2 Chronicles 16:1 – 14
War between Asa and Baasha (1 Kings 15:16-22)
“In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: “Let there be a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned his work. Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials he built up Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Message to Asa
At that time, Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison because he was so enraged over this matter. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.
The Death and Burial of Asa
Now the rest of the acts of Asa, from beginning to end, are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady became increasingly severe. Yet even in his illness he did not seek the LORD, but only the physicians.
So in the forty-first year of his reign, Asa died and rested with his fathers. And he was buried in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier that was full of spices and various blended perfumes; then they made a great fire in his honor.”
After God delivered Asa and Judah from an enormous Cushite army, there was peace in Judah. Initially, Asa and the Judeans made a covenant with the Lord, and all was well; however, men have short memories. Asa is now in his 36th year as king and is facing an attack from Baasha, king of the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Baasha seizes Ramah, a key city on the route in and out of Judah. But Baasha’s army is far smaller than the Cushite army God defeated so many years ago. Now the problem is Asa.
Rather trusting God to deliver Judah, Asa takes all the silver and gold from the temple and palace treasuries and sends it to Ben – hadad in Damascus, begging for his assistance. This move is foolish and shortsighted. Why doesn’t Asa remember what God has done in the past and beg God for deliverance? Remember Asa’s ringing words years earlier? “Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.” (2 Chronicles 14:11)
Asa’s failure to call on the Lord spells trouble for Judah. Evidently, Asa has become complacent or spiritually dull and has forgotten the magnificent oaths sworn at the end of the war with the Cushites. Asa panics and sends all this wealth to Damascus without any assurance of help from the King of Syria. There is nothing to prevent the King of Syria from fighting Baasha, defeating him, and then turning his attention to Judah and raiding Judah. Why should the King of Syria not see how much he can get out of this situation?
Asa’s failure to call on the God of Israel also dishonors God. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and all the nations surrounding Judah are fully aware of God’s previous defeat of the Cushite army. Now Asa, who has been a strong proponent of that God, is turning to earthly assistance. This decision suggests that Asa doesn’t believe God is strong enough to defeat Baasha, even though Baasha’s army is far smaller than that Cushite one. Surrounding nations might be thinking, “Huh! We thought that God was stronger than that!”
After Asa’s fateful mistake, God sends Hanani, the Seer, to rebuke him. “For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.” Does Asa take this rebuke to heart and repent? Absolutely not! Instead, Asa goes into a rage, throws Hanani in prison, and also “oppresses some of the people.” Evidently, Asa vents his anger by exercising his royal prerogatives in some fashion. Does Asa beat people or raise taxes? Given the fact that Asa has just sent everything from the treasuries to Damascus, it’s possible that Asa now extorts money from some of the wealthy citizens of the kingdom to rebuild the treasuries.
Sadly, Asa appears to remain estranged from the Lord for the rest of his life. Only 4 years after this disastrous episode, Asa “becomes diseased in his feet.” The nature of this malady is unclear. Perhaps Asa develops diabetes or a problem with the circulation in his legs. But instead of begging God for healing, Asa relies on human physicians, who can do very little. Asa dies only two years later.
APPLICATION: All of Judah honors King Asa at his death; however, Asa remains a tragic figure. Asa makes a very promising beginning, bringing revival to Judah, destroying shrines, Asherah poles, and pagan altars. But after this revival, Asa enjoys 25 years of peace. There is no indication that Asa grows spiritually during this 25 years. Based on Asa’s later actions, he settles in as king and allows the power to go to his head. Rather than continuing to worship the God of Israel himself, Asa leaves those activities for the priests. When a new crisis comes, Asa refuses to turn to the Lord but acts just like the ruler of any pagan country. And even when God gives Asa another opportunity to turn to Him for healing, Asa refuses, depending on human physicians instead.
Asa starts well but ends poorly. Any of us might make similar mistakes. There is a story about a little girl who came to visit her grandmother and who found that her grandmother was always reading her Bible. “Grandma,” asked the little girl, “why do you read the Bible so much?” “My dear,” replied the grandmother, “when I go to be with Jesus, I want to make sure that I know as much of His Word as possible and that I have obeyed it.” One day, each of us will stand before the Lord, at which time He will ask us “what did you do with My Word?”
One friend who has since gone to be with Jesus always prayed, “Lord, help me to love you more today than I did yesterday.” Each of us should be desiring to love God and to know Him more each day than we did the day before.
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