The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-07-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY u.
Subject: Asa's Good Reign, III Chron.s
xiv, 1-12-Golden Text, II Chren.s
xiv, 11-Msmory Verses, ?-5-Cpm.
mentary on the bays Lesson.

I. Reformation under Asa Tvs. l-5). /.
"City of David" Jerusalem. Asa, his
son." Abijah had many sons tchap. l3:2l.
"Reigned." Asa reigned forty-One years.
"Was quiet" That is, they had no wars.
"Ten years" This was probably the re-
suit, largely, OF Abijah's great victory over
Jeroboam. These, ten years OF rest are
of Asa's reign; later on there was a rest
of twenty years (compar. chap. 1910 with
l5:l9). The number ten here makes a
discrepancy with Kings, for Baasha be-
came king of Israel in the thiId year Of
Asa, and there was war between Asa and
Baasha all their days" Il Kings l5:32). ..
Good and right" After the division of
the kingdom not one of the nineteen kings
that ruled over Israel was a good king,
and only few of the nineteen who ruled
over Judah were good: Asa was the first
mandments of God with ms whole heart,
and in hat respect was like David In
the eyes of-God." !. He aimed at pleas
ing God. 2. He saw Gods eye always
upon him. 3. God approved of what he
did. The important question is not wheth-
er we are right in our own eyes, or in the
eyes of the world, but are We right before
8. "He took away" This statement,
which is again repeated in verse 8, seems
to be contradicted in chap. l5:l7. where it
is said the high places were not taken
away out OF Israel" There are different
ways of explaining this apparent discrep-
ancy. Perhaps the best explanation is that
from his kingdom, and was largely success
full, but that notwithstanding all his efforts
he failed of complete success. The writer
does not say that he took away "all' the
high places. Some think that the high
places here referred to were those OF the
strange gods, while those where God was
worshiped were suffered to remain; others
think that at one time in his reign Asa
succeeded in abolishing all the high places,
but that they subsequently appeared again.
Strange gods" Heather deities. High
places" 1t was the practice Of theIheath-
en- to erect affairs for their idolatrous wor-
ship on the tops of hills or mountains. sup
posing they were nearer to God and heav-
en-. "Groves." "Asherim." R. V. This
word is the proper nape for heathen
goddess Asherah (plhral for Asherim
and Asheroth), and is another form for
Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians.
Asherah was their female. as Baal was
their male divinity. In the plural it is
often used in the more general sense OF
idols.
4. 'To seek the Lord" Compare chap.
1872, l3 Asa commanded the people to
they had been utterly neglecting. After
destroying idolatry, Asa revived religious
worship W by his personal example, and
(2) by the use of his authority. He car
ried out the reforms in spirit of sef-con-
secration, cotfrage and zeal. He sought to
please God first and not himself or his
courtiers. 5. Images" ''Sun images"
r. V. The original word is different from
the one used in verse 8. TIE Hebrew word
is of uncertain meaning, and 1t is possible
that no kind of image is meant, but rather
the hearth on which the sacred fire was
kept. The Hebrew root means to be hot.
mands of Asa and sought the Lord (chap.
l5).
III. Asa's military defenses Tvs. 6-S). 6.
"Built fenced cities" He probably re-
stored the fortresses which Shishak, the
king of Egypt, had taken and dismantled
(chap. 1924. The kingdom of Judah .
had probably been tributary to Egypt
since the time of Shishak's invasion (chap.
l2:S), but now Asa discerned favorable
time to throw off this foreign yoke, and
while the land was unguarded by the
had given" Asa had not gained rest and
success by his own valor, but. God had
given it. 7. "Land-before u.s." That is,
while the land was unoccupied and un-
guarded by their enemies and they were
free to go at their own pleasure. Sought
the Lord" It is always good to seek the
Lord. Those who pursue the world meet
with vexation of spirit. but God gives
peace and prosperity and real prosperity
spears" See R. V. The Hebrew word
here rendered target means large shield.
"Out of Judah" Asa's army is divided
into heavy-armed soldiers, carrying spears,
belonging to Judah, and light-armea bow
men belonging to Benjamin. "All these.
This does not mean that Asa had an army
of $4,000 professional soldiers, such as
compose European armies or our standing
army. but there were in Judah and Benja-
min this number of men capable of bear
ing arms and liable to be called into serv-
ice.
III. Asa defeats the Ethiopians Tvs.
9-l5). 9. "Zerah the Ethiopian" He
probably belonged to the same dynasty as
Shishak (chap. 2:2.4), for his army was
composed Of the same nations. This proves
him to have been an Egyptian and Hot. as
some have thought, an Arabian or Asiatc
king His object in invading Judah was
doubtless to recover to Egypt the cities
which Asa had been fortifying, for Asa's
procedure QdO Detu virtually d Ieueiipl
against Egypt. "a thousand thousand"
This is the largest collected army of which
we hear in the Scriptures. But some think
that the number is not to be taken liter
ally, and that thousand thousand signi-
fies that there was a great host too great
to number. "Three hundred .chariots."
The chariots, though comparatively. few;
ere mentioned because Asa himself had
rome at all. "Mareshah." One Of the
cities which had been fortified By, Reho- ;,
boam (chap. ll:s). 1t was probably near
the western border Of Judah, about twen-
ty-fve miles southwest of Jerusalem.
II. "Cried unto tne Lo l." Asa saw
that his hone of success was not in any ef-
fort he might be able to make, but in God.
His toith and courage mounted high, and
Nothing with Thee" See r. V. 1t is
alike to Thee to help the powerful or the
weak, Thou canst as easily help the weak
as the strong ''In Thy name" That is,
by Thy commission. in confidence of Ihy
assistance. and for the maintenance OF Thy
honor and service and people. I'VE go.'
IL ,oIn vat