George Muller said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” I’ve entitled our message for this morning, “Searching for the Faithful,” and it’s based on a verse often used in Scripture memory, which is 2 Chronicles 16:9. This verse says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” The Lord is searching for the faithful. God is seeking those who realize that faith begins where man’s power ends; those who realize that God is bigger than man’s limited wisdom, and those who walk in obedience.
This message addresses the correspondence between faith and obedience. Alexander Maclaren says, “Unbelief is the mother of . . . disobedience. Faith is voluntary submission [to God] . . . If faith is not exercised . . . it lies in the . . . pride of independence, which says, ‘Who is Lord over us? Why should we have to depend on Jesus Christ?’ As faith is obedience and submission, so faith breeds obedience, but unbelief leads on to higher-handed rebellion . . . The less one trusts, the more he disobeys; the more he disobeys, the less he trusts.”(1)
This morning we’ll come to see that if we’re walking in disobedience to God, it’s because we have a faith problem and we trust in ourselves; or rather, we trust in man’s help, over the Lord’s help. We’ll come to see how God really wants to show that He is strong on our behalf; that He really wants to work through us; but that He will only work through those who are obedient and faithful.
Relying on People Leads to Defeat (v. 7)
7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.”
In order to understand what’s happening here, we need to back up and take a look at verses 1-6. First of all, I need to mention that during this time period Israel was divided into a Northern and Southern Kingdom; Israel was in the north, Judah was in the south. When we look back a few verses, we discover that King Baasha from Israel (in the north) constructed the city of Ramah in order to stand guard against both travel and trade from going in or coming out of Judah (in the south). Baasha wanted to cut Judah off from the outside world and strangle its economy.
King Asa of Judah responded by seeking help from King Ben-Hadad of Syria. King “Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house” (v. 2), in order to compensate Ben-Hadad for his support; and Ben-Hadad took him up on his offer and attacked Israel’s cities (in the north) until King Baasha surrendered Ramah. Judah then dismantled Ramah and used the building materials to construct two of its own cities – Geba and Mizpah.
Now, Asa did make a personal sacrifice and offer some of his own treasure; however, he also took from the Lord’s treasure in the temple. Hanani the seer was chastising Asa for turning to a human being for help instead of seeking assistance from the Lord’s mighty hand; and Asa offering the Lord’s treasure in order to pay for this human support was like the “icing on the cake,” so to speak. Asa demonstrated his lack of faith in God’s protection by offering something of God to this pagan nation.
Some of us would look at Asa’s response and think, “Well what’s wrong with what he did? He sought help from someone else. Aren’t we more successful when we network with other people and work together in problem solving?” Pastor Pat Butcher, who’s an acquaintance of mine, once told me he firmly believes that often we’re only one relationship away from the Lord opening a door of opportunity for us; and I agree with him. Often we must build relationships and rely on people for help.
Seeking help from others is not entirely bad, and in fact God works through relationships. The church is a prime example. Henry Blackaby says that one of the vehicles through which God speaks to His people is through the body of Christ, or the church, which is the collective collaboration of God’s children. In Romans 12:5 we read, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” We are members of one another, meaning that we’re interlinked and that we must lean on one another for support and guidance in the Christian walk.
As I’ve already stated, seeking help from others is not necessarily bad; however, it becomes wrong when we lean more on human advice and assistance than on what the Lord speaks to us in His holy Word; and for Asa the “word” of the Lord came from the prophet, or the seer, Hanani. Proverbs 16:25 states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” We must be careful not to rely too much on human advice, especially from unbelievers. Let’s be sure not to idolize the help of man above the sovereign assistance of God.
You really have to wonder what King Asa was thinking. Back in 2 Chronicles 15:2, by the Spirit of God, the prophet Azariah told Asa this: “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” And we just saw that Asa failed to seek the Lord!
We read here, in verse 7, that Hanani told Asa, “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.” When Hanani said, “The army of Syria has escaped from your hand,” what did he mean? Perhaps what he meant was that if Asa had trusted in the Lord for help, God not only would have defended him against King Baasha of Israel, but He would have delivered Syria into his hand as well.
Because of Asa’s actions, Syria would not be taken; and not only that, but Judah would suffer from Syria many years down the road. Let me give you an example of something that happened later on in King Joash’s reign. We’re told in 2 Chronicles 24:23, “So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him [Joash]; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.”
In his own lifetime Asa couldn’t see exactly how Syria would escape him; but the successive generations would. You see, not relying on the Lord is simply walking in disobedience. Asa’s act of disobedience set a precedence of disobedience among the successive generations that would ultimately lead to defeat and bondage (Exodus 20:5). We need to be very careful, for our response to God can set in motion a terrible chain of events for generations to come.
Relying on God Leads to Victory (vv. 8-9a)
8 “Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
What was Hanani referring to when he mentioned the Ethiopians and Lubim? Well, back in 2 Chronicles 14:8-12, we learn that “Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; [and that] all these were mighty men of valor” (v. 8). Asa had at his disposal around five hundred and eighty thousand soldiers, and he went into battle against the Ethiopian army in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah (v. 10); and we read that the Ethiopian army “came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots” (v. 9). The Ethiopians had a huge advantage over Judah, having an army twice the size and numerous chariots to top it off!
