Verses 1-8 - In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah. He reigned in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maskah, the daughter of Abishalom. He committed all the sins his father did and was not devoted to God like David. God still gave him a son to succeed him and made Jerusalem strong because of David. Abijah battled with Jeroboam till he died, and Asa, his son succeeded his father Jeroboam. God has promised that if anyone wishes to live long, he must obey Him and His commands. Abijah did not and reigned for three years only without enjoying any peace. In our disobedience, we cannot enjoy peace in our lives even though we may not be at war or have war. We will probably die of poor health because of the stresses of life. We may be at odds with people all the time and not enjoy peace because of discontentment and disagreement with them. May the Lord give us an obedient heart to enjoy peace in our lives.

Verses 9-24 - In the twentieth year of Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah and reigned for forty-one years. Like David, he obeyed God. He got rid of the male prostitutes and all the idols and even removed his grandmother as queen-mother because she made an image for Asherah. He brought silver and gold and the things dedicated to God into the temple. But he was in a constant war with Baasha the king of Israel. Baasha tried to barricade Judah so Asa sent officials with silver and gold to make a treaty with Ben-Hadad the king of Aram.

Ben-Hadad sent his army and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah, and all Kinnereth with Naphtali. Baasha withdrew from Ramah to Tirzah. Asa took from Ramah all the stones and timber to build Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah. Asa’s reign and achievements were recorded in the Book of Annals of the Kings of Judah. He died of a disease in old age and was buried in the city of David. His son, Jehoshaphat succeeded him. Asa ruled for forty-one years and did right in the eyes of God. He removed all idols and even his grandmother as queen-mother because of an image she made of Asherah. God kept His promise to those who obey His commands as Asa lived a long life and his throne was established. Likewise, Jesus told His disciples that they must be fully committed to follow Him when He called them. Are we committed to following Jesus as a disciple? If we do, we will have life eternally because we believe and obey Him.

Asa was constantly at war with King Baasha. To stop Baasha from barricading Judah, he made a treaty with Ben-Hadad the king of Aram. Faith in God does not mean we do not use our brains. It does not mean we cannot employ the help of non-believers either. God is sovereign and He will use anyone to serve His people so His will can be accomplished just as He used a donkey to stop Balaam from cursing Israel. God looks at our hearts to see if we are fully committed to Him. Are you fully committed to Him?

The contrast of Abijah and Asa emphasizes the importance of obedience and commitment to God. Abijah's disobedience led to a short and turbulent reign but Asa's obedience led to a long and relatively prosperous rule despite the war with Baasha. Let it be our prayer to be like Asa rather than to be like Abijah.

Prayer: Dear God, may we have a right heart like Asa and not like his father, Abijah, We desire to be fully committed to You just as David was as a true follower of Jesus Christ.