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The SECRET Battle Between Good And Evil You Won_t Believe The Outcome · truthunedited

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Speaker 1: What if I told you that the greatest danger to
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Speaker 1: your faith isn't failure but success. Most people think that
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Speaker 1: when a leader falls it's because of weakness, but history
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Speaker 1: tells a different story. It's not the battle that breaks
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Speaker 1: a man, it's the victory. The greatest kings didn't collapse
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Speaker 1: in their moments of struggle. They collapsed when they thought
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Speaker 1: they were untouchable. This is the story of King Asa.
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Speaker 1: He wasn't born into greatness. His father Abeja was a
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Speaker 1: corrupt king whose reign lasted only three years. His grandfather,
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Speaker 1: Rejoboem was the king who lost half of Israel because
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Speaker 1: of his arrogance. Aesa inherited a divided, unstable, and spiritually
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Speaker 1: corrupt nation. He should have been just another failed ruler
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Speaker 1: in Judah's history, but instead he became one of the
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Speaker 1: greatest reformers the kingdom had ever seen. He tore down idols,
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Speaker 1: He led a vival, He won impossible battles by trusting
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Speaker 1: in God alone. Under his leadership, Judah became strong again.
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Speaker 1: But Aesa's story is not just one of victory. It's
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Speaker 1: also one of failure. The man who trusted God in
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Speaker 1: his youth forgot him in his old age, The king,
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Speaker 1: who prayed for strength began relying on human power. He
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Speaker 1: defeated enemies on the battlefield, but lost the greatest battle
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Speaker 1: of all, the battle for his own heart. This is
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Speaker 1: the rise and fall of King Esa, a man who
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Speaker 1: led Judah into its greatest revival and then walked himself
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Speaker 1: into his greatest downfall. We put time stamps in the
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Speaker 1: description so you can easily jump to the key moments
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Speaker 1: in Aesa's life. Want this video in ebook format, check
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Speaker 1: the link in the description, Like and share this Deep
1:55
Speaker 1: Bible Story's video to reach more people. Now, let's dive
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Speaker 1: deeper into the life of King Esa and uncover his
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Speaker 1: story like never before. The throne of Judah had become
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Speaker 1: a battlefield. The days of Solomon's golden empire were long gone,
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Speaker 1: replaced by political chaos, corruption, and war. The kingdom was
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Speaker 1: no longer whole. Israel had been torn in two ten
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Speaker 1: tribes had abandoned the House of David, forming their own
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Speaker 1: kingdom under Jeroboam. Only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal, but
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Speaker 1: loyalty did not mean stability. Judah was weak. Their kings
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Speaker 1: had failed them first, Rehoboam, the arrogant son of Solomon,
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Speaker 1: who ignored the wisdom of his elders and lost half
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Speaker 1: the kingdom in a single day. Then came Abijah, a
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Speaker 1: king whose reign lasted only three years, marked by conflict, war,
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Speaker 1: and a refusal to fully follow God. Now, at just
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Speaker 1: eighteen years old, aesir was crowned king. He was young, inexperienced,
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Speaker 1: and worst of all, he had inherited a kingdom on
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Speaker 1: the brink of collapse. The spiritual condition of Judah was
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Speaker 1: even worse than its political one. The land was filled
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Speaker 1: with idols and pagan altars. The people worshiped false gods,
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Speaker 1: built shrines on every hill, and even practiced the detestable
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Speaker 1: rituals of the surrounding nations. The Temple of the Lord,
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Speaker 1: the very place where Solomon had once seen the glory
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Speaker 1: of God fill the sanctuary, had been abandoned in favor
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Speaker 1: of false worship. Even the king's own family was corrupt.
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Speaker 1: Ayesa's grandmother, Macha, was a devoted idol worshiper who influenced
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Speaker 1: the royal court. By all accounts, Ayesa should have followed
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Speaker 1: in their footsteps, But something was different about this young king.
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Speaker 1: Instead of repeating his father's failures, aesir looked further back,
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Speaker 1: studied the stories of David, his great great grandfather. He
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Speaker 1: heard of how David had trusted in the Lord, how
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Speaker 1: he had defeated giants, conquered nations, and led Israel to
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Speaker 1: its greatest days, and Usah made a decision that would
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Speaker 1: change Judah's future forever. He would not be like Rehoboam.
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Speaker 1: He would not be like a Bija. He would be
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Speaker 1: like David. The moment Esus stepped onto the throne, he
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Speaker 1: did something no one expected. Instead of focusing on war,
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Speaker 1: instead of chasing after alliances or building up his own power,
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Speaker 1: Esa turned his attention to something greater, restoring the heart
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Speaker 1: of Judah. The nation had forgotten God. Asa was determined
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Speaker 1: to bring them back, and so in the first ten
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Speaker 1: years of his reign he set out to do the impossible.
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Speaker 1: He traveled through the land, tearing down pagan shrines and
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Speaker 1: smashing the altars of foreign gods. He removed the Ashera poles,
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Speaker 1: destroyed the high places, and commanded Judah to seek the
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Speaker 1: Lord once again. And his most shocking move, he removed
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Speaker 1: his own grandmother Maka from her position as queen mother
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Speaker 1: because she refused to abandon her idolatry. No king had
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Speaker 1: ever dared to do such a thing. Judah had never
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Speaker 1: seen a king like Aes and the result, for the
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Speaker 1: first time in decades, the kingdom found peace. Under US's leadership.
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Speaker 1: The land prospered, cities were rebuilt, defenses were strengthened, and
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Speaker 1: Judah's enemies, who had once seen them as weak and vulnerable,
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Speaker 1: dared not attack. It was a miracle. The kingdom that
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Speaker 1: had been on the verge of destruction was now stronger
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Speaker 1: than ever. But Aesa's greatest test had yet to come.
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Speaker 1: Would he remain faithful when war came knocking at his door?
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Speaker 1: Would he continue trusting in God or would he seek
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Speaker 1: strength in human power. The battle was coming, and the
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Speaker 1: fate of Judah would depend on who Esa chose to trust.
