Observation: Early in the era of the divided kingdom, the northern kingdom begins to fortify against the southern kingdom, and Judah uses the wealth of the temple to create an alliance with Aram and cause the northern kingdom to cease the fortification effort. By allying with this foreign nation, King Asa is told he cannot now eventually defeat Aram, but instead will have war throughout his kingship.
Hanani points out that Asa actually had an implicit choice in how to deal with Israel ... he could use the wealth given to David and Solomon by the Lord and now stored in the Lord's temple treasury, and buy assistance; or he could pray to the Lord the deliverance and wisdom, and then listen to and trust in the Lord's guidance.
Asa chose the former, with long-term ramifications for his entire life. He could have had a kingship marked by peace and prosperity, using God's blessings to provide for his kingdom, and growing closer to the Lord by having trusted in him. Instead, going forward he would be plagued by war, which would consume his attention and resources, and as such would further withdraw personally from his relationship with the Lord to the point of dying by disease without ever turning to the Lord for relief.
Application: God's blessings are to be used to further improve our relationship with the Lord. They show his love, but then we can learn more about him by entrusting him even more and more, knowing that the things in our life are not really "ours" but rather are a trust to guide us to new ways of think, new purpose, new places where the Lord wants us.
My wife and I have been having discussions about our future living conditions. While we absolutely cannot move on from our current house and place in life yet - we have parents and children who both require us to remain here for the present - we do think we will someday move on to new places. I think we are both amazed that we have the resources to make such a transition fairly easy someday. And that very fact should cause me to think ... knowing that God has provided all that we have, our future direction must be determined by him and his direction in our lives, and not by our independent thoughts.
We could come up with a dozen wonderful places to live, and then use our resources to do it. Without the Lord's wisdom in such a decision, that could lead to struggles. Or we could seek the Lord in our decisions, and end up with a peaceful and purposeful life. It seems clear what we should do.
Prayer: Lord, you know that we are several years away from any real decisions about our future. However, that future is meaningless without you, and our decisions will only be made based on your guidance and wisdom and direction. May we be shown both your purpose and your timing for our next adventures. Amen.
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