2 Chronicles 16:10

New International Version

Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

For Encouragement

One thing that makes David such a model for righteous living is his tendency for confession and plea for forgiveness. When the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, David immediately admitted it. 

“I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). 

Simple! He made no excuses. Neither did he try to justify himself or double down to save his face as king. He admitted his wrongdoing and took responsibility for it.

In Psalm 51, David poured his heart before the Lord in confession and repentance. All he needed was mercy and compassion according to God’s unfailing love, and he fell on his face before the Lord in earnest pleading. Is it any wonder that God forgave him?

In 1 Kings 15, the writer compares King Asa to David, his forefather, as a king who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as his David had done (1 Kings 15: 11). His deeds were pleasing to the Lord, and He prospered in peace. God assured him of His presence as long as the king walked with Him and sought Him in everything (2 Chronicles 15:2). So, why didn’t Asa seek the Lord when Baasha, king of Israel, came against Judah, but he sought help from the king of Aram (16:1-3)? As David confessed, our sinfulness is rooted in our very nature and has been with us since birth (Psalm 51:5). Why didn’t Asa confess his wrongdoing and plead for mercy when God sent Hanani to confront him (7-9)? Why did he get so enraged that he threw the seer in prison and would not seek the help of God when God afflicted him with a disease in the feet (10-12)? What happened to his comparison to David?

The difference is that Asa had become proud. He had grown and learned to form alliances and make treaties like every other nation around him. So, he thought he did not need God.

I call it the downside of prosperity – the period of prosperity and peace when the attrition of God-dependence takes place – the time when we often grow wings. We become experts, our need for God wanes, and everything goes downhill.  

That is where we all fail sometimes, and we need deliverance from ourselves before we get to where King Asa landed in his final days.

The truth is, we are never too mature and knowledgeable to need God. We are never too self-sufficient and powerful to need God’s mighty hand in our lives. 

No matter how much you grow, you are still God’s baby! 

So, may we be like David and not Asa, acknowledging our sins, confessing them, and falling on His mercy, compassion, and love for forgiveness when the Holy Spirit confronts us! He will forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10). That is His faithful promise to His children.

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron. 16:9).