Stable Feet

How many of us have started something but didn’t see it through to the finish? Whether it was a home renovation project, a goal we had set out early in life, or a promise that should have been kept, the fact remains that the final product was not seen. It could have been that life simply got in the way. The business of daily provincial care just consumed us. Or maybe a tragic event halted all focus to completing a goal. Whatever it was, the finish line was not crossed, the period was not dotted at the end, and the satisfaction of a job complete was not fulfilled. We have probably all heard of the old axiom that “it’s not how you start but how you finish”. Such is the case with a once-great king named Asa. His inability to finish right proved to be deadly. Ultimately costing him his soul.

His failure to finish was not in a building project for the kingdom of Judah or in defeating a fearful enemy. His failure was found in the fact that at the end of his life he refused to seek God. Once a mighty king that honored God, Asa became diseased in his feet and yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord (2 Chron. 16:10). The Bible continues with this tragic story:

…yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.

He refused to seek God and turned only to the physicians. This change of heart was not done suddenly or without warning. His decent into relying on the flesh started when he opened himself up to the enemies of God. Asa aligned himself with the king of Syria. He even took the treasures from the house of God and sent them to this heathen king as a bribery to break a treaty Syria had with Israel. (2 Chron. 16:1-2) If we can just stop right there and think about this erroneous move on Asa’s part. He gave the treasures from the house of God to King Ben-hadad of Syria. This was God’s treasury and yet Asa is giving it to the enemy. Herein lies the warning sent to us today by this avenue of truth, that the beginning of our turn from God is when we hand the enemy all the treasures that God has afforded us and start to rely on the flesh as our strength.

What are those treasures that we can surrender to the enemy? The joy of salvation, faith in God’s word, the anointing of the Holy Ghost in our lives, every victory won, and godly convictions just to name a few. A prophet of God who saw Asa’s decline came before the king to point out the error of his ways. The prophet ended his warning with this famous line in Scripture:

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Asa was furious with the man of God. “How dare he accuse me of being foolish?” Asa thought no doubt. “I have purged idolatry from Judah, brought revival to the land, and walked uprightly before God all my days. I will not listen to this narrow-minded diatribe of a backwards preacher.” Asa then imprisoned the poor prophet and went further in his march unto destruction. God said that He chastises those that He loves (Heb. 12:6) and His word of warning will come to all those that faithfully serve Him. It is here at this moment we have the choice of either accepting the truth or rejecting it. For we will be faced with this situation sometime in our life. Most will face this dilemma multiple times in their life.

How did Asa get to this place? He feared the encroachment of the northern kingdom of Israel upon Judah and that is what led him to seek out help from the Syrians. Does not fear move us in a direction that leads away from the will of God in our lives? The fear of the unknown, the fear of loss, the fear of failure in the world’s eyes? Does this not make us question our position in life and the choices we have made up until the current problem? Some may piously throw this line of questioning to the wind and believe their faith to be too strong to worry about such matters. The Bible does commend Asa for his faith

…the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. (2 Chron. 15:17)

And yet he ends up at the last of second Chronicles chapter sixteen away from God, dead and buried with his fathers.

The ironic thing about Asa is that his feet was diseased. I do not find this a coincidence. Feet represent the base or foundation of people and you certainly can say that Asa’s foundation was shook once he started to walk towards a confidence in the things that were not of God. Our once strong foundations in the truth will be shaken once we begin to rely on the arm of the flesh.

The feet do three things representatively of Christians:

1. Share the gospel to all places of the earth

(Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!)

2. Walk in the spirit.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

3. Crush the head of Satan in conjunction with God Himself

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly…

This list is not exhaustive but they showcase the functions of a man or woman who have most assuredly placed their feet on Christ the solid rock to stand. This is why we must not turn in our hour of desperation and question. Though we do not understand what might be going on we cannot leave our most solid foundation. We will not be able to carry the gospel with us. We will not walk in the power of the Spirit. We will not crush the head of Satan.

What might have Asa done in his life if he had only accepted the prophet’s warning? Conversely, what will happen to us if we choose to turn from our most trusted foundations to a worldly system? If you are in that place of doubt and decision, may your feet be stable and stand on the firm foundation that is Christ. And then He will show Himself faithful.