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Speaker 1: The Kingdom of Judah was rotting from the inside. For years,
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Speaker 1: its people had drifted far from God, embracing the false
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Speaker 1: gods of Canaan. The land was filled with altars to bail,
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Speaker 1: shrines to Asherah, and idols stood on every hill. The
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Speaker 1: very nation that had once witnessed the glory of God
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Speaker 1: in the Temple of Solomon had now turned its back
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Speaker 1: on the one who had given them everything, and Usa
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Speaker 1: had seen it all. He had watched his father Abija
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Speaker 1: fight against Israel while refusing to fight the idolatry within
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Speaker 1: his own kingdom. He had seen his grandfather Reherboam abandoned
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Speaker 1: God and lead Judah into moral and spiritual ruin, and
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Speaker 1: now the responsibility was on him. At just eighteen years old,
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Speaker 1: Esa sat on the throne, ruling over a broken, divided,
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Speaker 1: and spiritually dead nation. The easy choice, the expected choice,
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Speaker 1: would have been to follow the path of his ancestors,
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Speaker 1: to do nothing. But Aesa was not like his father,
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Speaker 1: and he was not like his grandfather. The first ten
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Speaker 1: years of his reign would be marked by something that
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Speaker 1: Judah had not seen in decades, a complete and total
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Speaker 1: spiritual revolution. Ayesa traveled through Judah with a mission to
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Speaker 1: purge every trace of idle worship. He tore down the
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Speaker 1: high places where the people offered sacrifices to false gods.
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Speaker 1: He shattered the pillars of bail, smashed the ashera poles,
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Speaker 1: and burned the detestable idols to ashes. For the first
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Speaker 1: time since the reign of Solomon, Judah began to look
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Speaker 1: like a kingdom that honored God. But Aesa didn't stop
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Speaker 1: with just destroying the idols. He commanded the people of
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Speaker 1: Judah to return to the Lord, to seek him with
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Speaker 1: all their hearts, and to make make sure no one
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Speaker 1: ignored his command. He rebuilt the altars of the Lord,
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Speaker 1: restoring true worship in the land. This was no empty
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Speaker 1: religious reform. Asa wasn't just trying to make Judah look
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Speaker 1: wholly on the outside. He knew that the only way
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Speaker 1: to restore Judah's strength was to return to the One
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Speaker 1: True God. But there was one more problem, the corruption
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Speaker 1: in his own family. ASA's grandmother, Mark was one of
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Speaker 1: the most powerful women in Judah. As the Queen Mother,
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Speaker 1: she had an enormous influence over the royal court. But
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Speaker 1: there was one issue. She was an idle worshiper. She
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Speaker 1: had set up a disgusting a share of Pole, a
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Speaker 1: massive idol dedicated to pagan fertility worship. For aesir to
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Speaker 1: allow his own grandmother to continue leading while worshiping false
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Speaker 1: gods would have been a sign of compromise, a sign
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Speaker 1: that he was not serious about true reform. So Aesa
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Speaker 1: did what no king before him had ever done. He
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Speaker 1: removed his own grandmother from power. The young king barely
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Speaker 1: into his twenties, stood against his own family for the
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Speaker 1: sake of righteousness, and to make sure no trace of
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Speaker 1: her false worship remained. He cut down the asherapole, burned it,
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Speaker 1: and scattered the ashes. This was not just a political move.
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Speaker 1: This was a declaration that no one, not even his
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Speaker 1: own family, would stand in the way of God's truth.
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Speaker 1: Because of Ace's faithfulness, something incredible happened. Judah had peace
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Speaker 1: for ten years. Think about that. For a kingdom that
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Speaker 1: had been constantly at war, a kingdom that had faced
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Speaker 1: invasions and rebellions, a kingdom that had been on the
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Speaker 1: brink of collapse. This was a miracle. The Bible says
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Speaker 1: that the land had rest during Ace's early years. Why
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Speaker 1: because when a nation returns to God, it finds peace.
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Speaker 1: Ussa used this time wisely. He fortified Judah's cities, built
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Speaker 1: up strong defenses, and prepared for the future. But there
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Speaker 1: was one thing Aesa did not know. The peace would
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Speaker 1: not last for ever. A storm was coming, a war
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Speaker 1: that would test everything Esa believed. And when the enemy arrived,
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Speaker 1: Aesa would have only one choice. Would he trust in
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Speaker 1: his own strength or in the power of God. That
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Speaker 1: battle was coming and it would define Aesa's entire reign.
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Speaker 1: For ten years, Judah had known peace. The idols were gone,
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Speaker 1: the altars of God were restored, the people had returned
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Speaker 1: to worshiping the One True King, and Aesa had grown
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Speaker 1: into a strong and wise ruler, leading his kingdom through
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Speaker 1: an era of stability that Judah hadn't seen in decades.
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Speaker 1: But peace never lasts forever. One day, the scouts returned
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Speaker 1: from the borders, the faces pale with fear. They brought
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Speaker 1: a message that shook the entire kingdom. An army was coming.
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Speaker 1: Not just any army. This was the largest military force
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Speaker 1: Judah had ever faced, an army of one million soldiers
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Speaker 1: and three hundred chariots, led by Zira. The Kushite, a
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Speaker 1: sea of warriors stretching beyond the horizon, moving toward Judah
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Speaker 1: with one purpose to crush it into the dust. Judah's
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Speaker 1: forces were small in comparison. Aesa had an army, but
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Speaker 1: they were nothing compared to what was coming. The Kushites
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Speaker 1: were a massive, battle hardened empire, known for their ruthless
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Speaker 1: conquests and unstoppable war machines. Their chariots alone were enough
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Speaker 1: to annihilate smaller armies. The moment Esa heard the news,
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Speaker 1: he knew there was no earthly way to win this fight.
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Speaker 1: The enemy was stronger, larger, and more experienced, and now
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Speaker 1: they were marching straight for Judah's heart. Aesa had two choices.
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Speaker 1: He could surrender, bow before the Kushites become their vassal
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Speaker 1: king and let Judah be ruled by a foreign nation.
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Speaker 1: Or he could fight. But if he fought, he would
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Speaker 1: surely lose. Most kings in ESA's position would have panicked.
