The heart that lost its focus
“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war” (NLT) 2 Chronicles 16:9
When I read the story of Asa of Ancient Israel, I was reminded of what the inspired writer Paul bemoaned of the Christians at Galatia:
“How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (NLT) Galatians 3:3
King Asa of Ancient Israel started his reign on a bright note. He heeded God’s word through Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:1-3) and without hesitation made some very important religious reforms in Israel:
“When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple” (NLT) 2 Chronicles 15:8
Asa summoned all his people and they offered to the Lord a massive sacrifice of cattle, sheep, and goats, and they swore before the Lord their oath of vengeance (2 Chronicles 15:9-15). Asa even went ahead to depose “his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole” (NLT) 2 Chronicles 15:16-17. God was indeed pleased with Asa’s commitment and He blessed his reign with stability (2 Chronicles 15:19).
However, in the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, he let down his guard and built alliances with men. Instead of continually trusting God, he decided to rather trust men, who won his heart from God. As if that was not enough, when Hanani, the seer, warned him of the dire consequences of his action, he remained stiff-necked and even incarcerated the seer (2 Chronicles 16:10). The end of Asa was very tragic:
“In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians. So he died in the forty-first year of his reign” (NLT) 2 Chronicles 16:12-13
It is so easy to start the year on a promising note; it is so easy to start a venture, a goal, etc. with all the enthusiasm, but most people like Asa end on a terrible note. That is why scripture admonishes us in Proverbs 4:23 thus:
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT) Proverbs 4:23