King Asa of Judah, just third King after Solomon and Second after Rehoboam split Israel. Judah and Benjamin made up the southern kingdom.

The people quickly, in both group, began worshipping false gods. Good King Asa served for 41 years after Abijah served just three. His son Jehoshaphat served 25 years and was also a good King.

Asa’s years he was mostly faithful to the Lord. He got rid of false worship and the altars to idols. He had the priests performing their duties. He sought the Lord when under attack, and build fortified cities. Over and again, they cried out to the Lord – he brought them victory.

They battled with Cush, Libya, and Israel. Of course many other countries – when they turned to the Lord and cried out, they found him strong in their behalf.

In 2 Chronicles 15:2 they prophet Azariah told Asa “the Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.”

I’m reminded of Abraham Lincoln being asked if he thought God was FOR the Union or the Confederacy, and Lincoln said, “I’m not as much concerned as if God is with us as if WE are WITH GOD.”

Read down through 2 Chronicles 14, 15, and 16, but in 15:7 the prophet tells the king, “but as for you, be strong; don’t give up, for your work has a reward.”

And let me stop and say that the greatest reward is always being WITH God.

Asa removed the idol, he renovated the Altar to God at the Temple, and many people from surrounding tribes defected and lived in Judah because, v9, they saw the Lord was with him.

v14 they took an oath and promised to seek their help only in the Lord

v17 says Asa was wholeheartedly devoted his entire life. They experienced 10 years of peace. Then Israel came against Judah. They began to build a road block in Ramah to block people entering or leaving Judah.

Now 15:18 says that Asa had brought silver and gold, that was consecrated to the Lord by himself and his father, into the Temple and dedicated it to the Lord. That’s important to see.

So, when the conflict with Israel began, rather than cry out to God, 16:2 says he took the silver and gold from the Lord’s Temple and sent it to the King of Aram looking for help.

Aram had a treaty with Israel. Asa paid them to break their treaty with Israel and sign a treaty with Judah. Well, it seemed to work and Israel stopped building the roadblock and Judah’s people carried away the stones and timbers.

Success… Right?

The Seer Hanani came to Asa in 16:7 and said, “because you depended on the King of Aram and have not depended on the Lord, the army of the King of Aram has escaped you”
He reminds him that the Cushites and Libyans had vast armies yet they were defeated, “when you depended on the Lord.”

Then comes a verse I have often quoted as a life verse, the first half, but the second half is a warning, a cautionary proclamation.

Remember 15:17 said Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his WHOLE life

Well… sometimes our definition is different than God’s. “Oh yes I worship the Lord, I go to church, I pray. Asa gave his heart to God, he executed worship, he eliminated false worship, he led others to do the same… But “well this is politics Lord, this is nation building, this isn’t religious stuff”. Well, when you are King, everything is a display of worship, and that’s not just about kings.

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with treaties, unless God says, “no”, unless it is a substitute for trusting him.

16:9 the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him…

Then the warning for us, the reality for him… “…You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.”

Oh my when we try to make peace our own way and not God’s way. When we depend on ourselves and not God – the battle always rages. Sadly Asa became angry, had the preacher thrown in prison, mistreated many others, then got a disease in his feet and even then he wouldn’t go to the Lord only sought help in the doctors. Nothing wrong with doctors, and I believe in them, but we need to go to the Lord, humble ourselves and seek him.

The Battle is always the Lord’s. If we don’t go to him, and follow him, we will always be at war, even in peace. But if we go to and follow the Lord we can be at peace even in the midst of war.

Yes God has proven himself, remember and give him your whole heart, whole life, whole faith.