“There Exists a Reward for Your Activity”
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“There Exists a Reward for Your Activity” ING ASA leads his army through a deep poles.” (2 Chronicles 14:2, 3) Asa removed from valley. They are going from the moun- Judah“themaletempleprostitutes,”whohadsex KtainsofJudeatotheflatlandsbythe with other men as part of their false worship. But coast. When they come to the wider part of the Asa did more than remove false worship. He also valley, Asa stops. He is shocked by what he sees. toldthepeopleto“searchforJehovahtheGodof The huge Ethiopian army is camped down below! their forefathers” and to “do the law and the com- There must be one million enemy soldiers, but mandment” of God.—1 Kings 15:12, 13; 2 Chron- Asa’sarmyisonlyabouthalfthatsize. icles 14:4. Asa will have to fight a battle. At this mo- Jehovah was pleased with Asa’s zeal for true ment, what is the first thing he does? Does he worship and rewarded him by giving Judah give orders to his generals? Does he encourage many years of peace. The king himself said: his troops? Does he send letters to his family? “WehavesearchedforJehovahourGod.We Absolutely not! In this dangerous situation, Asa have searched, and he gives us rest all around.” prays. The people used this period of peace to make the Before we read about his prayer and about walls of the cities in Judah stronger. The Bible what happened next, let us talk about the kind says: “They went building and proving success- of man Asa was. What made him ask God for ful.”—2 Chronicles 14:1, 6, 7. help? Could he expect God to help him? What ASA FIGHTS THE BATTLE does this account teach us about how Jeho- vah blesses his servants when they do what is Asa knew that Jehovah rewards those who right? show faith by their actions. That is why Asa prayed to Jehovah when he had to fight the larg- THE KIND OF MAN ASA WAS est human army mentioned in the Bible. In his Asa became king in the year 977 before Christ. prayer, he begged Jehovah for help. Asa knew For twenty years, Israel and Judah had been di- that if he trusted in God and had his support, it vided into two kingdoms. During that time, Ju- did not matter how large or powerful the enemy’s dah had become completely corrupted by false army was. Asa also knew that the result of this worship. Even high officials in the government war would affect Jehovah’s reputation. So Asa worshipped Canaanite gods of fertility. But the prayed: “Help us, O Jehovah our God, for upon Bible says that Asa did “what was good and right youwedolean,andinyournamewehavecome intheeyesofJehovahhisGod.”Asa“removed against this crowd. O Jehovah, you are our God. the foreign altars and the high places and broke Do not let mortal man retain strength against up the sacred pillars and cut down the sacred you.” (2 Chronicles 14:11) That was like say- 30 SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH EDITION Jehovah rewards faithful ones ing: ‘The Ethiopians are attacking you, Jehovah. These words can strengthen our faith. They Do not allow these weak humans to defeat your showthatJehovahwillbewithusaslongaswe people and dishonor your name.’ God answered serve him faithfully. We can be sure that he hears Asa’s prayer. The Bible says that “Jehovah defeat- us when we beg him for help. Azariah said: “Be ed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah” courageous.” We often need great courage to do and that the Ethiopians ran away.—2 Chronicles whatisright,butweknowthatwecandosowith 14:12. Jehovah’s help. Today, Jehovah’s people have to fight powerful Asa’s grandmother Maacah had made “a hor- enemies. We do not fight with physical weapons, rible idol to the sacred pole.” So Asa had to re- but we can be sure that Jehovah will give victory move her from her royal position as “lady,” even to his faithful servants who honor his name. Each though this must have been difficult for him to one of us may have to fight long and hard bat- do. He also burned her idol. (1 Kings 15:13) Jeho- tles against the wrong thinking of the world, our vah blessed Asa for courageously doing what was own weaknesses, or anything that could dam- right. We too must loyally obey Jehovah and keep age our family’s relationship with God. What- his righteous requirements whether our relatives ever our trial is, Asa’s prayer can encourage us. It are loyal to God or not. If we do, Jehovah will re- was Jehovah who gave Asa