Dl – Asa’s Spiritual Compromise First Kings 15:16-24 and 2 Chronicles 15:16 to 16:14

Asa’s Spiritual Compromise
First Kings 15:16-24 and Second Chronicles 15:16 to 16:14

Asa’s spiritual compromise DIG: What was Asa’s response to Hanani’s bad news? How was Asa’s response here different from his response to Azariah (Second Chronicles 15:8)? How did Asa’s angry response to Hanani keep him from seeking help from God in another difficulty? What was it?

REFLECT: Has your obedience to God ever alienated family or others around you? When was the last time you responded to criticism in anger? Why does God want you to rely on Him? What characterizes those who finish well in their lives? Is Torah your blueprint for living?

Asa forgot to rely on ADONAI.

Asa’s other reforms: The Chronicler concluded his record of Asa’s reforms by returning to familiar material covered in First Kings 15:13-15. Several items come into the picture at this point. First, Asa Asa even deposed Ma’acah his grandmother from her position as queen mother, who had much influence over the affairs of state, because she had made a disgusting image for an Asherah pole. Asa cut down this image of hers, chopped it into tiny pieces and burned it in the Kidron Valley (Second Chronicles 15:16). Apparently, she was not fully committed to Asa’s reforms. He not only destroyed her idol, but deposed her as well. Even the king’s own family wasn’t exempt from his reform movements.

Second, the Chronicler repeated from First Kings 15:14 that although Asa did not remove the high places from the smaller cities and countryside. Despite this failure on Asa’s part, the Chronicler included from First Kings that Asa’s heart was fully committed to ADONAI throughout most of his life (2 Chron 15:17).

Third, the Bible describes how the king led the way for his people in public dedication to God. He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that and his father had dedicated (Second Chronicles 15:18). This exemplary action recalls the similar actions of David (First Chronicles 29:3) and Solomon (2 Chron 5:1). Once again, this part of Asa’s reign was subtly compared to those ideal monarchs.

Fourth, the Chronicler added a final note to this portion of his record. He had already mentioned the nation’s rest on every side (2 Chronicles 15:15), but at this point he emphasized that there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign (2 Chron 15:19). The allusion to the ideal reign of Solomon is evident (2 Chron 9:30). With these closing remarks the Chronicler presented the depth of Asa’s reforms and the long lasting blessing of peace he received. For the post-exilic readers these features of the king’s reign were desirable.³⁷²

Asa’s spiritual compromise: Although the Bible commends King Asa for his many reforms, we should not imagine that he was the perfect king. The Bible frankly admits several of his failings, and when we see them, they may remind us of some of our own spiritual struggles. The first thirty-five years of Asa’s reign involved loyalty, victory, prophetic approval and obedience; however, the last six years were characterized by disloyalty, defeat, prophetic rebuke and spiritual compromise.

The high places: But the high places were not removed from the smaller cities and countryside. Nevertheless, Asa was wholehearted with ADONAI throughout most of his life and led the way for his people in public dedication to God. He collected gold and silver for the maintenance of the Temple. He brought into the house of ADONAI all the articles his father had dedicated, also the things he himself had consecrated – silver, gold and utensils that he and his father had dedicated (First Kings 15:14-15).

Asa’s battle with Ba’sha: The king also failed to honor God fully in his political relationships. To contrast Asa’s remarkable victory over Zerah (to see link click Dk – Asa’s Reforms: Asa’s victory over Zerah), the Chronicler recorded one of Asa’s battles with Ba’sha, king of northern Isra’el. This battle was not a total defeat for Asa. In fact, in purely political terms it was only a slight setback. Yet, from the Chronicler’s point of view it represented a serious violation of Asa’s loyalty to ADONAI and it brought judgment against the king.

Asa’s religious fervor did not exempt him from military threats. In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Ba‘sha king of Isra’el attacked Judah. After the death’s of Jeroboam and his son Nadab (see Do – Nadab King of Isra’el), a new dynasty began with Ba’sha (see Dp – Ba’sha King of Isra’el). Ba’sha’s accession year was the third year of Asa’s reign. Ba’sha apparently was initially occupied with securing the throne and other internal affairs. But with a victorious and strengthened Judah, whose renewed vitality had succeeded in drawing away many of his citizens, Ba’sha could no longer remain inactive.

