2Ch 16:9 NIV For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” This verse is taken from the story of Asa, the king of Judah. During his reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah. Baasha was fortifying Ramah in order to keep anyone from entering or leaving Asa’s territory in Judah. Baasha was creating a blockade and strangling king Asa. Then, in order to put pressure on Baasha, Asa took gold and sliver out of the temple and sent it to a foreign king Ben-Hadad, king of Aram ruling in Damascas. God had told his people not to align with those who were not of the chosen people (Isaiah 31:1-3, Psalm 146:3-6) and also not to trust in man over God (Jer 17:5-6). Instead, God tells us to rely on Him as our savior through difficult times. He is strongest and has proven himself worthy of our trust because of the work he has done in our lives and in the lives of our people ( 2Ch_13:18, 2Ch_32:7, 2Ch_32:8; 2Ki_18:5; 1Ch_5:20, Psa_9:9-10, Psa_37:39-40). However, Asa struck an agreement with Ben Hadad and broke the blockade of his territory and sent Baasha retreating. His decisive action saved the day, but that wasn’t the end of the story. In verse 9, we hear from a “seer” who explains to Asa that he made a serious error. Instead of trusting the Lord to strengthen him, he sought alliances with men. Consequently, he will know nothing but war for the rest of his days. The trouble is how much? The above verses suggest that we are to take refuge in God. But when is taking refuge in God merely an excuse for doing nothing and hoping that the worst just passes by. Asa, in our reference verse, was actively trying to deal with his situation. In fact, the only other source of trust on this earth that he could run to (his own people) were attacking him. What else was left to him but to ally with a gentile nation and king. The question that haunts me is “Who makes the first move?” When do I act and when do I wait for God to act? When I first prayed about this passage, I thought it seemed best just to do nothing but pray that God would intervene. That seems to be the safest approach since if we do anything at all, we have a chance of doing something wrong and angering God. If we do nothing, and just wait on God, then we are safest. But that didn’t seem right. On closer examination of God’s word to Asa through the seer, we see that waiting isn’t the answer. The verse suggest that God’s eyes are ranging throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. I noticed three things about this passage:
- God is initiating
- God will strengthen us
- His strength is given to those whose hearts are fully committed to him
Let’s look at the first point first. God is initiating. Is this a characteristic of God? Is He the initiator in His relationship with men? As I pray about that, Genesis comes to mind. In Genesis, God’s word creates the universe. His breath brings life to Adam (Gen 2:7). He sees that it isn’t right for Adam to be alone (Gen 2:18) and since there was none in all God’s creation suited to be Adam’s helper, God created a new life – woman (Gen 2:20-22).
God selected Israel as his people (Deu 10:15) to love them and bless them and the whole world through them. God initiated the relationship with Abram to draw him from his family to be a new people under God. (Gen 12:1) God chose Joseph who would draw His people to Egypt so they would survive a terrible famine (Gen 45:5-8). Joseph didn’t volunteer for this role. In fact, he was betrayed by his own brothers and taken as a slave, imprisoned, lifted up and served as a leader in Egypt; all according to God’s plan.
God chose Moses and performed many miracles that freed His people from the tyranny of Egypt and into their own land (Deu 4:37). Moses was selected and given the responsibility to lead the Jews out of Egypt despite his own reservations and unwillingness.
Finally, Jesus’ own words reveal that God is again the initiator when He tells the disciples that He chose them; He was the initiator (John 15:16). It was the custom during Jesus time that Rabbis would choose their disciples if they had proven themselves worthy. Jesus turned this custom completely around and chose his disciples instead. (Mar 1:16-20)
Paul understood this well when he told the Thessalonians how God chose those who would be his from the beginning (2Th 2:13). So, we see that God is the initiator.
Next, let’s look at the concept of predestination. This concept has been a struggle for me over the years and what I write now reflects what I have learned and am still struggling with. The key issue for me was whether we have free will or whether all our days are numbered
Therefore, it is clear that God makes the first move. But what is supposed to happen next? Our verse from 2 Chronicles suggest that God’s purpose is to give strength. The first question that comes to mind is that if we were to do nothing but wait, why would God give us strength? It is true that sometimes it requires great strength to wait when our very fiber tells us to do something … anything. But I don’t think that’s the end of it. The verse that brings clarity to this point of strength for me is in Isaiah 40:31 AMP “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” Those who hope in Him will have strength and their power renewed. They will rise up as eagles; run and not grow weary; walk and not faint. There is absolutely action here, isn’t there. There is running, walking and even rising up. But the strength to do all this is renewed by God, Himself. But it depends on something very important. Those who “wait” or hope in the Lord.
This leads us to the last point. That God is looking to strengthen those whose heart is fully committed to Him; those who hope in Him. Now, I have to understand what it means to hope in the Lord, or to have my heart fully committed to Him. Asa didn’t learn. He contracted a foot infection (2 Ch 16:12). The scripture explains that he eventually succumbed to this disease because he only sought the help from physicians. Even to his dying breath, he did not first seek help from the Lord but from men. Exo 15:2 (NASB) “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.