The Story of a King (Or, Why Politics and Physicians Cannot Save Us)
This is a true story from God's Word, and can be found in 2 Chronicles 14-16.
Backstory: The time period of this king was when the people of God had strayed far from Him. The kingdom was divided into two nations-Judah to the South (including Jerusalem & the Temple), and Israel to the North. Both nations had many idols and "high places," devoted to the worship of other gods. Many hearts were far from Him, even in His Temple where His presence dwelt.
During this time, a new king arose in Judah, King Asa. In his days, the land of Judah had rest from war and strife for ten years. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He tore down the foreign idols and the high places of idolatry in the land. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He purged the land of incense altars and places devoted to anything or anyone other than God. He built fortified cities across his nation, for the land had rest. He had no war in those days, for the LORD gave him peace.
He said to his people, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him, and He has given us peace on every side." So they built and they prospered. And Asa had a very large army, full of mighty men of valor.
Then an Ethiopian army came against them with an army of a million men, far more men than Asa's army had. King Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up the lines of battle. Then Asa cried to the Lord his God,
"O LORD, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD
our God, for we rely upon You and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD,
You are our God; let not man prevail against You."
So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and his army pursued them and they fell until none remained, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. The fear of the LORD was upon the army, and they plundered many cities and gained much spoil back to Jerusalem.
Then the Spirit of God visited a man named Azariah, who thus went out and met Asa, and said to him,
"Hear me, Asa, and all the people of Judah and Benjamin:
The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but
if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and
without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the LORD,
the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. In those times there was no peace
to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants
of the lands. They were broken in pieces. nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God
troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak,
for your work shall be rewarded."
As soon as King Asa heard this prophecy, he did take courage and once again put away every detestable idol from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from all the cities he had taken in the hill country of Ephriam (very close to the border of the North, probably considered by the Northern kingdom their own cities). And he made repairs to the altar of the LORD that was in the house of the LORD.
And he gathered all his people together, even the great numbers of people who had deserted to him from the North when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. They all gathered in Jerusalem and made sacrifices to The LORD on that day from all the spoil they had gathered from their victories in battle. And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul. But whoever would not enter into this covenant to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death. They swore an oath to the LORD with loud voices and with trumpets and with horns. And they all rejoiced over the oath, for they had swore with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.
King Asa even removed his mother from her royal position, for she had made a detestable image for another god. Asa cut down the image, crushed it into pieces, and burned it. There were still high places devoted to other gods in Israel, but nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. He brought many gifts and gold from his own house to give to the house of God. And there was no more war until the latter years of Asa's reign.
It was the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Baasha, who rose up against Asa. He went up against Judah and built the fortified city of Ramah, upon the very highway to Jerusalem, that he may prevent anyone from going out of or coming to King Asa.
So this is what King Asa did in response: He took silver and gold treasures from the house of the LORD and out of his own house, and sent them to the King of Syria, asking for a covenant to be made between them. "Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with the King of Israel, that he may withdraw from me." The king of Syria listened to Asa and sent his army into the northern cities of Israel. When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. King Asa went to Ramah and plundered all the building supplies to build his own cities.
At that time, a seer visited Asa and said to him,
"Because you relied upon the king of Syria, and did not rely upon the LORD your God, the army
of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army? Yet
because you relied on the LORD, He gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run
to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless
toward Him. You have done foolishly, and from now on you will have wars."
Then Asa was very angry, and placed the seer in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage because of this. And Asa even inflicted cruelties upon some of his people at the same time.
He lived in this anger for 3 more years, and then he contracted a disease in his feet, and this disease became very severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. So he died 2 years later and was buried.
I italicized many phrases throughout this story, because when I read this story last week, God taught me a lot. Here's what He spoke to me about:
REST
God gives rest, but often we don't allow ourselves to partake in that rest. We continue to work and to strive at the things we think we ought to be doing, like working, making money, doing homework, etc. Those things are not of themselves bad, but they aren't activities of resting. We need to make time to rest, and in that time, build. It's in the times of rest that we need to be reawakened to the power of the Word and the presence of God around us, and let those things build us up, because our enemy stalks us like a roaring lion. He will come up against us. He is crafty, but if we allow resting to teach us more about our advocate and defender, then when the enemy comes against us, we can stand, firm in our faith, and resist him. He will flee from us.