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Speaker 1: Most kings would have sent out desperate messages to Egypt,
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Speaker 1: to Assyria, to any ally that could help them. Most
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Speaker 1: kings would have relied on human power. But Aesa was
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Speaker 1: not like most kings. Aesa did something radical, something that
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Speaker 1: made no sense to the world. He gathered his soldiers,
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Speaker 1: his commanders, his captains, and before marching into battle, he
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Speaker 1: fell to his knees and cried out to God, Lord,
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Speaker 1: there is no one like you to help the powerless
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Speaker 1: against the mighty. Help us, Lord, our God, for we
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Speaker 1: rely on you, and in your name we have come
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Speaker 1: against this vast army. Lord, you are our God. Do
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Speaker 1: not let me immortals prevail against you. Second Chronicles fourteen eleven.
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Speaker 1: This was not just a prayer for help. This was
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Speaker 1: a declaration of war. Not a war between Judah and
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Speaker 1: kush but a war between the armies of Earth and
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Speaker 1: the God of Heaven. Usa knew that Judah could not
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Speaker 1: win by human strength, so he placed the battle into
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Speaker 1: the hands of God, and that changed everything. The battle
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Speaker 1: should have been a massacre. The Kushite army was too strong,
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Speaker 1: too large, too well equipped. And yet the Bible says
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Speaker 1: the Lord struck down the Kushites before Esa and Judah
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Speaker 1: Second Chronicles, fourteen twelve. The enemy broke before them. The
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Speaker 1: same Kushite warriors who had marched in absolute confidence now
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Speaker 1: scattered in fear. Their mighty chariots were useless. Their overwhelming
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Speaker 1: numbers meant nothing. Judah chased them down, striking them until
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Speaker 1: not one soldier was left standing. One million warriors had
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Speaker 1: come to destroy Judah, and one million warriors fell before
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Speaker 1: the power of God. It was one of the greatest
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Speaker 1: victories in Judah's history. Not because of USA's strength, not
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Speaker 1: because of his army, but because Aesa had trusted in
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Speaker 1: the Lord instead of himself. After the battle, Aesa returned
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Speaker 1: to Jerusalem in triumph. The people celebrated. The nation was secure,
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Speaker 1: and Isa's reign seemed unstoppable. But then a man approached him,
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Speaker 1: a prophet. His name was Azariah, and he carried a
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Speaker 1: message from the Lord. Listen to me, Esa and all
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Speaker 1: Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you
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Speaker 1: were with him. If you seek him, he will be
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Speaker 1: found by you. But if you forsake him, he will
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Speaker 1: forsake you Second Chronicles fifteen two. It was a message
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Speaker 1: of hope, but also a warning. Judah had seen the
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Speaker 1: power of God first hand. But would they remain faithful.
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Speaker 1: Would Aesa continue to trust in the Lord or would
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Speaker 1: he turn to his own strength in the years ahead.
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Speaker 1: For now, Esa listened. For now, his faith remained strong,
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Speaker 1: and for years he ruled in righteousness, bringing Judah into
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Speaker 1: a time of revival. But as the years passed, something
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Speaker 1: would change. The king, who had once trusted in God alone,
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Speaker 1: would soon face another crisis, and this time he would
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Speaker 1: make a very different choice. The air in Jerusalem was electric.
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Speaker 1: The people roared with celebration, their voices echoing through the
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Speaker 1: city streets. Judah had just witnessed a miracle, an impossible
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Speaker 1: victory over one million Kushite soldiers, a battle that should
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Speaker 1: have wiped them off the map, but instead had turned
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Speaker 1: into a slaughter for the enemy. Their king, Esa had
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Speaker 1: done the unthinkable. Instead of relying on alliances or military strength,
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Speaker 1: he had trusted in the Lord, and God had answered.
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Speaker 1: As Esa rode through the gate of Jerusalem, his soldiers
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Speaker 1: behind him, their armor still glistening with the sweat of war,
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Speaker 1: he knew this was his moment of triumph. His faith
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Speaker 1: had saved them, his trust in God had secured Judah's safety.
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Speaker 1: But then a man stepped forward from the crowd, not
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Speaker 1: a warrior, not a nobleman, a prophet. His name was
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Speaker 1: as Aria, son of Odd, and he walked straight toward
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Speaker 1: the king, his eyes burning with a message that could
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Speaker 1: not wait. As Ariah lifted his voice so that all
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Speaker 1: could hear. Listen to me, Esa, and all Judah and Benjamin.
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Speaker 1: The crowd fell silent. The prophet's words carried weight, like
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Speaker 1: a hammer striking iron. The Lord is with you when
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Speaker 1: you are with him. If you seek him, he will
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Speaker 1: be found by you. But if you forsake him, he
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Speaker 1: will forsake you. Second Chronicles, fifteen two. The words hung
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Speaker 1: in the air, heavy with both hope and warning. For Esa.
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Speaker 1: This was not just a prophecy. It was a moment
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Speaker 1: of decision. Would he continue to seek God as he
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Speaker 1: had done on the battlefield, or would he, like so
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Speaker 1: many kings before him, let success turn his heart away
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Speaker 1: from the Lord. As Ariah continued, his voice urgent. For
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Speaker 1: a long time Israel was without the true God, without
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Speaker 1: a priest to teach, and without the law. But in
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Speaker 1: their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel,
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Speaker 1: and sought him, and he was found by them. The
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Speaker 1: people listened. They knew their history. They had seen what
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Speaker 1: happened when their ancestors turned away from God, defeat, exile,
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Speaker 1: and suffering. And now as a riar was reminding them
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Speaker 1: of their past, pleading with them not to repeat the
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Speaker 1: same mistakes, be strong, ah, sir, do not give up,
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Speaker 1: for your work will be rewarded Second Chronicles, fifteen seven.
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Speaker 1: It was a promise, but also at would Esa remain
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Speaker 1: the king who trusted in the Lord, or would he
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Speaker 1: forget where his victories came from. The silence stretched, and
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Speaker 1: then something incredible happened. Instead of ignoring the prophet's words,
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Speaker 1: instead of dismissing him like so many kings had done before,
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Speaker 1: Aesa listened, his heart burned with conviction, and he took
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Speaker 1: action immediately. Esa led Judah into one of the greatest
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Speaker 1: revivals in its history. He tore down the remaining idols
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Speaker 1: that still polluted the land. He removed the pagan altars
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Speaker 1: that had crept back into the cities. He even removed
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Speaker 1: his own grandmother Maka from her position as queen mother
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Speaker 1: because she had built in a sharer pole, a symbol
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Speaker 1: of idle worship. Nothing would stand between Judah and their God.
