9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. – 2 Chronicles 16:9
A Man’s View
The Bible tells us that God doesn’t see things the way men do. When God rejected Saul as king, He sent Samuel to anoint Saul’s replacement. We know that from all appearances, Saul had a lot going for him. He was tall, dark & handsome. In addition to his imposing stature and good looks, he was probably also an intelligent man. But unfortunately, he grieved God with his disobedience, therefore, he was being replaced. While Samuel was grieving Saul’s rejection, God decided to teach Samuel an important lesson.
The Lord Sees
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
You are familiar with the story. God tells Samuel to make a sacrifice and to invite Jesse and his sons. Somehow, being invited to a sacrifice sounds intimidating to me! However, at the sacrifice, Jesse’s sons are paraded before Samuel, but God doesn’t allow him to anoint any of them as Saul’s successor. Samuel has seen seven of Jesse’s sons but God has not given him the green light. So Samuel asks Jesse if there are any other sons to which Jesse replies in the affirmative. His youngest son was out tending sheep.
Young David is called for and sure enough, he is God’s choice to replace Saul as king. Although the Bible tells us that David is a handsome young man, he is not chosen because of his outward appearance, rather he is chosen because he is a man after God’s own heart. David may have been out in the fields tending a flock of sheep, but he was never out of the sight of God. The eyes of the Lord were running to and fro looking for a heart blameless toward Himself. Now we have to turn our eyes back to Second Chronicles.
Asa’s Actions
With Asa, things started so well. Second Chronicles chapter fourteen tells us that when he succeeded his father Abijah as king of Judah, the land had rest for ten years. It is recorded that he did what is right and good in the eyes of his LORD his God. He took away the foreign altars and removed the high places. Not content only to remove idol worship, Asa also commanded Judah to seek God and keep His words and commandments. Further, Asa fortified cities in Judah and prospered as he sought the Lord. Judah experienced peace on every side. Until…
After years of peace and prosperity, Asa was confronted with a test. Under the leadership of Zera, an Ethiopian army of one million men came marching towards Judah. How did Asa respond? He called upon the LORD and went out to meet the army. God rewarded Asa’s loyalty by routing the Ethiopian army until none remained. An army of one million men was completely destroyed before the eyes of Asa and Judah. Not only was the military threat removed, but Judah plundered the Ethiopian army and the cities surrounding the battle, carrying much wealth back to Jerusalem.
Timely Reminder
Success can be a dangerous trial. After the defeat of the Ethiopian army, Azariah, inspired by God, gives this timely reminder.
“Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:1b-7
Asa was further inspired. More idols were destroyed, a covenant was entered into, and oaths were made. Those who did not seek the LORD were to be put to death. Even Asa’s mother was demoted because of idolatry. Asa was commended for a true heart. The house of God was furnished with gifts, silver, gold, and vessels. Peace reigned for a long time. But not forever.
Bad Ending
In the thirty-sixth year of his reign, Asa was again threatened. This time it was Baasha, King of Israel. Instead of looking to God for protection as he did earlier, Asa sought outside help. How quickly the tapestry that was years in the making began to unravel. The silver and gold that was put into the house of God as an act of worship during the time of peace, was now taken out as a bribe to seek the help of Ben-hadad, king of Syria. Ben-hadad accepted the bribe and war with Israel was prevented, but God wasn’t impressed. Rather, Asa was “scolded” by the seer Hanani, who rebuked him for relying on a man instead of God. He reminded him of the victory God gave him over the Ethiopian army, and that from this moment on his life would be filled with wars. It was at this time that Hanani reminded Asa that the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards Him.
What began so well for Asa ended badly. In anger, he put Hanani the seer in stocks for his rebuke and showed further cruelty to others. Eventually, he became severely diseased in his feet, perhaps God was putting Asa in “stocks”. Instead of seeking God for help, he only sought the help of physicians. Ignoring God did not work. Asa slept with his fathers. He died according to his covenant. Those who did not seek the LORD were to be put to death.
Running Eyes & Blameless Hearts
We can learn a lot from Saul, David, and Asa. The things that impress other men, don’t necessarily impress God. God is not so interested in our physical attributes. He is not most interested in our talents. Our possessions and wealth don’t impress Him. We can give Him our time, but even that isn’t what He is most interested in. No. Gods’ eyes are running to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for blameless hearts. He wants hearts that are loyal to Him. He wants hearts that trust Him. He is scanning the masses of humanity looking for hearts that love Him and want to please Him. He is looking for true worshippers. Why? He wants to give them strong support. The God who annihilated Zera’s million man army is more than sufficient to conquer whatever enemies are threatening your peace.
The eyes of the Lord are running to and fro. What will they see when they look into your heart?