Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-07-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY ~.

Subject: Asa's Good Reign, II Chron's
XIV, l-12-Golden Text, II Chron.'
XIV, 11-Memory Verses, 2-b-COm.
mentary on the Days Lesson.
I. Reformation under Asa Tvs; ~. !.
"City of David" Jerusalem. CASA, his
"Reiened." Asa reigned forty-one years,
"Was auiet" 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
naturally to be assigned to the beginning
of Asa's reign; later on there was rest
of twenty years (compar chap. l5:l0 with
1910. The number ten here makes
discrepancy with l Kings, for Baasha be.
came king of Israel in the third year OF
Asa, and 7there was war between Asa ane
Baasha all their days. Il Kings 1882. 2:
Good and right" After the division of
the kingdom not one of the nineteen kings
that ruled over Israel was good king,
and only a few of the nineteen who 1uled
over Judah were good Asa was the first
good king of Judah. He followed the com
mandments of God with his whole heart,
and in hat respect was like David. ZIP
the ewes of-God." l. He aimed at pleas,
ing God. 2. He saw Gods eye always
upon him. 8. 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
God.
g. "He took away" This statement,
which is again repeated in verse s., seems
to be contradicted in chap. l5:l7, where 1t
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
Asa made great effort t., remove them
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
worshped were suffered to remain; others
think that at one time in his reign Asa
succeeded in abolshing all the high places.
but that they subsequently appeared again.
Strange gods" Heather deities. High
places" 1t was the practice OF the heath
en- to erect affairs for their ldolatrous wor'
ship on the tops of hills or mountains; sup
en-. "Groves." "Asherim." r, V. This
word is the proper name for heather
goddess Asherah plural 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 1t IS
often used in the more general sense OF
idols
a. ITO seek the Lord" Compare chap,
l5:l2, 10. Asa commanded the people to
observe all the divine institutions which
they had been utterly neglecting. After
DESTROYING idolatry, Asa revived religious
Nv ,c ,prsopal pyannlp and
(2) by the use of his authority. He car
ried out the reforms in a spirit of self
secration, courage and zeal. He sought to
please God first and not himself or his
rourtiers. 5. Images "Sun images"
r. V. The original word is different from
the one used in verse 3. The Hebrew word
is of uncertain meaning, and it 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,
"Was quiet" The people obeyed the COM
mands of Asa and sought the Lord (chap.
l5l
III. Asa's military defenses Tvs. 6.s). 8.
Built fenced cities" He probably re
stored the fortresses which Shishak, the
king of Egypt, had taken and dismantled
(chap. 1920. The kingdom of Judah
had probably been tributary to Egypt
since the time of Shishak' s invasion (chap.
l2:s), but now Asa discerncd favorable
time to throw off this foreign yoke, and
while the land was unguarded by the
Egyptians he fortified his kingdom. Lord
success by his own valor. but God had
given it. 7. "Land-before us" That is,
while the land was unoccuped and un'
guarded by their enemies and they were
free to go at their own pleasure. Sought
the Lord" 1t is always good to seek the
Lord. Those who pursue the world meet
with vocation of spirit. but God gives
peace and prosperity and real prosperity
can come only from God, s. Targets and
spears" See r. V. The Hebrew word
here rendered target means a large shield
"Out of Judah Asa's army is divided
into heavy armed soldiers. carrying spears,
belonging to Judah. and light armed bow.
men belonging to Benjamin AN these. ;"
This does not mean that Asa had an army
of 600 professional soldiers, such as
compose European armies or our standing
army, but there were in Judah and Bcnja'
min this number OF men capable OF bear.
ing arms and liable to be called into serv.
ice
III. Asa defeats the Philippians Tvs.
ol5). Q. "Zerah the Ethiopian" He
probably belonged to the same dynasty as
Shishak (chap. l2:24), for his army was
composed of the same nations. This proves
him to have been an Egyptian and nos, as
some have thought, an Arabian or Aslatic
king. His object in invading Judah was
doubtless to recover to Egypt the cities
which Asa had been fortifving, for Asa's
procedure had been virtually a rebellion
against Egypt. "A thousand thousand"
This ia the largest collected army of which
we hear in the Scriptures. But some think
that the number is not to be taken liter
l.