King Palindrome
Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore
January 3, 2016
This sermon will be different than most of the ones that I have brought. First, we won’t have an introductory Scripture. This will not continue in the future, but I didn’t know what Scripture to use without giving the answer to who “King Palindrome” was.
Naming a child is one of life’s most unusual gifts. Does the name affect the child as he grows up? Some thinks that it does. A strange name certainly might. But what if you name them with a palindromic appellation, one with perfect symmetry and balance—meaning one that reads the same backwards and forwards.
For example: Hannah. It reads the same backwards and forwards: H + A + N + N + A + H.
Other examples include: Bob, Anna, Eve, Nan, Ada, and Otto.
And there are palindromes that are long sentences, ignoring punctuations and capitals:
Won’t cat lovers revolt? Act now!
Or, a word square in which every row and column reads as a word in both directions:
Now, let me give you a couple of clues and see if you can guess who is this King Palindrome that is the focus of our study today:
- This King is in the Bible.
- He was one of the Kings of Judah.
- He has a very short name, three letters.
- He is listed in the Bible as a king that “did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.”
- He was the third King of Judah.
Does anyone know what his name is?
Yes, it was King Asa: A + S + A. And today’s sermon will be a study of King Asa’s life as found in 2 Chronicles chapters 14-16. There is also a parallel narration of King Asa’s reign of 41 years found in 1 Kings 15:9-24. Now we will have our introductory Scripture.
2 Chronicles 14:1-5
1) “So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
2) And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:
3) For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:
4) And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
5) Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.”
1 Kings 15:11-12
11) “And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
12) And Asa took away all the sodomites out of the land, and moved all the idols that his fathers had made.”
King Abijah was King Asa’s father. Asa became the King of Judah the normal way; for when Abijah died is when King Asa took the throne.
Let’s go down a quick rabbit hole and examine what they did to King Abijah after his death. It says that they buried him in Jerusalem! I would point out that NOW the custom of our people is to go the cheaper route--cremation, but King Abijah did not do this pagan ceremony, but was buried in the city of Jerusalem. Just like all his fathers were – buried, not cremated. I wondered if they had cremated Jesus Christ, how His resurrection would have happened?
His grandfather was King Rehoboam. It was during his reign that the Kingdom of Israel was split into two separate kingdoms -- North and South, or House of Israel and House of Judah. During his reign the Temple of his God, which was located in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, fell into disrepair.
So King Asa was the third king in Judah’s history. It was close to three millenniums ago in time.
King Rehoboam ruled for 17 years; King Abijah ruled for 3 years. Both of these Kings did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. Rehoboam because he “prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.” He forsook the law of the LORD and was almost totally defeated by the armies of the Egyptians. Many of the precious treasures of the House of God were taken by these enemy forces.
Keep in mind they were not evil continually. Take for example, King Abijah, King Asa’s father. He fought King Jeroboam of the House of Israel. It was their first major war against each other. King Jeroboam had 800,000 soldiers, while King Abijah had 400,000 chosen men. King Jeroboam’s, leader of the House of Israel, strategy was sound according to natural man’s thinking, but nothing can succeed when God is against it.
When the army of Judah saw that they were in an ambush, from the front and the back, they cried out to their God whom King Abijah claimed was their captain. The priests sounded with their trumpets, the men of Judah shouted, and God, Himself, smote King Jeroboam’s army and they fled before Judah; 500,000 out of the 800,000 were slain.
The Bible says that “God smote Jeroboam and all Israel” (2 Chronicles 13:15). But King Abijah, although God intervened and gave them the great victory over the more powerful House of Israel, did other evils in his life. For example, he made a treaty with Syria that the Syrians would help him if he needed them and he married 14 wives and begot 22 sons and 16 daughters.
What caused King Asa to be a good king when his father and grandfather were not? The Bible doesn’t give us all the details. It just says that the land was quiet for 10 years, because King Asa was good and right in the eyes of the LORD God of Israel?
One reason was that the House of Israel was subdued at that time after their great defeat because the House of Judah relied upon the LORD God of their fathers. And that was after King Abijah, doing evil, had made a covenant with the King of Syria to block any further attack from the House of Israel.
But was King Asa tolerant or intolerant to other religious persuasions? What did King Asa do that was good and right?
- He took away the altars of the strange gods.
- He took away the high places.
- He broke down the images.
- He cut down the groves (asherahs).
- He took away all the sodomites out of the land.
- He commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers.
- He commanded Judah to do the law and the commandments of their God.
