1 Reis 15
F.B. Meyer · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Reis 15
Meyer - 1 Kings 15:9-24 Asa's good reign. -- This reign was not only good but it was also long (Ps. 91:16). A bad father may have a good son. Let no one feel that a noble life is impossible because of the difficulties of his birth or home surroundings. Through all drawbacks the true life emerges into the light; as a water lily from the muddy sediment of the pond. There were some things which might have been better even in Asa's reign (1 Kings 15:14), yet Asa's heart was perfect with God; from which we may infer that the perfect heart is that which lives up to the limit of its light. He began, where we must all begin the work of reformation, by putting away evil. He first struck at immorality, then at idolatry. There must be a slaying of the members on the earth, before we put on the new nature (Col. 3:5-10). His grandmother -- for such Maachah evidently was (comp. 1 Kings 15:2 and 1 Kings 15:10) -- was not tolerated, because she persisted in idolatry. He removed her from the court (Deut. 33:9). He brought into God's house the appointed portion from the spoils of the Ethiopians (2 Chron. 14:13). But he surely made a great mistake in seeking the help of a heathen monarch. How subtle is unbelief! How prone we are to depart from the living God! The Book of Chronicles gives some further interesting details of Asa's life, which show the war of good and evil, and how at last he succumbed to mistrust. 1 Kings 15:10 He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. mother's: 1Ki 15:2,13 2Ch 11:20,21 13:2 1 Kings 15 Resources - multiple sermons and commentaries THE LENGTHY REIGN OF KING ASA He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem - Why might his reign have been so lengthy? The next verse says Asa did right in the sight of the LORD, so that a long reign would reflect the good hand of the LORD on godly Asa. While this is generally true it should be noted that Manasseh reigned 55 years and was often a very wicked king. And his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom - His mother’s name actually refers to his grandmother Maacah who herself is not truly the daughter of Abishalom but the actually the granddaughter. And Abishalom is better known as Absalom, the son of David. Absalom's daughter was Tamar and she was the mother of Maacah. Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah/Abijam. Abijah/Abijam's son was Asa, the next king of Judah. Warren
1 Reis 15
Meyer - 1 Kings 15:11 Asa did ... right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. It is a great thing to have such a testimony as this. We may do right in our own eyes; yet the eye of the Lord may detect evil which neither our associates nor we have seen. We may deceive ourselves, we may deceive others; but we cannot deceive God. In the home or business, in situation or factory, let us live as under the searching gaze of God. Asa’s life was one of religious activity: he destroyed the idols of his father, and even deposed his queen-mother, “because she made an idol in a grove.” It needs Divine courage so to live for God that at home or afield men shall take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. This is what the world is languishing for— reality, consistency under all circumstances, and before all men. There are, however, two clouds overhanging this otherwise bright life. “The high places were not removed” (1 Kings 15:14). Though idols were destroyed, the groves in which they were erected remained. They were no scare to him; and he took care that during his life they should not ensnare others; but after his death, in the reign of Jehoshaphat his son, “the people offered and burned incense” in them (1 Kings 22:43). We must not only cleanse our way before the Lord, but remove any evil thing which may cause others to stumble. The other cloud is indicated in 2 Chronicles 16:12: “He was diseased in his feet... Yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.” Strange that in affliction he should not have turned to the Great Physician. The enemy of souls is ever on the watch. Pray that amid the pains of death, you may not act unworthily. ILLUSTRATION OF ROTTEN FATHER FATHERING A RIGHTEOUS SON! The last thing anyone expected from Edward VI was a reformation of religion. Edward took the throne of England when he was only nine years old. The boy’s father, Henry VIII, had broken with the pope in Rome, but this was more for personal and political reasons than out of any sincere desire to follow a biblical pattern for the church. Henry’s failure to obey the Scriptures is especially evident from his disastrous family life: he had six wives, and was faithful to none of them. It was against expectation, then, that his son Edward VI advanced the Reformation in England. During Edward’s short reign as king, an English Bible was placed in every parish church. So that people could hear and understand the Word of God, sermons were to be preached in English every Sunday, by order of the king. For priests who did not know how to preach, the church provided a Book of Homilies, which included a sermon that began with the basic