When a Man of God Loses His Faith (David Wilkerson)

 

14

2Chr 14:1 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

2Chr 14:2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:

2Chr 14:3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:

2Chr 14:4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

2Chr 14:5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

2Chr 14:6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.

2Chr 14:7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, 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 hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

2Chr 14:8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

2Chr 14:9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

2Chr 14:10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

2Chr 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

2Chr 14:12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

2Chr 14:13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

2Chr 14:14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

2Chr 14:15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

15

2Chr 15:1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2Chr 15:2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

2Chr 15:3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

2Chr 15:4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

2Chr 15:5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

2Chr 15:6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.

2Chr 15:7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

2Chr 15:8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

2Chr 15:9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

2Chr 15:10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

2Chr 15:11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

2Chr 15:12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

2Chr 15:13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

2Chr 15:14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

2Chr 15:15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

2Chr 15:16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

2Chr 15:17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

2Chr 15:18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

2Chr 15:19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

16

2Chr 16:1 In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2Chr 16:2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

2Chr 16:3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

2Chr 16:4 And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

2Chr 16:5 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.

2Chr 16:6 Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.

2Chr 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

2Chr 16:8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.

2Chr 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

2Chr 16:10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

2Chr 16:11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

2Chr 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.

2Chr 16:13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

2Chr 16:14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him.