The Faltering of Asa

In the 2017 movie, The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman played PT Barnum. Barnum had an eye for oddities and wanted to provide a type of entertainment that Manhattan, and later the world, had never seen. He sought out rare talents and socially unacceptable folks that he imagined could make it big, making the circus industry what it is today. He heavily relied on these acts as he staggeringly rose to fame, eventually securing a successful title, Barnum’s Circus. He built up the acts while also equipping his new employees with confidence they had never had. Once he made it big, he continued to hunger for power and success, landing on the act of Jenny Lind, a singer nicknamed “the nightingale” whose beautiful voice would seal the deal. He left his security and foundation behind with the oddities, leaving the troupe to fend for themselves while he galavanted around the world with Lind. This pivot in the plan eventually led to destruction- a false accusation of an affair that stretched far and wide, a chaotic and defiant circus troupe, and the eventual demise of the circus. 

While there is more to the story, complete with a happy ending, I want to focus on the pivot. It is right in line with King Asa. He started out praising the Lord for His help, pivoted to gaining power and taking things into his own hands, and then died because of a diseased foot in which he didn’t seek the Lord for help. While this sounds ludicrous, it happens all the time! 

In 2 Chronicles 15, in the beginning of Asa’s reign, he responded in godliness: he took courage and put away detestable idols (v. 8), he repaired the altar of the Lord (v. 8), he led people back to reliance on God (v. 11), and entered into a covenant with these people to seek that Lord (v. 12). He then takes a hard turn to ungodly behavior in 2 Chronicles 16. The first red flag was that before and during his actions, Asa gave no mention of the Lord. He stole gifts from the temple (v.2), stole supplies (v.6), greed led to anger (v. 10), his anger led to cruelty (v.10). 

So, what do we do to avoid the pivot? How can we avoid the mistakes that Barnum and Asa made? Deuteronomy 32: 7 provides some guidance: “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders and they will tell you”. Remember the Lord’s faithfulness, ask God to remind you (He’s good at that!), and seek out help and wisdom from trusted leadership. Allow trusted friends and pastors to enter in and ask hard questions about keeping God at the center of your life. The best news- it's not too late to turn away from the pivot.

By Stephanie Sellman