WHO DO WE RELY UPON?
This is a huge theme in this story. In the beginning, an army comes against Asa. This army is HUGE; it makes Asa's army look like a group of ants fighting an invasion of anteaters. It looks bad. But Asa steps out in faith and draws up the battle lines. He doesn't cower in the corner in fear. He approaches the army and agrees to the terms of war. But notice that he doesn't return to his army to give them a pep talk. He returns and lifts up his voice to the LORD! He asks for His help. He asks for His victory. He affirms that reliance upon God is the only possible way that victory is possible. And He reminds God that this isn't just an army coming again the people of God, it is an army coming against God Himself. To fight the people of God was to fight Him. Asa recognized God's immense love and care for His people, that He would consider an affront against them an affront against Himself. And that realization spurred Asa to rely upon God for this victory. Later, this would change. We'll get there.
VICTORY
No matter what the circumstances look like, with God, it is ALWAYS victory. Because of the cross, our enemies are DISARMED. Are we walking that in victory? Even in times when the victory is not as apparent?
JOY
As I read the section on the covenant that Asa and all the people made it with God, I was blown away by how much joy they had. Even after the announcement that any who refused to forge the covenant and take the oath would be killed, they all rejoiced. With shouting and music. When was the last time you made an oath to the LORD and truly walked away (perhaps back down the aisle) with rejoicing? Many of times when we experience a time of promise with God, we may feel joyful for a moment, but then we think about the ramifications. We begin to have reservations and thoughts of "what if." Joy quietly fades to the background. As this hit me, this is the thought God gave me: Often, a lack of joy is a sign of a lack of full surrender, a lack of fully seeking the Lord. We can see this in chapter 16, how Asa's joy and rest became anger and strife after he relied upon His politics over his God.
POLITICS & PHYSICIANS
These things cannot save us. They often enslave us. They turn our hearts from seeking the Lord to seeking the world. They turn our joy and rest into anger and striving for temporal things. They leave us empty, confused, and bitter. They entice us into sinful ways, both in our thoughts and our actions. They puff us and those we seek up. They offer us self-reliance and keep us from being fully, utterly, and completely dependent on our God, which is the only thing that can save us. Come, Lord Jesus!
Backstory: The time period of this king was when the people of God had strayed far from Him. The kingdom was divided into two nations-Judah to the South (including Jerusalem & the Temple), and Israel to the North. Both nations had many idols and "high places," devoted to the worship of other gods. Many hearts were far from Him, even in His Temple where His presence dwelt.
During this time, a new king arose in Judah, King Asa. In his days, the land of Judah had rest from war and strife for ten years. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He tore down the foreign idols and the high places of idolatry in the land. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He purged the land of incense altars and places devoted to anything or anyone other than God. He built fortified cities across his nation, for the land had rest. He had no war in those days, for the LORD gave him peace.
He said to his people, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him, and He has given us peace on every side." So they built and they prospered. And Asa had a very large army, full of mighty men of valor.
Then an Ethiopian army came against them with an army of a million men, far more men than Asa's army had. King Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up the lines of battle. Then Asa cried to the Lord his God,
"O LORD, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD
our God, for we rely upon You and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD,
You are our God; let not man prevail against You."
So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and his army pursued them and they fell until none remained, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. The fear of the LORD was upon the army, and they plundered many cities and gained much spoil back to Jerusalem.
Then the Spirit of God visited a man named Azariah, who thus went out and met Asa, and said to him,
"Hear me, Asa, and all the people of Judah and Benjamin:
The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but
if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and
without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the LORD,
the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. In those times there was no peace
to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants
of the lands. They were broken in pieces. nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God
troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak,
for your work shall be rewarded."
As soon as King Asa heard this prophecy, he did take courage and once again put away every detestable idol from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from all the cities he had taken in the hill country of Ephriam (very close to the border of the North, probably considered by the Northern kingdom their own cities). And he made repairs to the altar of the LORD that was in the house of the LORD.
And he gathered all his people together, even the great numbers of people who had deserted to him from the North when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. They all gathered in Jerusalem and made sacrifices to The LORD on that day from all the spoil they had gathered from their victories in battle. And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul. But whoever would not enter into this covenant to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death. They swore an oath to the LORD with loud voices and with trumpets and with horns. And they all rejoiced over the oath, for they had swore with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.
