Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1152
“Herein you have done foolishly: therefore from henceforth you shall have wars.” 2 Chronicles 16:9.
OUR text leads us to speak upon historical matters, and for this I shall by no means apologize, although I have sometimes heard very foolish professors speak slightingly of the historical part of Scripture. Remember that the historical books were almost the only Scripture possessed by the early saints and from those they learned the mind of God. David sang the blessedness of the man who delighted in the Law of the Lord, yet he only had the first five books and, perhaps, Joshua, Judges and Ruth—all books of history in which to meditate day and night. The Psalmist, himself, spoke most lovingly of these books, which were the only statutes and testimonies of the Lord to him, with, perhaps, the addition of the Book of Job.
Other saints delighted in the histories of the Word before the more spiritual books came in their way at all. If rightly viewed, the histories of the Old Testament are full of instruction. They supply us both with warnings and examples in the realm of practical morals. And hidden within their letter, like pearls in oyster shells, lie grand spiritual Truths of God couched in allegory and metaphor. I may say of the least important of all the books what our Lord said of children, “Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones.” To take away from Holy Writ involves a curse upon the daring deed—may we never incur the penalty!
I feel Scripture is given by Inspiration and is profitable—be it ours to gain the profit. Let us see whether we cannot get a lesson from the life of King Asa. We will commence by noticing who he was and what he had done in his better days, for this will help to understand more clearly the fault into which he fell. He was a man of whom it is said that his heart was perfect before God all his days. It is a great thing to have said of anyone—indeed, it is the greatest commendation which can be pronounced on mortal man! When the heart, the intention, the master affection is right—the man is reckoned a good man before the Lord, notwithstanding that there may be a thousand things which are not commendable—yes, and some things which are censurable in the man’s outward career.
Asa is noticeable, in the early part of his life, for the fact that he set up the worship of God and carried it out with great diligence, though his mother was an idolater and his father, Abijah, was little better. He had enjoyed no training as a youth that could lead him aright, but quite the contrary. Yet he was very decided, even in the first days of his reign, for the Lord, his God, and acted in all things with an earnest desire to glorify Jehovah and to lead his people away from all idols to the worship of the true God.
Now, a life may begin well, and yet may be clouded before its close. The verdure of earnestness may fade into the sere and yellow leaf of backsliding. We may have the Grace of God in our earliest days, but unless we have, day by day, fresh help from on high, dead flies may pollute the ointment and spoil the sweet odor of our lives. We shall need to watch against temptation so long as we are in this wilderness of sin. Only in Heaven are we out of gunshot of the devil. Though we may have been kept in the ways of the Lord, as Asa was, for 50 or 60 years, yet if left by the Master for a single moment we shall bring discredit upon His holy name.
In the middle of his reign Asa was put to the test by a very serious trial. He was attacked by the Ethiopians and they came against him in mighty swarms. What a host to be arrayed against poor little Judah—an army of a million footmen and 300,000 chariots! All the host that Asa could muster—and he did his best—was but small compared to this mighty band. And it appeared as if the whole land would be eaten up, for the people seemed sufficient to carry away Judea by handfuls. But Asa believed in God and, therefore, when he had mustered his little band, he committed the battle to the Lord his God. Read attentively that earnest believing prayer which he offered. “And Asa cried unto the Lord his God and said, Lord, it is nothing with You to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord
our God; for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.”
How grandly he threw all his burden upon God! He declared that he rested in the Most High and believed that God could just as well achieve the victory by a few and feeble folk as by a vast army. After this prayer he marched to the battle with holy confidence—and God gave him the victory. The power of Ethiopia was broken before him and Judah’s armies returned laden with spoil. You would not have thought that a man who could perform that grand action would become, a little after, full of unbelief! But the greatest faith of yesterday will not give us confidence for today unless the fresh springs which are in God shall overflow again. Even Abraham, who at one time staggered not at the promise through unbelief, yet did stagger some time afterwards about a far less difficult matter. The greatest of God’s servants, if their Lord hides His face, soon sink even below the least. All the strength of the strongest lies in Him.