LEST HE FALL. 2nd Chronicles 16 Baasha was in conflict with Asa from the start of his reign because some Israelites in the northern kingdom defected to Judah and Benjamin. He eventually chose to stop this by fortifying Ramah, a city just five miles north of Jerusalem. It was wrong for Baasha, the ruler of the northern tribes, to build a barrier between the north and south, preventing people from traveling back and forth. Similarly, it was wrong for Asa to hire the Syrians to go to war on behalf of the southern tribes. Even though there were differences, they were still kinfolk. God had delivered His people from their enemies many times before, and He could have done what was needed then. Perhaps Asa didn't want to be responsible for leading a war against those with a common heritage. Asa began his reign by doing what was right. He continued much of his reign with a heart for God and doing what pleased Him. But whatever happened, he eventually turned into a cynical, bitter, sick old man by the time he died. Asa took what he had given to the Lord to pay a pagan king for help and to fulfill what he was responsible for with God’s guidance and power. He paid a pagan king to protect him and sacrificed God’s blessing on himself. The Lord had delivered him and his people from a million-man army early in his reign, but now, as an older man, he had lost his faith, loyalty, and commitment to God by trusting in an idolatrous king. He got what he wanted by preventing Baasha from fortifying Ramah, but he did not escape the watchful eyes of the Lord. For the prophet Hanani to confront the king and rebuke him for "trusting in man" instead of God took a lot of courage and resulted in his being imprisoned. However, he was responsible for warning him about the consequences of his foolish actions, including the fact that there would no longer be peace in the nation, but war. Even the Syrians he paid to fight Israel would turn against him. Asa is the first king we read about in the Bible who imprisoned a prophet. He spent the rest of his life in physical pain despite all the “physicians” could do. Even in his suffering, he refused to turn to the Lord for help. A strong beginning in the Christian life doesn't guarantee a good ending. Faith in God has its own power because it doesn't rely on oneself or others to achieve the desired result. It's not wrong to utilize human skill and strength when serving the Lord, but we must never forget that it's God who brings about a successful outcome, even long after we're gone. "It is God that worketh in you..." Truth mixed with error resists the clear testimony of unvarnished truth. When truth is acted upon, it has a liberating power from God because it is not stained with man's sin. The evidence of truth in practice is not a complicated set of rules or protocols devised by humans, but a simple and understandable practice of righteousness that makes sense and is logical. When an error appears, it is right to oppose it and work to correct it. We should not allow the "leaven" of error to spread throughout the entire Christian testimony. However, reacting to a mistake in the wrong way or for the wrong reasons often leads to costly consequences. Using what belongs to God for the wrong reasons undermines the faith we claim to uphold. Relying on the world system to manage God's people dismisses the divine authority to which we are supposed to submit. Similarly, not everything labeled as "Christian" is genuinely Christian. "Christian music" does not always uplift, and "Christian conduct" is not always a reflection of biblical truth and practice. "Christian churches" may just be denominational organizations. The "Christian religion" might merely serve as a contrast to atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or other forms of religious belief. True Christianity is characterized by love for our Lord Jesus Christ, knowledge of God, faith in God, acceptance of the Bible as God's word, living out one's faith daily, and a personal commitment to our Lord as Savior. When Asa, in anger, imprisoned Hanani the prophet, it did not alter the prophecy in any way. The spite, anger, and bitterness of Asa revealed a deteriorating character that worsened as he aged. We can lose our testimony, reputation, and credibility very quickly. It would be very sad to lose our effectiveness as representatives of our Lord in old age and pass away that way. Corrective teaching should be delivered with compassion, grace, and love to those who receive it. When a message from God is delivered and received correctly, it produces the right results. Human solutions alone to the challenges that arise in personal and church life—life in general, for that matter—reveal the condition of one's heart and soul. If our passion for God wanes and our faith in daily practice is neglected, we recognize that we are far from the Lord. A Christian who is distant from God and refuses to confess and forsake sin is at risk of being left alone without