What If?

1 Kings 15, 2 Chron 13-16

Asa is made king over Judah. He drives out the wickedness in his land and turns to the Lord (unlike his father did) He even had a wicked mother, in fact, he removes her from being queen because she built an idol. Asa seeks the Lord's help to deliver them from their enemies. The prophet Azariah tells Asa that God will indeed be with them because they have turned to Him. After hearing this, Asa makes a covenant with his nation to God...

15:12-13 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; that whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

What if there was a convenant made like that in our nation? Yikes! "All their heart...all their soul"...Would I be one of those put to death? So much for half-hearted Christianity. These verses, though, give me hope for America. Judah was wicked! Sodomites were rapant; idolatry was overwhelming; the rulers were vile, but God used Asa as a king to bring revival to this nation. This same nation was later declaring..

15:15 And all Judah rejoiced a tthe oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with thier whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

What a strong stand! Asa's life sadly, doesn't end on the best note. Later Baasha, king of Israel comes up against Asa. Asa calls on the king of Syria to help him. Asa is later repuked by a seer, Hanani, saying..

16:7-9 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the kind of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therfore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

In other words, "You depended on God before when the battle was tougher, and now you don't. So continue on with wars without God's help."

I wish Asa would have repented and changed his way after the rebuke but instead...

16:10 "Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time....And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians."

Abba, what in my life am I relying on others, instead of relying on You? Lord, I want to show Yourself strong on my behalf. Do a work in my life in our specific situation. I must admit, LORD, sometimes this is hard. We seek....well truthfully we just casually ask...You to help us, but then we go to others that we feel You've put in our path to help us. But LORD perhaps the problem is the truly SEEKING part. Help me to do a lot better at that. I love You, Abba.