‘Iu Bae Kasem Reward for Samting wea Iu Duim’
KING Asa leadim army bilong hem. Olketa kwiktaem go daon long wanfala big valley from olketa maunten long Judea go long olketa flat ples wea stap long saed sea. Long ples wea valley kamap big, Asa stop and hem seke nao. Long daon hem lukim camp bilong olketa enemy, and olketa staka. Luk olsem namba bilong olketa soldia bilong Ethiopia hem wan million! Olketa soldia long army bilong Asa klosap 600,000 nomoa.
Taem datfala faet klosap for start, wanem nao main samting wea Asa hem tingim? Waswe, hem tingim wanem for talem long olketa bigman long army bilong hem, or hao for encouragem olketa soldia, or hem ting for raetem leta long famili bilong hem? Nomoa nao! Taem datfala faet klosap for start, Asa hem prea.
Bifor iumi story abaotem prea bilong Asa and samting wea happen long datfala taem, bae iumi storyim wanem kaen man nao Asa. Why nao Asa askem God for helpem hem? Waswe, hem savve God bae helpem hem? Wanem nao iumi lanem from story bilong Asa abaotem wei wea Jehovah blessim olketa wea worshipim hem taem olketa duim stret samting?
SAMTING WEA ASA DUIM FINIS
Insaed 20-fala year bihaen Israel divaed long tufala kingdom, staka long Judah followim wei bilong olketa heathen. Taem Asa kamap king long 977 B.C.E., nomata samfala long haos bilong king tu worshipim olketa false god bilong Canaan. Bat Bible hem sei taem Asa hem king, hem “duim samting wea gud and stret front long God bilong hem, Jehovah.” Asa “aotem olketa altar bilong olketa difren god and hem aotem olketa hae ples and hem brekem olketa ston post and katem daon olketa timba post wea pipol worshipim.” (2 Chron. 14:2, 3) Asa aotem from kingdom bilong Judah tu “olketa man long temple wea jury” wea duim sex witim olketa nara man olsem part long false worship bilong olketa. Asa no aotem olketa rabis samting nomoa, bat hem encouragem pipol tu for “lukaotem Jehovah wea hem God bilong olketa grani bilong olketa and for followim datfala law and komandment” bilong God.—1 Ki. 15:12, 13; 2 Chron. 14:4.
Jehovah hapi long Asa bikos hem strong for sapotim tru worship, so hem mekem Judah for garem peace for staka year. Dastawe Asa savve sei: “Iumi lukaotem God bilong iumi Jehovah. Iumi lukaotem hem, and hem protectim iumi from olketa enemy bilong iumi.” Olketa long Judah mekius long datfala taem bilong peace for strongim olketa taon bilong olketa. Bible sei: “Olketa gohed for build and olketa stap gud.”—2 Chron. 14:1, 6, 7.
LONG PLES FOR FAET
Taem iumi tingim olketa samting wea Asa duim finis, iumi no sapraes hem prea taem hem feisim datfala maeti army, wea big winim eni nara army wea Bible storyim. Asa hem savve God hem blessim olketa wea faithful. Hem prea strong for Jehovah helpem hem. Asa luksavve sapos hem depend long God and God sapotim hem, hem savve win nomata enemy hem barava strong and hem staka tumas. Hem luksavve datfala faet bae affectim wei wea pipol ting long nem bilong Jehovah, dastawe King Asa hem prea olsem: “Plis, God bilong mifala Jehovah, helpem mifala, bikos mifala depend long iu, and long nem bilong iu mifala kam for faet againstim disfala sekson. Plis Jehovah, iu nao God bilong mifala. No letem olketa man hia for winim iu.” (2 Chron. 14:11) Hem olsem Asa hem sei: ‘Olketa long Ethiopia kam for attakim iu, Jehovah. No letem olketa for tekovarem pipol bilong iu, bikos datwan bae mekem pipol ting daonem nem bilong iu.’ So “Jehovah helpem Asa and olketa bilong Judah for winim olketa bilong Ethiopia. And olketa bilong Ethiopia ranawe nao.”—2 Chron. 14:12.
Distaem, staka wea garem bigfala paoa olketa againstim pipol bilong Jehovah. Iumi bae no faetem olketa long physical wei bat iumi insaed long spiritual faet. Jehovah bae helpem olketa wea faithful wea faet long nem bilong hem for win. Maet iumi wanwan mas faet for no followim nogud tingting bilong world saed long sex, maet iumi faet againstim olketa wik point bilong iumiseleva, or maet iumi faet for protectim famili from olketa samting wea savve spoelem olketa. Nomata wanem hard samting nao iumi feisim, prea bilong Asa savve encouragem iumi. Asa luksavve sapos hem win, really Jehovah nao win. Prea bilong Asa showimaot olketa wea depend long Jehovah savve trustim hem for helpem olketa. Olketa man no savve faet againstim Jehovah.
ENCOURAGEMENT AND WARNING
Taem Asa gogo bak from datfala faet, profet Azariah kam for story long hem. Hem encouragem Asa and talem wanfala warning tu. Hem sei: “Herem mi, Asa and iufala evriwan bilong Judah and Benjamin! Jehovah bae stap witim iufala sapos iufala faithful long hem. Sapos iufala lukaotem hem, bae hem letem iufala for faendem hem, bat sapos iufala lusim hem bae hem lusim iufala. . . . And iufala mas no fraet or wikdaon bikos iufala bae kasem reward for samting wea iufala duim.”—2 Chron. 15:1, 2, 7.
