November 25th, 2012
2 Chronicles 16 (1 Kg 15; Mt 7:7-1; Lk 9:11-13; Jms 1:2-6; 4:2-3)
“You Never Asked”
Background Information:
- When we were making our journey through 1 Chronicles you might remember that the Chronicler made an obvious point that one of the stark differences between David and Saul was that David often inquired of the Lord while Saul hardly ever did.
- Asa began his reign standing firmly in his trust in God. He ended his reign with diseased feet and a resolute refusal to seek the Lord. Certainly a part of the Chronicler’s intention in including this account of Asa’s diseased feet was the picture it calls to mind of Asa’s inability to stand firm. (John Sailhamer, Everyman’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 91)
- Not all sickness is a direct judgment for sin: Some sickness is to put us through trials – Job (Bk of Job) – Paul (2 Cor 12:7-10); Some sickness is to glorify God (Jn 9:1-7; 11:1-47); some sickness is a judgment for sin (2 Chr 16:10-14). How do we know which is which? Ask!
- (v. 1) By this time the king of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, was Baasha (already the founder of a second dynasty in the north). Baasha was no doubt irritated by the way in which many of his subjects were streaming into the kingdom of Judah. He may also have had his eyes on the newfound wealth of the Southern Kingdom. So Baasha made an alliance with Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, to invade Judah. (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 69)
- (v. 1) Baasha’s objective in fortifying Ramah is stated: to cut off access to Asa. Ramah is ordinarily identified with er-Ram, five miles north of Jerusalem. Its location was well suited for Baasha’s objective; Ramah was on the major north-south ridge route by-passing Jerusalem (Jdg 19:11-13) and within sufficient proximity to threaten any east-west traffic in the central Benjamin plateaus using the important Beth Horon ridge. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 125)
- (v. 3) The earlier Syro-Judean treaty Asa referred to must have existed between Ben-Hadad’s father Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion (1 Kgs 15:18), and Asa’s father Abijah (cf. On 2 Chr 13:20). This earlier ruler Hezion may perhaps be equated with Rezon, the adversary of Solomon and the founder of the current kingdom in Damascus (1 Kgs 11:23-25); so the Arameans themselves had a history of switching allies at their convenience. (Frank E. G belein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 490)
- (v. 7) The word “seer” is an older term for a prophet of God, associated with the era of Samuel (1 Sm 9:9, 19). Typically, the “seer” is a prophet who experiences the act of seeing God’s message by means of a dream or a vision. Unlike the prophet Azariah’s sermon of exhortation and challenge (15:1-7), Hanani sees a message of rebuke and judgment for Asa (cf. Amos 1:1). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 475)
The questions to be answered are . . . What is the Chronicler attempting to communicate to his original post-exilic audience in revealing this tragic story about King Asa’s back-slidened position at the end of his life? What can we learn from this as well?
Answers: I believe that the Chronicler is attempting to convey that because of our naturally sinful state, we are perpetually in a battle to maintain our pursuit of God. One of the most dangerous positions we can find ourselves in is one of peace and prosperity. It is then we can become like Asa: lazy, self-assured, self-confident and no longer hungering and thirsting for the things of God and like the Laodician church of Revelation 3, rich, in need of nothing; we begin to think we have no reason to ask or inquire anything of God.