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Speaker 1: The people saw ESA's fire, and they followed him. A
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Speaker 1: new covenant was made before the Lord, a promise that
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Speaker 1: Judah would seek God within with all their heart and soul,
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Speaker 1: and the Bible says all Judah rejoiced about the oath
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Speaker 1: because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly,
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Speaker 1: and He was found by them. So the Lord gave
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Speaker 1: them rest on every side Second Chronicles, fifteen fifteen. For years,
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Speaker 1: a Sir's faithfulness kept Judah strong. For years. His trust
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Speaker 1: in God brought peace and prosperity. But as Aria's words
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Speaker 1: still lingered. If you seek him, he will be found
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Speaker 1: by you. But if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
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Speaker 1: It was a warning, one that Esa should never have forgotten.
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Speaker 1: A sir ruled well for decades, the land flourished. Judah's
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Speaker 1: enemies stayed far away, knowing that God himself protected them.
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Speaker 1: But then something changed. Usa grew older, and as his
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Speaker 1: kingdom prospered, his faith was tested in a new way.
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Speaker 1: Years later, where a crisis came not from the Kushites
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Speaker 1: this time, but from Israel. The Northern kingdom under King
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Speaker 1: Basha began fortifying the city of Ramah, cutting off Judah's
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Speaker 1: trade and preparing for war. This was an act of aggression,
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Speaker 1: a move that could cripple Judah's economy and eventually lead
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Speaker 1: to full scale invasion. But what Aesa did next would
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Speaker 1: define the final years of his reign. Would he cry
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Speaker 1: out to God as he did before, Would he trust
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Speaker 1: the Lord to deliver Judah once again, or would he
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Speaker 1: turn to human strength instead of divine power. Aesa stood
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Speaker 1: at a cross roads. The king, who had once trusted
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Speaker 1: God against a million soldiers, now had to decide. Would
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Speaker 1: he trust God again or had he forgotten who had
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Speaker 1: given him victory in the first place. What Aesa did
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Speaker 1: next would change his story forever. The dust of war
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Speaker 1: had settled, the banners of Judah no longer drip with
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Speaker 1: the sweat of battle. The once uncertain kingdom, torn apart
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Speaker 1: by its past, was now a land of peace, prosperity,
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Speaker 1: and divine favor. King Esa sat upon his throne, no
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Speaker 1: longer the young warrior king who had faced the million
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Speaker 1: man army of the Kushites, but a wise ruler who
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Speaker 1: had seen both the power of God and the fragility
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Speaker 1: of man. His kingdom was secure, his enemies feared him,
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Speaker 1: and for years all was well. But the question always
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Speaker 1: lingered in the shadows. Would Esa remain faithful in his
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Speaker 1: peace as he had been in his war? Would he
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Speaker 1: continue to trust in God when the danger was gone,
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Speaker 1: or would he, like so many before him, allow complacency
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Speaker 1: to creep in, Because sometimes prosperity is a greater test
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Speaker 1: than hardship. The years following AES's great military victory were
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Speaker 1: unlike anything Judah had seen in generations. For the first
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Speaker 1: time since Solomon, the land experienced long lasting peace. There
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Speaker 1: were no immediate wars, no looming invasions, and no internal
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Speaker 1: rebellions threatening to tear the kingdom apart. And what did
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Speaker 1: Esa do with this peace he built, he strengthened, He
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Speaker 1: prepared Judah for the future. Let us build up these towns,
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Speaker 1: Aesa declared to the people, and put walls around them
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Speaker 1: with towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours
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Speaker 1: because we have sought the Lord, our God. We sought him,
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Speaker 1: and he has given us rest on every side Second Chronicles,
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Speaker 1: fourteen seven. This wasn't just a king enjoying his success.
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Speaker 1: This was a king who knew the importance of preparation.
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Speaker 1: Judah's fortified cities grew stronger, its economy flourished, trade routes
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Speaker 1: were secured. The military was not dismantled, but instead reinforced
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Speaker 1: and expanded, and all of this was done under the
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Speaker 1: banner of faithfulness to God. For decades, Judah was untouchable,
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Speaker 1: a kingdom shielded not just by walls, but by the
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Speaker 1: very hand of God. During these golden years, Aesa did
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Speaker 1: not become complaisant. Instead, he continued his radical reforms, ensuring
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Speaker 1: that the nation did not slip back into idolatry and rebellion.
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Speaker 1: He gathered the people together and made a national covenant.
23:27
Speaker 1: They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the
23:30
Speaker 1: God of their ancestors with all their heart and soul
23:34
Speaker 1: second Chronicles, fifteen twelve. And the Bible says they sought
23:39
Speaker 1: God eagerly, and He was found by them. So the
23:42
Speaker 1: Lord gave them rest on every side. Second Chronicles, fifteen fifteen.
23:47
Speaker 1: For thirty five years Aesa reigned with righteousness, wisdom and strength.
23:52
Speaker 1: Judah was secure, the people were prosperous. That God's presence
23:56
Speaker 1: was undeniable. But hidden beneath the Golden Age, deep within
24:01
Speaker 1: ESA's heart, something was changing. The king who once trusted
24:06
Speaker 1: God with his very life, the king who had cried
24:09
Speaker 1: out to the Lord in battle, was about to make
24:12
Speaker 1: a decision that would define his final years, a decision
24:17
Speaker 1: that would change everything. It wasn't one moment, it wasn't
24:21
Speaker 1: one decision, But over time, the fire of Ace's faith
24:25
Speaker 1: began to fade. Perhaps it was the years of peace
24:29
Speaker 1: that made him feel secure in himself. Perhaps it was
24:32
Speaker 1: the success of his reign that made him believe he
24:35
Speaker 1: no longer needed to depend on God like before. Whatever
24:40
Speaker 1: the reason, the man who once led Judah into revival
24:44
Speaker 1: was no longer the same king, and soon a new
24:48
Speaker 1: challenge would come, one that would expose the change in
24:52
Speaker 1: his heart. Years later, trouble arose once again, but this
24:56
Speaker 1: time it wasn't from a foreign enemy like the Kushites.