Toktok bilong datfala profet savve strongim faith bilong iumi. Hem showimaot Jehovah bae stap witim iumi sapos iumi gohed faithful long hem. Taem iumi prea long hem for helpem iumi, iumi sure hem herem iumi. Azariah hem talem Asa for “no fraet.” For duim stret samting iumi tu mas no fraet, and iumi savve Jehovah bae helpem iumi.
From granmami bilong Asa, Maacah, hem wakem wanfala “barava nogud idol,” Asa mas aotem hem from position wea hem garem long haos bilong king. Nomata datwan hem no isi samting for duim, Asa hem duim datwan and hem bonem datfala idol tu. (1 Ki. 15:13) From Asa no fraet and no hol bak for duim stret samting, Jehovah blessim hem. Iumi tu mas evritaem duim stret samting and gohed faithful long Jehovah, nomata olketa relative bilong iumi faithful long God or nomoa. Sapos olsem, Jehovah bae givim reward long iumi.
Wanfala reward wea Asa kasem hem taem staka Israelite from kingdom long north wea apostate, olketa kam long Judah taem olketa luksavve Jehovah stap witim Asa. From olketa barava tinghae long tru worship, olketa disaed for lusim hom bilong olketa for stap witim pipol wea worshipim Jehovah. Then Asa and evriwan long Judah mekem ‘wanfala agreement for lukaotem Jehovah long full heart and long full soul.’ Wanem nao kamaot from diswan? God “letem olketa for faendem hem. And Jehovah gohed mekem olketa garem peace witim olketa enemy wea stap raonem olketa.” (2 Chron. 15:9-15) Iumi hapi tumas taem olketa wea tinghae long stret samting kam worshipim Jehovah!
Bat profet Azariah talem wanfala warning tu. Hem sei: “Sapos iufala lusim [Jehovah] bae hem lusim iufala.” Iumi barava no laekem kaen nogud samting olsem for happen long iumi! (2 Pet. 2:20-22) Nomata Bible no talem why Jehovah givim disfala warning long Asa, iumi savve hem no followim.
“KRANGGE SAMTING NAO IU DUIM”
Long mek-36 year wea Asa hem rul, King Baasha bilong Israel hem start for faetem Judah. Baasha start for duim samting for strongim Ramah, wanfala taon klosap long border bilong Judah, wea hem 8 kilometer north from Jerusalem. Maet hem duim datwan for stopem pipol bilong hem for no followim Asa and no worshipim Jehovah. Bat distaem Asa no askem God for helpem hem, olsem hem duim taem olketa bilong Ethiopia attakim Judah. Hem sendem wanfala present long king bilong Syria, and askem hem for attakim datfala kingdom bilong Israel long north. Taem olketa bilong Syria attakim olketa, Baasha hem lusim Ramah nao.—2 Chron. 16:1-5.
Jehovah no hapi long Asa so hem sendem profet Hanani for talem datwan long hem. Asa hem savve wanem nao God duim bifor long olketa bilong Ethiopia, so hem shud savve “Jehovah hem lukluk gud evriwea long earth for iusim strong bilong hem for helpem olketa wea lovem hem long full heart.” Maet samfala givim nogud advaes long Asa, or maet hem tingse hem isi nomoa for hem winim Baasha and army bilong hem. Asa followim nomoa tingting bilong hemseleva and hem no depend long Jehovah. Hanani sei long hem: “Krangge samting nao iu duim, so start long disfala taem bae olketa enemy faetem iu.”—2 Chron. 16:7-9.
Asa barava kros long profet Hanani so hem putim hem long stock. (2 Chron. 16:10) Waswe, Asa ting from hem faithful for staka year finis, hem no fitim for man hia kaonselem hem? Or waswe, from hem gogo for olo, tingting bilong hem start for no stret nao? Bible no talem.
Long mek-39 year wea Asa hem rul, hem kasem barava nogud sik long leg bilong hem. Bible sei: “Nomata taem Asa sik, hem no depend long Jehovah bat hem lukaotem olketa doctor nomoa for helpem hem.” Long datfala taem luk olsem hem no gohed strongim wei wea hem fren witim Jehovah. Luk olsem Asa gohed olsem go kasem taem hem dae long mek-41 year wea hem rul.—2 Chron. 16:12-14.
Bat Asa no stop for worshipim Jehovah, and luk olsem Jehovah tingim olketa gudfala wei bilong hem and wei wea hem strong for tru worship. (1 Ki. 15:14) So wanem nao iumi lanem from laef bilong Asa? Iumi shud ting raonem hao Jehovah helpem iumi long bifor, bikos datwan bae mekem iumi laek for prea long hem for helpem iumi taem iumi kasem eni nara hard taem. And nomata iumi faithful long God for staka year finis, iumi mas no tingse iumi no needim kaonsel from Bible. Jehovah bae stretem iumi sapos iumi duim mistek. Iumi mas hambol for acceptim kaonsel mekem iumi kasem gud samting from datwan. Main samting nao, Dadi bilong iumi long heven bae stap witim iumi sapos iumi faithful long hem. Jehovah hem lukluk gud evriwea long earth for olketa wea faithful long hem, and hem bae iusim strong bilong hem for helpem olketa. Jehovah duim olsem for Asa, and hem savve duim sem samting for iumi tu.
[Blurb long page 9]
Jehovah bae helpem olketa wea faithful wea insaed long spiritual faet
[Blurb long page 10]
Iumi mas no fraet for duim stret samting