The Word for the Day is . . . rely
What does the Chronicler point to in Asa’s life to help us see some of the reasons for his back-sliden state?:
I. Asa never asked God how to defeat Israel. (16:1-6)
The prophet seems to imply that if Asa had relied upon Yahweh he would not only have conquered Baasha, but also the Syrians who were in league with him. (Edward Lewis Curtis, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Chr, 389)
God makes those who rely on him masters of the impossibilities and enables them to do far more than they could have imagined. In striking a deal with Ban-Hadad, Asa had thought small and had sold himself (and God) short. Had he relied instead on the Lord, he would have mastered both Baasha and the king of Aram (v. 7). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 189)
To the unsuspecting reader, this whole series of events looks like a great victory for Asa. His plan worked out splendidly. Only subtle hints of religious failure appear up to this point. The Chronicler used this quality of the record of Kings to prepare his readers for a surprise. Although this event seemed to honor Asa for his diplomatic and military skills, it will soon be seen for what it really was, an act of rebellion against God. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 313)
The subtlest danger in this policy is that it actually succeeds! The temple treasures are raided to provide the cash which is then sent to Syria, the Syrians respond by attacking Israel from the north, and the threat to the southern kingdom is removed. Whereupon Asa ‘carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah’ (16:6). So the voice of the world tells Asa that such things are possible, that they have been done before, and that they work. What it does not tell him is that they are wrong. (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Chr, 184)
The most celebrated instance of a prophet warning a king not to trust in political alliances occurs in Isaiah 7, where Isaiah warns Ahaz not to trust Assyria (in the passage which contains the famous “Immanuel” prophecy, v. 14). There Ahaz, with a hypocritical show of piety (v. 12), opts to throw in his lot with the visible and apparently invincible might of empire. (Chr’s account of Ahaz’s reign comes at 2 Chr 28). And here Asa prefers to rely on Syria rather than on God. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 174)
Near the end of his account of Asa’s positive years, the Chronicler praised Asa because he brought…silver and gold to the temple (15:18). At this point, Asa did just the opposite. He took from God in order to establish an alliance with a foreign power. The text emphasizes this contrast by repeating a reference to silver and gold in Asa’s speech to Ben-Hadad (16:3). As we will see, this pursuit of foreign alliance was Asa’s serious error (see 16:7-9). (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 312)
Treaties and cooperation with foreign powers were not entirely forbidden to Israel (see Dt 20:10-15). Yet, when these treaties were established in lieu of dependence on God for military security, they were strongly condemned. The Chronicler condemned another such alliance in the days of Ahaz (see 28:16-21). Such events were important to him because his post-exilic readers were tempted to find their security in similar ways, rather than rely on God for protection. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 312)
Although the northern tribes were in apostasy (see 13:4-12) and were aggressive against Judah, conspiring with foreign nations against them was outrageous. The northern tribes troubled the early post-exilic community (see Ezra 4:1-5), but here the Chronicler instructed his readers not to make war against them, especially by means of an alliance with foreign powers. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 312)
Hanani’s condemnation of Asa reminds the reader forcibly of Isaiah’s condemnation of Ahaz (Isa 7) in a similar situation. Both kings were faced by a threat from the north; both appealed for help to a superior third power; both are condemned for their failure to rely on the Lord (cf. Isa 7:9b, ‘If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established’); and for both worse disasters yet to come are predicted as a result of their lack of faith (9b; Isa 7:17ff.). The Chronicler’s keyword here is to rely; Asa has failed to do now what previously he had done (cf. 14:11). (H.G.M. Williamson, The New Century Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Chr, 274)
There had been no need for Asa to trust his own political wit, since God oversees the movements and destinies of nations, and the first necessity in leadership is to keep in tune with him. (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Chr, 184-85)
Evaluated for its political savvy Asa’s enlistment of Ben-hadad’s aid outmaneuvered Baasha; the writer of Kings reports the event without any theological evaluation. For the Chronicler, however, such foreign alliances betray a lack of trust in Yahweh (16:8). (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 125)
II. Asa never asked God for wisdom in discerning the prophet Hanani’s message (16:7-9)
It is as if we meet two altogether different Asas. He appeared first in the strength of God-reliance, now in the weakness of self-reliance. That it is the same Asa emerges, however, from the hint of a guilty conscience, the sense of better things in the past, that produced his anger (v. 10). We have seen this anger before in Chronicles, in David’s reaction to the fate of Uzzah (1 Chr 13:11). It is the anger that recognizes the justice of the accusation. In Asa’s case it issues, not in repentance (as it did with David) but in a rage of self-assertion. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 174-75)