25:00
Speaker 1: It was from the northern Kingdom of Israel. King Basha,
25:04
Speaker 1: the ruler of Israel, began fortifying Ramah, a city just
25:08
Speaker 1: north of Judah's borders. This wasn't just a minor threat,
25:12
Speaker 1: it was a military blockade. Basha was cutting off Judah's
25:16
Speaker 1: trade routes, slowly strangling the kingdom economically and politically. Asir
25:21
Speaker 1: had been here before, he had faced greater odds before,
25:25
Speaker 1: but this time, instead of crying out to God, instead
25:29
Speaker 1: of seeking the Lord's help as he had done when
25:32
Speaker 1: faced with the Kushite invasion, he turned to human power.
25:36
Speaker 1: He sent messengers to ben Hadad, the king of Aram
25:40
Speaker 1: modern day Syria, and offered him the silver and gold
25:43
Speaker 1: from the Temple of the Lord in exchange for military assistance.
25:49
Speaker 1: Let there be a treaty between me and you, Aesa said,
25:52
Speaker 1: And it worked. Ben Hadad attacked Israel, forcing Basha to retreat,
25:57
Speaker 1: and ASA's problem was solved, or so its seemed, because,
26:01
Speaker 1: just like before, a prophet came to confront the king,
26:05
Speaker 1: but this time the king would not listen. Hanani, a
26:09
Speaker 1: man sent by God, stood before Esa and spoke words
26:12
Speaker 1: that should have shaken the king to his corp Because
26:15
Speaker 1: you relied on the King of Aram and not on
26:18
Speaker 1: the Lord your God. The army of the King of
26:20
Speaker 1: Aram has escaped from your hand. The same God who
26:25
Speaker 1: had delivered Judah before the same God who had defeated
26:28
Speaker 1: a million soldiers with no help from foreign nations. That
26:32
Speaker 1: same God had been ignored, and Hanani continued. The eyes
26:37
Speaker 1: of the Lord ranged throughout the earth to strengthen those
26:40
Speaker 1: whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done
26:43
Speaker 1: a foolish thing, and from now on you will be
26:46
Speaker 1: at war Second Chronicle sixteen nine. As a should have repented,
26:51
Speaker 1: he should have humbled himself before God, but instead he
26:55
Speaker 1: grew angry. He threw Hanani into prison. The man who
26:59
Speaker 1: had won listened to the prophets of God now silenced them.
27:03
Speaker 1: The king, who once relied on faith, now relied on
27:07
Speaker 1: fear and power, and from that moment on us. As
27:12
Speaker 1: golden years came to an end, his kingdom descended into war,
27:16
Speaker 1: and his own body became afflicted with disease. Yet even
27:20
Speaker 1: in his suffering, he refused to seek God again. Aesa
27:24
Speaker 1: had been a great king, a man who led his
27:27
Speaker 1: nation back to God, a warrior who had trusted the
27:30
Speaker 1: Lord when all seemed lost. But his greatest enemy was
27:33
Speaker 1: not an army, it was his own heart. And the
27:36
Speaker 1: tragedy of aesir is this. He passed the test of war,
27:40
Speaker 1: but he failed the test of peace. Because sometimes the
27:44
Speaker 1: greatest threat to our faith is not hardship but success.
27:49
Speaker 1: And the question remains, will we trust God only when
27:53
Speaker 1: we have no other choice, or will we trust him
27:55
Speaker 1: even when everything is going well? For Esa was too late,
28:01
Speaker 1: But for us the choice is still as to make
28:04
Speaker 1: The Kingdom of Judah had seen glory under ESA's reign.
28:08
Speaker 1: The land had been cleansed of idols, the nation had
28:11
Speaker 1: been protected from foreign invasion. The people had lived in
28:15
Speaker 1: peace and prosperity for decades. And it all began because
28:20
Speaker 1: Esa had trusted in God completely. But now something had changed.
28:26
Speaker 1: The faith that had once defined his leadership was now
28:30
Speaker 1: nowhere to be found. And when a new crisis arose,
28:34
Speaker 1: Aesa made the worst decision of his life, a decision
28:38
Speaker 1: that would mark the beginning of his downfall. For years,
28:42
Speaker 1: Judah had remained strong and untouchable. Other nations respected it,
28:47
Speaker 1: enemies feared it, but that peace was about to be shattered.
28:51
Speaker 1: To the north, the Kingdom of Israel was ruled by
28:54
Speaker 1: King Basha, a man who saw Judah's growing strength as
28:58
Speaker 1: a threat, and so he devised a plan. Bisha fortified
29:02
Speaker 1: the city of Ramah, right on the border between Judah
29:06
Speaker 1: and Israel. This wasn't just a minor provocation. This was
29:09
Speaker 1: a full scale economic blockade. By controlling Ramah, Basha was
29:15
Speaker 1: cutting off Judah's trade routes. He was choking the kingdom's economy,
29:19
Speaker 1: making it impossible for goods, resources, or people to move freely.
29:24
Speaker 1: This was an act of war. Ussa had been in
29:27
Speaker 1: this situation before. Years earlier, he had faced a far
29:31
Speaker 1: greater enemy, the mighty Kushite army, one million strong. And
29:37
Speaker 1: what had he done? Then? He had cried out to God,
29:40
Speaker 1: and the Lord had given him victory. But now now
29:45
Speaker 1: Esa was a different man, a man who had grown
29:47
Speaker 1: comfortable in power, a man who no longer saw God
29:50
Speaker 1: as his first option, a man who trusted in himself
29:54
Speaker 1: and in human alliances instead of divine strength. And so
29:59
Speaker 1: Esa did not pray, He did not seek God's guidance. Instead,
30:03
Speaker 1: he turned to the King of Aram, a foreign ruler
30:06
Speaker 1: with no covenant with God. Asa sent messengers to ben Hadad,
30:10
Speaker 1: the king of Aram modern day Syria. But he didn't
30:14
Speaker 1: just ask for help. He bribed him. And what did
30:17
Speaker 1: he use as payment Not his own wealth, not the
30:19
Speaker 1: royal treasury. No, he took the gold and silver from
30:23
Speaker 1: the temple of the Lord, the very treasures that had
30:26
Speaker 1: been dedicated to God, the very riches that had symbolized
30:30
Speaker 1: God's blessing over Judah, and he handed them over to
30:34
Speaker 1: a pagan king. Let the be a treaty between me
30:37
Speaker 1: and you, Assa said, break your alliance with Basha, so
30:41
Speaker 1: that he will withdraw from me Second Chronicle sixteen three.
