Mistakes of the Kings
I wasn’t sure what to call this one, but I noticed something and needed to get my thought on paper. I was reading through II Chronicles, which is going through the history of the kings of Judah. And the life of King Asa really impressed me: everything that happens gives us clues to what God is like, and how He responds to us when we either seek Him or abandon Him. (From II Chronicles 14-16).
Here's how the reign of King Asa started:
-He did what was right and pleasing in the sight of God
-He commanded the people to seek the Lord
-He removed the pagan shrines that would cause people to sin
And the result of these 3 things is that the nation enjoyed a time of peace. They knew that this peace was from God. But after some time goes by, and an Ethiopian army attacks Judah with 1,000,000 and 300 chariots. Asa is terrified and cries out to the Lord: ‘O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us O Lord God for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!’ (ii Chronicles 14:11). God hears that prayer and answers in a might way: the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of King Asa and so many fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and His army.
After that battle, a prophet comes to King Asa and encourages him with these words: ‘The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.’ (II Chron 15:2) The prophet also reminded Asa to be strong and courageous to keep doing the work God had for him, because it will be rewarded. So, Asa was encouraged and called all the people together to enter a covenant with God to seek Him with all their heart and soul. ‘All Judah was happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.’ (II Chron 15:15
So far so good, right? Well, this is where it gets interesting. Life is good, and I’m walking with God. but something happens when we are not careful: the passage of time makes us forget how God has helped us if we are not being careful to remember how God has delivered us in the past.
So now we are in the 36th year of King Asa’s reign. The king of Israel decides to attack Judah, and the king has forgotten how the Lord delivered him from a massive army. Instead of asking God for help, he sends the silver and gold from the treasuries of the temple to Ben-Hadad of Aram. It works, and Judah now has a treaty with Aram, but that is not what God wanted, and God was not even considered in this trial. So, the prophet says this: The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are not fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will always be at war.’ (II Chron 16:9)
And now Asa doubles down on his sin. He has a choice in how to respond and he chooses to respond with anger and throws the prophet in prison. He also begins to oppress some of the people. Three more years have gone by, and he develops a disease in his feet. He seeks advice from physicians, and even though it was severe, he never goes to the Lord for help. And he died in the 41st year of his reign.
So, here’s what I noticed:
-never ever forget how God has delivered you! In my case, I had wandered so far from God that I thought I could never come back. Do you remember when the people entered a covenant to seek the Lord with their whole heart? Well, that wasn’t the first time Israel entered into a covenant to be the Lord’s people: and that’s where we can find hope. Renewing a covenant means that the covenant had been broken! And it also means that we have a God who welcomes back a repentant sinner. In my case, that’s why I’m writing right now. God in his kindness, delivered me from the deadly path I was on. It’s been 7 or so years now, but I never want to forget how good He is and how desperately I need Him. And if I can help anyone else who finds themselves where I was, then God is using me, and I am thankful.
-when confronted with your sin, it’s an opportunity to respond with repentance.
Why are we so proud? I don’t like to be confronted, even now, but it helps me to remember that my pride will ultimately keep me from God! King Asa responded by putting the prophet in prison and oppressing people. So, what happened? The passage of time made him careless toward God and when a trial came, he had no memory of God’s willingness to deliver him. If he had responded with humility, God would have helped him with his future battles, because that’s how God is! You may still have consequences for the path you have chosen, but God’s character is forgiving and kind to those who repent: ‘O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.’ (from Psalm 86)
-God will increase your trials to get you to turn to him. Three years after the prophet confronted King Asa and got thrown into prison, the king developed a disease in his feet. And it was severe! Yet he never turned back to God and ended up dying that way. This does not have to be our story! If you are like I was and have made such a mess of your life by one foolish choice after another, don’t give up! God is kind to those who turn to him, and he reveals himself to all who seek for him with their whole hearts. If you start praying and nothing happens, don’t give up! Keep praying and He will reveal something special about Himself just for you. In my case, He showed me how good it is to be alive, and how good my life could be with Him. It’s an adventure and I almost missed it. It doesn’t matter how our lives start, but it does matter how they end. Choose to get to know God!