The Lord’s rebuke, when it came, was as sharp and direct as Nathan’s once was to David (see 2 Sm 12:7): “You have done a foolish thing” (v. 9). (Remember, in the Bible foolishness is more than just stupidity; it is willful disregard of God’s clear revelation, as its use in this context plainly shows.) The announcement of sin’s consequence, when it came, was equally direct: “From now on you will be at war” (v. 9). (Bold red emphasis Pastor Keith) (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 190)
The prophet Hanani denounced Asa for placing confidence in a pagan ruler ahead of trust in the Lord, who had provided victory over Zerah. Never again would Asa’s land enjoy peace. Rather than repent, Asa jailed the prophet and went on to suppress dissent among the people through forcible means. Asa and God were becoming increasingly estranged. (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 70)
In his usual fashion the Chronicler reported that God’s prophet warned of judgment to come. He surprised his readers, however, with the opening words of the prophet. Instead of congratulating the king for his clever diplomacy, the prophet accused him of sin. Asa was accused of having relied on the king of Aram. In the Chronicler’s theological vocabulary, the only one upon whom Israel should ‘rely’ was God himself (see 13:18; 16;7, 8). In his struggle with Zerah, Asa specifically affirmed that he relied on God (14:11). The Chronicler consistently condemned reliance on anyone but God, especially foreign nations. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 313-14)
The Hebrew word for prison connotes some sort of physical torture–“a twisted place,” literally. Perhaps this refers to the practice of holding prisoners in uncomfortable positions–limbs distorted–in devices like stocks. Jeremiah, we know, suffered a similar fate (Jer 20:2). Asa, the first king to begin a reformation at the encouragement of a prophet, also becomes the first king mentioned in Scripture to physically abuse a prophet. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 191)
The Chronicler reports the earliest royal persecution of a prophet (16:10). Hanani becomes the first in a long line to suffer death or imprisonment after delivering the prophetic word of God to political powers (18:25-26; 24:20-22; Jer 20:1-2; 26:11, 20-23; Mt 5:11-12; 23:29-37; Mk 6:17-18; Lk 11:47-50; Jn 16:2; Acts 7:51-60; 12:1-5; 16:23-26; 2 Cor 11:23-31; Rv 18:24).
Membership in the covenant community required submission to the LORD; death was the alternative (15:13). In the New Covenant, no less than the Old, those who will not give fealty to the LORD have no place in his kingdom (1 Cor 6:9-10; Eph 5:5; Rv 21:8; 22:14-15). (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 127-28)
Asa’s response to Hanani constitutes the first incident of royal persecution of a prophet of God recorded in the OT (16:10). Hanani is imprisoned (lit., placed in “a house of stocks,” Jer 20:2). Sadly, this is a portent for the future of the relationship between God’s prophet and the reigning king. Often in fulfilling his divine commission to confront the king with a contrary word from God, the prophet risks persecution and even death (cf. 1 Kgs 19:14; Neh 9:26; Amos 2:12). Naturally, this gives rise to a movement of “false prophets,” who are paid to tell the king what he wants to hear (cf. Mic 2:11, 3:5). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 475)
For the Chronicler, the applicability of earlier Israelite history for postexilic Judah includes the currency of the prophetic voice for the spiritual and moral well-being of God’s people, despite the fact that the voice of God’s prophets and prophetesses has not been heard for perhaps a century or more by the time the Chronicler retells the story of Israel’s kingship. 2 Chr 14:2-16:14, summarizing the reign of Asa, points toward the contemporary significance of the larger literary unit (10:1-21:3) by underscoring the perpetual relevance of seeking help from the Lord (20:4). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 476-77)
III. Asa never asked God to be healed from his foot disease (16:10-14)
Even as in the war with Israel he sought human aid through Syria, so here in his last sickness he seeks it through his physicians. (Edward Lewis Curtis, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Chr, 390)
This must not be construed as a condemnation of the healing art as such; there are hints of its approval and use in the OT (Ex 21:19; Jer 8:22; Isa 38:21). In general, however, Yahweh is the healer (e.g., Ps 53:3b). (Jacob M. Myers, 1 Chronicles, a New Translation, 95)
It should be noted that the Chronicler did not forbid Asa from receiving help from the physicians. The OT shows no hesitation about taking advantage of medical care (see 2 Kgs 20:5-8; Jer 8:22; 46:11; 51:8). Yet, using ordinary means was never to be divorced from seeking divine assistance. Asa’s sin here was similar to his sin in conflict with Baasha (16:1). He relied on human power rather than divine help. As a result, Asa found no relief from his disease. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 315)
