Chapter 16

At that time, Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.” (2 Chronicles 16:7)

We are unable to see our real adversaries because of compromise.

Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. (2 Chronicles 16:10)

Speaking the word of the Lord carries its price. The seer, Hanani, was imprisoned. Very often, the messenger is punished for the message.

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was diseased in his feet—until his disease became very severe; yet in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but relied on the physicians. (2 Chronicles 16:12)

Asa’s heart was hardened towards the Lord. He is a perfect example of a man who started right but did not finish right. Apostle Paul commands us to run the race of our Christian journey well (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). We do not inherently become better with age and time; rather, we only become better if we continue to follow God in trust as we go through life.