Bible Questions Answered:
A friend of mine showed me a scripture about King Asa, who when he was sick went to his physicians instead of the Lord, and because of that, he died of his illness. How are we to take that?
Renata/ Pelotas, Brazil/ South America
Bible Answer:
Text:
II Chronicles 16:12 KJV
And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.
Dear Christian friend, it is not how we have begun our race, nor all the pitfalls that we have encountered along the way that matter, for what really matters is, how will we “finish,” the race!
I Corinthians 9:24-27 KJV (Apostle Paul)
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Many have started well, but some have grown weary along the way, and have left off the course.
Acts 20:22-24 NLT (The Apostle Paul.)
22 And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me,
23 except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.
24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
II Timothy 4:6-8 NLT
6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.
When someone starts well, but after some time, leaves the race, and forgets the Great Living God, he will die in sin and loss, and be remembered no more.
Ezekiel 3:20 NLT
"If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. ...they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered..."
Ezekiel 33:13 NLT
When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them,
then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins.
Luke 14:25-35 NLT
25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them,
26 “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.
27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.
30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?
32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.
33 So you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own.
34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?
35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”
Much good could be said of King Asa. He was a man of action with religious and social reforms that blessed Judah. And because he was, Judah, became blessed with morality, prosperity, and peace within it's borders.
The later part of Asa's life he began to do things in his own might and wisdom. Instead of seeking the face of the Lord, when his country faced difficulty, he turned to human ingenuity. When the prophet of the Lord, Hanani, confronted Asa, and what he was doing, Asa had the prophet of the Lord thrown into jail.
Asa became sick with a disease of his feet, which many believe to have been a serious case of gout.
Many thought then, as well as many today, that no doubt it was the judgement of God.
In his disease and dispair, ...
II Chronicles 16:12 KJV
“...he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.
II Chronicles 16:11-14 NLT
11 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians.
13 So he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out for himself in the City of David. He was laid on a bed perfumed with sweet spices and fragrant ointments, and the people built a huge funeral fire in his honor.
A clearer picture of this event, is had, when we realize that in Aza's day, the physicians (that he sought), were priests of Baal. And anything to do with Baal, was strictly forbidden, by God, as Baal was the false deity of the Phoenicians, and Canaanitish nations.
This was the reason for God's anger, not that he had sought out a physician.
Dear brother, and sister, how are you running? Have you gotten tired and sat down for a while on the course? Get back up, and go on, on in the name of the Lord. The victor's crown belongs to those who go on until the end.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
3 Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