There is no warrant to see here an absolute denial of the value of doctors. In the intertestamental book of Ecclesiasticus there is an interesting passage about how God heals through the agency of doctors (Ecclus 38:1-15). Paul’s warm reference to Luke as “the beloved physician” (Col 4:14) points in this direction. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 289)
His reliance upon doctors represented for him an unwillingness to depend on God. Where that is not an issue, there is no sin. But if we should confuse the doctor with God and assume that God cannot help us–only the doctor can–then we commit the sin of Asa. Quite apart from all this, it is also possible that these physicians made use of superstition and idolatry to work their cures, methods that are completely illegitimate. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 192)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: Three questions Pastor Keith would encourage you to ask yourself.:
A- Do you ask God to empower you and tell you how to face your enemies or do you simply rely on your own strength? (Psa 62:10; Isa ch 7; 30:1-2; 31:1; 58:2; Zech 7:13; Mt 7:7-11; 21:22-25; Mk 11:24; Lk 11:9-13; Jn 14:13-14;15:7; 16:23-26; Acts 2:21; 1 Jn 5:14-15)
Self-reliance is not the way to holiness, but the negation of it. Self-confidence in the face of temptation and conflicting pressures is a sure guarantee that some sort of moral failure will follow. (J. I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness, 92)
O how mighty is the believer, who, in deep distrust of his own power, casting off from him all spirit of self-dependence, looks simply and fully at Jesus, and goes not forth to meet his enemy, only as he is “strong in the strength that is in Christ.” (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 199)
David inquired of the Lord. He was a trained soldier and a skilled strategist, but he did not trust his skill or strength, but went like a little child to his God and asked immediate counsel. It is very remarkable to notice the form in which he asked counsel. He did not first ask if He should be successful, but he first asked what the Lord wanted him to do. His primary desire was to please God; his second request, to know what God was going to do for him. This is very beautiful and very important. It is much more natural for us to say, “Lord, will you bless me in this?” and then if He promises us prosperity we are disposed to accept His direction and go forward in it. David’s attitude was far more single and sincere. With him the supreme question was, “Lord what will you have me to do?” and quite subordinate to that was the other, “Lord, what will you do with me?” (A.B. Simpson, The Christ in the Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, 303)
We forget that both the biggest human contribution and the greatest human weakness are irrelevant in the face of God’s infinity. God’s unlimited power is neither strengthened by our contribution nor lessened by our weakness. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 142)
Christian spirituality talks about what we receive more than what we achieve. Our potential and activity are entirely dependent on God’s prior work in our lives. If we set out to be “achievers” rather than “receivers,” we have not begun to follow God. An achiever calls attention only to herself, whereas a receiver leads others to appreciate the Giver. If we insist on being an achiever, seeking God so that others might admire our faith, our commitment, our dedication, we become God’s competitor; trying to steal some of His glory. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 16)
What is the difference between a person who relies only on himself and a person who has learned to turn to God for help? It’s not that one will do bad things while the other will do good things. The self-reliant atheist may be a fine, upstanding person. The difference is the atheist is like a bush growing in the desert. If he has only himself to rely on, when he exhausts his internal resources he runs the risk of running dry and withering.
But the man or woman who turns to God is like a tree planted by a stream. What they share with the world is replenished from a source beyond themselves, so they never run dry. (Readers Digest; 11/96, 90)
Christian men are but men. They may have a bad liver, or an attack of bile, or some trial, and then they get depressed if they have ever so much grace. But what then? Well, then you can get joy and peace through believing. I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever gets to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to. But I always get back again by this: I know I trust Christ. I have no reliance but in Him. Because He lives, I shall live also, and I spring to my legs again and fight with my depressions of spirit and my downcast soul and get the victory through it. So may you do, and so you must, for there is no other way of escaping from it. In your most depressed seasons, you are to get joy and peace through believing.” -Charles Spurgeon
It is an indictment of our own worldliness that we feel more exhilaration when we conquer an external mountain of granite in our own strength than when we conquer the internal mountain of pride in God’s strength. The miracle of Christian Hedonism is that overcoming obstacles to love by the grace of God has become more enticing than every form of self-confidence. The joy of experiencing the power of God’s grace defeating selfishness is an insatiable addiction. (John Piper, Desiring God, 120)
The Sermon on the Mount is our doctor’s medical advice, not our employer’s job description.
