What do the Scriptures mean? In 2 Chr 15:17 the Scripture say “Asa was wholehearted for his entire life.” And then in the very next chapter we see that he didn’t seek the Lord in the battle against Baasha but instead sought the help of the king of Aram. And then he didn’t seek the Lord for his foot disease but only the physicians (more on that in the next post).
So was Asa wholehearted for his entire life or did he end badly?
The answer is yes. He was wholehearted his entire life and he did end badly.
When we look at Scriptures we are looking at language just as we have today. Language is used according to its context. In this context saying Asa was wholeheartedly was the broad generalization of his life. He removed the high places and the pagan worship. He even removed his grandmother and her evil Asherah pole. In the big picture, he indeed was wholehearted.
Yet he did stumble at times as we see at the end of his life. He didn’t rely on the Lord and paid the price for that. Did this mean Asa wasn’t wholehearted? Only if you take a legalistic view of words and meaning. And legalism doesn’t work in any language. Ever. Language is rich with hyperbole and figures of speech.
If you see a YouTube video that says, “This guy _____________ DESTROYED____________ in the debate.” You know that he didn’t literally destroy his opponent. Or when a sports team “CRUSHES” the opposing team. It doesn’t mean they literally crushed them. It is figurative for broad generalization. Every language in the world has this.
And so it was here. In the big picture, Asa, especially compared to the others, served the Lord wholeheartedly. Yes, he did have some episodes where he didn’t. But in the big picture he did.
And honestly, can that be said of you? And me? That we served the Lord wholeheartedly all the days of our lives?
