Asa became the king of Judah, “Asa DID WHAT WAS GOOD AND RIGHT in the eyes of the LORD his God, for he REMOVED the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and BROKE DOWN the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images.” (2 Chron. 14:2-3) Because of this, when the one million man Ethiopian army attacked Judah, king Asa DEFEATED THEM because he was doing right in the sight of the Lord.
Every time Israel turned away, which was often, they set up false Gods and built altars to worship them on. Asa did what each one of us should do when we come to the Lord, “Do not love (agapaō: this is God’s love) the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father IS NOT IN HIM. For all that is in the world—the lust of the FLESH, the lust of the EYES, and the PRIDE OF LIFE—IS NOT OF THE FATHER but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17) This is the same problem Israel was having with their lives, loving the world with such devotion, as if it were worthy to be worshiped. ONLY GOD is worthy to be worshiped. “Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve ONLY HIM.’” (Luke 4:8)
-Bill Stockham