During Asa’s reign the author of Chronicles tells us that the kingdom had rest (2 Chron. 14:1) and that “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the LORD . . . .” (14:2-4) (in part). The LORD even gave Asa victory over a million man army led by the Ethiopians. Azariah, in the Spirit, prophesied an admonishment to Asa, asserting that “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” (15:2). This foundational principle of Scripture defined Asa’s reign. When he sought the LORD first, in total dependence upon the LORD’s strength, wisdom, and plan, then he was blessed and the LORD was close. Yet, in the later years of his life, Asa turned away from the LORD and placed his trust first in the help of human wisdom and power (16:1-10). As a result, the kingdom faced political and military turmoil with some of its neighbors and Asa died of a foot disease during the forty-first year of His reign (16:1-10). What can we as Christians take away from Asa’s reign over Judah?

The words of the prophet Azariah are powerfully telling: “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” (15:2). As Christians, the LORD will never forsake us or abandon us as our Savior and Lord. Meaning, even when we lose our way as Christians we do not lose our salvation. The atoning blood of Christ always and forever covers our sin; He has paid the penalty finally and completely through His atoning death; and, those reassuring words of Jesus Christ, that, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Notwithstanding the eternal security of our salvation, we can create relational distance between our Holy God and us when we fall in to unrepentant sin, and sin includes the idolatry of trusting in something or someone more than we trust in the LORD, for we know that He commands us that we

“shall have no other gods before me [the LORD]. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God . . . .” (Exodus 20:3-5) (in part). 

When we trust in something or someone more than Him we are in essence saying that something or someone has more power, authority or wisdom than the God of the universe! Yet, we are not without hope when we fall to this temptation in the flesh.

The LORD tells us “8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jhn. 1:8-9). When we stiff arm the LORD by placing our trust in something or someone more than Him, He has gone nowhere. He stands with open arms calling us to repentance and restoration. King Asa turned from the LORD and never looked back: “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD . . . .” (2 Chron. 16:12) (in part). 

We have every reason to believe, based upon the promise of chapter 15 verse 2, that if Asa would have repented then the LORD would have forgiven Asa and restored him to a right relationship with the LORD. Likewise, based upon the power and faithfulness of our LORD in the gospel, we have every reason to believe that if we slip into the idolatry of the flesh (depending upon something more than the LORD) He will restore us to right relationship with Him if we will only turn away from our dependence upon the world and turn toward Him, placing our trust fully upon Him.

We are like Asa in this fallen world and in these fallen bodies. Though we are justified and purified as a result of Christ death and resurrection and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we battle the weakness of our remnant flesh that tempts us to trust the world above the wisdom and plan of God. Yet, unlike Asa, we have a powerful reminder in the Cross, in the gospel, in the complete canon of Scripture. He will never leave us. We are forever forgiven, and He waits to restore us to the right relationship with Him.