2
Chronicles 16 reminds us how easy it is to trust in our own
cleverness during the good times. Our human tendency is to become
overconfident in our ability to handle the “little things” during
times of prosperity. As the chapter begins, Asa, King of Judah has
had peace on all side for many years as God had promised. The nation
was still divided and the Northern tribes of Israel remained in
rebellion to God. We read, “In
the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, [the
king of Israel]
fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the
territory of Asa king of Judah“.
This aggressive act was an effort to block an important trade route
into Jerusalem. Without any hesitation, “Asa
then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s
temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Syria“.
This is done with such nonchalance that it is easy to miss the
significance. The king actually took money dedicated to God to bribe
an enemy king. We get a sense that this may not have been the first
time he took money from the Temple for his own use. Compromise
almost always starts off small. Luke 16:10 reminds us, “Whoever
can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and
whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with
much“.
The
chapter continues with Asa making a proposition to the enemy king,
“Let
there be
a treaty between you and me… See, I have sent you silver and gold;
come, break your treaty with… king of Israel, so that he will
withdraw from me“.
Asa is offering a bigger bribe than the King of Israel already paid
him! Sadly, a prophet named Hanani explained that the king “Because
you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord
your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from
your hand“.
Not only did Asa steal from the Temple treasury, he also robbed God
of the opportunity to bless the nation. I believe God often uses
times of distress to draw individuals to Himself. We have to be very
careful that we don’t “rescue” people from a lesson that God
might be teaching them. Listen to the very next verse, “For
the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to
show Himself strong on behalf of those
whose heart is
loyal to Him“.
Are you dealing with difficulties? Perhaps God is trying to get
your attention.
The
chapter ends with another familiar scenario. The Prophet explained
to Asa that by not consulting with God, he has made things worse, not
better. “In
this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have
wars“.
And as always, the person caught doing wrong, blames everyone else.
“Then
Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he
was
enraged at him“.
It is so much easier to blame others than to admit our own mistakes!
The king continued in his stubbornness until the end. “And
in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his
feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek
the Lord, but the physicians“.
If you are having a tough time believing God loves you, listen to
this promise: “For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you
will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,
says the Lord”
(Jeremiah 29:11-14). Now is the time.