But even that analogy doesn’t get it quite right. Even trusting our doctor to tell us wise and healing things to do may leave us trying to do them in our own strength. God is not only the doctor who prescribes. He is the nurse who lifts up our powerless head and puts the spoon in our mouth (or who hangs the bag of intravenous medicine). And He is the medicine. (John Piper, Brothers, We are NOT Professionals, 41)
True peace does not come from extreme indifference, nor does it originate from becoming so “spiritual” that you fail to notice the world around you. Peace is the fruit of being confident in God’s love; it is born of the revelation that, regardless of the battle, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4). You are not self-assured, you are God-assured. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 55)
Thomas A Kempis’s classic work, The Imitation of Christ, emphasizes a purposeful Christianity that strives for continued growth. He wrote, “Who hath a greater combat than he that laboreth to overcome himself? This ought to be our endeavor, to conquer ourselves, and daily to wax stronger and to make a further growth in holiness.” (Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, I:3:3)
B- Do you ask ALMIGHTY God the reason why you face discipline, correction, rebuke and opposition or do you simply blow them off because you know best? (Ps 145:18; Prv 1:23-32; 3:11-12; 5:12; 10:17; 12:1; 13:1, 18; 15:5, 10, 31-32; 17:10; 19:25; 27:5; 28:23; 29:1, 15; Jer 7:12-28; 11:8-14; 14:12; 17:23; 19:15; 25:7; 26:3-8; 33:3; 35:17; 44:5; 2 Tm 4:2; Ti 1:13; 2:15; Heb 12:5; Jas 1:2-6; 4:2-3)
Christian living, therefore, must be founded upon self-abhorrence and self-distrust because of indwelling sin’s presence and power. Self-confidence and self-satisfaction argue self-ignorance. The only healthy Christian is the humble, broken-hearted Christian. (J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 196)
People who have a seeking heart still make mistakes. But their reaction to rebuke and correction shows the condition of their heart. (Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, 167)
Ah, my friends, how terrible is the rebuke of Jesus again and again and again for those who think that they form exceptions to the universal sinfulness of mankind! (J. Gresham Machen, The Christian View of Man, 204)
The apostle writes in 2 Tm 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
In other words, the Scripture, which is “breathed out” or inspired by God, has two general purposes: formative discipline and corrective discipline. (Thabiti M. Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?, 75)
God can never entrust His kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 17)
I would not consider any spirituality worthwhile that wants to walk in sweetness and ease and run from the imitation of Christ. — John Climacus
It takes great courage to confront these tests, sometimes more courage than we possess; so rather than face them we pretend they’re not tests at all, and we simply avoid God. Just as someone who is allergic to cats learns the beginning symptoms of a reaction and makes haste to get away, so we often unknowingly begin to learn the sensation of God breaking into our hearts, and we rush into some activity or diversion to avoid His presence. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 109)
Temptations are often very profitable to us, though they be troublesome and grievous; for in them a man is humbled, purified, and instructed. (Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, I:13:2)
For if [a Christian] cannot thank and praise God as well in calamities and sufferings as in prosperity and happiness, he is as far from the piety of a Christian as he that only loves them that love him is from the charity of a Christian. For to thank God only for such things as you like is no more a proper act of piety than to believe only what you see is an act of faith.
Resignation and thanksgiving to God are only acts of piety when they are acts of faith, trust, and confidence in the divine goodness. (William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, 321)
While physical pain may be a part of the fall, God can and does use it for our spiritual advancement. Brother Lawrence said God “sometimes permits the body to suffer to cure the sickness of the soul.” (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 170) (Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, Fourteenth Letter)
When we find ourselves rejecting difficulty, we may find that we are really rejecting the cross–and therefore Christ Himself. It was not just John of the Cross who wrote about this. Consider Thomas a Kempis’ words: “Christ’s whole life was a cross and martyrdom; and dost thou seek rest and joy for thyself? Thou art deceived, thou art deceived, if thou seek any other thing than to suffer tribulations; for this whole mortal life is full of miseries, and signed on every side with crosses. And the higher a person hath advanced in spirit, so much the heavier crosses he oftentimes findeth.” (Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, III:19:1) (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 164)
Sometimes you shall find yourself so absolutely destitute of all feeling of devotion that your soul shall seem to be a wild, fruitless, barren desert, in which there is no trace of a pathway to find her God, nor any water of grace to refresh her, on account of the dryness which seems to threaten her with a total and absolute desolation. (Francis De Sales)
“Spiritual caressing,” if left unabated, would eventually cause us to lose focus. Thus we could begin to enjoy the fruits of worshiping God (our feelings) more than we enjoyed the God we worship. Augustine wrote, “Whosoever seeketh of God anything besides God, doth not love God purely. If a wife loved her husband, because he is rich, she is not pure, for she loveth not her husband, but the gold of her husband.” (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 185)
Unwise counselors may try to tell us we should fight the loss of feelings. Yet gluttony for spiritual feelings opens a wide door to the other appetites, including greed, overeating, sexual lusts, the hunger for power, and other sins. When feelings become the focus of our faith, religion becomes not a friend but an enemy, concealing the true state of our heart. We wonder why we fall into sin so soon after a seemingly powerful encounter with God. What we fail to realize is that our hearts were stolen by spiritual gluttony, not real reverence. We have been misled into believing that these feelings are an indication of the temperature of our hearts and the commitment of our will. They are not.
