Asa

Asa became the third king of Judah after Solomon's empire split into separate kingdoms. Asa became king after his father, Abijah, who ruled briefly from 913 to 910 BC. Asa reigned for 41 years, from 910 to 869 BC.

At the start of his reign, Asa was a good king. He opposed the worship of false gods, destroyed the Asherah pole his grandmother Maacah had set up, and removed her political influence (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16).

In the early days of Asa's reign, God gave him military victories and peace. Asa expelled or defeated anyone trying to conquer, divide, or destroy Judah (2 Chronicles 14:1–8). Asa's most remarkable victory was over an Ethiopian leader named Zerah, who attacked Judah with over a million troops. Due to Asa's obedience and faithfulness, God granted him a great victory (2 Chronicles 14:9–15).

Sadly, Asa's attitude changed near the end of his life. He stopped trusting in God. Baasha, the king of the northern kingdom, attacked Judah with help from Ben-hadad, king of Aram, and strengthened the city of Ramah. Asa paid the king of Aram to switch sides and support him instead of Baasha. This showed Asa trusted a foreign king more than the Lord. Worse, Asa paid Ben-hadad with gold and silver he had previously given to the temple! Asa's strategy worked, and the northern kingdom of Israel had to leave Judah to deal with Ben-hadad's threat from the north. However, the prophet Hanani criticized Asa for his lack of faith in God. Angered, Asa imprisoned Hanani (2 Chronicles 16:7–10).

In the last years of his reign, Asa had a serious foot disease. Despite the severity of his illness, he did not seek the Lord's help. Instead, he relied only on his doctors (2 Chronicles 16:12). Even so, when Asa died, they buried him with honor in the royal tombs (2 Chronicles 16:14).

Passages for Further Study

1 Kings 15:8–24; 2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14