God's help during difficult times. If we think we can handle everything ourselves or only get the help we need from people without divine assistance and power, we are mistaken. We always need God. It is not a sin to do our best to solve problems, but it is wrong to trust in ourselves and others more than God. To think our ways are better than God’s ways, or not to consider the Lord’s will in making decisions and taking actions on a matter, is sin. It is not wrong to consult doctors and take medication. It is wrong not to recognize the Lord as the Great Physician, who gives wisdom and understanding to deal with health problems. “The prayer of faith” is a genuine practice that yields the desired results. Trusting men more than God is a sin. It is not necessarily wrong to seek help from wise counselors when problems come up because in "the multitude of counselors there is safety." Also, in "the multitude of counselors," purposes are established. However, our need for God will ultimately lead either to defeat or to a result so inferior to the divine plan that it will not bring lasting good. The outcome of a situation might seem successful when we handle things ourselves. However, the final results can be much more serious than we expect or imagine. Just because a task we're working on might succeed doesn't mean it's the right choice. A missed opportunity can never be regained. In the scriptures, we're often reminded of those who despised and rejected God's messengers, and nothing bad happened to them at the time. Herod beheaded John the Baptist and seemed to get away with it. But when he finally met Jesus, whom he had longed to see and who performed a miracle before his eyes, Jesus did not say a word to him. "No John? No Jesus!" What a lesson it is for us to "take heed" of what happens to us and others, “lest we fall." A potential fall is waiting when we least expect it. When we think we can do God's work our way or any way at all, we are in danger of falling. When pride lifts its head, a fall is bound to happen. When something arises in our life that is beyond our ability to handle, and we seek help only from men while ignoring God, a fall will occur. Others could not help Asa when his feet became diseased. Still, he did not seek the Lord and had to endure pain until he died a sick old man, away from God. Men honored him at his burial with a great fire that must have been impressive, but it didn't change the fact that in his old age, he fell from favor with God. Good start… bad end. His trust in God to deliver him had served him well in the past. When he recognized his need and prayed, God heard his earnest cry. But something had shifted; it seems he now believes he did it on his own. So, God was left out or forgotten, and God left him all alone.
When we look back on times when we longed to be saved, the Holy Spirit, in convicting power, reminded us that Christ gave His life as a ransom for us, and our hearts were deeply moved. We trusted Him unreservedly, filling us with love and gratitude. It seems that now, as years have passed, some have forgotten how much it cost the God of heaven to redeem us and the horror of being lost. So instead of remembering Him and showing His death, pleasure has become more important. The first place God had at the beginning is now sent down to the baggage compartment.
There was a time when every decision was made only after seeking God’s will, and it was a top priority to keep God's treasury full. However, as time passed, we gained more experience, becoming more capable. We started to think we could handle things on our own and keep God’s portion for ourselves. In the beginning, it was our joy to seek to win souls for Christ. We were thrilled when a soul was saved, rejoicing with the angels in heaven. However, we are now busy trying to set aside enough funds to support ourselves in old age. Our joy now comes from a rising stock market rather than from a soul God saved.
There were moments in the past when it didn't matter whether many or few attended the assembly meetings. We knew the Lord was present, and that was what truly mattered. The praise of just a few voices, expressed with thanksgiving, reflected our sincere words. It may still be true that we believe something is wrong if we don’t draw a large crowd and settle into a comfortable pew to listen to loud music. By God’s grace, I want to stay as fresh in my old age as I was in my youth. With His help, may I always have a prayer of gratitude and a song of the spirit to sing. May I not mess up this journey of life as I near the end. May the joy of my youth keep my mind lively; may I never forsake the Lord when I grow old.
I have learned that it is possible to be successful in youth and fail in old age. May the Lord God keep me from becoming a stagnant pool with no fresh water flowing through it. Keep me from the temptation of wealth and fame. Keep me filled with the freshness and joy of youth and the wisdom and compassion of old age.