Relying on people instead of God is a huge mistake. Judah’s King Asa is proof of this principle. Asa was a godly king (2 Chr 14:3-5, 1 Ki 15:11) that was devoted to God all his life (1 Ki 15:14). Early in his reign, he trusted in God when he was attacked by a huge army and God gave him a great victory (2 Chr 14:8-12) but many years later when attacked by another army, he did not seek the Lord and instead turned to and relied only upon a foreign king for help:
In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa … Asa took silver and gold … and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria … saying, 3 “… Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered … 7 At that time, Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand … You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.” (2 Chr 16:7-9)
Asa’s reliance on man instead of God caused him to miss out on a great victory that God would have brought. This was not a punishment from God; it was a natural consequence of relying on flesh instead of God. Another natural consequence was that he had wars constantly from then on.
Unfortunately, three years later he made the same mistake when he became ill. At that time, he only sought doctors and not God:
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a disease in his feet, and his disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in his disease he didn’t seek the Lord but only the physicians. (2 Chr 16:12)
Asa’s reliance on doctors alone instead of God didn’t help his health, in fact, he only got worse because man cannot do what God can.
God called Asa foolish for relying on instead of God.
Don’t think it can’t happen to you … because it can. Asa was devoted to God all his life (1 Chr 15:24) which means he never worshipped foreign gods or idols but always remained faithful to God. That shows a person can stop seeking God while being fully devoted to God and not to false gods or idols. Trusting in man instead of God will lead to disappointment, missed blessings, and worse problems. Learn from Asa’s mistake and never replace relying on God with relying on man or anything else. Always seek God if you need help.
14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. 15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. (Ps 91:14-15)
Think about it
What did you learn today? Are you ever like Asa?
Do you understand you can be devoted to God but not seek Him?
Do you ever seek help from people, or yourself, instead of God?
The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. (2 Chr 15:2)
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, (Ps 146:3-5)
5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come … 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer 17:5-8)
BIBLE DEVOTIONS FOR LIVING 