the places of idol worship and commanded the people to follow the God of their ancestors. When the Ethiopians attacked, Asa turned to God for help, and God gave Asa the victory. As long as the nation followed God and continued to rid itself of idol worship, God blessed them. But late in Asa’s reign, the northern kingdom placed sanctions on Asa’s kingdom, and Asa sought foreign alliances to protect them rather than turning to God for help.

    God sent a prophet to have a “woodshed” talk with his misguided king, but this time Asa didn’t listen to the Lord. Instead, he imprisoned the prophet and treated some of his own people cruelly. As a result of Asa’s disobedience, the nation suffered through wars for the rest of his reign. Even when Asa became seriously ill, he did not look to God for help. Asa had begun well, but he ended his life with his back turned to God.

Reflection: Asa’s reign started with power and ended with a whimper. Even though he had experienced God’s trustworthiness as an ally, in Asa’s later years he chose instead to depend on his own schemes. Perhaps Asa believed he could handle things on his own. Perhaps he had grown proud of his accomplishments. After all he had brought revival to the land, and the nation was at peace. But as soon as Asa tried to save the nation and himself by his own power, he failed, and the nation ended up at war. Anytime we put our faith in human abilities over God, we are certain to have conflict — and ultimately to fail.

Text copyright © 1997, Multnomah Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Title: "Southern Kingdom Struggles"
Author: Ron Rose
Publication Date: February 20, 2002

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