Moving swiftly, Ba’sha attacked and seized Ramah, the most northern city of the kingdom of Judah. What divided the two nations was a natural valley, and when Ba’sha crossed the border and began building siege works around Ramah, he violated this natural border between Isra’el and Judah.³⁷³ Furthermore, Ramah set on the crossroads between two main trade routes that had access to the sea and were important for Judah. This cut Judah off from her two main supply routes. And he fortified Ramah to prevent anyone’s leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah (First Kings 15:16-17; Second Chronicles 16:1). Judah simply had to respond to this threat.³⁷⁴

Contrary to his appeal for divine help in his battle with Zerah, Asa turned to human power to remove the threat of Ba’sha’s fortification. The Bible clearly indicates that his actions were offensive to YHVH. Not only did the king send treasures from the royal palace, but he also took all the silver and gold left among the treasures of the house of ADONAI. Earlier, the Chronicler praised Asa because he brought silver and gold into the Temple (Second Chronicles 15:18). But here, Asa did the exact opposite. He took from Ha’Shem in order to establish an alliance with a pagan foreign power. The Chronicler emphasizes this contrast by repeating a reference to silver and gold in Asa’s speech to Ben-Hadad (Second Chronicles 16:3). As we will see, this pursuit of an unequally yoked alliance led to God sending a prophet to announce His judgment against Asa.

And, entrusting them to his servants, King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, with this message: “There is a covenant between me and you, which existed already between my father and your father. Ben-Hadad and Asa functioned as equals, but Asa had to buy Ben-Hadad’s loyalty because the pagan king would have to break his treaty with northern Isra’el. Here, I am sending you a present of silver and gold; go, and break your covenant with Ba’sha king of Isra’el, so that he will leave me alone” (First Kings 15:18-19; Second Chronicles 16:2-3). Isra’el’s covenant with Syria was the reason that Ba’sha felt confident that he could attack Judah. He assumed he would not be attacked from the North.

Although the Chronicler said nothing explicit at this point about the religious aspects of Asa’s plan, he later exposed this treaty as rebellion against God. Treaties and cooperation with foreign powers were not entirely forbidden to Isra’el (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Dp – Regulations for a Holy War: Distant cities outside the Land). Yet, when these treaties were established in lieu of dependence on ADONAI for military security, they were strongly condemned. The Chronicler condemned another such alliance in the days of Ahaz (Second Chronicles 28:16-21). Such events were important to him because his post-exilic readers were tempted to find their security in similar ways, rather than relying on Ha’Shem for their protection.

Beyond this, it is important to note that in this situation Asa not only allied himself with a pagan foreign power, but he did so against northern Isra’el. This fact may have also inspired the Chronicler’s condemnation. Although the northern tribes were in apostasy (Second Chronicles 13:4-12) and aggressive toward Judah, conspiring with foreign nations against fellow Jews was outrageous. The northern tribes troubled the early post-exilic community (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah At – Opposition during the Reign of Cyrus), but here the Chronicler instructed his readers not to make war against them through Hanani the seer, especially by means of an alliance with foreign powers.³⁷⁵

Ben-Hadad did as King Asa asked – he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of northern Isra’el, attacking Iyon, Dan, Abel-Mayim, the Sea of Galilee and all the storage cities of Naftali. As soon as Ba’sha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work, staying in Tirzah, the Israelite capitol. King Asa then issued a proclamation requiring every man in Judah, with no exception, to come and carry off the stones and timber Ba’sha had used to fortify Ramah, which was only four miles north of Jerusalem on the main route to the coastal plain. With them Asa fortified Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah (First Kings 15:20-22; Second Corinthians 16:4-6). The Chronicler reported these events to convey the apparent success of Asa’s strategy.

To the unsuspecting reader, the whole series of events looked like a great victory for Asa. His plan worked out splendidly. Only subtle hints of religious failure appear up to this point. However, the Chronicler was ready to spring a surprise on his readers. Although the event seemed to honor Asa for his diplomatic and military skills, it will soon be seen for what it really was, an act of rebellion against God.

