How NOT to Grow Old - 2 Chronicles 11-16

 2 Chronicles 15:8-13 (ESV)

As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

As kings go, Asa was a good one.   Asa was confronted by the prophet Azariah and the above words are written about his response.   He was a great leader because he was willing to respond to God’s Word when spoken to him.   However, note what happens when he gets older in his life:

2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (ESV)

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.

Why, Asa, did you not respond to the prophet of God in your old age, but you did in your young age?   That is the puzzling question.  The more power he obtained, the more blessings God gave, the less Asa followed God.   We need to be careful when God blesses us for obedience, that in-turn, after those blessings are received that we don’t become self-reliant and self-actualizing.   Asa is a great example of how NOT to grow old.  Don’t let the blessings of God for obedience create a mindset of disobedience.