Bible Study - Living (5) - Remember GOD'S Faithfulness - 2 Chronicles 16:1-13 - August 18, 2019

Bible Study – Living (5) – Remember GOD’S Faithfulness – August 18, 2019


This is lesson five (5) in our series entitled “Living A Godly Life in an Ungodly World.”


Our focus scripture is 2 Chronicles 16:1-13.


The One True GOD who guided you in the past will guide you now and in the future.


We, as Christians, must be very careful in our successes not to forget the source of our success. Some of the time, we erroneously think that we do not want to bother GOD. That is Satan’s lie. GOD’s desire is for HIS children to consult with HIM 24/7.


King Asa’s success had been because he had the right relationship with GOD and cleaned the land of false worship. As we studied in last week’s lesson, he cleaned out the Queen Mother’s shrine made to Asherah.


When you are responsible for a kingdom, issues consistently arise. The question becomes how do we handle them? Keep in mind that every person is a kingdom unto themselves. Let’s explore!


Let’s read 2 Chronicles 16:1-6:

Asa’s Treaty with Aram

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa, Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to deny access to anyone—going or coming—to Judah’s King Asa. ² So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “There’s a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go break your treaty with Israel’s King Baasha so that he will withdraw from me.”

King Asa faces an issue in the 36^th year of his reign. King Baasha of Israel threatened Judah by starting to build a city, Ramah, on the main highway between the two countries only five miles from Jerusalem. Building Ramah would have, in essence, controlled or stopped access into Judah. This was an act of aggression by King Baasha which greatly concerned King Asa and as resulted King Asa had to take action. The question was, “What to do about the situation?” Where did King Asa turn? Where should have King Asa turned?

What should we, as Christians, do when we encounter a problem? What is GOD’S desire for us to do? HIS desire is for us to seek HIS counsel. What did King Asa do?

King Asa panicked and took all of the “silver and gold from the treasuries of the LORD’S temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad who lived in Damascus.” King Asa asked Aram’s King Ben-hadad to break their treaty with Israel’s King Baasha. King Asa reminded King Ben-hadad there was a treaty between their two countries. When King Ben-hadad attacked cities under the rule of King Baasha, King Baasha likely sent an envoy to King Ben-hadad and learned of King Asa’s request for King Ben-hadad’s help. So, King Baasha ordered the effort to build Ramah to stop. When the work stopped, King Asa sent the people of Judah to dismantle what King Baasha’s people had done to build Ramah. King Asa had Geba and Mizpah built using the materials from Ramah.

All this sounds good. But what was missing? King Asa was doing all this in his strength and by his wisdom rather than enquiring what GOD wanted him to do to handle this situation. Why should we go to The LORD and seek HIS guidance and leadership? We will read the answer in verses 7-9.

This happens often in our lives. We have situations to arise in our family, workplace, social gathering, among friends which need to be resolved. How do we handle them? First, we need to pray/consult with our LORD how to go forward. Second, we need to follow what the Holy Spirit reveals to us and trust GOD for the results. Our desire is for healing to take place and for GOD to be glorified and our faith and trust in GOD to be increased.

King Asa recalled a long-standing treaty between their country and Aram, King Ben-hadad -------

⁴ Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim,^[a] and all the storage cities^[b] of Naphtali. ⁵ When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stopped his work. ⁶ Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then he built Geba and Mizpah with them.

Sounds like things went along smoothly until GOD sent Hanani ---

Let’s read 2 Chronicles 16:7-9:

Hanani’s Rebuke of Asa

⁷ At that time, Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on Yahweh, He handed them over to you. ⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.”

What was King Asa’s problem with GOD? He took matters in his own hands and failed to seek GOD’S wisdom and guidance on how to handle the problem. GOD had a plan but King Asa took the opportunity out of GOD’S hands.

A seer sees into the future and GOD knows the future and that is why GOD’S desire is for HIS children to seek HIM and HIS guidance according to HIS plan and purpose.

How did King Asa respond to the information from GOD’S prophet/seer Hanani?  Was it, “How dare you question my decision!” I have experienced this with leaders in industry and seen them fail. Seek GOD’S guidance because HE sees the entire picture even into the future. As GOD’S children, we must learn to go to HIM first and trust HIS leadership.

Let’s read 2 Chronicles 16:10-13:

¹⁰ Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison^[c] because of his anger over this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at that time.

How should King Asa have responded? When we get angry with GOD and attempt to make our decision the right decision over GOD’S desire, we are in opposition to GOD and it is downhill from there. Why? Disobedience is a sin and sin block’s the right relationship we have with GOD. So, what happened to King Asa? He started his reign being obedient to GOD but how does he end up?

Asa’s Death

¹¹ Note that the events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a disease in his feet, and his disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in his disease he didn’t seek the Lord but only the physicians. ¹³ Asa died in the forty-first year of his reign and rested with his fathers. ¹⁴ He was buried in his own tomb that he had made for himself in the city of David. They laid him out in a coffin that was full of spices and various mixtures of prepared ointments; then they made a great fire in his honor.

Never give up on GOD, never because HE never gives up on you!

When we get to the end of our lives, how do we want to finish?

In unity, harmony and fellowship with GOD or “we did it our way?”

Blessings!!!