Asa was a king of Judah who ‘did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 14:2). And in return God gave him rest, allowing him to build up and fortify his territory, and have a long successful reign as King over Judah.
King Asa had a 2-step process to achieving ‘rest’ which reminds me so much of the foundation of Korean skincare routines – something my sister and I adore. It’s called the “double cleanse”.
Step 1: an oil based cleanser emulsifies and washes away makeup, SPF, and any other impurities collected throughout the day.
Step 2: a water based cleanser takes care of anything else left behind.
Let’s look at King Asa’s “double cleanse” method
Step One: Oil Based Cleanser
OBEDIENCE AND REST
When Asa ascended to the throne after the death of his father Abijah, he found a people who had violated two of God’s commands.
“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
For King Asa, he started his double cleanse with obedience. He made it his first order of business to cleanse the land of witchcraft: he removed altars of foreign gods, destroyed sacred pillars, cut down wooden images and removed the high places and incense from all cities in Judah. As a leader, he took the initiative to rid the land of all the things that were causing his people to err, and removed the stumbling blocks that prevented them from truly connecting to God.
In 1 Samuel 15:22 God says, “obedience is better than sacrifice”. See there’s something that God has been very concerned about since the fall of Adam and Even in the Garden, and it’s this: The penalty of sin is death. And just as a judge in a courtroom must issue judgement and penalties for broken laws, so must God when we sin. So out of love for us, God says to us: Be obedient, this will save you from the pain, anguish, repercussions, and the years of delay caused by broken laws.
It’s what we like to call, “God Math”. 1 + 1 = 2. If you do x, then y happens. It’s simple. No trigonometry here. And since Asa followed God’s instructions. Since he was obedient and commanded the people to do likewise, God gave him rest.
Step Two: Water Based Cleanser
A PROPHET
After God’s protection from Zerah and his army, God sent a prophet to Asa. Prophets served to keep the people in a state of righteousness and on track with God. They typically arrived with judgements, friendly reminders, or warnings about behaviors that got the attention of God. Prophet Azariah was no different.
He met with King Asa and reminded him of God’s actions: His faithfulness and His Promises. Azariah’s words stirred up something in Asa’s spirit and he became courageous enough to go and route out more idols and restore the altar of the Lord. After all the work that Asa had already done, who would have thought that there would be more idols to clear out? It makes one wonder if the initial cleansing was like a surface cleanse. A pre-cleanse. And now God had to deal with a deeper heart level and secret witchcraft that was still present. So, Asa girded himself up and courageously destroyed these idols. But wait, there’s more. He also removed his mother from her post as queen mother because she was an occultic practitioner and had an obscene image of Asherah.
What's the Takeaway?
Asa was fulfilling his purpose by insisting the people stay committed to God and observe the commandments and laws. And in order to help them achieve this goal, he destroyed all the devices that were keeping them in bondage.
Ask yourself:
Where do I stand in relation to fulfilling my God-given purpose on earth?
Do I have peace in my life?
Are my needs being met?
If you are feeling a sense of lack, take a page from King Asa book and start with your spiritual foundation. Seek God. Repent. Turn from sinful behaviors and see if God won’t do for you, what He did for Asa. See if He won’t give you rest and peace in your heart.
May the story of King Asa serve as a reminder of what pleases God and what does not. A reminder to turn away from occultic things. To stop dabbling in enneagrams, horoscopes, psychics, crystals and sage sticks. Stop seeking psychic readings or knowledge from tarot cards when something happens in life that confounds you. These things will bewitch you. They allure and draw your gaze from the one true living God. And dear sister, God is jealous for your attention and adoration. He wants to be the sole source of your strength and knowledge. And in return He will grant you rest from all your enemies, just as He did for King Asa. Will you let Him?
If you have friends that dabble in some of these occult practices, remember, a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. And that’s on Galatians 5:9.