victory. If we trust in ward us. Jehovah, he will help us win any battle we may Part of Asa’s reward was to see many Israel- have.Heismorepowerfulthananyoneorany- ites from the unfaithful northern kingdom come thing else. into Judah. They realized that Jehovah was with Asa. They loved pure worship so much that they ENCOURAGEMENT AND A WARNING chose to leave their homes to live among ser- When Asa was returning home from battle, vants of Jehovah. Later, Asa and all Judah joy- the prophet Azariah came to meet him. Azari- fully agreed “to search for Jehovah the God of ah gave Asa both encouragement and a warning: their forefathers with all their heart and with all “Hear me, O Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! Je- their soul.” What was the result? God “let him- hovah is with you as long as you prove to be with selfbefoundbythem;andJehovahcontinuedto him; and if you search for him, he will let him- give them rest all around.” (2 Chronicles 15:9-15) self be found by you, but if you leave him he will Today, too, it gives us joy to see sincere people leave you.” He also said: “Be courageous and do choose to worship Jehovah. not let your hands drop down, because there ex- In his words to Asa, the prophet Azariah also ists a reward for your activity.”—2 Chronicles 15: gave him a serious warning. He told Asa that 1, 2, 7. if he left Jehovah, Jehovah would leave him. We AUGUST 15, 2012 31 We need courage to do what is right certainly do not want that to happen to us. The When Asa heard these words, he became results can be tragic! (2 Peter 2:20-22) The Bible extremely angry and put Hanani in prison. does not say why Jehovah sent Asa this warning, (2 Chronicles 16:10) Could Asa have thought, ‘I butweknowthatAsadidnotpayattentiontoit. have been faithful for many years, so do I deserve to be talked to this way?’ Or was he not thinking “YOU HAVE ACTED FOOLISHLY” clearly because of old age? The Bible does not say. When Asa had been king for almost 36 years, When Asa had been king for 38 years, he be- King Baasha of Israel started a war against Judah. came very sick with a disease in his feet. The Bi- Baasha strengthened the city walls of Ramah, ble says that “even in his sickness he searched which was on the border between Israel and Ju- not for Jehovah but for the healers.” It seems that dah and only eight kilometers (5 miles) from Je- Asa’s relationship with Jehovah was not as strong rusalem. Perhaps he did that because he did not as before, and it probably continued that way un- want his people to go into Judah and serve Jeho- til his death, about 41 years after he had become vah and King Asa. Asa did not ask God for help king.—2 Chronicles 16:12-14. as he had when the Ethiopians attacked. Instead, Jehovah seems to have remembered Asa’s he asked humans for help. He sent a gift to the good qualities and zeal for pure worship instead king of Syria and asked him to attack Israel. Af- of his errors. Asa never stopped serving Jehovah. ter the Syrians started attacking Israel, Baasha (1 Kings 15:14) So, what can we learn from Asa’s stopped fortifying Ramah.—2 Chronicles 16:1-5. life story? If we always remember how Jehovah Jehovah was not pleased with Asa and sent the helped us in the past, we will pray for his help prophet Hanani to tell him so. Asa should have when we have new trials. Also, we should not learned from his victory over the Ethiopians that think that we do not need counsel just because Jehovah’s eyes are searching the whole earth “to we have served God faithfully for many years. show his strength in behalf of those whose heart Jehovah will give us the discipline we need, no is complete toward him.” Perhaps Asa received matter how long we have been his servants. We bad advice. Or perhaps he thought that Baasha should humbly accept his discipline so that we and his army were not very strong and that he can benefit from it. The most important thing we could think of his own way to defeat them. What- learn is that our heavenly Father will be with us ever the reason, Asa trusted in humans instead as long as we serve him faithfully. Jehovah’s eyes of trusting in Jehovah. Hanani said to him: “You searchthewholeearthforthosewhoarefaith- have acted foolishly respecting this, for from now fultohim.Hewantstousehispowertohelp on there will exist wars against you.”—2 Chroni- them. Jehovah did that for Asa, and He can do it cles 16:7-9. for us. www.jw.org ws12 08/15-E.