30:46
Speaker 1: It was a political move, a clever strategy, and it worked.
30:51
Speaker 1: Ben Hadad attacked Israel, forcing Basha to retreat. The blockade
30:56
Speaker 1: was lifted, the threat was gone, and Aesa probably thought
30:59
Speaker 1: to himself, I handled that well. But Aesa had no
31:03
Speaker 1: idea what he had just done. Not long after, a
31:06
Speaker 1: prophet named Hanani came before the king, and his words
31:10
Speaker 1: would shake ESA's kingdom to its core. Because you relied
31:14
Speaker 1: on the King of Aram and not on the Lord
31:17
Speaker 1: your God. The army of the King of Aram has
31:20
Speaker 1: escaped from your hand. Hanani reminded aeser of what he
31:24
Speaker 1: had forgotten. Were not the Kushites and Libyans, a mighty
31:28
Speaker 1: army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen. Yet when
31:32
Speaker 1: you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your
31:35
Speaker 1: hand Second Chronicles sixteen eight. As Sir had trusted God before,
31:41
Speaker 1: he had seen miracles before, but now he had chosen
31:45
Speaker 1: a foreign king over the King of heaven. And then
31:48
Speaker 1: Hanani spoke the words that would define US's legacy. The
31:52
Speaker 1: eyes of the Lord ranged throughout the earth to strengthen
31:56
Speaker 1: those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have
31:59
Speaker 1: done a foolish thing, and from now on you will
32:02
Speaker 1: be at war. Second Chronicles sixteen nine. The peace that
32:08
Speaker 1: Esa had enjoyed for decades was now over because he
32:12
Speaker 1: had stopped relying on God, because he had started trusting
32:16
Speaker 1: in human power. He would now face unending conflict. This
32:21
Speaker 1: was ESA's moment of decision. He could have repented. He
32:25
Speaker 1: could have fallen to his knees and ask God for forgiveness.
32:29
Speaker 1: He could have corrected his path before it was too late.
32:33
Speaker 1: But instead he became angry, not at himself, not at
32:38
Speaker 1: his failure, but at the messenger. He had Hanani thrown
32:42
Speaker 1: into prison, silencing the very voice that had once guided him.
32:46
Speaker 1: And from that moment on, Aesa's heart hardened against God.
32:51
Speaker 1: The man who had once been a reformer, the man
32:53
Speaker 1: who had once restored Judah's faith, now turned his back
32:57
Speaker 1: on the very God who had lifted him up to
33:00
Speaker 1: Two years later, Aesa was struck with a severe disease
33:03
Speaker 1: in his feet. It was painful, it was crippling, and
33:07
Speaker 1: it should have been a wake up call, a final
33:09
Speaker 1: opportunity to turn back to God. But even then Aesa
33:14
Speaker 1: refused to seek the Lord. Instead, he put his full
33:17
Speaker 1: trust in human physicians. The man who had once cried
33:21
Speaker 1: out to God on the battlefield now refused to cry
33:24
Speaker 1: out even in his suffering. And after forty one years
33:28
Speaker 1: on the throne, King Aesa died. A man who had
33:31
Speaker 1: started with such promise, a man who had led Judah
33:34
Speaker 1: into one of its greatest spiritual awakenings, had ended in defeat,
33:39
Speaker 1: not on the battlefield, but in his own heart. Aesa's
33:43
Speaker 1: story is one of the greatest warnings in the Bible.
33:47
Speaker 1: It teaches us that faith is not just about how
33:50
Speaker 1: we start, it's about how we finish. Because Aesa passed
33:55
Speaker 1: the test of hardship, but he failed the test of success.
33:58
Speaker 1: When he had no choice but to trust God, he did,
34:02
Speaker 1: But when he had options, he chose his own strength,
34:06
Speaker 1: and in the end his faith crumbled under the weight
34:09
Speaker 1: of his own pride. Are we like the young Aesa,
34:12
Speaker 1: relying on God with all our hearts? Or have we
34:16
Speaker 1: become like the older Aesa, depending on our own strength,
34:19
Speaker 1: our own plans, and our own wisdom. Because one thing
34:23
Speaker 1: is certain, the eyes of the Lord range throughout the
34:26
Speaker 1: earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
34:31
Speaker 1: The question is will he find that in us? For
34:35
Speaker 1: three decades, Esa had ruled Judah with strength and wisdom.
34:39
Speaker 1: He had led the nation through revival. He had trusted
34:42
Speaker 1: God in the face of impossible battles. He had torn
34:46
Speaker 1: down idols, cleansed the land, and restored worship. But the
34:50
Speaker 1: man who once stood as a beacon of faith Eh
34:53
Speaker 1: was now walking a different path, the path that would
34:56
Speaker 1: lead him into darkness, rebellion, and pain. This is the
35:02
Speaker 1: tragic final chapter of King ASA's life, a story of
35:05
Speaker 1: a man who once relied on God but refused to
35:09
Speaker 1: turn back when he needed him most. When Esa faced
35:12
Speaker 1: his greatest military crisis, the invasion of the Kushite Army,
35:16
Speaker 1: he had cried out to God and God had answered,
35:20
Speaker 1: giving him a miraculous victory. But when he faced a
35:23
Speaker 1: second great threat, King Basha of Israel, blocking trade routes,
35:27
Speaker 1: he did not cry out to God. Instead, Aesa trusted
35:31
Speaker 1: in human alliances. He took gold and silver from God's
35:35
Speaker 1: temple and bribed the King of Aram to break his
35:38
Speaker 1: treaty with Israel. It was a political success, the blockade
35:43
Speaker 1: was lifted and the enemy retreated, But spiritually, it was
35:47
Speaker 1: the moment Esa turned his back on God. A prophet
35:51
Speaker 1: named Hanani came to confront him. Because you relied on
35:54
Speaker 1: the King of Aram and not on the Lord your God.
