Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-09-28

~~~AS
religious literature; all the means and
machinery for developing God~fear-
ing, well-educated, prosperous nation.
He refused wise counselors, and lived
a selfish, sinful life, forsaking God and
His religion. The people built thigh
places" set up images, allowed Sodom-
ties and heather denominations Il
Kings 14:22-24).
II. Asa, the Grandson of Rehoboam.
First. King Asa (V.2) was the grand
son of Rehoboam, and Maachah an
idolatress and descendant of lamar
and Absalom.
2. "And Asa did that which was
right" This was the general char
acter of his reign.
Second. The Reforma tion.-Vs. 3-5.
3. "He took away the affairs of the
strange gods" The idols of the sur
rounding nations whose worship was
mingled with that of the true God.
"And the high places" twas the Gus
tom of the Canaanites, in common with
the Persians, Greeks, ETC., to build al
tars on the tops of hills (Num. 22:4D.
The Israelites naturally fell into the
practice Il Sam. 9:12; Kings 1929.
II was forbidden by the law of Moses
(Deut. 12:11-14; Lev. 26:30); but it did
not cease, even in the kingdom of Ju-
dab, till the reign of Josiah e Kings
1888.
4. "And commanded Judah:" He
not only did right himself, but he
taught and trained his people to do
right.
He took away, etc." All pub
lie objects and relics of idolatry, not
only in Jerusalem, but throughout the
nation. "And the kingdom was quiet:"
At peace for ten years (V.D. This was
period of prosperity and religious
and mental growth.
Third. Strengthening the Kingdom.
VS.. 6-8. 6. '*He built fenced (forti-
fed) cities:" These were not for at
tack, but for defense. "The Lord had
given him rests" Even what comes to
us from others, and through natural
channels, is so controlled by God that
"all things shall work together for
good to them that love Him.
7. because we have sought the
Lord He hath given us rest:"
It was both the reward and the nat
ural fruit of the revival of religion.
8. "And Asa had an army" consisting
OF $4,000 men of valor. This was not
standing army, but rather a trained
militia, usually at home and busy with
their farms or business, but ready to
be summoned on occasion.
Fourth. The Great Victory.-Vs. g.
IL. 9. "And there came out against
them Zerah, the Ethiopian:" Zerah
was either Osorkon l., the second king
OF the twenty-second Egyptian dy-
nasty and successor of Shishak, who
may have been of Ethiopian descent,
or else Zerah was his general eading
the Ethiopian forces from the south of
Egypt. "A thousand thousand" A
million. the largest collected army Of
whieh we hear in Scripture.
II. CASA cried unto the Lord" He
had done all he could, but his hope
was in God only. Lord; it is nothing
with Thee to helps" The Lord is so
strong that the question of large or
small in reference to men was of no
account to Him. For we rest on
Thee" He had rested on God in ten
years of reformation in peace, and
thus had learned to trust Him in dam
ser. LET not man prevail against
Thee" He did not expect that God
would come over to his side, as Saul
had done when he sent the ark to the
battlefield, while he himself was. dis
obeying God, and hence was defeated;
but Asa had gone over to the Lords
side and sought to bring the nation to
God. =. -. :sS@9a H. r., u i:
IL. $50 the Lord smote the Eth
opians before Asa" They were ut
terly routed by Asas army, and the
victory was so decisive that Egypt did
not send an army into Palestine for
three centuries Nj ...3slz 5... .1ls n
5 s5z PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. Il: :.
The first duty of every man and
every nation is reform, the casting
out OF all defilng evils and the bring
ing in Of true religion ii spirit and IN
form. 5s z#.5 Eth Ss f. III
The greatest forces in the world are
not armies, nor wealth, but the moral
forces.
18th human nature as st Is, there
will always be more or less Of reaction
after every revival and reform There
must be q continual repetition 81. e..
tor, because IN mar persons the re-.
B form g Il "a 4 cs,tvvart and not the
5heart.