The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-07-13
THE. SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY IL.
Subject: Asa's Good Reign, IT Chron.,
xiv, 1-1e-Golden Text, II Chron..
xiv. 11-Memory Verses, 2-5-Com
mentary on the Days Lesson.

NV, lI-MemOry verses, S-O-Com
mentary on the Days Lesson.
.. ]. Reformation under Asa Tvs. l-5). l.
City of David" Jerusalem. Asa, his
SON. Abijah had many sons (chap. 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 Abiiah'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. 1910 with
l5:l9). The number ten here makes
discrepancy with Kings. for Baasha be.
came king of Israel in the third year OF
| Asa, and There was war between Asa and
Baasha all their days" Il Kings l5:32). 2
Good and right" After the division oil
| the kingdom not one of the nineteen kings
that ruled over Israel was good king,
and only few of the nineteen who ruled
over Judah were good Asa was the first
good king of Judah. He followed the com
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
God.
8. "He took away This statement,
/ WHICH Is again III Ntlst -. SttUlS
to be contradcted in chap. l5:l7, where il
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 to 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 "alp' tho
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 the heath
en- to erect affairs for their ldolatrous wor.
ship on the tops of hills or mountains, sup
posing they were nearer. to God and heav.
word is the proper name for heathen
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 it is
often used in the more general sense of
idols.
4. "To seek the Lord Compare chap
1872, 13. Asa commanded the people to
observe all the divine institutions which
they had been utterly neglecting. After
destroying idolatry, Asa revived religious
worship ~ by his personal example, and
(2) by the use of his authority. He car.
ried out the reforms in spirit of self-con'
secration, courage and zeal. He sought to
please God first and not himself or his
courtiers g. ''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 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.
"Was quiet" The people obeyed the COM
mands of Asa and sought the Lord (chap.
l5).
IT, Asa's military defenses Tvs. 6-S). 6.
"Built fenced cities" He probably re.
stored the fortresses which Shishak, tho
king OF Egypt, had taken and dismantled
(chap. l2:24). 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
Egyptians he fortified his kingdom. Lord
had given" Asa had not gained rest and
success by his own valor, but God hat
given it. I. "Land-before us" That is
while the land was unoccupied and un
guarded by their enemies and they wer'
free to go at their own pleasure "Sough
the Lord" 1t is always good to seek thu
Lord. Those who pursue the world NEE
with vexation of spirit, but, God give
peace and prosperity and real prosperit!
can come only from God 8. IIargets an,
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.armed bow
, men belonging to Benjamin. "All these.
This does not mean that Asa had an arm,
! en1I
compose European armies or our standin
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). g. "Zerah the Ethiopian" H
probably belonged to the. same dynasty a
Shishak (chap. l2:24), for his army wa
composed Of the same nations. This prove
him to have been an Egyptian and not, a
some have thought an Arabian or Asiati
king. His object in invading Judah wa
which Asa had been fortifying, for Asa
procedure had been virtually a. rebellion
against Egypt. "a thousand thousand
|, This is the largest collected army of whic
we hear in the Scriptures. But some thin
that the number is not to be taken liteI
ally, and that thousand thousand sign
fies that there was great host too grea
to number. "Three hundred chariots.
The chariots, though comparatively few
are mentioned because Asa himself ha
none at all. "Mareshah." One of tn
| cities which had been fortified b.. RehC
boam (chap. 1l:8). 1t was probably nea
the western border of Judah, about tweI
ty-ive miles southwest of Jerusalem.
IL. "Cried unto Inc 10 L." Asa say
II that his hone OF success was not in any e
fort he might be able to make, but in Goo
His faith and courage mounted high, an
with holy boldness he pressed his cas-,
Nothing with Thee" Bee r. V. 1t
alike to Thee to help the powerful or VII
weak, Thou canst as easily help the wea
as the strong. "In Thy name" That i
by Thy commission. in confidence of Th
assistance. and for the maintenance of Th
J honor and service and people. 1--WE go.
Although relying on God for victory, "
Asa made the best preparations possibl
4 and went out to meet the enemy. "Againi
Thee Asa thus made the battle th
: Lords, and called upon Him to maintai
! His own honor. IL. "The Lord smote
But not without the help of Asa and h
Jewish and Benjamite forces. Filed
Filled with terror the vast Ethiopia
hordes fed to the south.