1 Kings 15:12-13
“And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron.”
We recently had a friend visiting who we had not seen in a number of years. One of his first comments was how much our children had grown. When he last saw them, they were pre-teens, now they are young men. He was shocked at how they had changed, in what seemed to be such a brief period of time. For us, the changes do not seem quite as drastic, because we are watching what happens from day to day. It is only when we bring up a photo or video that we see how much things have really changed.
This same thing was true of the moral condition of Israel and Judah. Gradually, over the reigns of Solomon and Rehoboam, the nation drifted from the precepts of God’s Word, and became more and more like the surrounding nations. Morality slipped, and what was once considered obscene, was now commonplace. While these changes may have come gradually, they needed to be addressed quickly and decisively. As Asa came to the throne, he began to immediately address the sins of the nation. We read that idolatry, perversion and obscenity were removed from the landscape of the nation.
It is high time that we, the church of Jesus Christ, pray fervently that those who rise to power would have the courage to stand against the rising tide of immorality. We are living in the times that Isaiah described, where people are calling evil good and good evil. We need to see God raise up men and women who will stand for what is holy, godly and right. That being said, I suggest, of equal and perhaps even greater importance, is that each of us would take the Word of God seriously in our personal lives. Instead of always looking outward at what is wrong with the world today, we would take a look inward, and allow the Word of God to operate on our personal lives.
A move of God, that stirs revival, is always the greatest deterrent to the flood of immorality that spreads across a nation. Revivals have always begun when individuals are moved by the Spirit and the Word of God, to commit themselves completely to Christ. The question that remains is, “Will you be an Asa. Will you be willing to commit yourself and your home to live devoted to Christ?” It is high time we remove the perversion and obscenity from our own lives.
Pastor Jim
During the reign of Saul, Israel faced constant attack from within and without. From within, they faced uprisings from the Philistines; while beyond their borders, they were threatened by Moab, Ammon, and Syria. Saul’s foreign policy was to react to attacks as they came; once an enemy showed signs of attacking the armies of Israel, they would respond. David had a different approach. He decided to go on the offensive and remove the threats once and for all, even drawing a line in the sand to make his stance very clear. 
After taking the throne and ruling over all of Israel, David focused his attention on three crucial areas that would help to guarantee a long and successful reign.
In many ways, the Old Testament serves as a picture book to illustrate New Testament principles. That is not to say the events recorded are not factual, but that they were designed to bring out Biblical principles in living color. The story of Saul and his battle to defeat the Amalekites unfolds like a motion picture, illustrating the battle we face with our own flesh. It does not take long for every Christian to realize, we struggle to resist some of the things that God has forbidden. Overcoming the ungodly desires within us is the daily struggle of the believer, and the story before us helps to unveil one of the secrets to success.
Israel faced a constant threat from the Philistines. They had come into the territory promised to Israel, taken land, and threatened the people. Earlier in 1 Samuel, the nation mustered all its strength to drive the Philistines out of their territories, only to suffer a devastating loss. In that earlier battle, the people gathered around a religious artifact, went forth in all the strength they had, and were defeated. Now, some years later, we find them once again facing the same threat. This time, however, their efforts resulted in a great victory. What was the difference? How were they able to defeat an enemy which had plagued them for so many years?
It is common for people to show no interest in God until calamities arises. As long as life is going their way, they are not concerned with God, but as soon as things get difficult, suddenly, they cry to God for help. Those who have shown no interest in the ways of God, suddenly blame God for the calamity they are facing, and cry out to Him to fix everything.
The book of Judges records a reoccurring cycle in the life of the young Israeli nation. Over and over, as the story unfolds, we will read of sin, suffering, supplications and salvation. The people will disobey the Lord, becoming involved in sinful and worldly practices. These practices will lead to suffering, and their suffering will cause them to cry out to God for help. Again and again, the mercy of God is revealed as God raises up judges or deliverers to rescue the people from the bondage their sin has caused.
Both Joshua and the early chapters of Judges, tell the story of Israel’s occupation of the land of Canaan. After the initial strikes led by Joshua, the land was divided into twelve lots. Each tribe was given the responsibility of possessing their territory. While we read of some great victories that illustrate dynamic faith, we also read a reoccurring theme where the tribes either did not, or could not, drive out one people group or another. Sometimes it was a failure on the part of the people to trust God and step out in faith, other times it was due to convenience. In the case of Benjamin, they allowed the enemy to remain within their borders because they believed they would personally benefit from keeping them around. 
After Joshua led the armies of Israel in victory against the Canaanite kings, he distributed the land to each of the tribes. The lands were determined by lot and the size of each tribe. The lot was like a divinely inspired roll of the dice. They may have prayed, rolled the dice, and trusted the Lord for the outcome. Once the lands were distributed, each tribe was responsible to occupy their portion. In order to occupy the land, they had to settle into what they had previously conquered, then daily, deal with those inhabitants who stubbornly remained.
The men of Gibeon pulled off quite a scam. They went to great lengths to look like something they were not, in order to fool Israel into making a treaty with them. Old clothes, worn out shoes, moldy bread, all made it appear they had traveled a great distance. In reality, they lived within the borders of Israel’s land. Joshua and the other leaders of the nation were duped by the Gideonite’s ruse because when faced with this dilemma, they used their senses, rather than the Word of God. Had they taken the time to pray, God would have revealed to them the true nature of the Gibeonites. His Word already spoke regarding the inhabitants of the Land; Israel was to drive them out.
Jim Gallagher 