doctrine of the Reformation: “The first entry unto God, good Christian people, is through faith: whereby we be justified before God.” Laypeople were allowed to join their priests in receiving the full sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (both the bread and the cup). People were discouraged from praying to the saints, and images of Mary were removed from the church, lest they become objects of worship.1 As a result of these and many other reforms, by 1553 the English Reformation was complete. Since Edward was so young, these reforms were partly due to the influence of Thomas Cranmer and other advisers. But they also represented the convictions of Edward’s own heart. When the boy died at the tender age of 15, his dying prayer was that the Lord God would defend his realm from false worship and maintain true religion in England. From a line of unworthy rulers, God had raised up a king after his own heart. Edward’s example is a strong encouragement to anyone from a questionable background. We are not crippled by the past. The Holy Spirit can intervene to do a powerful work of grace in our lives and our families. What is weak can be made strong. What is wounded can be healed. What is lost can be saved. Even if no one else in our family has ever been faithful to God, we can do something to serve his kingdom—maybe more than anyone before us. The future is full of spiritual possibilities. (Philip Ryken - 1 Kings) A Life Worth Remembering Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight. 1 Kings 15:11 Not all epitaphs are as sad as the one given to king Solomon by God. Some people have a great sense of humor about their death. "Rayford had no fear of death itself or of the afterlife. Providing heaven for his people was a small feat for the God who now manifested himself miraculously every day." The Remnant Dr. James Dobson once asked his mother what she'd like to have written on her gravestone, and she jokingly answered, "I Told You I Was Sick!" Spend some time browsing through cemeteries, and you'll be surprised at some of the funny things people have recorded on their gravestones. Johnny Yeast was buried in Ruidoso, New Mexico, and his gravestone reads: "Pardon Me for Not Rising." Bonnie Anderson had a similar sense of humor. Her grave is in Los Angeles, California, and the headstone reads: "I Don't Want to Talk about It Now." But one of my favorite headstones is that of Thomas Murphy, in Vancouver, British Columbia. His simply says: "Sh-h-h." You get the feeling that some people aren't as worried about death as the rest of us. It's a good sign when you can leave life on a laughing note. Maybe that's a sign of someone who understands that death is just a passageway to a better life. Those who know that their eternal fate is secure in God's hands. King Asa was such a person. He became king of Judah after his father, Abijam, died. His first order of business was to undo the evil policies of his predecessors. Asa was a man who feared God and understood that life was too short to waste in sinful pursuits. He had his sights set on eternity, and it kept his life in perspective. At the end of Asa's life, God gave him a glowing final epitaph: "Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, as his ancestor David had done.... Asa remained faithful to the Lord throughout his life" (1 Kings 15:11, 14). Now that's a legacy worth leaving. Imagine getting to the end of your life and hearing God say about you, "He remained faithful to me throughout his life." Who wouldn't want that kind of letter of reference waiting for them at the pearly gates? God loves to honor those who have honored him with their lives. Such lives do not go unnoticed—in heaven or on earth. Reflection How did king Asa honor God in today's reading? Are you living in a way that honors God? Asa did ... right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. It is a great thing to have such a testimony as this. We may do right in our own eyes; yet the eye of the Lord may detect evil which neither our associates nor we have seen. We may deceive ourselves, we may deceive others; but we cannot deceive God. In the home or business, in situation or factory, let us live as under the searching gaze of God. Asa’s life was one of religious activity: he destroyed the idols of his father, and even deposed his queen-mother, “because she made an idol in a grove.” It needs Divine courage so to live for God that at home or afield men shall take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. This is what the world is languishing for— reality, consistency under all circumstances, and before all men. There are, however, two clouds overhanging this otherwise bright life. “The high places were not removed” (1 Kings 15:14). Though idols were destroyed, the groves in which they were erected remained. They were no scare to him; and he took care that during his life they should not ensnare others; but after his death, in the reign of Jehoshaphat his son, “the people offered and burned incense” in them (1 Kings 22:43). We must not only cleanse our way before the Lord, but remove any evil thing which may cause others to stumble. The