While Asa sought the Lord earlier in his reign, he soon loses faith as fear of Baasha the king of Israel leads Asa to seek an alliance with Syria.
1 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.
2 Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3 “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”
While this provides initial protection for Asa and Judah, it is certainly not pleasing to the Lord as a seer in Judah soon rebukes Asa:
“Because you 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. 8 Were not the Cushites[b] and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen[c]? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”
The message I hear is that:
- I must live in fear of God as and understand that God can see all; I cannot sin and believe that it will be overlooked by God; at the very least I must repent and seek forgiveness
- On the same note, I must live with the end in mind and focus on serving Him with all of my heart and soul; in the end if I am not judgement day will bear this out
- God's protection is there for those "whose hearts are fully committed to [H]im"
