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THE KING’S BUSINESS
lies at the bèginning of all true action for God. If a man hasn’t courage himself to obey God at any cost, God cannot use him in any real work. (2) “He put away the abomination,” that is where our work of re form must begin. Unless we are ready to put away all abomination out of our hearts as well as out of our lives, we cannot ex pect to succeed in putting away permanent ly out of human society the abominations which are found there. Here’s where many a reformer fails : he is very loud in telling society what it must do, but is very deaf to what God is telling him to do. Asa did this work thoroughly. Solomon had brought these abominations in (1 Kings 11:7, 8)— Asa drove them out. There was a great re form along the line of God’s word (cf. Deut. 7 :5). The reformation that Asa ef fected is strongly needed in society today. Modern society has built its altars to strange gods (to Mammon, to Bacchus, to Venus, and a host of false gods; the theatre, the ball-room, the card table, the saloon, etc., etc. ; altars upon which our sons and our daughters, and ourselves, are being sacri ficed). We should put away all of these abominable idols; and there appears, sadly enough, a need of that sort of a reforma tion even in our churches. Whatever was against good morals, whatever was against the Word of God, had to go; no matter how artistic it was (ch. 14:2, 3). (3) He “renewed the altar of Jehovah,” Asa’s work was not purely negative, he not only put away the bad, he brought in again the good. The renewing of the altar of Jehovah is a work that needs to be done in many a community, and in many a home. In many a professedly Christian home, the altar has been reared to Mammon, and the altar of Jehovah has been put away. It is not enough that we put out the altar of Mammon, we must also renew the altar of Jehovah. (4) He.“gathered” all those that were under his control to Jerusalem to renew their conse cration to, God and covenant with Him (v. 9). v. 9. "And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out
V. 6. "And nation was destroyed of na tion, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.” These words sound very much as if they were the history of our own time: there has scarcely ever been a time in all history when it was so univer sally true as today, that nation is being de stroyed of nation, and city of city. All the vexations and trouble recorded here came from God’s hand, “God' did vex them with all adversity” (cf. ch. 33:11; 36:17; Judges 2:14; Isa. 10:6), and just so today all the vexations and troubles that are coming upon the nations of the earth come from God’s hand, as the result of their own sin, and they all come ultimately from God’s hand. This does not excuse the men, great or small, who are immediately responsible for the suffering of those of other lands, but we would do well to bear in mind in these grievous days, that all calamities in the final issue, come from our own transgressions. It is God who rules in the destinies of nations, as well as in the destinies of individuals, and all adversities and calamities, great and small, come ultimately from His hand, as the consequence of our own transgressions. v. 7. "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands he weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” God here calls upon Asa to be strong; strong of will to purpose, strong of hand to do. To incite him to this strength, He promises that his “work shall be rewarded.” One thought should encour age us to be strong in every hour of temp tation to be weak, and that is that our work is sure to be rewarded (cf. Matt. 10:41, 42; Luke 6:25; 1 Cor. 15:15; Col. 3:24; Heb. 6:10; 10:35). v. 8. "And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Ben jamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar, of the LORD,- that was before the porch of the LORD” We see here that the word of God lay at the basis of all of Asa’s reforms. We are told four things that Asa did: (1) “He took courage,” that
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