- He took away the high places and images out of all the cities of Judah.
The first five things that King Asa did were to destroy the religious practices of the alien racial stranger that was in their territory that the people of the kingdom of Judah had copied. He took away, broke or cut down the altars, high places, images and asherahs of the false religion of the Canaanites and removed all the homosexuals. It should be pointed out that these practices of the nation of Judah were going on for the years under the reigns of King Solomon, King Rehoboam and King Abijah.
I might also point out that the word “asherah” is always translated “groves” in the King James Version, but is retained as a proper name in the Revised translations. This worship centered in the Canaanite nations and spread to the other nations. It was mentioned in the Bible that this idol made God jealous when His people worship this erect pillar image. It led to the destruction of all Canaanite nations and caused Israel to be banished among other nations.
He also removed all the sodomites or homosexuals out of the land. That means that King Asa was not politically correct; but he was correct in the eyes of His God. Now answer me this question: If King Asa was correct in the eyes of the LORD to remove ALL the sodomites out of the land, why is it correct to leave them in the land and approve of all their perverse doings in our time? How far have we gotten from God’s law?
Let me ask a couple more questions? What if King Asa was alive today and he was the King in Great Britain? What would he do? If he followed the same principles that he did 2900 years ago, he would:
Abolish Christmas or Christ’s Mass
The Mass of Christ is an abomination in the LORD God’s sight. Roman Catholics sacrifice Jesus Christ every service that they have. The take the host (bread), the priest prays over it and it miraculously turns into the actual body of Jesus.
The same thing happens to the wine. The priest prays over it and turns it into the actual blood of Jesus Christ. This is what they eat and drink during their Holy Eucharist. Both are forbidden (eating the actual flesh and drinking the actual blood) in the Holy Scriptures. He would also destroy the false god of Christmas—Santa Claus. This giver of many presents to mostly young children, is the lie that many parents tell their children only to later have their children find out that they have been lied to. They give gifts to each other and not to the god whose birthday they are celebrating. This destroys the faith of many children on what their parents say to them about who God really is. About 91% of the people in the United States celebrate Christmas today. Only about 71% claim to be Christian. So, how can this be a valid Christian holiday?
Abolish Easter
His death occurred on Passover. His resurrection occurred on the waving of the barley sheets, not on Easter Sunday. He died at the exact same time that Israel was to sacrifice the many lambs for their redemption and freedom. It was on the anniversary of their great escape from Egyptian slavery. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday would all be cancelled. Easter is a clever deception of making the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ universal, instead of exclusive.
Abolish Halloween
All evil spirits, ghosts, demons and other unclean entities would no longer be celebrated on this unholy day.
Destroy the many false altars of the Moslem, Jews, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and Judeo-Christians, etc.
All Mosques, synagogues and false Christian church buildings would be closed and/or destroyed.
Destroy the obelisks
All the obelisks in London, England and hopefully those in Washington, D.C.; New York City; and in other locations and in the many graveyards would be torn down.
Remove all sodomites, including the transgendered, bisexual, and other perverts out of the land.
No queers would be allowed to stay in the land of Israel. No same-sex marriages would be tolerated. No homosexuals would be allowed in the military. None would be allowed to be in the country!
Announce that the people of God would seek the LORD God of their fathers.
- Each day would not begin at midnight but at the setting of the sun.
- New Year’s Day would not be 11 days after the Winter solstice; but in the springtime.
- Pentecost would be a 48-hour Sabbath (two-day Sabbath) each year. The Sabbath would always be on the seventh day.
- Tabernacles would be the start and finish of each fiscal year.
- Every seven years all debts would be canceled.
- Etc.
What if he announced that the Caucasian people were commanded to obey the law and commandments of their God? This means that they would have to go back to their original calendar, which would present some major changes:
Wouldn’t the people that God shed His blood for be in a complete uproar if that took place? But would God be pleased or would His wrath be displayed? Queen Elizabeth could do it herself; wouldn’t that be something. And part of this already happened many years before, when different kings ruled over England, Christ’s Mass was abolished. But it was soon reinstated.
2 Chronicles 14:6-8
6) “And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.
7) Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought Him, and He hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
8) And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.”
These verses tell more of what King Asa did that was right and good in the eyes of the God of Israel:
- He built fenced cities in Judah while he was at peace.
- He sought the LORD.
- He kept prepared for war in time of peace.