So God steps back. He stubbornly denies us the spiritual feelings with which we’ve grown so familiar. This is frequently accompanied by very dry periods, times when our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and our hearts feel like hot, dry sand. God does this so He can irrigate our desert with the cold water of pure faith, so He can break our addiction to the sensual and call us to the truly spiritual, and so we can humbly say, without doubt or need for reinforcement, “O God, You are my God, and I will follow You all of my days.” (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 186-87)
Don’t let self-accusation create a wall between you and God; the feelings weren’t a reward, and their withdrawal is not a punishment. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 192)
When we love Christ only for what He brings us, including spiritual feelings, we are loving ourselves, not loving Him, regardless of the sacrifice we think we are offering. The dark night of the soul purifies our motivation and keeps us from becoming like the crowds in the NT who followed Jesus, not for His teaching, but for the miraculously supplied bread. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 193)
According to Francis de Sales, these “foretastes of heavenly delight” are used by God to withdraw us from “earthly pleasures” and encourage us in the “pursuit of divine love.”
As unregenerate people, we operate out of the sensual, so God uses the senses to draw us to Him. In time, however, He will withdraw the sensual support and the weaning process will begin. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 185)
It is very expedient for thy welfare, that thou be left sometimes without taste of spiritual sweetness, and in a dry condition, lest perhaps thou shouldest be vain about thy prosperous estate, and shouldest be willing to please thyself in that which thou art not. (Thomas a Kempis)
So life-changing is this ultimate act of confidence in the acceptance of Jesus Christ that it can properly be called the hour of salvation. So often what is notoriously missing from the external, mechanized concept of salvation is self-acceptance, an experience that is internally personalized and rooted in the acceptance of Jesus Christ. It bids good riddance to unhealthy guilt, shame, remorse, and self-hatred. Anything less–self-rejection in any form–is a manifest sign of a lack of trust in the total sufficiency of Jesus’ saving work. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 7-8)
To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives–the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections–that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 31)
Anyone God uses significantly is always deeply wounded. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 48)
Often trust begins on the far side of despair. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 117)
The more guilt and shame that we have buried within ourselves, the more compelled we feel to seek relief through sin. As we fixate on our jaded motives and soiled conscience, our self-esteem sinks, and in a pernicious leap of logic, we think that we are finally learning humility.
