Study Desk

But as for us, the Lord is our God. We have not left Him. The sons of Aaron are working for the Lord as religious leaders. And the Levites are doing their work.

Every morning they give burnt gifts and burn special perfume to the Lord. The holy bread is set on the clean table. And the gold lamp-stand with its lamps is ready to light every evening. For we do the work of the Lord our God. But you have left Him.

Now see, God is with us at our head. His religious leaders are ready to blow the horns, to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers. For you cannot win."

Then the men of Judah sounded a war cry. And when they sounded the war cry, God began destroying Jeroboam and all Israel around Abijah and Judah.

The men of Israel ran away from Judah. God gave them into their hand.

So the sons of Israel were set back at that time. The sons of Judah were strong because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers.

Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words, are written in the story of Iddo the man of God.

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

He told Judah to follow the Lord God of their fathers, and to obey the Laws.

So he said to the people of Judah, "Let us build these cities. And let us build walls and towers around them, with iron gates. The land is still ours, because we have followed the Lord our God. We have followed Him, and He has given us rest on every side." So they built and did well.

Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, "Lord, there is no one but You to help in the battle between the powerful and the weak. So help us, O Lord God. For we trust in You. In Your name we have come against these many people. O Lord, You are our God. Do not let any man win the fight against You."

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching religious leader, and without law.

But in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel. They looked for Him, and He let them find Him.

Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God sent every kind of trouble upon them.

Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, who lived with them. For many had left Israel to come to him when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

And they agreed to follow the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul.

Whoever would not follow the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, young or old, man or woman.

He brought into the house of God the holy things of his father and his own holy things. He brought in silver and gold and the things used for the worship.

At that time Hanani the man of God came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, "You have put your trust in the king of Syria and not in the Lord your God. So the army of the king of Syria got away from you.