2 Chronicles 16:12 - Trusting In Human Strength Alone; Leaving God Out Of The Picture.
2 Chronicles 16:12 - Trusting In Human Strength Alone; Leaving
God Out Of The Picture.
2 Chronicles 16:12 (NKJV) And in the thirty-ninth year of his
reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet
in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
2 Chronicles 16:12 (NLT) In the thirty-ninth year of his reign,
Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of
his disease, he did not seek the Lord's help but turned only to his
physicians.
CONTEXT: Asa's Last Years: 2Ch. 16:1-14.
Asa led the nation in two reforms as he removed the altars to
the foreign gods and commanded the people to return to the Lord. God
honored his efforts by giving the nation ten years of peace, during
which the king fortified the cities. His victory over the Ethiopians
and the message from the prophet Azariah motivated the king to
gather all the people together to reaffirm their covenant with Him
(15:12). Asa even deposed the Queen Mother and destroyed her idols! How
sad it is that in his latter years, Asa stopped trusting the Lord
and robbed God's temple to buy protection from a heathen king. When
rebuked by the prophet Hanani, the king didn't repent; then, when
afflicted with an illness, he didn't turn to the Lord. Good beginnings are
no guarantee of good endings. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines re
2Ch.14-16]
Asa is another sad example of a man who made a splendid
beginning but had a tragic ending. Early in his reign, he relied on the
Lord, and God gave him a great victory. Then he believed the prophet's
message and removed the idols from the land and called the people to
reaffirm their allegiance to the Lord. He even deposed the queen mother
for her idolatry!
But when he had been king thirty-six years, he stopped relying
on the Lord. He took the Lord's treasures and bought protection
from a heathen king! The prophet Hanani told the king what was wrong:
his heart was not loyal to the Lord (16:9). Instead of humbling
himself and obeying, as he had done before, in anger Asa resisted the
Word and God's servant (James 1:19). When we are wrong, we should
admit it instead of trying to resist God. God is much stronger than
our stubbornness.
God is with us--seek Him (15:2). God answers prayer--trust Him
(15:4). God rewards faithfulness--obey Him (15:7). You never outgrow the
ability to sin. Noah was a mature man when he got drunk (Gen. 9:20-23),
and so was Abraham when he lied about his wife (Gen. 12:10ff.).
Moses was a seasoned leader when he lost his temper (Num. 20), and so
was David when he committed adultery and murder. Asa's corpse lay on
a bed of fragrant spices, but his name was not as fragrant as it
had been. Ponder Proverbs 10:7, Ecclesiastes 7:1 and I Corinthians
10:12. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re
2Ch.14-16]
Even a vital, spiritual revival is no guarantee of continuing
godliness. We must be careful to keep our hearts fixed on God. Some 17
years after Asa stimulated revival in Judah, the king himself failed
to seek or to rely on the Lord. Rather than trust God for victory
when threatened by Israel, Asa paid the Arameans (Syrians) to attack
them, not knowing that the Syrians would become an even greater threat
in the future. When rebuked by a prophet, Asa imprisoned him. He
began to oppress others, and even when he contracted a severe disease
Asa failed to turn to the Lord. What a warning for us. Just because
we relied on the Lord in the past is no guarantee of the future.
The only way to ensure continued blessings is to actively seek and
trust God each new day. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary re 2Ch.
16:1-14]
Asa provides a sad example of the human propensity to rely on
their own tangible resources (see Prov 11:7; Isa 31:1; Jer 17:5-6) and
to become angry when corrected. Even those who experience the power
of the Lord in a very tangible fashion often have this leaning
(16:8). It is much better to rely on the Lord and welcome his direction
(cp. Ps 33:18; 37:7; Isa 50:10; Jer 17:7-8; Acts 13:43). Life is a
long lesson in trusting God; we might begin by doing what is good and
right (14:1), but our legacy is not settled until the last deed is
done (see also Rom 2:6-11; 1 Cor 4:1-5). Faithfulness to the kingdom
of God must not be compromised by personal ambitions. [NLT SB 2008]
Not only in war and national policies did Asa place an undue
dependence upon the aid of man, but in sickness as well. How weak the faith
of him who had once been so strong! One victory is never a certain
guarantee of another. Strength today is no assurance of strength tomorrow.
On the occasion of his great victory over Zerah, Asa was strong in
faith and mighty in deed. But it is such men of strength who become
the main targets of the enemy. Instead of growing in strength and
courage, Asa declined, till he spent the last few years of his life sick,
disappointed, and embittered, with little faith in God and receiving little
help from man. [SDA Bible Commentary]
COMMENTARY APPLICATION with emphasis on verse 12:
Does 2 Chronicles 16:12 indicate that I should not go to doctors
when I am sick? The criticism of Asa's visit to the physicians was
not a general indictment of medicine. Asa's problem was that he
completely ignored God's help. The medicine practiced at this time was a
mixture of superstition and folk remedies. We should certainly avoid any
pseudo-medical treatment derived from occult sources. Asa's experience should
also encourage us to follow the New Testament practice of receiving
prayer for our sickness (James 5:14) as we seek responsible medical
help. [The One Year Bible Companion re 2Ch. 16:12]
This criticism of Asa does not mean we should not go to a doctor
when ill. Asa was not wrong to seek help from physicians. He was
wrong to seek help "only" from physicians. We Christians rely on God,
who often chooses to work through medicines and the medical
profession. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
The problem was not that Asa used doctors, but that he failed to
turn to God during his sickness. [Nelson SB]
Stand in the middle of the floor, reach down, grasp your
shoelaces (straps, buckles, or whatever else is holding your shoes on),
and see how far off the floor you can lift yourself. Try it three
times.
Things were looking bad for King Asa. Baasha, king of Israel,
had sealed off all escape routes, and the situation looked hopeless.
So Asa grabbed hold of his own bootstraps and gave them a good
yank. He turned to Ben-hadad, king of Syria, and bribed him to come to
his rescue. From all outward appearances, the strategy worked!
But God saw the situation differently. Previously, Asa had
trusted in the Lord, not in foreign powers. Now he was turning from
trust in God to trust in bootstraps, and God disciplined him for doing
so.
What is the pattern of your life: belief or bootstraps? Faith
or footwork? Trust or trickery? God or self? Each time you put on
or change your shoes today remind yourself that it's always safe to
trust the Lord. [Your Daily Walk SB re 2Ch. 13-16]
Although we stand tallest and strongest on our knees, Asa chose
to remain weak and low to the ground by refusing to humble himself
before the Lord in prayer. And so he stayed there. [Life Principles SB
By Charles Stanley]
IMPORTANT CROSS REFERENCE FOR THIS TEXT:
Isaiah 38 In contrast, King Hezekiah asked the Lord to heal him.
James 5:14 (NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the
elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with
oil in the name of the Lord.
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php
A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com
