1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Let us pray, and he took away the Sodomites out 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: of the land and removed all the idols that his 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: fathers had made First Kings fifteen twelve. Dear Lord, more 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: than ever, I desire to be a change agent in 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,799 Speaker 1: the world to day. I desire to make a difference 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: wherever I go, because I know that I am a 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: world changer whenever I enter a room or a new 8 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: place I have not yet been. Give me the ability 9 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: to be a physician to the hearts of others. Give 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 1: me the right words to speak at just the right 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: time if there are any ungodly idols and limiting beliefs, 12 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: like a skilled surgeon with a scalpel. Allow me to 13 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 1: operate in the areas of their lives that hinder them 14 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: so they are free to experience the full life you 15 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: desire to bring to and through them. Give me the 16 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: boy oldness of asa to do what's right at the 17 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: perfect time. Thank You that through you and your power, 18 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: I can bring restoration and reconciliation to a broken world 19 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: filled with limitless potential. In Jesus name, Amen, listening to 20 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing 21 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year, 22 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com 23 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: Abijah and his son Atha. In our last story, we 24 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: learned about the downward spiral of Judah and Israel. Their 25 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: kings Reabom and Jeroboam led their people into an era 26 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: of idle, warship, war, and cynicism. The past glory of 27 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: David and Solomon seemed like a distant memory, and the 28 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: people of Israel grew accustomed to sin and shame. In 29 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: this story, we witness the next generation of kings rise up. 30 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: They too seemed to be lost in the unhealthy patterns 31 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: of idolatry and sin, just as their fathers. However, small 32 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: glimpses of future hope emerge in the midst of suffering. 33 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: Inspired by the Book of First Kings. Hello, this is 34 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year. 35 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,519 Speaker 1: In our previous time together, we heard about the descent 36 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: of Judah and Israel into idolatry and wickedness and therefore 37 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: judgment under kings Jeroboam and Raheboem. God's people move further 38 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: and further away from the commandments of God, and the 39 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 1: two nations suffered greatly because of it. These days were 40 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: a far cry from the former glory of the unified 41 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: nation of Israel under David and Solomon. Today we'll learn 42 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: of the kings that follow Jereboam and Raeoboam, and tragically 43 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: it will be more and more of the same, more 44 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: evil and more judgment. But even in the midst of 45 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: such unfaithfulness, we will see how God remains faithful to 46 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: the descendants of David, to his spiritual family Israel. And 47 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: even in the presence of great suffering, there is a 48 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: promise of hope for his people. A king will rise 49 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: up in Judah who will have a heart for God. 50 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: So let's listen now to today's reading. The son set 51 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: on the painful empire of King Rheobohem, the tyrant son 52 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: of Solomon, ruled the nation of Judah with harshness, arrogance, 53 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: and ignorance. There was a hopelessness that permeated the streets 54 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: of Jerusalem. Men who did not die in battle were 55 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: destined to die in the hot sun were king for 56 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: the king. When Roeboem died, his sin did not die 57 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: with him. Out of his line came Abijum, the next king, 58 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: of Judah. He was harsh like his father and filled 59 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: with a pompous spirit. His rule was marked with war 60 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: and suffering. He fought against Israel constantly and only lived 61 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: to rule three years. Yet even in the sadness and despair, 62 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: God continued to allow David's grandchildren to rule. God had 63 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: made a promise to David that his descendants would bring 64 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: about peace to the world. The evil of Riaboem and 65 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: Abijah was but a small stain on the vast tapestry 66 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: of God's story. Redemption would come, just not yet. When 67 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: Abijum died, his son Atha became king. One day, Atha 68 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: was walking the city streets as new King of Judah. 69 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: He desired to truly know who was ruling. He watched 70 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: his shrine prostitutes lured men and women into their arms. 71 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 1: He smelled the incense burning at altars dedicated to false gods. 72 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: He heard the screams and cries of women and children 73 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: being taken advantage of. Unlike his father and grandfather before him, 74 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: Atha looked at these things with sadness in his soul. 75 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: Atha was gifted with a righteous heart and looked to 76 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: God as a source of strength and wisdom. The heart 77 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: of David was still alive and well in him. Atha 78 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: knew he had to take a hard stance against the 79 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: evil that gripped Judah's heart. While his father saw the 80 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 1: enemy as Israel, Atha saw the true enemy as idols. 81 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: Aitha waved a righteous hand through the streets of Jerusalem. 82 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: He called for his men to banish the shrine prostitutes 83 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: and topple the idols of foreign gods. Athaven banished his 84 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: own grandmother, who was responsible for leading hundreds of people 85 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: astray with the worship of Asherah. Atha desired for Judah's 86 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: heart to be cleansed with the refreshing wave of God's presence. 87 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: He knew that this would be no easy task. He 88 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: restored riches back into the Temple of God. However, conflict 89 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: still knocked on Atha's door. The nation of Israel was 90 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: still in a season of wickedness. King Basha of Israel 91 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: launched attack after attack against Judah. Arrows and steel penetrated 92 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: the walls of Jerusalem. Atha remained calm before he launched 93 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: a counter attack. He took some of the riches from 94 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: the temple and put it to good use. He used 95 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: it to form an alliance with the nation of Damascus. Together, 96 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: they formed a treaty and fortified Judah to withstand the 97 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: onslaught of Israel. Israel had been building fortification within the 98 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: borders of Judah. However, when they heard that Judah had 99 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: gained an ally, they abandoned their project and left. Atha 100 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,240 Speaker 1: was a thoughtful man and wise beyond his years. Like Solomon, 101 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: he knew that the people needed to take care of 102 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: their land. He believed strongly that if the people of 103 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: Judah banned together, they would be stronger and closer. So 104 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: Atha sent a royal decree throughout the land, having every 105 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 1: citizen cleaned the wreckage that had been caused by Israel's armies. Together, 106 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: the people galvanized under the leadership of Atha. His reign 107 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: was marked with growth in many ways. Atha worked as 108 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: a physician over the sick hearts of Judah. He cleansed 109 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: them of the disease of idolatry. He strengthened them with 110 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: the presence of God. When Atha died, his son Jehosaphat 111 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: became king over Judah. As today scripture passage begins. Rayaboem's 112 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: reign has ended, but his legacy endures through his son Avijam. 