“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to
strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
As popular as this verse is in Christian circles, few people
know that its origin has to do with the somewhat tragic story in 2 Chronicles
15 and 16, about Asa, king of Judah. The son of Abijah, Asa is one of the few
post-David kings that have the introduction “…for he did what was pleasing in
the sight of the Lord.”
Like many of us do, Asa got into his new job with almost
unparalleled zeal. He brought down the pagan altars, restored worship and
commanded that the law of God be obeyed. He deposed his grandmother from being
the queen mother because she was involved in idolatry. He repaired the altar of
God, led his countrymen in swearing allegiance to the one and only God,
prompting a national revival. As a result, Asa enjoyed a rather peaceful reign.
The Bible takes care though, to describe two wars during
Asa’s lifetime that sum up the whole lesson from his life. The first, in the
early years, was from Ethiopia. Asa, in realizing how outnumbered he was (about
1 to 2), cried out to God for help, saying, “Help us, O Lord our God, for we
trust in you alone…” He won that war, leading him to even more worship and
reverence for God.
The second war came about 35 years later. This time round, Asa,
probably emboldened by years of ruling, chose a different route. He responded
by taking silver and gold from the Temple and his palace, and sent these to the
king of Aram, asking for a treaty. Ben-hadad heeded, and helped Asa attack, and
defeat Israel. The war was won, but Asa’s relationship with God was irreparably
destroyed.
But what was Asa’s undoing? The prophet’s rebuke after the
war contains the answer: “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram
instead of in the Lord your God…” Asa had made the mistake we all have a chance
to make over and over again in our walk with God – shifting out trust from the
God of our salvation to our own means. Asa was angry at the prophet for saying
this, but his heart was already hardened. In fact, four years later, Asa
contracted a serious disease and “even when the disease became life-threatening,
he did not seek the Lord’s help but sought help only from his physicians.” And so
he died.
It seems incredible that such a young king, who began with
so much promise, would die off so easily. But it shows us just how serious God
is when it comes to trusting only in Him. The minute we begin to put stock in
our own abilities, or in the abilities of our ‘rich uncle’ or in whatever else
we think is the source of help, we are sliding towards death.
A few years later, the prophet Jeremiah would echo this
lesson: “This is what the Lord says, “Cursed are those who put their trust in
mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted
shrubs in the desert with no hope for the future…But blessed are those who
trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are
like trees planted by the riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.”
Since the world didn’t end in December as rumored, another ‘resolution
season’ is here. I pray that we would make trusting God our top resolution this
New Year!
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