Lives of Scripture

Asa became king of Judah after his father Abijah and reigned forty-one years, longer than any king of Judah before him (1 Kings 15:9-10). Scripture commends him for doing "what was right in the sight of the LORD" -- removing male cult prostitutes, tearing down his fathers' idols, and even deposing his grandmother Maacah as queen mother for an obscene Asherah image she had made, which Asa cut down and burned (1 Kings 15:11-13; 2 Chronicles 14:2-5). When a vast Cushite army invaded, Asa prayed openly for help -- "LORD, there is no one besides You... let not man prevail against You" -- and Judah won decisively (2 Chronicles 14:9-13). The prophet Azariah urged him to stay courageous in seeking the LORD, prompting further reform and a covenant renewal at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 15:1-15). But Asa's faith faltered late in his reign: when King Baasha of Israel fortified Ramah to blockade Judah, Asa emptied the temple treasury to bribe Ben-hadad of Aram into breaking his treaty with Israel and attacking it instead -- a political solution rather than a prayer (1 Kings 15:16-22). The seer Hanani rebuked him for relying on Aram instead of the LORD who had given the Cushite victory; Asa imprisoned him in a rage for it (2 Chronicles 16:7-10). Diseased in his feet in old age, Asa "did not seek the LORD, but the physicians" -- Scripture's own contrast with his earlier prayers (2 Chronicles 16:12-13). He died and was buried with great honor (16:14).