In 2 Chronicles 16 King Asa of Judah dealt with a conflict with King Baasha of Israel by making an alliance with the king of Aram instead of relying on God. Hanani the prophet tells Asa that this was foolish and he will now have many wars. Asa doesn’t like hearing this bad news and puts Hanani in the stocks. Asa died of a disease in his feet. Even then he did not take counsel in the Lord.

We don’t like hearing from God when God tells us we have done wrong. We only want God’s blessings. But as Hanani said to Asa, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the entire earth, to strengthen those whose heart is true to him.” God wants us to trust in Him for everything. When we go our own way and trust others before God we are being foolish and will bear the consequences of our actions. The saying “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible. God wants us to rely on Him always. He will then lead us in the way we should go. Go to God first.

In 2 Chronicles 17 Jehoshaphat becomes king of Judah. He seeks the Lord and obeys the commandments. Jehoshaphat removes the high places and sacred poles from Judah. He sent officials and priests out into Judah to teach the people the Law of God. The kingdoms around Judah felt the fear of the Lord and did not attack Judah.

Psalm 73 emphasizes what Hanani said to Asa: that God is good to the upright, those who follow Him. But the writer of the psalm acknowledges that he has not been pure in heart. He envied the arrogant and wicked. They seemed to have it all together.

God shows him that their confidence is fleeting. He recognizes that he was wrong for his envy. He knows that God is always with him. Even if his flesh and heart fail God is his strength. He ends the psalm saying that it is good to be near God. How true those words are.