1 Kings 15:16-24: a reflection

16There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that was left in the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered it into the hand of his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben Hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying, 19“Let there be a treaty between me and you, like that between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.” 20Ben Hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and lived in Tirzah. 22Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber, with which Baasha had built; and King Asa used it to build Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 23Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

King Asa of Judah faces a threat from Baasha of Israel, who is fortifying a city to hem him in. And Asa's response is telling: he takes the silver and gold from the temple and the palace treasuries, and sends it to the king of Syria, buying an alliance to attack Baasha from the other side. The scheme works, in the short term; but Asa has met the threat by his own maneuvering and a purchased alliance, rather than by trusting the God whose treasury he emptied to pay for it.

Notice how Asa handles the threat: by worldly means, a purchased alliance, rather than by trusting God. Faced with danger, he does not turn first to God, but strips the temple to buy the help of a foreign king. The scheme brings relief; but it reveals where Asa's trust lay, not in God, but in his own maneuvering and the alliances he could purchase. He solved the problem by his own devices, without seeking the God who could have delivered him.

That temptation, to meet our threats by our own schemes and alliances rather than by trusting God, is one we share. When danger comes, our first instinct is often to maneuver, to arrange our own solutions, to buy security by worldly means, rather than turning first to God. And such schemes may even bring short-term relief, confirming us in the habit. But they can leave God out, relying on our own devices rather than on him. When you face a threat, do not let your first move be to scheme and maneuver, trusting your own arrangements rather than God. Turn to him first; seek his help before you reach for your own devices. It is not that planning is wrong, but that trusting your schemes in the place of God is; do not empty the temple to buy what God himself was ready to give. Trust God with your threats, before and above your own maneuvering.

Lord, when Asa was threatened by Baasha, he stripped the temple and palace treasuries to buy an alliance with a foreign king, meeting the danger by his own maneuvering rather than by trusting you; and though the scheme brought relief, it revealed where his trust lay. Show me that same temptation in myself. When danger comes, my first instinct is often to maneuver, to arrange my own solutions, to buy security by worldly means, rather than turning first to you. And such schemes may even bring short-term relief, confirming me in the habit. But they can leave you out, relying on my own devices rather than on you. When I face a threat, keep my first move from being to scheme and maneuver, trusting my own arrangements rather than you. Help me turn to you first, and seek your help before I reach for my own devices. It is not that planning is wrong, but that trusting my schemes in the place of you is; do not let me empty the temple to buy what you yourself were ready to give. Help me trust you with my threats, before and above my own maneuvering, Lord.