Theological Commentary: Click Here
In the two
chapters for today, it is a bit of the case of the good, the bad, and the
ugly. Faithfulness is on display. Self-preservation is on display. Stubbornness is also on display.
Start with
the bad. While Asa had a good run, in a
moment of poor decision making he uses the temple wealth to bribe a neighbor to
ally with him against Israel. The king
of Syria accepts the bribe. The next
thing Asa knows, the king of Israel pulls his forces back to preserve his
strength and avoid becoming entangled in a war on two fronts. This gives Asa all of the building resources
that Israel had been using.
While this
seems like a win for Asa, it is actually a loss. This act offends God. Surprisingly, God doesn’t mention the fact
that Asa used temple furnishings to buy of protection. What God is offended at is that Asa felt the
need to protect himself in the first place!
Cannot God protect Asa? Had not
God already proven Himself and His ability against the Egyptians?
While this is
bad, it gets ugly. Asa is chastised and
gets mad about it. Asa gets angry at the
prophet who came to him. Asa stays
bitter for a good bit of the rest of his life.
It is one thing to make a mistake and have an error in judgment. As they say, to err is human. What God wants from us is to avoid it getting
ugly by repenting of our sin.
To turn to
the good, turn to Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son.
Jehoshaphat learns the ways of the Lord.
He promotes godly living. He
empowers the priests to teach God’s Word.
God makes
Jehoshaphat prosper. Fear of the Lord
spreads to the surrounding lands. God’s
message is clear. Genuine success begins
with a fear of the Lord, not a self-serving attitude.
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