What Do You Seek? Asa's Wisdom and Folly

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Asa was the son of Abijah.
Abijah was the son of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, the son of David.

Asa comes to the throne only twenty years after the death of Solomon.

And, as the Chronicler summarizes the story, Asa reigned for 41 years.

The first decade of his reign saw peace. Then the Ethiopians invaded with their million man army (the really big army) around year ten of his reign.

In the fifteenth year of his reign (ca. 895 B.C.) Asa led Judah and the remnant of Israel in making a covenant to seek the LORD. Then there was no more war in his reign for 20 years until the invasion of Baasha in the 35th year.

When Asa took the throne in Jerusalem, Jeroboam was king of Israel – and then Jeroboam's son, Nadab, then Nadab's general, Baasha, then Baasha's son, Elah, then Elah's general, Zimri, then Elah's other general, Omri, and finally Omri's son, Ahab.

Seven kings ruled the northern kingdom of Israel during the 41 year reign of Asa. You can see a faint picture of the everlasting rule of the Son of David, as the rulers of this world come and go....