Asa responded to this situation differently than he did with King Baasha. We read back in 2 Chronicles 14:11, “And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, ‘Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!’” In this event Asa acknowledged the Lord as his source of strength, and he also specified, “Let not man prevail against You,” showing his belief that God was more powerful than man.
You have to wonder what changed in his heart. Anyhow, because he acknowledged the Lord, 2 Chronicles 14:12 says, “So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.” The Ethiopian army was enormous, and yet God plundered these people because Asa sought the Lord first and foremost.
Relying on God leads to victory, and the Lord desires to fight for us! There’s another good example of this principle found a few chapters over in 2 Chronicles 20. Moab and Ammon came against Judah and King Jehoshaphat, and the Scripture records Jehoshaphat’s response. When he realized what he was up against, he cried out, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (v. 12). King Jehoshaphat basically declared, “This is not humanly possibly; however, all things are possible with God! My hope and trust are in You, Lord!” And in response God said, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!” (v. 17).
Jehoshaphat and all Judah responded by worshipping God (v. 18); and in worship, their entire focus and attention and all of their hope was in the Lord. Instead of fearfully and reluctantly walking into battle, Judah marched confidently ahead, while singing praises to God; and the Scripture declares, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated” (v. 22). Whenever we rely on God over human ingenuity, and place our confidence in Him, then the Lord will fight on our behalf and win the battle for us!
Verse 9 declares, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” God searches for those whose heart is “loyal” to Him. In other words, He searches for the faithful. In Psalm 12:1, the faithful man is one who is “godly.” In Micah 7:2, a faithful man is one who is “upright,” or does that which is right. In Luke 19:17, we get the idea that a faithful person is someone who makes good use of even the smallest resources given by the Lord; and related to that, in 1 Corinthians 4:2, a faithful person is a good steward. In Revelation 2:10, a faithful follower is one who remains strong even in the face of persecution and death.
In summary, a loyal and faithful person is one who makes sure that God comes first in his life, who honors the Lord in all he does, and who will be sold out and a die hard follower of God and strive to be obedient, and seek God’s guidance and strength for help in any task or effort commanded by the Lord. Henry Blackaby says the Lord likes to give us “God-sized” tasks, or assignments that are way too big for us to do in our own strength. The Lord does this so that we’ll rely on Him, and so that He will receive all the glory in the end.
Being obedient to what God asks of us, and making sure that He’s our source of strength will enable the Lord to fight on our behalf, and to “show Himself strong” – or to bring glory to His holy name. God will show Himself strong through those who lean wholly on Him for their strength. If we ask the Lord for help, He will answer us in order to show the world that He is a faithful and powerful God. Jesus stated in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” God wants to be shown strong, and He wants to be glorified!
Our Failure Affects Us and Others (vv. 9b-10)
“In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
What happened here reminds me of the expression, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Instead, Asa imprisoned him! Whenever we fail, then there’s a good chance that we’ve been walking in disobedience. Keep in mind that for every choice there’s an outcome, and Asa’s choice led to the consequence of enduring wars.
We also see that his disobedience led to internal conflict and turmoil, for he lived in anger and bitterness. He also likely suffered feelings of failure and defeat. This is how we too often feel whenever we’ve fled in fear, or relied on the world, and failed to allow God the opportunity to show Himself strong through us; we feel defeated.
Asa’s choices not only affected himself, but they affected everyone around him. First of all, the people were affected by suffering from war; meaning that others were punished for Asa’s mistake. Secondly, people suffered at Asa’s own hand, for because of Asa’s rage, he took his feelings out on others. We read that “Asa oppressed some of the people at that time” (v. 10). When Asa became “depressed,” he “oppressed” others.
If you’re angry and bitter, and if you’re coming down hard on others, then maybe you need to ask yourself if you’ve ever walked in disobedience to God. Perhaps you’re angry at others because you’re afraid to take a look at yourself. Maybe you fear being reminded of your own shortcomings and disobedience to the Lord. If this describes you, then you need to repent and make a resolution to begin walking in faith and obedience.
Time of Reflection
Have you ever been asked to do something that seems impossible? We saw that King Asa was once asked to battle one million soldiers with only five hundred and eighty thousand men in his own army.
If one of your friends asked you to join him on a climbing expedition to Mount Everest, would you go? Not many of us would, for we would say it’s crazy and impossible. But what if God asked you to do something? How would you reply?
What if the Lord asked you to become a missionary to a Muslim country? You might doubt that God even spoke to you. If you did believe, would you tell the Lord you can’t go because you’ll be killed? Human reason will tell you that you’ll be killed, but God is big enough to protect you!
Maybe as you’re sitting in church this morning God is asking you to do something that seems crazy and impossible. I want to encourage you to answer in obedience, or you might wind up like King Asa, plagued with a life of war in your own spirit, and in your relationship with God and others.
Could the Lord be asking you to have faith in Jesus Christ? Might He be asking you to believe in His Son who died on the cross for your sins? Could the Lord be asking you to believe in the impossible; that Jesus rose from the dead, in order to conquer sin and death? I want to encourage you to believe in Jesus Christ, and surrender your heart and life to Him today. If you do, then God will show Himself strong on your behalf by granting you the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
So, how do you come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord? Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
NOTES
(1) Alexander Maclaren, Grace Tabernacle Bible Church: http://www.gracetabernacle.org/GraceLife/quotes/Faith-Results_of.htm (Accessed January 23, 2014).