On the contrary, a poor self-image reveals a lack of humility. Feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, inferiority, and self-hatred rivet our attention on ourselves. Humble men and women do not have a low opinion of themselves; they have no opinion of themselves, because they so rarely think about themselves. The heart of humility lies in undivided attention to God, a fascination with his beauty revealed in creation, a contemplative presence to each person who speaks to us, and a “de-selfing” of our plans, projects, ambitions, and soul. Humility is manifested in an indifference to our intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being and a carefree disregard of the image we present. No longer concerned with appearing to be good, we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are, aware of the sovereignty of God and of our absolute insufficiency and yet moved by a spirit of radical self-acceptance without self-concern. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 120-21)
C- Do you trust God to ask Him first when you face medical decisions or any other crisis; or, do you trust in man by seeking human counsel and advice first? (1 Kgs 3:5; 2 Chron 1:7; Psa 18:6; 55:16; 86:5-7; 146:3; Isa 2:22; Jer 17:5; Dan 6:11; )
The theological arguments that support an interventionary God are many and varied. Frequently people report that they have experienced a physical cure or an inner healing. And they have. “Yet,” as John Shea writes, “One brutal historical fact remains–Jesus is mercilessly nailed to the cross and despite the Matthean boast, twelve legions of angels did not save him from that hour. No cop-out redemption theories that say God wanted it that way explain the lonely and unvisited death of God’s Son. This side of the grace Jesus is left totally invalidated by the Lord of heaven and earth. Trust in God does not presume that God will intervene.” (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 116-17)
Ben Sirach, the author of Ecclesiasticus (200 B.C.), who writes, “My son, in thy sickness be not negligent; but pray unto the Lord, and he shall heal thee. Put away wrongdoing, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all manner of sin… Then give place to the physician, for verily the Lord hath created him; and let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him. There is a time when in their very hands is the issue for good. For they also shall beseech the Lord, that he may prosper them in giving relief and in healing for the maintenance of life.” (Ecclus 38:9-14). Ben Sirach would have done well to leave it there. One does not quite know what he intended to convey by his concluding remark (vs. 15), “He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician.” (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 3, 487-88)
The Chronicler frequently spoke of ‘inquiring of’ or ‘seeking’ the Lord as expressive of a sincere dependence on God in times of trouble. From his point of view, Saul’s life was characterized by the opposite of such dependence on God. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chronicles, A Mentor Commentary, 111)
While some would call themselves free of the restraints of Christianity, Law saw it another way. “They may live a while free from the restraints and directions of religion, but instead thereof they must be under the absurd government of their passions.” And our passions, as any thoughtful Christian knows, are harder taskmasters than is our God of mercy and grace. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 66)
We blaspheme God when we fail to inquire of the Lord. What possible reason could we have for failing to inquire of Him than we feel He is only slightly more accessible than our sinful and wicked fathers, or God doesn’t have the time for us, or God doesn’t really care about us or love us, or God doesn’t want to tell us what we need to know, or God doesn’t know or have the power or resources to really help us. Any and all of these excuses betray our ignorance of God and his character. When we fail to inquire or ask of the Lord we are betraying our understanding of Who God really is. (Pastor Keith )
Spiritual Challenge: When you find yourself poor in spirit . . . rejoice! When you find yourself mourning . . . rejoice! When you find yourself powerless and meek . . . rejoice! When you find yourself hungering and thirsting to be righteous . . . rejoice! When you see that you are able to reciprocate mercy . . . rejoice! When your one desire is to one day be like Jesus . . . rejoice! God is with you. And if God is with you it really doesn’t matter who or what may be against you. He is using these events to draw you to Himself.
Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters. (Victor Hugo; Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, 1523)
It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity. (Frederic D. Huntington, Forum magazine, 1890)
As William Wilberforce once said, “Prosperity hardens the heart.” (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 90)
“C.S. Lewis, born 100 years ago this November 29th, (1998) warned that we should not be infected by our own propaganda. About prosperity, he said, that it, ‘knits a man to the world. He thinks he’s finding his place in it,’ while really it is finding its place in him.’
We are richer than ever, yet we are more impoverished than ever. We don’t care about much of anything put pretend that by not caring we are not being judgmental (an even worse sin, if we believed in sin, which we don’t).” (Editorial by Cal Thomas, Nov 29th Cit. Pat., 1998)
The problem of poverty is to remain physically alive.
The problem of prosperity is to remain spiritually alive. — Herbert E. Drooz
Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has. (The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, 189)
“It is a melancholy fact, that constant temporal prosperity, as a general rule, is injurious to a believer’s soul.” (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 94).
At about the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in the year 1787, Alexander Tyler (a Scottish history professor at The University of Edinborough) had this to say about “The Fall of The Athenian Republic” some 2,000 years prior:
“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”
“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.” (The citation is doubted. But, the contents remain true non the less)
. . . “each revival has built within it the seeds of its own destruction, because as Christians put into practice the virtues of hard work and thrift, they prosper, and as they prosper they see less a need of God, and as they see less a need of God they turn away from the very principles that led to their prosperity and the whole cycle must repeat itself.” — John Wesley
Be thankful for your failures. God does his greatest miracles at the margins of our self-sufficiency.
