1 Kings 15:16

1 Kings 15:16 says, And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.  The war between the people of Israel and the people of Judah, all part of God's chosen people continued while Asa was king of Judah and Baasha was king of Israel.  Verse seventeen adds, And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.  Baasha went against Judah and built-up Ramah so he wouldn't have to come or go into Asa.  Matthew Henry says Baasha reigned for twenty-four years and was constantly in conflict with Asa.  Instead of helping each other, they weakened each other by their constant fighting between themselves.  If we as Christians fight each other today, for whatever reason, we are only going to weaken our witness for God.  Verse eighteen continues, Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,  Asa took all the remaining silver and gold from the treasury of the temple and from the king's palace and sent them to the king of Syria.  We should never give away the things of God that have been brought into the church collectively and to us individually unless we know beyond a doubt that God has directed us to.  We certainly cannot do so just to bring peace and security in this lifetime.  Verse nineteen concludes, There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.  Asa told Benhadad that there was a league between his father and Asa's father and that he had sent him a gift to get him to continue to be in league with him against Baasha.  Asa did not trust God to keep him safe, but actually used the things of God in order to buy safety.  We must look to God alone for safety in the world today and we certainly should never misuse the things God has blessed us with simply for our own benefit.  Verse twenty states, So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.  Benhadad did as Asa asked and went to war with Israel.  We should never attempt to get the people of the world to try to destroy other Christians even if we don't agree with them about everything.  Verse twenty-one adds, And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.  When Baasha heard about Benhadad going to war with him, he quit building up Ramah and lived in Tirzah instead.  Asa may have gotten what he wanted, but it came at the cost of others of God's people being killed.  We as followers of Christ should never do things simply because they benefit us if what we are doing harms other Christians, and we certainly shouldn't ally ourselves with non-Christians who are out to destroy other Christians.  Verse twenty-two continues, Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.  Asa then made a proclamation, and the people took away the stones and timber of Ramah and used them to build up Geba and Mizpah instead.  This might seem to be a good thing, but Asa had not consulted God in any of this that we are told of.  Even if we are successful in the world today as Christians, to be successful spiritually, we must make sure that we are following God's plan and not just our own.  Verse twenty-three says, The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.  We are told that the rest of the accomplishments of Asa are written in the chronicles of the kings of Judah.  We have a side note that in his old age, Asa was afflicted in his feet, which Matthew Henry says was with gout.  Asa is known to be one of the good kings of Judah, but he wasn't perfect, and he wasn't spared physical ailments.  We as Christians may be known as good Christians, but we are not perfect, nor are we spared physical suffering.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.  After Asa died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat his son became king of Judah.  One thing we can be sure of is that if Jesus Christ doesn't return first, one day we will die and someone else will take our place in doing God's work in the world today.  We need to pray that whoever does so will always put God's will first.