A BLUNDER AT THE END -- Monday:
"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. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign." (2 Chronicles 16:12-13, KJV )
King Asa started out unusually well. He reigned in Jerusalem for forty-one years, over Judah. It is said of his reign, "Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David" (1 Kgs 15:9-11). He was aggressive in dealing with gross immorality, banishing the "sodomites" from the land. He "removed the idols his fathers made," and removed his own mother from being queen, "because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron" (15:2-12). Even though the "high places" (associated with idolatry) themselves were not removed, "Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days" (15:14). He was noted for his might, and for the cities that he built (15:23).
Notwithstanding all of his accomplishments, and his sensitive heart toward the Lord, Asa blundered in the latter part of his life. Good beginnings do not guarantee good endings! The Galatians, you may recall, began in the Spirit, then sought perfection in the flesh (Gal 3:3).
In the 39th year of his forty-one year reign, Asa "was diseased in his feet." The disease proved to be a very serious one, or was "exceeding great," or "became severe" (NRSV). What would Asa do under these circumstances? Three years earlier, Asa had confronted Baasha, king of Israel. When Baasha came against Judah, Asa did a very foolish thing. He took silver and gold from the house of the Lord, and sent it to Benhadad, king of Syria, seeking an alliance with him against Baasha. The tactic seemed to work, as Baasha ceased his aggression against Judah. However, God sent a prophet to Asa upbraiding him for his foolishness–"Hanani the seer." After reminding Asa of previous victories he had enjoyed because he trusted in the Lord, instead of man, Hanani said, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars" (2 Chron 16:9). The wise words rubbed Asa the wrong way. What tragic words are said of that occasion. "Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time" (2 Chron 16:10). King Asa had sought to men for help in the time of crisis, and was soundly rebuked.
Now another crisis comes to Asa. It is not a political emergency, but a personal one–a disease in his feet. On the surface, that certainly does not appear to be critical–but it was, for it became "exceeding great" – i.e., life threatening. Asa had experienced the blessing and deliverance of the Lord. When he had acted foolishly, God sent a prophet to sensitize his heart. There was every reason to expect Asa to do the right thing in this crisis – but he did not. Instead of going to the Lord like Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:1-6), he "did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians" (NIV). The physicians would prove as useless to king Asa as they did to the woman with an issue of blood. It was said of that poor woman, she "suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse" (Mk 5:26).
Because of his foolish judgment, Asa died of a disease that could have been averted by seeking the Lord first. But he placed too high of a value on physicians, and too little upon the Lord–even though he knew His blessing.
This is certainly not to be construed as an indictment of physicians, particularly since Luke was a "beloved Physician" (Col 4:14). It is, however, a stern rebuke of any tendency in us to make them our first recourse. The command to "seek FIRST the kingdom of God" applies in this case also. While God uses a variety of means, including physicians, to deal with our infirmities, He is to be sought "first." In His mercy and love, He will give us wisdom, and direct our paths–even in our illnesses. James 5:14-15 confirms this to be the truth. It is never wrong to go to God first, and it is always wrong not to seek Him first, or worse yet, not to seek Him at all.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace and understanding to always seek You first, and to never allow a a difficult circumstance to change my priorities, so as to give more honor to men than to You.