When to Fire Your Grandmother
I Kings 15:9-14
“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
Sam Ewing
You can tell a lot about a person’s character by how they handle the hard choices. Today I want to focus on, not just a labor issue, but a life issue.
King Asa fired his grandmother. That’s a rough day in the palace, I don’t care who you are! Read the story in I Kings 15:9-14.
I Kings 15:9-14
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.
12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made.
13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.
(NIV)
In the brief story of Asa a string of family problems dominates. Yet
Asa stands out as one of the kings who did what God wanted.
He was not without problems of his own, but he was able to overcome his family’s influence and live a life pleasing to God anyway.
Look at the family situation
Rehoboam (Asa’s grandfather) splits the kingdom
straying from the path of wisdom and tries to be tough.
Conflict with the Northern kingdom is the rule of his reign.
Maacah (Asa’s Grandmother) worships idols.
Abijah, Rehobaom’s son (Asa’s dad) is sinful following in the footsteps of both his father and his mother, Maacah. Abijah seems to have ruled along side his father who was usually away at war. When his father died, he continued the wars with Israel in the North.
It is in this environment that Asa is born.
When begins his reign, He
is determined to follow Godly practices in his public policy.
When he did this, he was bucking a powerful family system. His grandmother, Maacah, had erected an Asherah pole. Asherah was a fertility goddess of the Canaanites, usually associated with Baal. Their shrines were often placed side by side. The Asherah shrine was a tall, thick pole made of a stripped tree trunk. Women often venerated Asherah, believing that she would help them have children.
The woman herself was powerful. In ancient times, the Queen Mother was incredibly influential. The position was reserved for the mother of the king. In these societies, the king had many wives, and it was somewhat uncertain which one would bear the son who would be the next king. Many times, no single wife would rise to the power of queen. When a son actually took the throne and overcame his rivals, that’s when the mother of the king became clear. She was also a direct link back to the former king and usually represented previous policies.
The power of Maacah is evident. In spite of the fact that her son Abijah had 14 wives, including Asa’s mother, she held on to the position of Queen Mother, for two generations. Asa had no wife strong enough to take the authority of queen. His own mother did not take the position. So his grandmother must have been an imposing person.
• A great-grandfather who was Solomon and had introduced paganism
• A grandfather who had divided the kingdom
• A father who maintained constant war with the neighbors
• A grandmother who was a powerful and persistent queen and a strong proponent of paganism
As Asa took the throne, he had incredible family inertia and tradition to overcome. But if he was to follow in the footsteps of David, he had an up-hill road to trudge.
Asa believed the words of the prophet:
2 Chronicles 15:1-2
1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.
2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
(NIV)
He "deposed" Granny Maacah!
Asa was in a tight spot. The throne of Judah was not just a political office, it was a ministry and a calling. The responsibility to be the anointed of God among His Chosen People was an awesome responsibility. If he was to succeed, he had some difficult decisions to make. Some of those decisions involved breaks with his family’s traditions and behaviors.
Like Asa, we too have an awesome responsibility
And we can take a cue from his personal guiding practices.
Asa fully relied on God
When Asa decided that he was going to do what God wanted, he did not back down.
Getting rid of the shrine prostitutes could not have been a popular decision. His disposition and attitude is described with a simple line:
I Kings 15:14
14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.
(NIV)
He did not allow his family to decide how he would handle his wider responsibilities
He fired his own grandmother. That would be harsh enough if it was that simple. But Queen Mother was not a position just anybody could apply for. And kings and queens can be notoriously ruthless when it comes to holding on to power. This could be no easy task.
It is a fine line to walk. Asa gives us a little guidance. The Bible does not say he disowned his grandmother, it just says he removed her from her position. I’m sure that didn’t go down easy, but he was bound to make sure that she did not hurt his people spiritually.
Asa did not lower his standards.
Don’t let desperation push you.
When desperation becomes high,
standards become low.
And so you begin down the road to mediocrity.
Don’t turn to the right or the left. Make your mind up and stick with it! Jesus put it this way:
Matthew 5:37
37 Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No’;
anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
(NIV)
James 5:10-12
10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear-- not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
(NIV)
Asa didn’t lower his standards. He stuck to His decision and paid the price!
Asa focused on decision managing,
not decision making!
Decision making determines WHAT we will do. Decision making creates the vision and goal of where we are going. Asa’s decision:
I Kings 15:14
14 … Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.
(NIV)
As far as Asa was concerned, he was going to be fully committed to God. His decision for his household was like Joshua’s:
Joshua 24:15
“… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
(NIV)
Even if that meant Granny had to go! Decision made! And since the decision has been made, Asa was not going to yield to the temptation of situation ethics. Asa’s vision was clear – COMMITMENT TO GOD!
Now King Asa has to manage the decision he has made. While making a decision determines what we will do, decision managing determines how we will do what we have said we will do.
Throughout the Bible, we find common people like you and me who made a decision and stuck with it, regardless of what came their way. That’s why Abraham could take Issac to the mountain. Abraham decided to go wherever the Lord led him. Twenty to thirty years later when God says, “Go to the mountain and sacrifice your only son”, Abraham got Issac and headed up the hill! No second guessing, no questioning, no “Lord, did I hear you right?” Abraham even answers Issac rather matter-of-factly when He asks where the sacrifice is. Abraham’s quick response: “The Lord will provide!” Decision made years ago so now we manage the decision.
Those of you who are married made a decision to love, honor, and cherish your spouse whether things got better or got worse, whether you became rich or flat broke, whether you were healthy or you spent your life trying to keep your spouse alive until death do you part. Since the day you made that decision you’ve been managing that decision.
Failures are not the results of bad decision making,
but bad decision managing.
Salvation is making a decision to follow Jesus. Discipleship is managing that decision! The decision to follow Christ is a GREAT decision! How you manage that decision through your personal discipline is the key to joy in the journey and the destination of heaven!
Let’s say we may make a decision that we are going to Kansas City. After deciding that we will go to Kansas City, then we have to determine:
• How we will get there.
• When we will go.
• Who will go with us.
• How will we pay for the trip.
• What will we do while we are there.
• How long we will stay.
Managing that decision to go doesn’t change the decision, just the details!
A story is told about decision managing through discipleship: A man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter who led him down the golden streets. They past mansions after beautiful mansions until they came to the end of the street where they stopped in front of a shack. The man asked St. Peter why he got a hut when there were so many mansions he could live in. St. Peter replied, "I did the best with the money you sent us."
The Pain of Discipline weighs ounces.
The Pain of Regret weighs tons.