King Asa even removed his mother from her royal position, for she had made a detestable image for another god. Asa cut down the image, crushed it into pieces, and burned it. There were still high places devoted to other gods in Israel, but nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. He brought many gifts and gold from his own house to give to the house of God. And there was no more war until the latter years of Asa's reign.
It was the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Baasha, who rose up against Asa. He went up against Judah and built the fortified city of Ramah, upon the very highway to Jerusalem, that he may prevent anyone from going out of or coming to King Asa.
So this is what King Asa did in response: He took silver and gold treasures from the house of the LORD and out of his own house, and sent them to the King of Syria, asking for a covenant to be made between them. "Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with the King of Israel, that he may withdraw from me." The king of Syria listened to Asa and sent his army into the northern cities of Israel. When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. King Asa went to Ramah and plundered all the building supplies to build his own cities.
At that time, a seer visited Asa and said to him,
"Because you relied upon the king of Syria, and did not rely upon the LORD your God, the army
of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army? Yet
because you relied on the LORD, He gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run
to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless
toward Him. You have done foolishly, and from now on you will have wars."
Then Asa was very angry, and placed the seer in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage because of this. And Asa even inflicted cruelties upon some of his people at the same time.
He lived in this anger for 3 more years, and then he contracted a disease in his feet, and this disease became very severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. So he died 2 years later and was buried.
I italicized many phrases throughout this story, because when I read this story last week, God taught me a lot. Here's what He spoke to me about:
REST
God gives rest, but often we don't allow ourselves to partake in that rest. We continue to work and to strive at the things we think we ought to be doing, like working, making money, doing homework, etc. Those things are not of themselves bad, but they aren't activities of resting. We need to make time to rest, and in that time, build. It's in the times of rest that we need to be reawakened to the power of the Word and the presence of God around us, and let those things build us up, because our enemy stalks us like a roaring lion. He will come up against us. He is crafty, but if we allow resting to teach us more about our advocate and defender, then when the enemy comes against us, we can stand, firm in our faith, and resist him. He will flee from us.
WHO DO WE RELY UPON?
This is a huge theme in this story. In the beginning, an army comes against Asa. This army is HUGE; it makes Asa's army look like a group of ants fighting an invasion of anteaters. It looks bad. But Asa steps out in faith and draws up the battle lines. He doesn't cower in the corner in fear. He approaches the army and agrees to the terms of war. But notice that he doesn't return to his army to give them a pep talk. He returns and lifts up his voice to the LORD! He asks for His help. He asks for His victory. He affirms that reliance upon God is the only possible way that victory is possible. And He reminds God that this isn't just an army coming again the people of God, it is an army coming against God Himself. To fight the people of God was to fight Him. Asa recognized God's immense love and care for His people, that He would consider an affront against them an affront against Himself. And that realization spurred Asa to rely upon God for this victory. Later, this would change. We'll get there.
VICTORY
No matter what the circumstances look like, with God, it is ALWAYS victory. Because of the cross, our enemies are DISARMED. Are we walking that in victory? Even in times when the victory is not as apparent?
JOY
As I read the section on the covenant that Asa and all the people made it with God, I was blown away by how much joy they had. Even after the announcement that any who refused to forge the covenant and take the oath would be killed, they all rejoiced. With shouting and music. When was the last time you made an oath to the LORD and truly walked away (perhaps back down the aisle) with rejoicing? Many of times when we experience a time of promise with God, we may feel joyful for a moment, but then we think about the ramifications. We begin to have reservations and thoughts of "what if." Joy quietly fades to the background. As this hit me, this is the thought God gave me: Often, a lack of joy is a sign of a lack of full surrender, a lack of fully seeking the Lord. We can see this in chapter 16, how Asa's joy and rest became anger and strife after he relied upon His politics over his God.
POLITICS & PHYSICIANS
These things cannot save us. They often enslave us. They turn our hearts from seeking the Lord to seeking the world. They turn our joy and rest into anger and striving for temporal things. They leave us empty, confused, and bitter. They entice us into sinful ways, both in our thoughts and our actions. They puff us and those we seek up. They offer us self-reliance and keep us from being fully, utterly, and completely dependent on our God, which is the only thing that can save us. Come, Lord Jesus!
Excellent. I'm glad the Lord is showing you these truths. Thank you for sharing.
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