Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
I want to call this “The Art of the Deal,” a phrase made famous by our current president, for whom, by the way, I am quite thankful. I certainly do not agree with everything he has done or is doing, but I surely appreciate him more than the ultra-liberal Democrats or even many of the “compromising conservative” alternatives.
Asa negotiated an interesting deal with Syria. At the time, Syria had a league with Israel. But when Israel began construction at Ramah, Asa brought out treasures from both his own house and the house of the Lord. He reminded the Syrians that they had formerly had a deal with Judah through his father, and he was able to persuade them not only to withdraw from their agreement with Israel, but also to begin war against them.
Asa then took the construction materials Israel had abandoned and used them to build fortresses of his own.
But then Asa was rebuked by the prophet for trusting in the Syrians rather than in the Lord.
I cannot imagine many people in our day even conceiving that negotiating a positive deal with a foreign nation could be anything less than the blessing of God.
Not long ago, the governor of Montana proclaimed a day of prayer, asking the Lord to bring rain to the state and end the drought. Boy, did he get hammered for that. He was accused of everything from promoting climate change denial to being lazy for leaving such a desperate problem “up to God.”
It is noteworthy that Asa did not respond well to the prophet. People have never been naturally inclined to lean on the Lord. But have we come so far in our world today that we no longer even publicly attempt to call on God—and now even rebuke leaders who do?
#TheArtOfTheDeal #TrustGodNotMan #AsaAndSyria #LeaningOnTheLord #WhenSuccessIsNotApproval
The Art of the Deal: Replacing Prayer with Politics?
What do you think? Did Asa act wisely—or did he cross the line from godly leadership into worldly dependence? I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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2 Chronicles 16:2-4 (KJV) The Art of the Deal
