Hebrew Word Study – Rely Upon – Sha’an – שען Shin Ayin Nun

II Chronicles 16:7: “At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast not relied on the Lord they God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.”

Asa was a Godly king in Judah. The prophet came to Asa in II Chronicles 15:2 and said: “The Lord is with you, while you are with him. If you seek Him, He will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” Asa then led the nation of Judah into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their hearts and with all their souls. In fact, anyone who did not seek God was put to death. The Bible tells us in verse 15 that the nation found God and God gave them rest. Asa even removed his mother from her position as queen because she made an idol. Asa cut the idol down and burned it. He brought gold and silver into the temple and dedicated it to the Lord. For 35 years Judah lived in peace and prosperity and there was no war.

Then Baasha, the king of the Northern kingdom of Israel built a city called Ramah which cut off all trade to Judah. Suddenly the economy of Judah was about to collapse, their food and water supply were under threat. After 35 years of trusting God, seeking God with all his heart, he fell into fear. He and Judah had lived 35 years in peace and prosperity and now with the threat of that prosperity ending, he fell into panic. Instead of going to the God, who had promised peace and prosperity and in 35 years never failed in that promise, Asa went to the temple, not to seek God, but to strip it of all the silver and gold and bring it to Syria pleading for their help. Syria was not necessarily an ally, but they were not an enemy. They were a potential threat to Judah and history proves this threat was real.  Syria was to Judah what China is to the United States. Not an ally, not an enemy, but a definite threat. 

Well, the plan worked. Bassha dismantled the city of Ramah and peace and prosperity returned. But the prophet came to Asa in 16:7 and told Asa that because he relied on Syria rather than God, Syria will one day destroy Judah. Asa, in a rage, had the prophet thrown into prison. Four years later Asa came down with a disease in his feet. It is believed that he developed an infection that spread throughout his body and for two years he lived in agony until he finally succumbed to the disease. 

I am looking at only one Hebrew word today. It is the word – nishe’aneta – “to rely upon.” Asa relied on Syria, not God. This is from the root word sha’an. The word is spelled Shin Ayin Nun.  The Shin, and Ayin represents peace through spiritual insight. The final letter is nun which represents faith.  Asa sought peace by placing his faith in his own insight. For 35 years Asa knew the blessings of God. After 35 years he grew comfortable with the blessings and forgot where the blessings came from and when he faced the threat of losing that blessing when the economy of Judah was about to collapse he became fearful he fell to his own reasoning or insight and ran to a godless nation for help. He placed his faith in man, in the arm of the flesh. He used the gold and silver, that he 35 years earlier had dedicated to God, to bribe this “man” this nation for help. 

We must never lose sight of where our blessings come from.  Every time we eat a meal we need to thank God, every paycheck we get we need to thank God, every day we go to a job, we need to thank God so we never forget where that meal comes from, or where that job comes from.  For we are no different than Asa, we are blessed and if ever there is a threat to losing that blessing, we could easily forget where that blessing came from and run to human circumstance for a solution rather than to God.

This afternoon while waiting for a passenger that I was to drive on my disability bus I began to spend some time with my Heavenly Father. We had a lot to talk about, my finances, my health, my future such as it is. I began bellyaching over how difficult things had become. God had always been faithful in the past. I was never in want of a job, or in need of rent money or a drivable car. I just prayed and poof! God answered, sometimes far and above what I asked. Now it seems when I ask for something, He shows me empty pockets. Instead, God showed something else, the story of Asa,  He reminded me that I could just rest in Him or I could sh’an with a Syria. I could depend upon the arm of the flesh. A little more than a year ago I faced death’s door like Asa. I realized that it was only by the grace of God that did the doctor discovered a problem in time to remedy the problem which would have resulted in a heart attack in a matter of days. Asa turned to the arm of the flesh and got sick and died.  I got sick, rested in my Heavenly Father, and lived, with help from modern technology turning me into a cyborg (a pacemaker). God certainly did not grant me extra time to depend upon the arm of the flesh, he used it but I know it was His Divine timing that brought everything together (my doctor still talks about that “close one”). But it was just God’s clock going off on schedule. So, whatever I had or do not have any longer matters.  The only thing that matters is I spend what time He has given me learning to lean upon Him and not the arm of the flesh. 

We walk this earth at the pleasure of our Heavenly Father and it is for His pleasure that we walk. If the only reward we receive on this earth is to feel His pleasure, that is a reward worth more than all the wealth, honor, and recognition this world has to offer.

A rabbi once told me that God sends everyone into the world with a mission. If we fulfill our mission, we will leave this earth with a gift and it is up to the living to determine what that gift is. But every day God gives us on this earth is another day to wrap that gift.  

If we face a financial crisis or health crisis like Asa, why would we turn to the arm of the flesh? If every day we have from God is a chance to wrap out gifts to those we leave behind, then maybe that crisis we face is just God’s way of helping us prepare that gift. 

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