Yes! You are in! Do you get whipped up in politics? Odds are you do. I have and can. So wouldn't we be wise to learn from the Ultimate Power Source? What makes a great leader? That's what we tackle today. Here you go...Special thanks and shout out to Two Tall on the opening hook. You can find Two Tall on Spotify.What makes a great leader? President? King? I've been working through 1 and 2 Sam; 1 and 2 Kings and and now 1 and 2 Chronicles. Early on a Wednesday morning, i'm going through 2 Chroncles 15 and a King named Asa. Preface: When you read through the ancient kings of Israel and Judah, you will realize many were BAD! I was so moved by that. I ended up having a conversation with Gemini on the subject (not a sponsor). Here is the outcome of the conversation...Your intuition is spot on. The Old Testament records a massive skew toward kings who "did evil in the sight of the Lord." When counting the Hebrew kings recorded in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, there are 42 major monarchsacross the United Kingdom and the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Out of those, only 8 were judged as good. The Breakdown1. United Kingdom (3 Kings)Before Israel split into two separate nations, three main kings ruled a unified state: Saul: Started well, but disobeyed God and ended badly (Bad) David: Stumbled greatly (e.g., Bathsheba), but repented deeply; cited as the gold standard of a godly heart (Good) Solomon: Wise and faithful early on, but his late-life idolatry broke the kingdom apart (Mixed / Bad) 2. Northern Kingdom of Israel (19 Kings)After the nation split, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had 19 kings across 9 different dynasties before falling to Assyria in 722 BC. Good: 0 Bad: 19Every single king of the Northern Kingdom is explicitly condemned in the Bible, usually with the recurring refrain that they "walked in the sins of Jeroboam". 3. Southern Kingdom of Judah (20 Monarchs)The Southern Kingdom of Judah retained the lineage of King David and lasted until the Babylonian exile in 586 BC. It was ruled by 19 kings and 1 ruling queen (Athaliah). Good: 8 (Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah/Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, Josiah) Bad: 12 (Note: Even among Judah's 8 "good" kings, several had flawed endings—such as Joash turning to idolatry late in life or Uzziah letting pride get the best of him—but they are still remembered overall for seeking God). Total ScoreboardKingdom | Total Rulers | Good | BadUnited Kingdom | 3 | 1 (David) | 2 (Saul, Solomon) Northern Kingdom (Israel) | 19 | 0 | 19 Southern Kingdom (Judah) | 20 | 8 | 12 Total | 42 | 9 (21%) | 33 (79%) This overwhelming ratio highlights a central message of the historical books: relying on human rulers consistently led to moral decay and exile, setting the stage for the prophetic promise of a faithful King.So what makes a great king? Let's take a look at King Asa. BTW, I grew up in church. I cannot recall a sermon on this guy. Sure, I could YouTube it and find it. How often have you talked about Asa? Here is what 2 Chronicles 15 says about the King...2 Chronicles 15 Asa’s Religious Reforms 1Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. 4But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him. 5“During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. 6Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. 7But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.” 8When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple. 9Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring, during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11On that day they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle. 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death—whether young or old, man or woman. 14They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. 15All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side. 16King Asa even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. 18He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated. 19So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.https://www.bible.com/bible/116/2CH.15.NLT