Does God still do the same? If we seek Him, will He provide to us a period of rest? And during the peaceful days do we prepare for the coming troublesome times? It happens to individuals as well as to nations that are under His law and commandments. There must come a test to see if we are faithful.
2 Chronicles 14:9-15
9) And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian [Cushite] with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.
10) Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
Zerah’s army, from Ethiopia [Cush], had close to one million soldiers. They also had about 300 chariots in the battle. So, the odds were greatly stacked against Judah; it was two tribes against a nation. They were outnumbered about two against one.
11) And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
12) So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
13) And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.
14) And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.
15) They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
King Asa cried to the LORD God for help, like his father had done in the battle against the House of Israel. He exercised faith, rested upon Him, and in the name of God went against the enemy who had about twice the number of his soldiers. “The LORD smote the Ethiopians” [Cushites] and thy fled before Judah, who perused to the town of Gerar.
Let this verse sink into your head: “The LORD smote the Ethiopians,” and then tell me that all races are equal in the eyes of the LORD. Do you think that this was a close victory or a major onslaught?
When the LORD, the God of Israel, fights for His covenant people, no one can stand very long in that fight against them. The power of the devil is that he has the ability to deceive the nations to fight against the covenant people of God. The Ethiopian army, like so many others that fought against God’s people, were so defeated that they could not recover themselves to fight another battle. They did not attempt a war on Israel again for 300 years.
King Asa and his army carried away much spoil, and smote all the cities round about Gerar. It is important to note that the tribe of Benjamin continued to display their heart as they stood valiantly behind the Davidic throne, despite overwhelming odds time and again. One thousand years later, Benjamin would be the tribe that supplied the men who were called to be the disciples of Jesus Christ.
If the LORD fights on your behalf, what is the attitude of your enemies? It says that the enemies of King Asa had “the fear of God” upon them. The army of King Asa had no problem destroying the cities of the Ethiopians [Cushites] and taking much spoil from their conquest.
This brings us to another thing that King Asa did that was good: He cried to God and trusted in Him when war did come.
2 Chronicles 15:1-7
1) And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2) And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3) Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
4) But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5) And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.
6) And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
7) Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
King Asa was sent a prophet of God who tells him that he did the right and correct thing; he trusted in his God. This prophet, Azariah, the son of Obed, gives the King an important statement from history. “Now for a long season Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.”
The prophet is warning the King that during the closing reign of King Solomon, his great-grandfather, and during the reigns of his grandfather and father this was a statement that explained the way of life. The history of those days was not good, for Israel was at war constantly. But God gives one of His covenant promises to the King of Judah: if you seek Him, you will find Him; if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
What about today? Is it true that we have gone a long time without churches preaching the true gospel and the true Jesus? Have we preachers that teach that the laws of God are the laws that are to be obeyed? How many times have you heard a preacher say that if anyone steals then he is obligated to pay the victim back double; he is obligated to repay the victim four times the amount if he stole his business property? If he doesn’t have enough money, he is to be your slave until he pays the entire amount. And if he doesn’t pay him back, then he is to be executed. How many times have you heard a preacher preach this in any church besides a Christian Identity church?
If the Israelites that live in America wanted to find their God, all they have to do is to seek after Him. And when they find Him, they will then keep His laws and commandments that are different from what the world of unbelievers think. That is the ONLY way that we will ever achieve peace.
And that is probably what made me different from all my peers: I sought after the God of my fathers. It didn’t come easy; and it didn’t come quickly. But it did eventually come.
2 Chronicles 15:8
“When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin and about of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.”
King Asa understood the encouraging message given him by the prophet which showed him how to gain the blessing of God. It was a signal to continue his reforms. So, the next thing that he did was to put away all the abominable idols out of the land and renew the altar of God that was in the court of the temple. It had fallen into misuse through the years of apostasy of the Kings Rehoboam and Abijah.
Here are two more things that King Asa did that were called “good” in the Bible:
- He put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of all the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim.
- He renewed the altar of the LORD that was before the porch of the LORD.
And what follows is one of the most glorious events in Israel’s history. Would you be a part of such a gathering if it occurred today?
2 Chronicles 15:9-15
9) And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the [Israelite] strangers with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon; for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10) So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11) And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12) And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul.
13) That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.
14) And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting and with trumpets and cornets.
15) And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.
So what happened? Heeding the advice of the prophet of God, King Asa saw many from three of the tribes of the ten-tribed northern kingdom come to him because they saw that the LORD God was with him. Notice that they came on their own in great numbers. So, what did King Asa do as a result of this great immigration?