“Therefore He takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in Himself—in the classical scriptural phrase for the secret of the godly man’s life, to ‘wait on the Lord’.
This truth has many applications. One of the most startling is that God actually uses our sins and mistakes to this end. He employs the educative discipline of failures and mistakes very frequently. It is striking to see how much of the Bible deals with men of God making mistakes, and God chastening them for it.” (J. I. Packer; Knowing God, 228)
Worship point: Your worship will become more pure, more truthful, more spiritual, more authentic when you begin to realize God in His providence, sovereignty and love allows us to be poor in spirit, mourn, be meek, and constantly hungering and thirsting to be righteous so we will recognize our desperate need for Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, asking Him for help and guidance.
When things are going smoothly, we are especially likely to forget how desperate our situation would be if God would ever withdraw his help. Then above all we need to pray, “Lord, lead us not into temptation! Help me from feeling a worldly sense of security. Keep me from complacency!” (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 190)
Endeavor to be inclined always:
not to the easiest, but to the most difficult;
not to the most delightful, but to the harshest;
not to the most gratifying, but to the less pleasant;
not to what means rest for you, but hard work;
not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling;
not to the most, but to the least;
not to the highest and most precious, but to the lowest and most despised;
not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing;
do not go about looking for the best of temporal things, but for the worst…
You should embrace these practices earnestly and try to overcome the repugnance of your will toward them. If you sincerely put them into practice with order and discretion, you will discover in them great delight and consolation. (John of the Cross, John of the Cross: Selected Writings, 77-78)
The lessons of his reign are simple. The Chronicler has outlined them before, and will do so again, and the repetition is itself another lesson: “To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for you,” agrees the apostle Paul. When Asa trusted the Lord he was strong; when he did not, he was weak. The Lord’s blessing is for those who put their trust in their covenant-keeping God, and when they fail to rely on him there are consequences which, apart from his undeserved mercy, they will certainly suffer. (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Chr, 185)
Those who have gone before us have left a clear witness: We may seek God or we may seek ease, but we cannot seek both. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 160)
The most dangerous Christians are those who have forgotten their tendency to sin–and Satan’s agenda to capitalize on that tendency. When Satan is allowed to move in the shadows, forgotten and without restraint, his power can be tremendous. Thoughtful Christians have never forgotten that we have an enemy as well as a Savior. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 173)
There is something about an absolute demand for comfort, even in the littlest things, that wrecks our communion with God. My natural man tells me I have a right to live in total comfort, so whenever this comfort is threatened because the climate control malfunctions or life circumstances push back a meal for an hour or two, I get a true picture of the demandingness of my heart and the bitterness and anger that cause my spirit to growl, like an untamed beast, at the slightest discomfort or inconvenience. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 179)
The splendor of a human heart which trusts that it is loved gives God more pleasure than Westminster Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, the sight of ten thousand butterflies in flight, or the scent of a million orchids in bloom.
Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 2)
When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, “And what can I do for you?” Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.
“What do you want me to pray for?” she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: “Pray that I have clarity.”
She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.” When he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.” (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 5)
If you are hoping and trusting in the Lord, and suddenly your health, wealth or future are taken from you and your hope is gone, then, you need to confess that it was not the Lord you were hoping in. It was what you have just lost. Hope in the Lord NEVER disappoints. Romans 5:4-5
Quotes to Note:
He stands as an object lesson of the central message of Chronicles: faithfulness leads to blessing, faithlessness to curse. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 175)
There is that in us which runs to accept great challenges, because they flatter us and will bring us celebrity, while we jib at those tasks where there seems to be little to gain and everything to lose. Naaman almost squandered his opportunity to be healed for such ignoble reasons, until his servants took courage and pointed out his folly (2 Kgs 5:13f.). Many who have been faithful in great things have found it hard to keep faith in smaller matters. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 175)
What counts is not a decision made for God in one’s youth or last year but a decision made today. Ordinary days bring with them a call to live out one’s commitment to God. Times of crisis summon us to exercise the emergency faith of reliance. Temptation to forsake God and to rely on other expedients may well confront us. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” (Eph 5:15). (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 289)
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! — The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12
Christ:
“Ask and Receive”
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