And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the Lord, silver, and gold, and vessels. — 1 Kings 15:15

When I graduated from college and got a job, I felt like I went from rags to riches. As a student, I had lived meagerly, counted every penny, drove a junky old car, looked for ways to get free meals, recycled pop cans for extra change — you name it! Then, I got hired into a good position with a solid, dependable salary. In a week, I went from having nothing to getting a regular income!

Not long after getting hired, I purchased a new car. It was brand new, beautiful, and ran smoothly. A few months later, I was looking into buying a condo. My wardrobe began to improve, and I did not have to check my purse every time I wanted to eat out after church. It seemed I suddenly had many treasures.

With the increase of wealth, I felt a deep desire to bring every treasure into the house of the Lord and lay it before Him. Dedicating my treasures to Him had been easier when I had nothing to give, but as the material blessings flowed into my life, I realized that, more than ever, I needed to consecrate them to God.

When Asa became king, he did right before God. It may have been astounding to him to be blessed with wealth that he inherited as king, but he brought the treasures before the Lord and dedicated them to Him. Later, however, he used those dedicated treasures to form an alliance with an ungodly nation.

What treasures do you have in your life? Perhaps you have been blessed financially or with talents that God has given you. Have you dedicated these things to God? Maybe you dedicated them years ago, but have since taken them back. Give them completely to God! The spiritual blessing that comes from dedicating our treasures is of far greater value than any worldly treasures.

BACKGROUND

The Northern Kingdom, Israel, went through nine dynasties in 250 years, while the Southern Kingdom, Judah, was led by David’s dynasty for over 350 years. Although the kings of Judah often had many faults, the kingdom represented the one true God and continued kings in David’s line.

Abijam was also called Abijah (see 2 Chronicles 13). Abijam was not Rehoboam’s oldest son; he was the son of Rehoboam’s favorite wife Maachah (2 Chronicles 11:18-22). Abijam was not godly, but the Lord supported him because he was a descendant of David. Abijam continued the war that had persisted between Rehoboam and Jeroboam and he defeated the army of Israel and recovered some of Judah’s lost territory. Abijam reigned for only three years.

Asa became king after his father, Abijam, died. During Asa’s reign, he purged the land of idolatry and sodomy and encouraged the people of Judah to seek the Lord. He even removed his grandmother from being queen because of her idolatry. In the fifteenth year of his reign, Asa called for a great assembly to gather at Jerusalem to renew their covenant with the Lord and rededicate the sacrificial altar.

In the last part of Asa’s reign, he entered into war with Baasha, the king of Israel. Instead of trusting God as before, he resorted to politics and gave the dedicated treasures to the pagan nation of Syria in order to form an alliance. Asa became a king whose heart was divided between godly wisdom and earthly wisdom. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, the Lord afflicted Asa’s feet with disease. Two years later, he died and the throne was given to his son, Jehoshaphat.

In Israel, Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years as an evil king. Then Nadab became king and followed in the evil ways of his father. After ruling for only two years, Nadab was assassinated by Baasha, who became king. At this time, Jeroboam’s line was wiped out, as had been prophesied (see I Kings 14:10-16). Just as kings Jeroboam and Nadab had done before him, Baasha continued with evil leadership.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)
II.   The reigns of the kings of Judah and Israel
     D.   The reign of Abijam (15:1-8)
     E.   The reign of Asa (15:9-24)
           1.   The devotion of Asa to the Lord (15:9-15)
           2.   The war of Asa with Baasha (15:16-22)
           3.   The death of Asa (15:23-24)
     F.   The reign of Nadab of Israel (15:25-31)
     G.   The reign of Baasha of Israel
           1.   The evil of Baasha’s reign (15:32-34)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. At the beginning of Asa’s reign, in what ways did he show he had a heart like his forefather David?
   
   
2. Asa cleansed the nation of idolatry except for the high places. What do you think this says about Asa?
   
   
3. With what kind of treasures has God blessed your life? How can you give them to God?

CONCLUSION

Let us remember that any treasures we have really belong to God. We need to hold them with a loose hand and use them for God’s glory.