Asa - Abijah's Son is Crowned King

By Mary Vee
I Kings 15 and II Chronicles 14

From Asa's Journal

My father reigned in Jerusalem only three years. This hardly provided me the training I needed to take his place. But he died suddenly and I was crowned king.

The kingdom rested in peace for ten years. I can't tell you how good it felt not to have to deal with battles. After all, I needed time to learn my job!

During this time, I learned to listen to the advisors and priests. I ordered the immediate removal of all foreign altars and the high places, then commanded my men to smash the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. The incense altars in every town in Judah also were removed.

I commanded everyone in Judah to seek the Lord, the God of our fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. And as we sought the Lord together, He gave us peace.

During the time of peace, I continued the work started by my grandfather, king Rehoboam. I ordered the cities in Judah to be fortified. We put walls around them with towers, gates, and bars. 

This great land of Judah is ours because we sought the Lord our God. He gave us rest on every side. This became a time of prosperity for Judah.

My army had three hundred thousand men from Judah. Each man equipped with large shields and with spears. We also had two hundred and eight thousand soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin. Each man armed with small shields and with bows. All of the soldiers were brave fighting men.

One year after I became king, Jeroboam, the evil man who stole the hearts of the other ten tribes and steered them away from worshiping our great God, died. His son, Nadab succeeded him as king of Israel.

Nadab continued to lead the people away from God. I thought Jeroboam was evil, but his son Nadab committed greater crimes. Apparently the people of Israel agreed. From the tribe of Issachar a man named Baasha devised a plan to kill Nadab.

Nadab led his army to attack a Philistine city. During the battle, Baasha murdered Nadab and crowned himself king of Israel. The same day he began to reign he killed all of Nadab's family, even his cousins, anyone related to his father, Jeroboam.

The prophets said Jeroboam suffered this punishment because of the great and many sins he committed.

Unfortunately, Baasha followed in Jeroboam and Nadab's footsteps. He continued to lead the ten tribes of Israel away from worshiping and obeying God. 

This will not go well for them. I am reminded by their example of the importance to worship and obey God.

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1. The kings of Judah have been Rehoboam, his son Abijah, and his son _________.
2. The kings of Israel have been Jeroboam, his son Nadab, and the new king ________.
3. Asa got rid of all the ___________
4. He ordered the people to _________________
5. Nadab was an evil king. So much so, a man from the tribe of Issachar planned to ______.
6. Was Baasha, king of Israel, a good or bad king?
7. Was Asa, king of Judah, a good or bad king?