"Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of The Lord…" - 2 Chronicles 16:2
Asa had been a very good king, whose heart was sincere. (2Chr 14:2). He was obedient to God all the time and made very difficult decisions and acted bravely even against his own grandmother. But there was one time when he made a bad decision which revealed a bigger problem. This problem started him to go downward. After this one problem he turned against God's prophet.
King Asa took away from what should be God's and used it for the purpose of protecting himself. He used something he shouldn't have used for protecting himself. He turned to the things to provide protection instead of turning to God for protection.
He committed two sins with this:
1. He took what he shouldn't and used it for something he shouldn't. He was a giver before (he gave to the house of God, he contributed to God's kingdom), but now he became a taker. And the sole motivation for taking was fear, insecurity and self protection. He was seeking ways to secure himself, because security and safety became very important to him after so many peaceful years.
2. He didn't turn to the One who could protect him and give him security, but turned to something that can't give real protection. He was hoping gold and silver (or the partnership he was buying with that gold and silver) was giving him security against the enemy. He turned to treasures in the house of God to gain security instead of turning to God himself for security. Asa relied on the partnership he bought on the silver he took form God's house.
The sin of Asa deceits us and the realization of it usually comes with great damage.
The reality of Asa's sin is when we turn to something to gain security other than God. This is when we turn to get security from the "treasures of the house of God" instead of God himself. The "treasures in the house of God" can be ministry, fellowship, worship, even QT or any religious activity. When we use those as means to gain our security and to get our identity from them, than we take away from God's house. The sin of Asa is when we gain our security and identity from the recognition in a ministry or in a fellowship instead of gaining it from God who loves and accepts us as we are. Lots of Christians are using ministry, fellowship, QT or any other religious activities (as silver or gold from God's house) to gain other people's friendship, partnership, recognition, protection, etc. That is what Asa did: bought security on the treasures of the house of God instead of turning to God himself for security. We need to find security in God, not in what is in God's house. Those were meant to serve a different purpose other than giving us security. Ministry, fellowship or any other religious activity are not meant to give us security and identity.
Sadly, too many Christians are turning to ministry or fellowship to gain their security, self image, identity, protection or to get recognition through it. They use those things to get something. When those "treasures" are taken away from them they are deeply wounded because they loose part of their identity and security. These borthers and sisters did nothing but took away from the "silver and gold" in the house of God and used them for something it was not meant to be used for. For lot of people ministry is a "high place" where they offer sacrifices for the idol of ministry, or for the idol of fellowship, or for the idol of anything that they value or they hope their security coming from. When ministry, fellowship or any Christian activity is used or elevated to substitute God than it's nothing, but idol-worship. That's how ministry can become an idol-worship.
We all addicted to security. We were made to have security. This security can only be found in the relationship with God we were created for. Any attempt to substitute our security in God with anything makes us nothing, but addicted idol-worshipers.