2 Chronicles 16-20 CSB
At that time, the seer Hanani 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 you. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on the Lord, he handed them over to you… 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. (16:7-8, 12)
Asa was one of the greatest kings who ever lived. He was one who greatly helped Judah return to God after the kingdom was divided. Asa was known for being a king who trusted completely in God and he led the southern kingdom into a golden age of revival. One of Asa’s greatest accomplishments, early in his reign, was how he stood up to the overwhelming Cushite army that came against Judah. Asa’s army was small by comparison, and I can’t comprehend the obvious fear and awe they must have felt at seeing more than one million battled hardened killers arrayed against them. Nevertheless, with great courage, Asa led his army to face them and he cried out to God for help. He confessed that only God could defeat them—he was right, for God routed the entire Cushite army before them.
In his early days, Asa was a king of great courage and great faith. He loved God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength and the people recognized that and followed him accordingly. Then something happened to him that happens to many of us—he got old and started playing it safe. There is great value in wisdom that comes from experience, but when “elderly wisdom” becomes an excuse to stop taking risks and stop trusting God then there is a problem. After facing the Cushites, Asa ruled well for many years without an aggressor until the 36th year of his reign. Then instead of depending on God to deal with a new threat, he tried to depend on his diplomacy, wisdom, and bank account. He emptied the coffers to pay off another king to solve his problem. What’s more, 3 years later we see an Asa who is mean, sick, and refusing to seek the Lord, but instead, relying solely on the wisdom of earthly doctors.
Those of us who are getting older can remember the zeal and courage of our youth; we were people who took chances and trusted God with the results. There is no crime in getting older and God has given us a vast array of experiences so that we can learn from them, grow, and exercise wisdom. Wisdom is honored in the Bible and it is a gift from God. But, many of us are simply “playing it safe” and calling it “wisdom.” When you trust in your bank account or technology or science more than you do in God then you are not walking in faith. I am not saying that you should repeat the mistakes of your past, but you must couple the lessons you have learned with the zeal and fearlessness of your youth. Be someone who is fearless and who walks in faith no matter how old you are. Like Asa, you are not just remembered for how you started or for how you ran—you will be remembered for how you finished.
