November 17 – Asa’s Folly (2 Chronicles 16)

“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
(2 Chronicles 16:9)

IN WORD:
King Asa of Judah, the great-grandson of King Solomon, was a remarkably modern man. No, he didn’t have the technology or the historical perspective that we have, but his approach to his problems fits the modern era easily. Though he had begun his reign with devotion to God and the heart of a spiritual reformer, he ended it with passive faithlessness. Though he had removed idols from the land, he had not replaced the idols in his own heart. He became secular.
In chapter 16, Asa twice made a foolish mistake. He trusted something other than God. When the king of Israel attacked, Asa made a pact with the Syrians for protection. The prophet Hanani came to him with the remarkable message of verse 9: God is actually searching for hearts devoted to Him in order to bless them. He wants to protect, to guide, and to provide. He is not reluctant — unless we’re not devoted to Him.
Asa should have learned that lesson, but he didn’t. He came down with a severe disease that led him not to God but to doctors. His secular mind sought out kings and physicians as his first resort and God as his last. He would fit into our culture well.

IN DEED:
Where do you go when you’re in trouble? Have you made the mistake of going to the doctor first and then praying to God only when medicine fails? Have you thought that our only hope for peace lies in political treaties and cooperative governments? Have you thought of God as a means to fill in the gaps around our science, technology, economics, business strategies, and other areas of secular competence?
Science, medicine, law, business, and every other aspect of modern know-how do not need to conflict with God. They aren’t necessarily wrong. They just cannot be our hope. Avoid Asa’s folly: God is always our first resort.

“There is no other method of living piously and justly than that of depending upon God.” -John Calvin-