And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.
Baasha moved against Judah by building and fortifying Ramah, a fortified city near Jerusalem, in order to shut up Judah. Asa took silver and gold from the house of the Lord and from the king's house to pay Ben-hadad king of Syria to break his league with Baasha. Ben-hadad then struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and the store cities of Naphtali, and when Baasha heard of it he left off building Ramah and let his work cease, so Asa's plan succeeded outwardly.
The deliverance described came by reliance on the king of Syria and on a foreign alliance rather than by reliance on and trust in the Lord God. That reliance was foolishness and turning from God to follow his own judgment contrary to the will of God, a failure to rely fully on God.
That failure brought the rebuke of the prophet Hanani. Such turning brings trouble from the Lord according to a man's works, whatever his former calling, and wars from that time onward.
Baasha moved against Judah by building and fortifying Ramah, a fortified city near Jerusalem, in order to shut up Judah. Asa took silver and gold from the house of the Lord and from the king's house to pay Ben-hadad king of Syria to break his league with Baasha. Ben-hadad then struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and the store cities of Naphtali, and when Baasha heard of it he left off building Ramah and let his work cease, so Asa's plan succeeded outwardly.
The deliverance described came by reliance on the king of Syria and on a foreign alliance rather than by reliance on and trust in the Lord God. That reliance was foolishness and turning from God to follow his own judgment contrary to the will of God, a failure to rely fully on God.
That failure brought the rebuke of the prophet Hanani. Such turning brings trouble from the Lord according to a man's works, whatever his former calling, and wars from that time onward.