He assembled all of the immigrants that came from the House of Israel plus the men of the House of Judah in Jerusalem for the purpose of offering unto the LORD the spoil which they had taken in their battle against the Ethiopians [Cushites]. They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. They even pronounced the death sentence if any of them would not seek the LORD God of Israel, no matter who he/she was.
It was one of those rather unique, fantastic times. For they swore unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
All of these men rejoiced at the oath that they had made and the LORD gave them rest round about for many years. It was very similar to the oath that the South African vortrekkers made in their life-saving battle against the Zulus. They too had rest for many years; in fact, for as long as they trusted in their God.
We should mention that verse 10 says that this great event occurred on the third month of the year. Was this March? No, because they were using the Hebrew calendar, not the Roman one that we now use. The New Year began in the Spring, so the third month would be at the time of Pentecost: 1) April, 2) May and 3) June.
There are five more good things that King Asa performed:
- He held a holy convocation.
- He gave to God His share of the spoils of war.
- He entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, he and all the people, with all their heart.
- He made an oath to God, to serve Him.
- He rejoiced with the people in their vows.
Have we ever been a part of such a group? Have we ever made an oath to our God for the purpose of serving Him? Why was it necessary for the Kingdom of Judah to make an oath to their God? Can you hear the loud blasts from the trumpets and cornets as the people rejoiced in their vows? Should we, at this time, make a similar oath to our God?
2 Chronicles 15:16
16) And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
King Asa’s mother worshipped a monstrous idol that represented another god. It was similar to a wooden totem pole, so that it could be cut down and burned. His mother received no special privilege for breaking the law of God. King Asa removed the idol, cut it down, stamped it and burned it up. King Asa followed the principle to do what his God commanded him, no matter if it went against his family’s traditions. She was no longer the queen!
This verse reveals to us two more things that King Asa did that are considered to be “good”:
- He removed his mother from being queen because of her idolatry.
- He cut down his mother’s idol, stamped it, and burned it.
2 Chronicles 15:17-19
17) But the high places were not taken away out of Israel, nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18) And he brought into the house of God, the things that his father had dedicated, and the he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19) There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of reign of Asa.”
The high places were not taken out of Israel, but they were taken out of Judah. For King Asa had no control over the House of Israel. There was no more war or military campaigns for 25 more years; but there were border skirmishes. Things were going well in the House of Judah.
Two more things are found to be considered “good” that King Asa did:
- He kept his heart perfect, as far as idolatry was concerned, all his days.
- He brought into the house of God all that he and his father had dedicated, of silver, gold and vessels.
2 Chronicles 16:1-6
1) “In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
2) Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying.
3) There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Basaha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
4) And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and thy smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5) And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.
6) Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.
2 Chronicles 16 is a warning to all of us. King Asa gives to the King of Syria gold and silver from the House of God to break his treaty with Israel and to fight on his side. And that proved to be beneficial to him at the beginning, but it led to disaster.
Why was the King of the House of Israel building the town of Ramah anyway? It was to prevent many of his citizens from going to the land of the House of Judah to live because they sensed that the God of their father’s was there. Many from three of the ten tribes had already ventured to the House of Judah and it was the plan of the King of the House of Israel to keep this from happening any more.
Baasha, the King of the House of Israel, was forcing his people to worship the golden calves and was pressing them to forget the God of their fathers. He wanted them to be patriotic and stay at home instead of going to Jerusalem to worship. As a result, King Baasha built Ramah to hinder his own people from immigrating to the House of Judah.
What did King Asa do that was wrong? When we reach an older age, we better watch out! Many of the people in the Old Testament, started out very good, but ended their life very bad. King Asa trusted in the power of the Syrian instead of God. King Asa had trusted in God before, so had his father; but this time he failed and trusted in another humanly powerful force to help him. Why did he do this?
But isn’t this what the Germans did in World War 2? Why were they in alliance with Japan? Were they in alliance because they were anti-Communists? Why didn’t Germany just trust in the God of their fathers by themselves?
And is this what the United States did in World War 2, as well? Why were they in alliance with IsraeLie, Brazil and China? Why didn’t they trust in the God of their fathers?
Why did the United States armed forces have non-Israelites in it? Why were there Latinos, Negroes, Chinese and mixed-raced individuals as soldiers fighting for the United States?
Who was in the army of King Asa? Prime aged men of Judah and Benjamin only. No women, no youngsters, no old men—men who were 20 years old or older were the armed forces. No Canaanites, no Edomites, no Ammonites, no Moabites, no Philistines—just Israelite men.
