DCLM Daily Manna 17 May 2022
KEY VERSE: 2 Chronicles 14:2,3 – “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves.”
TEXT: 2 Chronicles 14:1-15 (KJV)
So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.
Asa Reigns in Judah2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, 3 for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. 6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, 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 has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”12 So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army. And they carried away very much spoil. 14 Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them. 15 They also [f]attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
A teacher was trying to teach his pupil about cause and effect; he said, “Has your mother or father ever told you that after you do a certain chore, then you can go get ice cream? If so, then you know a certain sequence, or order, was needed. First, you do the chore and then you get the ice cream.” Many things in life have cause and effect.
In our passage today, King Asa inherited from his father a lot of strange worships and idolatry in Judah. His father Abijah had tolerated such worships and images. Upon the death of his father and as soon as he became king, he wasted no time in taking down all the elevated altars that were at variance with the worship of the true God in Judah. God was pleased with him. It was recorded of him, that “Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God”.
Again, when he was confronted with a difficult situation – a war with Zerah the Ethiopian – he did not rely on his “mighty men of valour,” but he “cried unto the LORD his God”. He was victorious over his enemies because he recognised the only true God.
The solution to that long-standing challenge in your life could be found in your decision today to burn down all the evil altars in your life, and institute the true worship of God. Always acknowledge God’s omnipotence in every situation in your life, and avoid relying on self.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Living for God alone attracts greater blessings.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 15-17
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Profit of Pleasing the Lord – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 17 May 2022
