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Father may be glorified In the Son.” God must always have the glory. The Lord smote the enemy. He re sponded to the cry of His servants. It was a crushing defeat and gave rest to Judah. “ In time of peace, prepare for war.” Asa did. When war comes, go forth in the name of Jehovah, and pray. Asa must have been right with God, and a man of prayer. There are a thousand dangers confronting the church and confronting believers. Practice the habit of prayer. The value of this lesson is not in its historical account, but in its deep spir itual testimony. What Asa did, we can do. The need of men and women who will vindicate God’s righteousness, is great. The need of definite service in shedding light upon the false systems around us, is great. The need of pray ing men and women, is great. The need of glorifying God by faith, is great. God help us to ring true to our Heaven-given privileges. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) If you are good in the sight of God you are all right. (2) You can break down the devil’s altars by lifting aloft the cross of Christ. (3) The haven of rest is found in the heart of the Lord. (4) You need not be eternally building if you build for eternity. ' (5) When you are reconciled to the will of God, you will have rest on every side. ( 6 ) No need to fear the army of the alien if you are leaning on the arm of God. (7) None can prevail against the prayers of the saints. ( 8 ) The voice of victory follows the prayer of faith.
v. 3. Took away the strange gods. God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing he will not put up with in it— a s e c o n d COMMENTS FROM place. He who MANY SOURCES offers God a sec- Keith L. Brooks ond place offers Him no place at all.— Ruskin. Idolatry is the first-born of folly, the sum total of all absurdities. — South. v. 5. Took away the high places. All public objects and relics of idolatry in Jerusalem and other cities through his kingdom were destroyed, but those high places where God was worshipped under the figure of an ox, as at Bethel, were suffered to remain. (1 Ki. 15:14). So far, the reformation was incom plete.— Jamieson. The kingdom was quiet. Peace is the happy, the natural state of man, war is his corruption, his disgrace.— Thomson. v. 6 . Lord had given rest. How different is the peace of God from that of - the world. It is inseparable from righteousness, unites us to God and strengthens us against temptations.— Fenelon. v. 7. He hath given ns rest. Asa takes notice of the rest they had as the gift of God. God must be acknowl edged with thankfulness, in the rest we are blessed with, of body, mind, family or country. Those have rest in deed to whom God gives rest, peace in deed to whom Christ gives peace (Jno. 14:27).—Henry. They built and pros pered. Prosperity makes some friends, but many enemies.— Sei. Prosperity seems scarcely safe unless it is mixed with a little adversity.— Ballou. We should so use prosperity that adversity may not abuse us. He that in prosperi ty can foretèll a danger can in adver sity foresee deliverance.—Quarler. v. 8 . An army of men. This large number does not mean a body of pro fessional soldiers such as compose Euro pean armies, but capable of bearing arms and liable to be called into ser vice.— J. F. & B. v. 9. Came out against them. War, even in a righteous cause, is a fearful thing.— Schiller. If Christian nations were nations of Christians, there would be no wars.— Jenyns. War will never yield but to the principles of universal justice and love, and these have no sure root but in salvation through Jesus Christ.— Channing. A thousand thou-
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