Biblical Profile: Asa

Asa

Asa became the third king of Judah after the split of Solomon’s empire into independent kingdoms. Asa succeeded his father, Abijah, after Abijah’s brief kingship (913–910 BC) and reigned for 41 years (910–869 BC).

In the beginning of his reign, Asa was a good king. He opposed the worship of false gods in the land, destroyed the Asherah pole that his grandmother Maacah had set up, and removed her remaining political influence (1 Kgs 15:13; 2 Chr 15:16).

In these early days, God blessed Asa’s reign with military victory and peace. Asa forced out or defeated all who attempted to conquer, divide, or destroy Judah (2 Chr 14:1-8). Asa’s most astounding conquest was over an Ethiopian leader named Zerah, who attacked Judah with more than a million troops. Because of Asa’s obedience and faithfulness, God gave him a tremendous victory (14:9-15).

Unfortunately, Asa’s attitude changed toward the end of his life, and he abandoned his trust in God. Baasha, the king of the northern kingdom, attacked Judah with the support of Ben-hadad, king of Aram, and fortified the city of Ramah. Asa paid the king of Aram to change sides and support him rather than Baasha. This meant that Asa had more confidence in a foreign king than in the Lord. Worse, Asa paid Ben-hadad with gold and silver that he had earlier given to the Temple! Asa’s power play worked, and the northern kingdom of Israel had to leave Judah to stave off Ben-hadad’s threat from the north. But the prophet Hanani rebuked Asa for his disbelief in God. Infuriated, Asa had Hanani thrown into prison (16:7-10).

For the final years of his reign, Asa became ill with a serious foot disease. “Even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians” (16:12). Even so, when Asa died he was buried with honor in the royal tombs (16:14).

Passages for Further Study

1 Kgs 15:8-24; 2 Chr 14:1–16:14