113 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: Where David was a humble king and quick to repent 114 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: when he sinned, and a ruler who truly cared for 115 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: the souls of his people. Raya Boem had been prideful 116 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: and cruel. David the Great King was a man who 117 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: had a vision for God's glory, but Rayaboem had only 118 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: his own glory in mind, and so the people had 119 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: suffered and perished under his terrible rule. Abajam followed in 120 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: his father's footsteps, surely having observed his father. We tend 121 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: to think of legacies in a positive light, but the 122 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: truth is that we all leave a legacy for our 123 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: children and for our families, whether it is good or 124 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: whether it is bad. And Avejam was left with a 125 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: legacy of idolatry, pride, and cruelty, and so Judah continued 126 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: to suffer, and the people gave their hearts to false 127 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: gods and their own wicked desires. We have to wonder 128 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: why God continued to allow these evil kings to rule 129 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: his people. But we also remember from God's word that 130 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 1: our Lord had promised David that one of his descendants 131 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: would one day bring peace to the world. And God 132 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: always keeps his promises. You can count on the fact 133 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: that God is always true to his word. He is faithful. 134 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: And though the time had not yet come for the 135 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: true and one final Prince of Peace to enter the scene, 136 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: the Messiah, God did allow David's family to remain on 137 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: the throne, and sometimes one of those descendants offered just 138 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: a bit of hope in an otherwise dark time of 139 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:22,079 Speaker 1: history for the people of God. When Abajan died, he 140 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: was succeeded by his son, Asa, and this young man 141 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: was different. Unlike his father and his grandfather, Asa loved 142 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 1: the Lord. It really is time for some good news 143 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: and our reading, isn't it. This man Asa loved the 144 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: Lord and sought after God. Asa was likened not to 145 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: his immediate predecessors, but to Israel's great king First Kings 146 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 1: fifteen eleven says this, and Asa did what was right 147 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 1: in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father 148 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: had done. We should pray that we would leave a 149 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:02,959 Speaker 1: godly legacy with our children and our children's children. The 150 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:06,199 Speaker 1: fact is that all of our titles, our wealth, our 151 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: social standing or status, none of those things matter if 152 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 1: we do not do what is right in the eyes 153 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: of the Lord. Asa was a godly king, and he 154 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: saw the sin in Judah and the suffering of God's people. 155 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 1: He understood that the cause was unfaithfulness to God's sin 156 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: against the Holy God. So he tore down the shrines 157 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,719 Speaker 1: and banished the prostitutes who stood outside the shrines. But 158 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 1: Asa did not just clean up the streets and remove 159 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: the idols from the people. He cleaned his own house, 160 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: and he banished his own mother because she was leading 161 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: people astray and into idol worship. Years later, our Lord 162 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: Jesus would say, you must be willing to leave father 163 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: and mother if necessary, to follow me. That nothing can 164 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: be above me, not even the bond of family can 165 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: be stronger than our commitment to follow. Jesus understood this 166 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: about his relationship with God. He not only took down 167 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: the pagan symbols, but he also honored God by restoring 168 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: treasures to the temple in Jerusalem. Powerful changes were being 169 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: made in Judah. Revival was happening as people were turning 170 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: their hearts back to God, but all was still not 171 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 1: well in Judah. From the north, Israel's king Bahesia attacked 172 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: and began to fortify the city of Ramah within Judah's borders. 173 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: Asa remained focused and calm. Rather than rushing into war 174 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: and costing many lives in his army, Asa formed an 175 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: alliance with Damascus. Together they fortified Judah for a potential war, 176 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: and this alone sent Israel packing fearful of a conflict 177 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: with Judah and its ally. Because Asa had turned back 178 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: to God and turned his nation from idolatry, he was 179 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: able to unify the people, and God's powerful presence returned 180 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:00,240 Speaker 1: to Judah. Tomorrow, we will meet a man who's heart 181 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: was also on fire for God, and he would become 182 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: a powerful force in the kingdom, speaking God's truth to 183 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: a stubborn and sinful people. Dear God, we thank you 184 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: for the story of King Asa. It's such a positive 185 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: and hopeful word in the midst of so much judgment 186 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 1: and sin and suffering in Israel. We thank you that 187 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: you raised up this godly man to continue the line 188 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: of Christ through the Bible. We pray that we, like Asa, 189 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 1: will make good decisions in our lives and always turn 190 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 1: our lives and our families towards You. May our legacy 191 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: be a legacy of faith and faithfulness to You in 192 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: Jesus name. Amen, thank you for listening to today's Bible. 193 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 1: In a year podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas. 194 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: I would encourage you to download the Prey dot com 195 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: app and certainly to make Bible study and prayer a 196 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,200 Speaker 1: priority in your life. I would encourage you to go 197 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: to church and be a part of a Bible believing 198 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: Christ exalting church. If you enjoyed this podcast, tell a friend, 199 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: let someone else know, because the Word of God changes lives. 200 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: And if you want more resources as to how you 201 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: can know and love God and follow Him all the 202 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,840 Speaker 1: days of your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham 203 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: dot org as we have many resources available to you 204 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: as you journey with the Lord. God bless you. This 205 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: episode is sponsored by Medicine, an innovative healthcare solution for 206 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: Christians to save money without sacrificing quality