Asa had led Judah to follow the Lord, while the the kings of
Israel were promoting various gods, and Judah was quite prosperous, while
Israel was continuously at war. As a result many people moved to Judah to be
able to serve God freely. Finally, Baasha,
the king of Israel attacked and built a fortified city to guard the border and prevent
people moving to Judah, as I Kings 15:17 tells us. “And
Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not
suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.”
Twenty years before, when they were invaded by the Ethiopian
Empire, Asa had simply trusted god for the victory, defeating and overwhelming
force, but this time he hired the Syrians to attack Israel from the north, as I
Kings 15:18-22 describes. “Then Asa took all the silver and the gold
that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of
the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king
Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of
Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee,
and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present
of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that
he may depart from me.
So Benhadad hearkened
unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the
cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all
Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. And it came to pass, when Baasha heard
thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. Then
king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they
took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had
builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.”
God was not pleased with Asa’s lack of faith, as II
Chronicles 16:7-9 tells us. “And at that time Hanani the seer came to
Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of
Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of
Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were
not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and
horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into
thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run
to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of
them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly:
therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”
Instead of repenting like David did when his sin was pointed
out, Asa got mad at the prophet and had him arrested. He took out his anger on some of the people
as well, as II Chronicles 16:10 tells us.
“Then Asa was wroth with the seer,
and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this
thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.” Later, when he started having health
problems, he placed his faith in the doctors, rather than in God, although he
never turned away from the Lord, as we see in II Chronicles 16:11-14. “And,
behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of
the kings of Judah and Israel. And Asa
in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his
disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but
to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in
the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they buried him in his own sepulchres,
which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed
which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the
apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him.”
It is amazing how often we can trust God with some huge
challenge when we cannot see any possible solution, yet insist on trying to do
smaller things in our own power without consulting him. We need to learn to trust God in
everything.
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