The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-09-30
REFORMATION UNDER ASA
sun day school Lesson In the Inters
national series for october =.
Ssus-x enron. Isix-I2.

4
God for we rest on thee.-2 chse,. 4:ll
THE SECTION includes the history Of
| Judah from the disruption til the close
OF Asas reign q Chron. u TO l0. first "
years OF JUDAH regns OF Rehobcam, ABB
| JAN and Asa.
TIME.-Asa's reien lasted II years from
bs5 10 slf com. enron, or sll-s'S. re-.
! chron. The battle OF Zerah was probably
IN his fourteenth year q Chron. l5.lO).
PLACE.-As3l reign,d ia Jerusalem. The
| great victory over Zcrah, the invader. ~as
at Mareshab. Is miles southwest Of Jeru-
salem.
LESSON COMMENT
Having studied the course of the
history OF Israel 10 the end of that
Kingdom, we now turn back the leaves
Of time TO the disruption when the his
tory divided into two streams. Begin
ming at this point, we are TO study''for
] the present quarter, the leading events
OF the kingdom Of Judah. The history
IS quite different in character from
that OF Israel.
We viii consider briefly the first
GO years OF the kingdom Of judah. in
its bearing on the religious develop
ment of the people and the kingdom OF
God.
|. Rehoboam's Reign of Seventeen
Years. lie inherited large extent OF
territory. a capital almost impreg
nable: "A gloriols temple and its sery
Ices well adapted 10 teach the true
religion; an organized government;
wel-equipped srmy; q considerable
religious literature; all the means and
machinery for developing God-fear
ing. educated, prosperous nation
lie refused wise cuunselors, and lived
a selfish. sinful life, forsaking God and
His religion. The people built high
places" set up images, allowed Sodom'
ties and heather denominations q
Kings ii:22-24).
II. Asa. the Grandson Of Rehoboam
First King Asa O.. y was the grand.
son If Rehoboam. and Maachah ar
idolatress and a descendant of Tamai
and Absalom.
2. "And Asa did that which was
right" This was the general char.
acter Of his reign.
Second. The Reformation.-Ns. 3-s
?. "IIc 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" 1t was the Gus
tom Of the Canaanites. in common with
the Persians. Greeks. etc. TO build al.
fars on the tops of hills (Num. %: AZ.
The lsraeltes naturally fell into the
practice q Sam. 9:l2; Kings 1929.
IL was forbidden by the law Of Moses
tDeut. 12:11-1i Lev. 26:30); but l.: did
not cease. even in the kingdom of Ju-
dab. till the reign of Josiah e Kings
23:s).
T. "And commanded JUDAH" He
not only did right himself, but he
taught and trained his people to do
right.
) ne took away. etc.:" All pub
lie objects and relics Of idolatry. not
only in Jerusalem, but throughout the
nation. ''And rhe kingdom was quiet"
AZ peace for ten years (N. ~. This was
n period Of prosperity and religious
and mental growth.
Third. Strengthening the Kingdom
VS.. G-s. 6. lie built fenced (forti-
fed) cities" These were not for at.
tack. but for defense. THE Lord had
given him rest:" Even wha: comes to
ms from others. and through natural
channels. is SO controlled by God that
"all things shall work together for
good TO them that love Him"
:. because we have sought the
Lord He hath given us rest:'
il was both the reward and the nat
urel fruit OF the revival of religion.
s. "And Asa had an army" consisting
81 $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 re sdy 10
be summoned on occasion.
Fourth. The Great Victory.-vs. O.
10 Q. And there came out against
them Zerah. the Ethiopian" Zerah
was either Csorkon l.. the second king
Of the twentv-second Egyptian dy-
nasty and successor of Shishak. who
may have been Of Ethiopian descent.
or else Zerah was his general leading
tie Ethiopian forces from the south Of
Egypt. "a thousand thousand" A
million. the largest collected army OF
which we hear in Scripture.
II. ASA cried unto the Lord" lie
Lad done all he could. but his hope
was In God only. lord. it is nothing
with Thee to help:" 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" lie had rested on God in ten
years OF reformation in peace. and
thus had learned to trust Him in dan.
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.
10. $50 the Lord smote the Eth
opians before Asa" They were ut
tsrly routed by Asa's army. and the
victory was so decisive that Egypt did