Even worse, now the armed forces of the United States has included sodomites, transgendered individuals and females who can, for the first time, fight in the front lines! Does the armed forces include known murderers, adulterers? Then why would it include individuals that are homosexual and others that practice witchcraft? They all, according to the Law of God, are capital offenses.
And for the first time in our history, transgendered individuals and females are now entitled to fight on the front lines. I’ve never heard an explanation about what occurs in the battlefield when a person has to use the bathroom? Weren’t there any women of any valor in the days of King Asa?
And what happens when the enemy captures some of the women? What sexual tortures could they perform? What happens when a women is lying on the battle field wounded and possibly bleeding to death?
What is the women’s role, anyway? Her role, for the vast majority of the world’s history, remained the same—she was to be the guide of the home. She was to raise her children. Now we have females in the armed forces, away from her children, around all these other men—what a disaster ready to happen!
The United States has built, now, this very strange and very unusual army, navy, air force and marines! Even we didn’t have homosexual in the armed forces in our beginning? Why? Because it was against the law of the land!
Nor did we have any females fighting side by side with their male counterparts. Why? Because the two are not created equal. They suffered different punishments for their sins. How can our God bless it? He can’t.
2 Chronicles 16:7-9
7) “And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
8) Were not the Ethiopians [Cushites] and the Lubims [Libyans] a huge host, and very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst rely on on the LORD, he delivered them unto thine hand.
9) For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou has done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
King Asa broke the covenant that he and the people of Judah had made with the LORD their God. They failed to trust in Him. As a result of their actions, they were punished with constant wars.
You have to be careful what you vow to do. If you break any vow that you make to God there will be consequences, sometimes severe consequences.
What has happened to the United States now? What God are we trusting? Do we have peace or are we in constant war with someone or somebody? We are a multi-cultural conglomerate.
2 Chronicles 16:10-11
10) “Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.
11) And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
When King Asa heard the prophecy and rebuke of Hanani the seer, he was angry at the prophet and put him in prison. He was in a rage because of what he had done and because God had turned against him for trusting in the Syrians. He punished the messenger of his sin and did not address the sin that he announced.
King Asa made three crucial mistakes:
- He trusted in the Syrians, rather than in his God,
- He persecuted the prophet who sought to be faithful to God and help the king, and put him in prison, and
- He began to oppress some of the people, while he was in a rage—something he had not done before.
After King Asa had made these awful mistakes, it brought on the Kingdom of Judah constant war, for that was God’s judgment against him.
2 Chronicles 16:12-14
12) “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
13) And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
14) And they buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and thy made a very great burning for him.”
King Asa did not trust in the LORD when he became diseased in his feet. He trusted in the physicians. These were probably Egyptian physicians who were in high repute at foreign courts in ancient times and who persuaded to expel diseases by charms, incantations, and mystic arts. King Asa’s fault was in trusting them instead of his God. God was jealous in such cases.
Who do the people trust in their medical situations in the United States? Their God or their medical physician? Do we trust in the AMA physicians who tell us that only they have the power to heal us by:
- Surgery,
- Medical pills,
- Or a combination of both of the above.
Is it true what Pastor Mark told us last week that the body has a code that can be decoded? All we have to do is to fix the part that is jammed up and we will be healed. Amputating the part that is ill will only “heal” the symptom, not the disease. And many times it won’t even do that.
The enemy, by changing the environment by using improper fertilizers, or making hybrid changes in the cells, or by shooting the person with vaccinations, only will treat the symptoms, not the disease. May God give us the courage to seek the LORD, our God in all things that we face.
For example, the olive is the most popular vegetable all around the world. The olive tree originates since the beginning of the world and it is used as food and medicine worldwide. These are facts which are familiar to everyone. What most people don’t know is that olive leafs are those which have the most healing properties and may cure pneumonia, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, flu, meningitis, herpes, hepatitis B and many more thanks to the most important compound oleuropein.
Olive leaf tea not only will help you with various diseases but also it will give a boost to your immune system and new energy. This tea should be consumed when you are stressed and panicked and you want to relax.
Why is this story in the Bible? It is for us to study and learn from. Remember the life of King Asa, the good king of Judah—remember what he did that was good and remember what he failed to do when he got older.
Remember who the Palindrome King was. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a man like King Asa to rule over us? Wouldn’t it be better when we have Jesus Christ our Redeemer and King to rule over us. Keep the faith, be strong and of good courage.
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel.