other cloud is indicated in 2 Chronicles 16:12: “He was diseased in his feet... Yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.” Strange that in affliction he should not have turned to the Great Physician. The enemy of souls is ever on the watch. Pray that amid the pains of death, you may not act unworthily. A BETTER DAY DAWNS Again we meet with those references to David that we found in the previous chapter. See 1 Kings 15:3-5; 1 Kings 15:11. His name lingers as sweet fragrance in the air, or as the after-glow of sundown. But Abijam’s mother was descended from Absalom, and it is hardly surprising that the unhappy ancestry conflicted with the other and holier influence. Though the lamp burned low, however, it was not entirely extinguished. What a pathetic touch that is in 1 Kings 15:5! One moment of passion may be a long regret to God and to the soul! Yet there is forgiveness with God, that He may be feared, Psalms 130:4. For Asa’s reign, we must turn to the book of Chronicles, where further evidence is given of his truly religious character-at least during the earlier portion of his rule. Even his grandmother was removed from her position. Compare 1 Kings 15:2; 1 Kings 10:1-29; the words father and mother are used loosely, as may be seen in 1 Kings 15:3. On the whole, Asa’s policy was directed to the overthrow of the heathen worship, but he seems to have shrunk from a root-and-branch extermination of the evil, 1 Kings 15:14; and the result was personal deterioration and the springing up again of idolatry. Our Lord asks us never to compromise. The right hand that offends must be cut off. The brood of the viper must be stamped out to the last egg. ASA'S GOOD REIGN We have a fuller account of this reign in 2 Chronicles 13. He was not wholehearted with God; but he was maintained in his kingdom for David's sake (Ps. 132:10, 11). How long after David's sun had set did the light of his life glimmer over his house! (1 Kings 15:4) God keeps His covenant and mercy unto thousands of generations. We are probably all inheriting more than we know from the prayers and tears of those who have gone before us. What a pathetic sigh of regret that mention of Uriah is! One moment of indulged passion may cast a shadow over long years. God forgives sin, yet it grieves Him to the heart. Oh, that there may be no need for God to make such an exception in the case of any of us! And that we might never turn aside from anything He commands all the days of our life! Summary of King Asa - 2 Chr. 14:2 "Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord" This is a recurrent theme in Deuteronomy (cf. Deut. 6:18; 12:28; 13:18). This chapter lists several things he did to merit this evaluation (cf. 2 Chr. 15:8-15,16-18). removed foreign altars, 2 Chr. 14:3 high places, 2 Chr. 14:3,5 (cf. 2 Chr. 15:17; see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, "High Places," pp. 284-288) incense altars, 2 Chr. 14:5 (associated with Ba'al worship, cf. Lev. 26:30; 2 Chr. 34:4,7) destroyed (cf. Deut. 12:2-3) sacred pillars (i.e., raised stone which was a symbol of the male deity, cf. Exod. 23:24) Asherim (i.e., a live tree or carved stake which was a symbol of the female deity, cf. Exod. 34:13; 2 Chr. 15:16) demanded his people to seek YHWH to observe His law The Chronicler expands (i.e., three chapters) the material on the life of Asa. Kings only has a few verses (i.e., 1 Kgs. 15:9-24). Chronicles is using another prophetic written source. positive ‒ 2 Chr. 14:1-15:19 negative ‒ 2 Chr. 16:1-14 Faithful at the beginning but faithless at the end becomes a terrible pattern. 1 Kings 15:12 He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his fathers had made. NET 1 Kings 15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols his ancestors had made. CSB 1 Kings 15:12 He banished the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his fathers had made. ESV 1 Kings 15:12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. NIV 1 Kings 15:12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. NLT 1 Kings 15:12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. NRS 1 Kings 15:12 He put away the male temple prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made. NJB 1 Kings 15:12 He drove the male prostitutes out of the country and got rid of all the idols which his ancestors had made. NAB 1 Kings 15:12 banishing the temple prostitutes from the land and removing all the idols his father had made. YLT 1 Kings 15:12 and removeth the whoremongers out of the land, and turneth aside all the idols that his fathers made; GWN 1 Kings 15:12 He forced the male temple prostitutes out of the land and got rid of the idols his father had made. He also put away the male cult prostitutes: 1Ki 14:24 22:46 Ro 1:26,27 Jude 1:7 removed all the idols: 1Ki 15:3 11:7,8 14:23 2Ch 14:2-5 Eze 20:18,19 Zec 1:2-6 1Pe 1:18 1 Kings 15 Resources - multiple sermons and commentaries GETTING RID OF THE IDOLS AND THE IDOLATERS He also put away the male cult prostitutes (qadesh) from the land - The KJV renders male cult prostitutes as "sodomites." Put away means he removed them from the land. One wonders why he did not sentence them to death. David