2 Chronicles 14 – 16

King Asa started his reign by doing what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. When Zerah the Ethiopian came with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots to fight the small army of Judah and Benjamin, he cried out to the Lord saying, ‘O’ Lord there is none like Thee to help between the mighty and the weak – We rely on thee’. The Lord heard his beautiful prayer and routed the Ethiopians until none remained alive.

After this victory, Asa demolished all the abominable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin, gathered all the people, sacrificed to the Lord and entered into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul.

With the passage of time, when the coffer was full with silver and gold, Asa offered wealth to king Benhadad of Syria as gifts, to help him win his battles against Baasha, the king of Israel. When Hanani the prophet questioned Asa, as to why he sought the help of Benhadad and failed to rely on the Lord, Asa in a fit of temper incarcerated Hanani. Even when he was severely diseased in his feet, Asa never sought the Lord for healing but sought help from the physicians.

Starting off well as a king who totally relied on God, Asa no longer lived in peace and died a miserable death after trusting man!

There are 594 chapters before and after Psalm 118.The middle verses of Psalm 118 happen to be the central theme of the Bible -

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. – (Ps 118: 8, 9)

Thought for the day: It is hard to fathom how a king, who once totally relied on God for success, could disregard Him and turn to man after the accrual of money.