Prophecy and response: The Chronicler immediately offered an explicit judgment of what the king had done. Instead of congratulating the king for his clever diplomacy, the prophet accused him of sin. It was around then that Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Aram and didn’t rely on ADONAI your God, the king of Aram’s army has escaped from your power. To highlight the folly of Asa’s actions, the prophet continued to contrast this situation with the previous war with Zerah. The army of the Ethiopians and Libyans was huge, wasn’t it? How many chariots and horsemen did they have? Yet you defeated them because you relied on ADONAI. He handed them over to you. To support his claim, the prophet appealed to a doctrinal belief. For the eyes of ADONAI move here and there throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those who are wholehearted toward Him. You acted foolishly in this regard; for from now on, you will have war” (Second Chronicles 16:7-9). In sharp contrast with the blessing of peace during the first thirty-five years of Asa’s reign, the last six years of his reign would be plagued by war. The message to the Chronicler’s post-exilic audience was perfectly clear. Since they longed to avoid war with their neighbors, only reliance on ADONAI could bring them peace.

But Asa became angry at the seer. Instead of repenting for the disobedience exposed by the prophet, the king was outraged at the accusation. Therefore, because of his rage at him over this matter he threw him in prison, much like King Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah at a later time (Jeremiah 32:3). When prophets rebuked someone and predicted negative consequences, they often suffered severe punishment. Once again, the Chronicler’s keen concern with the prophetic office is evident. Asa not only imprisoned the prophet, but he also brutally oppressed some of his own people who apparently sympathized with the prophet Hanani (Second Chronicles 16:10). This subsequent oppression of God’s people underscored how much the king’s heart had turned away from wholeheartedly seeking ADONAI and following His ways.

The summary of his reign: The other activities of Asa from beginning to end, all his power, all his accomplishments and the cities he fortified are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Judah (First Kings 15:23a; Second Chronicles 16:11). Like his great-grandfather, Solomon, Asa started out well, but ended up being characterized by faithlessness, failure, and spiritual compromise. However, when the Chronicler summarized his entire forty-one year reign, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh inspired the author to write that Asa did what was good and right from the perspective of ADONAI his God, as David his ancestor had done (First Kings 15:11 and Second Chronicles 14:2). David, although guilty of adultery and murder, was viewed in a positive light for the totality of his reign; and thus, Asa, despite the faithlessness of the last six years of his forty-one year reign, is also viewd positively.³⁷⁶

The death of the king: Asa’s death marked the end of Judah’s first great reforming king. He built cities, fought battles, and enjoyed other achievements, but his spiritual achievements mattered most to the author of First and Second Kings. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa suffered from a disease in his legs. The Bible gives no cluses as to the precise nature of the disease, but it is evident that the Chronicler considered it a curse. It was a very serious disease, yet even with this disease he did not seek out ADONAI but turned to the physicians. His sin here was similar to his sin in the conflict with Ba’sha, he relied on human power rather than divine help. As a result, Asa found no relief from his disease.

The book of Kings ends its account of Asa’s kingship with this: Asa slept with his ancestors, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. The Chronicler recorded his death in a way that brought honor to the king. They buried him in his own burial cave, which he had ordered cut for himself in the City of David. They laid him in a bed filled with sweet spices of various kinds, expertly compounded; and a very great fire was kindled in his honor and then Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place (1 Kings 15:23b-24; 2 Chron 16:12-14). After the king’s death, we are left to evaluate his life. Usually we see things in black and white, but his is hard to do with Asa. The king had a long and prosperous reign during which – against all expectation – he brought reformation to Judah’s worship. He made a costly commitment to ADONAI, sacrificing his own peace and prosperity to advance the kingdom. Yet, Asa was also guilty of tragic spiritual compromise. Was Asa a hero or a villain, a saint of a sinner? It is impossible to put him in only one category. He wanted to follow God, and sometimes he did, but he also made spiritual compromises that went against everything His heavenly Kingdom stood for. In other words, Asa was a lot like us; called to be a saint, but still struggling as a sinner.³⁷⁷

We don’t serve a fallen, dead king; we serve a risen, living King. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that the Son is the radiance of God’s sh’khinah glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 1:3). Someone has said that Yeshua Messiah came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become the children of God. He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born – and that in His childhood. He had no wealth or influence and had neither training nor education in the world’s schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluential. In infancy He startled a king. In boyhood He puzzled the learned rabbis. In manhood He ruled the course of nature. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine and yet He has healed more people than all the hospitals in the world. This Yeshua Messiah is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the lion and the lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases. Throughout history great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. The devil could not tempt Him. Death could not destroy Him and the grave could not hold Him.³⁷⁸