GOD’S WORD FOR JANUARY 23 ~ ~ 2 Chron 16:9~ ~ “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” This is a well known verse, and rightly so, for it shows the Lord’s great love and protection for His people. But, most of the time, the entire verse is not used. Only the first part is usually quoted. When we take into consideration the entire verse, and look into the context in which it was written, we see the bigger picture. King Asa, King of Judah, was at odds with Baasha, the King of Israel. He felt Israel was pushing the border, building cities, so he gave the King of Syria, gold and silver from the temple of God and from his palace, to make a treaty with him, so Syria would push Israel back.

As a result, God was angered because Asa didn’t ask Him for protection, and wisdom, instead of making a treaty with an enemy. So for a time they had many wars. God is saying, “If you had been loyal to me, I would have taken care of this, but you turned to men to do My job.”

The message for us, as individuals, especially in the times we find ourselves, is that, despite the foolish things our leaders may do, God judges the individuals within a nation the same as the leaders, which is why most of the time, only the first part is used, and that part is perfectly true and right. But it’s interesting to know these things, as we ponder the events we see going on around us in these times. Our leaders are definitely not turning to the Lord, and they are doing the same thing as King Asa did, in giving to the enemies, of the storehouse of the Lord. While God gives them, and us, free will, He is still in total control of what He allows and decrees. He will protect, reward, test, and punish as He sees fit. Praise be to the Lord.

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