February 18, 2022

Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 14-17
Meditation Verse: 16:7

Thought

Asa had done so well, seeking the Lord and cleansing the land from of the high places and the idols and Asherah. He depended on the Lord for salvation from the Cushites. He was doing everything right, so what happened that when Baasha threatened him from the north he felt compelled to seek help from the king of Aram? He was told multiple times that when he sought the Lord and trusted in Him, He was with them. Why did he suddenly feel compelled to turn to another king rather than trust in the Lord for victory? Did he only seek God when it was easy, when things were going well, and when he had no other hope? Did he get too "professional" as a king and think he needed to do things the way others did them, making treaties with stronger nations for protection?

Application

Asa is a definite warning. He started very well, better than most of the kings before him. But he ended badly. He didn't seek the Lord when threatened by Baasha, and again when his feet became diseased, he refused to seek the Lord. Why did he turn so strongly against the Lord? Was the Lord just a tool to him, until he became confident in his kingship? His heart became proud in his later years, such that he refused to seek the Lord. I need to guard against becoming so arrogant that I no longer rely on the Lord for help, that I no longer seek Him, or worse, that I absolutely refuse to seek Him. I need to remember that I exist for God, not God for me.