Wha’ Happened?

If you’re a fan of Christopher Guest movies like “A Mighty Wind” you may remember Fred Willard talking about his past as a comic and TV show host with some catch phrases like “Wha’ Happened?!” or “I don’t think so!” These phrases have become commonplace in a certain circle of friends I have and I’ve even assigned the question to one of my nieces as a ring tone on my cell phone. But this week as I was reading about Asa, King of Judah, in 2 Chronicles, I found myself asking it again. But it wasn’t very funny.

Asa was the third king of Israel after the nation split in civil war. Solomon’s son Rehoboam followed the advice of some inexperienced advisors and alienated the citizens of Israel, so they decided to follow another leader named Jeroboam, who had been under King Solomon, Rehoboam’s father. The two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin stayed loyal to King David’s family (Rehoboam’s grandfather) and for the next several hundred years there were two countries: Judah (the southern kingdom) and Israel (the northern kingdom).

This is how the beginning of Asa’s reign is described in 2 Chronicles 14:2: “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.” Nice. What did that look like? The next verses give more details:

“³He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. ⁴He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. ⁵He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. ⁶He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.” (2 Chronicles 14:3-6)

And the people were happy and all was right in the world. Sigh. Asa continued to follow God and do what was good and right. Battles were won, religion was pure, cities were built, and prosperity came to Judah.

Some time later a man comes to Asa with a message from God.

¹ The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ³ For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. ⁴ But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. ⁶ One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." (2 Chronicles 15:1-7)

A little scary, but a clear and significant message. God has been blessing the nation and will continue to do so as long as the king and the people keep seeking Him. Remember when you didn’t? It wasn’t safe to travel and there was warfare and turmoil all around. Sounds like an atta boy message with a caveat. God says, “Keep doing what you’re doing because it’s good. But if you stop, things will get worse.”

So what was Asa’s response?

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah…, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin… He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD's temple.

⁹ Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them…

¹¹ At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. ¹² They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. ¹³ All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

¹⁶ King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it… ¹⁷ Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. ¹⁸ He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. (2 Chronicles 15:8-9; 11-18)

Good response. Asa is shaping up to be a really good king. How long does this last? Verse 19 of this chapter tells us: “There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.” Impressive, huh? Everyone in the country is on board. Then, not even a full chapter later, we find this verse:

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. (2 Chronicles 16:10)

Wha’ happened?! Who is this Asa? It’s only been 10 verses and he’s become a completely different person! We can look at the description of the situation preceding this transformation, but the question remains concerning Asa’s heart and motivation: Wha’ happened?!

King Asa is threatened by the King of Israel and takes the gold and silver from God’s temple (yeah, the gold and silver he put there in the previous chapter.) and offers it to the King of Aram to buy an alliance. (The days of the Divided Kingdom were a little like Survivor: alliances were important, but they changed frequently and with little provocation.) The King of Aram agrees, stops work on what he’s doing in his kingdom, and helps Asa build up and prepare for a confrontation with Israel. Apparently this wasn’t a good idea and it was more of a mistake than it seemed. A seer, (messenger from God), comes to reveal Asa’s real motivation. He lays it out like this:

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not 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 mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war." (2 Chronicles 16:7-9)

Wha’ happened? I’m a little confused. Because Asa was trying to cover his behind militarily by asking Baasha to come to his aid, God is mad and will remove the peace and rest from the kingdom? Does the punishment fit the crime? There’s something deeper going on here. It’s not a matter of military strategy; it’s a matter of trust. Asa has switched his allegiance and trust from God to Baasha by taking valuable gold and silver, meant to be dedicated to God as a reflection of gratitude and worship, and given it to another because Asa thought he could protect him better.

Ask yourself some questions that I asked myself when I read this: Do I trust God to help me in times of trouble, or do I only thank Him and give Him lip service when things are going my way? Is He good all the time or only when He’s good to me? When I’m afraid, where do I run? Something happened in the verses between a fully committed nation bringing their valuables into the temple and an insecure king taking his valuables out of the temple to give to another king. Which king can save him?

I find that, like Asa, something happens in my heart, too. When life is smooth and the sun is shining, I can say, “Praise the Lord” with the best of them. But what about the hard decisions that involve risk? What about when my reputation is on the line? Or my finances? Do I really trust God, or am I hoping my savings account will save me, so I skimp on my church giving? Do I remember how faithful God has always been to guide and protect me or am I forgetful enough to think I did it myself?

Faith, like love, is a choice. I choose to trust God based on His character and His previous activity in my life. And if I have no faith, I have no peace. That’s what the last words of Hanani are saying: “You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” There is no inner peace when we go back and forth between trusting God and formulating back up plans. Either He’s enough or He isn’t. Father, I pray you never look at my choices to trust anyone or anything other than you so that you have to ask, “Wha’ happened?”

• Is there an area of your life where you struggle to trust God completely? How can you move toward bigger faith in that area?

• Have you ever found yourself in a season of life or making an individual decision that made even you question how you got there? What caused your heart to change? How did you find your way back to God?

• Look at Azariah’s words to Asa in 2 Chronicles 15:7 - “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” How does that encourage you? How does it challenge you? Where can you claim that for yourself? Marriage? Ministry? Work? Relationship?