35:58
Speaker 1: From now on you will be at war Second Chronicles
36:03
Speaker 1: sixteen seven to nine. This should have been AES's wake
36:08
Speaker 1: up call. He could have repented, he could have turned
36:10
Speaker 1: back to God. Instead, he threw Hanani in prison. He
36:15
Speaker 1: silenced the voice of truth, and from that moment on
36:19
Speaker 1: Ace's heart hardened against God. After this one decision, Assa's
36:23
Speaker 1: reign was never the same. For the first thirty five
36:27
Speaker 1: years of his rule, Judah had been at peace, but
36:30
Speaker 1: after he turned from God, his kingdom was plunged into
36:33
Speaker 1: constant war. It was a fulfillment of the prophet's warning,
36:38
Speaker 1: you have done a foolish thing, and from now on
36:41
Speaker 1: you will be at war. What had once been a
36:46
Speaker 1: time of prosperity and blessing had now become a season
36:50
Speaker 1: of conflict and struggle. And yet Aesa refused to see
36:54
Speaker 1: what was happening. He refused to acknowledge that his own
36:58
Speaker 1: choices had led to this downfall. He had spent so
37:01
Speaker 1: much of his life listening to God, but now he
37:05
Speaker 1: had shut him out completely. Then came the greatest test
37:08
Speaker 1: of all, one that was not political, one that was
37:12
Speaker 1: not military, but one that was deeply personal. User was
37:16
Speaker 1: struck with a severe disease in his feet. At first
37:21
Speaker 1: it was just pain, Then it became difficulty walking. Then
37:24
Speaker 1: it became crippling agony. The mighty king, the warrior who
37:28
Speaker 1: once led armies, the reformer, who once stood tall, now
37:33
Speaker 1: couldn't even stand on his own two feet. And yet
37:36
Speaker 1: he still refused to turn to God. Even in his illness.
37:40
Speaker 1: He did not seek the Lord, but only the physicians.
37:43
Speaker 1: Second Chronicles sixteen twelve. Now this does not mean that
37:48
Speaker 1: medicine was wrong. The issue wasn't that Aesa sought medical help.
37:52
Speaker 1: The issue was that he had completely shut God out
37:55
Speaker 1: of his life. He trusted human strength more than divine power.
38:00
Speaker 1: He put his hope in people rather than in the
38:02
Speaker 1: one who had given him the throne in the first place.
38:06
Speaker 1: And as he lay in agony, with every step filled
38:09
Speaker 1: with pain, every movement a struggle, he never once called
38:14
Speaker 1: on the God who had saved him so many times before.
38:18
Speaker 1: His disease should have been his wake up caller, a
38:21
Speaker 1: moment of mercy in the midst of judgment, a final
38:24
Speaker 1: chance to say, Lord, I need you. But Aesa refused.
38:29
Speaker 1: For two years, He suffered for two years. He could
38:32
Speaker 1: have repented for two years. He could have turned back
38:35
Speaker 1: to God, but he never did, and after forty one
38:39
Speaker 1: years on the throne, King Aesa died in stubbornness at
38:43
Speaker 1: the man who had been so great, who had trusted
38:45
Speaker 1: God so completely, but who in the end refused to
38:49
Speaker 1: turn back when it mattered most. When Aesa died, the
38:53
Speaker 1: people of Judah honored him. They buried him with respect.
38:56
Speaker 1: They remembered his victories, his reforms and his early devotion
39:00
Speaker 1: to God. But the truth is Sayesu's life is a warning.
39:05
Speaker 1: He is proof that how you start is not how
39:08
Speaker 1: you finish. Faith is not just about one great moment
39:11
Speaker 1: of trust, It's about a lifetime of trust. I surpassed
39:15
Speaker 1: the test of struggle, but he failed the test of success.
39:19
Speaker 1: When he had no choice but to trust God, he did.
39:23
Speaker 1: But when he had wealth, power and control, he chose
39:26
Speaker 1: his own wisdom over God's wisdom, and in the end
39:30
Speaker 1: it cost him everything. Are we like the young Aesa,
39:33
Speaker 1: fully devoted to God, trusting him in every battle? Or
39:37
Speaker 1: are we like the older Esa, self sufficient, hardened and
39:41
Speaker 1: refusing to return to the Lord. Because in the end,
39:45
Speaker 1: the question isn't how strong our faith once was, it's
39:49
Speaker 1: whether our faith lasts to the very end. The eyes
39:53
Speaker 1: of the Lord still search the earth, will he find
39:56
Speaker 1: a heart fully committed to him or one that refuses
39:59
Speaker 1: to turn back. The story of King Aesir is one
40:02
Speaker 1: of the greatest paradoxes in the Bible. A man who
40:06
Speaker 1: began as a hero of faith, a man who saw
40:11
Speaker 1: miraculous victories, a man who led a national revival, and
40:15
Speaker 1: yet by the end of his life he had completely
40:18
Speaker 1: turned away from God. It's a warning not just for kings,
40:22
Speaker 1: but for every believer, because Aesa's life proves one terrifying truth.
40:28
Speaker 1: How you start your journey with God does not guarantee
40:31
Speaker 1: how you will finish. Let's break down the greatest lessons
40:35
Speaker 1: from Ace's rise and fall and what we must learn
40:39
Speaker 1: from the king who never finished well. In Aesa's early years,
40:44
Speaker 1: he was a warrior of faith. When a million man
40:47
Speaker 1: army from Cush came against him, Aesa did not panic.
40:51
Speaker 1: He did not rush to form alliances. He did not
40:53
Speaker 1: rely on military strategies. Instead, he cried out to God, Lord,
40:59
Speaker 1: there is no one like you to help the powerless
41:02
Speaker 1: against the mighty. Help us, Lord, our God, for we
41:06
Speaker 1: rely on you, Second Chronicles, fourteen eleven. And God answered him.
41:12
Speaker 1: The enemy was crushed and Judah won a victory that
41:15
Speaker 1: was humanly impossible. It was a defining moment, a moment
41:20
Speaker 1: that solidified Esa as one of Judah's greatest kings. Obedience
41:26
Speaker 1: leads to victory, Faith leads to power, and when Esa
41:30
Speaker 1: walked in faith, nothing could defeat him. But here's the danger.
