April 3, 2022 - 2 Chronicles 16-18

The tensions between Judah and Israel continued with Basha of Israel besieging king Asa of Judah so that he was shut up and unable to go in and out. What did Asa do? Well, he did not call on the Lord. Rather, he “took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria” (16:2) to seek a treaty with him. Let’s just let the Scriptures speak, this morning: “At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, ‘Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars’” (16:7-9).

Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, reigned in his place, and it is written of him that he “sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand” (17:4-5). Yet Jehoshaphat did get in cahoots with Ahab in a war with Syria, and this against the word of the Lord through the prophet Micaiah. A good lesson, here: We must rely upon the Lord, always, but certainly in times of great danger. He is faithful, and he will not lead us astray but will do good for us.

They who seek the throne of grace

Find that throne in every place;

If we live a life of prayer,

God is present everywhere.

In our sickness and our health,

In our want, or in our wealth,

If we look to God in prayer,

God is present everywhere. --Oliver Holden (1808)