There is an interesting correlation between today's Old Testament reading (2 Chronicles 15-16) and the New Testament reading from Acts 20:24. In that passage, Paul declares his intentions to the elders of Ephesus as he says his farewells, knowing he will not see them again in this world.
But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.
His life was not about himself, but about running the race to the very end and completing the ministry God had laid before him. We remember what he said in 2 Timothy 4, that he actually did finish the race and keep the faith and that he expected a reward, a crown, when his life ended (as it was about to).
Perhaps he was concerned about running the race well, all the way to the finish, because of his familiarity with stories of Israel's kings. There were many of them who started well and did great things for God in their early years, but in their later years they fell by the wayside or shipwrecked their lives.
Asa is one of those kings. He was a good king and could have been numbered among the truly great kings of Judah, but in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, his faith failed him (2 Chronicles 16:1-2). Baasha, King of Israel, decided to attack Judah. Asa, a man of faith and obedience, suddenly lost heart. Instead of calling out to God and trusting his provision, Asa turned to the king of Aram for help.
Ben-Hadad did give aid to the king of Judah, but it came with a cost. The gold and silver from the treasury of the Temple was emptied out and given as a tribute to the pagan king.
Sometimes we can get things done by trusting ourselves or trusting others, but there is always a cost. The blessings that God has brought into our lives is sacrificed when we fail to trust and believe in God.
Father, may I never fail to trust in you and finish well the race you have set before me. May my eyes always be on Christ, the Author and Finisher of my faith.
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