Daily Manna, Year Two · Day 183 · July 2
The Rest Of The Verse
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”
In the thirty-sixth year of his reign, King Asa of Judah has silver and gold carried out of the treasures of the house of the LORD. He sends it to Damascus and pays the king of Syria to break his treaty with Baasha, king of Israel, who has been building a fort at Ramah to cut off the road into Judah. The plan works. Baasha stops building and lets the work go.
Then Hanani the seer comes to Asa with the sentence people print on cards and hang on walls: "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." Hanani keeps going, and so should anyone who quotes him: "Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars." Just before it, he has reminded Asa of his own past. Years earlier, against a far bigger army, God had come through for him: "yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand." Asa's answer was to put Hanani in prison.
Lord, we have read half of this verse for years and taken comfort from it. Now read us the other half. We have made the deal, moved the money, and called it wisdom, and we did it with a record behind us of all the times You came through for us. We have no excuse to offer. Turn our hearts back toward You.
Your eyes are still running to and fro across the whole earth, looking. You are not looking for a spotless record, or a clever plan, or people who have never had to buy their way out of trouble. You are looking for a heart that is turned all the way toward You, and when You find it, You have promised to show Yourself strong. Amen.
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year one reading for day 183 is The Faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9).