Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. – 1 Kings 15:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 25, 2013): 1 Kings 15

Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of Britain as the winds of the war to end all wars part two began to blow in Europe. And there seemed to be no real consensus as to what should be done about the impending storm that was building around Germany. Chamberlain’s response, which he defended for the end of his life, was appeasement. His chosen path was to give to Hitler whatever it was that Hitler wanted. Specifically, the policy of appeasement is seen most clearly in the betrayal of Czechoslovakia at Munich in 1938. It was at Munich that the country was handed over to Hitler and Germany – despite the military alliance that they had held with France at the time. Chamberlain would argue that at that moment in history there was absolutely nothing that either France or Britain could have done to save Czechoslovakia. If not for the betrayal of Czechoslovakia in 1938, the British Empire would have been lost.

In 1940, Chamberlain’s detractors finally won the battle against the Prime Minister and Chamberlain resigned. It is said that a young Princess Elizabeth cried during Chamberlain’s resignation speech. He would be replaced by Winston Churchill. Churchill seemed to be the man of the hour. This was the moment in history that he was designed for. He would not have been a great politician in any other circumstances, but here he was great. Chamberlain, who was a great politician in his own right, would be forever remembered by his policy of appeasement and the betrayal of Czechoslovakia. All that he had done well has been forgotten.

Asa was a good king. During his reign he accomplished many good things and he had followed God. But all of the good that Asa had done was put on the line by one act near the end of his life. As so often happens, Asa began to long for peace in his own final days, and so he decided to take the treasures of the temple and give them to the King of Aram so that he could have peace. With the mercenaries hired, the war would end and peace would once more be enjoyed by the people of Judah. It was a good goal, but the action showed a weakness in Asa’s character - Asa lacked trust in God. It was not that the treasures were more important than the people, but rather that the only path to the lasting peace, a path that both Asa and Judah so desperately desired, could be found in a foundational trust of God.

It has been noted that fear is faith in the wrong things or faith in reverse. Asa was a good king, and yet he is remembered more for this one act of fear than for all of the good that he did - because in this moment Asa took the trust that had once resided only with God, and he gave both that trust and the wealth that God had given him and to the King of Aram – hoping that the pagan king would turn out to be his savior.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 16