Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-01

We turn from our duties of Israel
to consider during the coming quar-
ter the prophets and kings in Judah.
The history of the southern kingdom.
as Stanley has well said, Is 1.-THE
history Of a dynasty rather than of a
nation-of a city rather than of a
country" Our lessons start with the
accession of Asa, the great-grandson
of Solomon and the grandson of Re-
hoboam. whose reactionary policy
and personal insolence caused the
broke from Judah, and the final les
son of the quarter will take up the
downfall of the southern kingdom,
when Jerusalem was destroyed in 5S6
B. c. and Judah was carried into
captivity.
is taken, was written three hundred
years after Kings, which contains
condensed account of Asa's activities
during his forty-one years reign,
was composed. The record of Chron-
icles. which was made six hundred
years after the events of this weeks
lesson, was gathered from a great
range Of sources (the chronicler
names more than twenty-five of his
Sources considerable library, all
Of them now lost" There is much
that would indicate that probably he
described in Second Maccabees. He
was moved to make this record be-
cause of the things that have been
left untold" which is the name OF
the Chronicles in the Septuagint, OF
ritual and sacerdotal interest con.
the world. He appears to have been
a prophet seeking to prove the pres
ence. purpose and power OF God In the
affairs Of men.
Abijah, the father of Asa, died after
brief reign of about three years,
victory of Jeroboam. He had fol
father, yet by the help Of the Lord.
whom he acknowledged. he conquered
Israel in a battle after the men OF
Judah had nearly been defeated,
when suddenly the tide of the battle
changed and his army succeeded In
taking several cities from Israel. 1t
may have been due to the success OF
his father and an alliance with Asa
made with Syria that peace marked
the first ten years Of his reign.
Another reason for the peace. pros
perity and power of his reign was
due to the fact that he started right
by seeking to glorify God. trying TO
do that which was right and
straight IN the eyes OIL TINS Anna NY
His first task was that of religious
reformer. He was a true reformer.
He proved this by his attitude to-
ward his own mother, Maacah. whom
he deposed from her lofty position OF
authority and influence because she
was a maker and worshiper OF
abominable images. The man who
will not spare his own family in car
rying out his program OF reform.
proves that he is a genuine reformer:
He started with his own home and
then tried to clean out. root and
branch, the immoral foreign faiths
with their multiplicity OF affairs and
gods. 1t took courage to even try
to destroy the affairs of the sanctu-
aries upon the hilltops. which had
been dedicated to the worship OF
heather gods, as well as the stone
and wooden boundary posts that had
come to possess a sacred meaning.
He did not stop until the reforma-
ton had been carried into every COM
munity of Judah.
Asa was not a destructive reformer.
who destroys without substituting
something else in its place. He took
a firm stand to restore the worship
Of Jehovah. He followed up his ef-
forts to destroy idolatry by seeking
to revive the true faith OF his fathers
both by example and edict. He put
first things first. He depended upon
the support and strength of Jehovah.
with the result that he had peace dur
ing his reign. The chronlcler points
out that both the king and nation
wara blessed with peace, prosperity