Asa fully committed his heart to God for most of his life. But in today’s passage, when Asa saw the northern kingdom of Israel fortify the city of Ramah, he became scared. He brought all the silver and gold from God’s temple and from his palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram. Asa wanted a treaty with Ben-Hadad and asked him to break the treaty with Israel, so that Israel would withdraw. Ben-Hadad agreed and instead conquered Israel’s towns. Everything seemingly went as Asa planned and wanted. It looked like a diplomatic success.

Then Hanani the seer rebuked Asa. “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.” In the past, God delivered the Cushites and Libyans into Asa’s hand when he relied on God alone. God’s eyes are ranging through the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. The secret to victory is when our hearts are fully committed to God. Reliance and faith in anything other than God is an idol. When Asa relied and committed his heart to God, God delivered to him great armies and chariots. God was surely able to deliver the king of Aram and Israel into Asa’s hand if Asa only relied and fully committed his heart to God.
Application: Lord, in the face of trouble, we seek human help, money, or human wisdom. Help us repent and fully commit our hearts to you, trusting in you alone.
One Word: Trust in God alone