41:34
Speaker 1: Trusting God in one battle does not mean we will
41:37
Speaker 1: trust him in the next. Just because we obeyed God
41:41
Speaker 1: yesterday does not mean we will obey him tomorrow. Us
41:45
Speaker 1: approved that which leads us to the next lesson. It's
41:49
Speaker 1: easy to trust God when we have no other choice.
41:52
Speaker 1: It's easy to pray when we're desperate. It's easy to
41:56
Speaker 1: cry out to God when our backs are against the wall.
41:59
Speaker 1: Us Sir, past the test of struggle, but he failed
42:02
Speaker 1: the test of success. For thirty five years, Judah had
42:06
Speaker 1: peace and prosperity, and somewhere in those years, Usa stopped
42:11
Speaker 1: depending on God. So when the next crisis came, King
42:15
Speaker 1: Basha of Israel attacking Judah, Ussa didn't pray, He didn't
42:19
Speaker 1: seek God. He turned to politics. Instead. He took gold
42:23
Speaker 1: from the Temple, the House of God, and used it
42:26
Speaker 1: to bribe a foreign king for help. And his plan worked.
42:31
Speaker 1: But what Esa didn't realize is that he had just
42:34
Speaker 1: stepped outside of God's protection. The prophet Hanani confronted him.
42:41
Speaker 1: The eyes of the Lord searched the whole earth in
42:44
Speaker 1: order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
42:48
Speaker 1: You have done a foolish thing, and from now on
42:51
Speaker 1: you will be at war. Second Chronicle sixty nine Sizu
42:57
Speaker 1: had everything, victory, wealth, the strong kingdom, but he had
43:01
Speaker 1: lost the one thing that mattered his dependence on God.
43:05
Speaker 1: This was Aesa's chance to turn back. His first test
43:09
Speaker 1: came when an army invaded. He passed. His second test
43:12
Speaker 1: came when a prophet rebuked him. He failed because instead
43:16
Speaker 1: of repenting, instead of seeking God again us A through
43:21
Speaker 1: the prophet in prison, he silenced the voice of truth.
43:24
Speaker 1: And this moment sealed his fate. When we stop listening
43:28
Speaker 1: to God, we stop walking with him. When we reject correction,
43:32
Speaker 1: we choose destruction. It wasn't a dramatic fall. There was
43:37
Speaker 1: no great act of rebellion at just a slow drift,
43:40
Speaker 1: a hardened heart, and a man who once trusted God
43:44
Speaker 1: now refusing to hear his voice. Then came the final test.
43:49
Speaker 1: User was struck with a severe disease in his feet.
43:52
Speaker 1: It started as pain, then it became difficulty walking. Then
43:57
Speaker 1: it became crippling agony. But the Bible tells a something shocking.
44:02
Speaker 1: Even in his illness, he did not seek the Lord,
44:05
Speaker 1: but only the physicians Second Chronicles, sixteen twelve. This is
44:11
Speaker 1: not saying medicine is wrong. The issue is that Esa
44:15
Speaker 1: completely shut God out. This was his final warning, his
44:19
Speaker 1: last chance to turn back, but he refused. For two years,
44:24
Speaker 1: he suffered for two years, he had time to repent.
44:27
Speaker 1: For two years. God waited, but Aesa never turned back,
44:31
Speaker 1: and after forty one years as king, he died in stubbornness.
44:36
Speaker 1: In us as story is one of the most tragic
44:38
Speaker 1: warnings in the Bible. He had so much potential. He
44:42
Speaker 1: was one of Judah's greatest kings. He led revival, he
44:46
Speaker 1: saw miracles, but he didn't finish well, and his story
44:50
Speaker 1: teaches us something powerful. Faith is not about how you start,
44:54
Speaker 1: it's about how you finish. Plenty of people begin their
44:58
Speaker 1: walk with God on fire, but how many stay faithful
45:02
Speaker 1: to the end. Plenty of leaders trust God when they
45:05
Speaker 1: are weak, but how many still trust him when they
45:08
Speaker 1: are strong. Plenty of Christians listen to God when they
45:11
Speaker 1: need him, but how many still listen when they feel
45:15
Speaker 1: self sufficient? As it teaches us, the greatest danger of
45:20
Speaker 1: all not turning back when we've gone the wrong way.
45:23
Speaker 1: Let's be honest. Many people to day are living like Aesa.
45:27
Speaker 1: They started with great faith, they saw God move in
45:30
Speaker 1: their lives, that they experienced his power, but over time
45:34
Speaker 1: they drifted, They stopped listening. They started trusting in themselves
45:40
Speaker 1: instead of in Him. And the scary thing they don't
45:44
Speaker 1: even realize it. So ask yourself to day. Are you
45:48
Speaker 1: still listening to God? Are you still trusting him even
45:52
Speaker 1: when you have options? Are you finishing well? Because in
45:55
Speaker 1: the end, it's not about what we once believed, It's
45:59
Speaker 1: about what we belie leave when we take our final breath,
46:02
Speaker 1: Will you finish the race or will you end like Aesa,
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Speaker 1: a man who started strong but never turned back when
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Speaker 1: it mattered most. Hayes's story is a tragic reminder that
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Speaker 1: starting strong means nothing if we don't finish well. He
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Speaker 1: had everything, a kingdom to rule, victories no one thought possible,
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Speaker 1: and the favor of God himself. He tore down idols,
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Speaker 1: led a revival, and trusted God in battle. He was
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Speaker 1: a king who could have been unstoppable, but slowly something changed.
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Speaker 1: Success made him self reliant. He no longer cried out
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Speaker 1: to God, he no longer listened, and when his final
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Speaker 1: chance for redemption came, a disease that could have brought
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Speaker 1: him to his knees, he refused. Aesa's life teaches us
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Speaker 1: a powerful lesson faith. Is not about how you begin,
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Speaker 1: but how you finish. Will you still trust God when
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Speaker 1: you have other options? Will you still listen when the
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Speaker 1: truth is uncomfortable? Will you finish strong? In the next video,
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Speaker 1: we cover Jehosha Fat, the king who took the throne
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Speaker 1: after USA. His reign was different, but his challenges were
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Speaker 1: just as great. Want this in e book format? Let
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Speaker 1: us know in the comments, Like and share to help
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Speaker 1: spread these deep Bible stories. Till the next video, Stay blessed,