No Excuse

 ¹ In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. ³ And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. ¹⁰ And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. ¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David. ¹² And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ 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. - 1 Kings 15:1-3, 9-13

 

     Israel's history is an up and down cycle of Godly and absolutly godless kings. Abijam was one of the godless kings who ruled over Judah during the time of the split kingdom. We see that kings before him had turned away from the God-fearing ways of David as well. He led the kingdom into sin and was not loyal to the Lord. Abijam worshiped idols and guided the people into deeper idolatry during his reign. Today's thought isn't about Abijam, however, but rather about his son, Asa. Asa grew up under his father's idolatrous rule. He was no doubt taught about idols, most likely joining his father at the altars of these false gods while he was a child. His grandmother was no example either as she erected her own obscene idols in the kingdom of Judah. This passage gives us no indication of anyone leading Asa in the ways of the Lord. Perhaps he had a friend or another family member who told him of the true God. Perhaps his unmentioned mother raised him in the ways of his ancestor, David. I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is that Asa was surrounded by sin and debauchery. Judah is very far from God; a nation full of idols and temples peddling prostitutes as a part of religious worship. Asa lives in a very dark age with little guidance in the ways that are right. Yet, in spite of all of these stumbling blocks, Asa makes the choice to follow the Lord. He takes the throne and begins cleaning things up. He gets rid of the idols, he kicks the prostitutes out of Judah, and he even removes his own grandmother from her position in the royal family. Quite an impressive feat for a young man with seemingly no righteous advice or guidance in his life. As Christians we have no excuse. It doesn't matter where we come from, who our family is, or how deplorable the world around us has become. We still have a command to do what is right and serve the Lord. Asa could have just given up and resolved that his kingdom was going to march toward hell no matter what. Instead, he refused to complain or whine and did something about it. He didn't hope and pray that things would change, he changed things. It's time that we started changing things in our communities and our countries. It isn't going to happen through complaining or wishing or politics, it's going to happen through action. I started this very blog as a way to wake me up, keep me accountable, and get me moving toward doing something that matters. God has been working in my heart a lot lately about getting active and making a change. Join me in getting off the pew and doing things that matter. It's time that we took a stand, in spite of all odds, and started throwing out some idols.