15:9-24

Back to 1 Kings~

Back to Contents

Asa’s reformation in Judah (1Ki 15:9-24)

Judah’s new king, Asa, spent the first ten years of his reign getting rid of Canaanite religious practices and strengthening the nation’s defences.

Strong faith and a strong fighting force enabled him to defeat a huge army that invaded Judah from the south. Plunder seized at the time enriched Judah considerably (2 Chron 14:1-15).

A prophet pointed out how this victory proved that, as in the time of the judges, God blessed those who trusted in him in their distress (2 Chron 15:1-7).

This encouraged Asa to move ahead more zealously with his reformation. He destroyed the remaining idols and invited all the people to sacrifice to the Lord and swear their loyalty to him.

Those who joined in Asa’s reforms included the faithful from the north who had migrated to Judah (2 Chron 15:8-15).

Asa then removed the queen mother, who was one of the main supporters of the false religion. He also drove out the religious prostitutes, but he did not remove all the local Baal shrines (1Ki 15:9-15).

While Asa was busy dealing with enemies from the south, the Israelite king to the north, Baasha, took the opportunity to move into Judah’s territory and build a fort at Ramah, a few kilometres north of Jerusalem (1Ki 15:16-17).

Asa took what was left of his reserve funds to bribe Syria to break its treaty with Israel and attack her.

Syria was easily bribed, and gained an additional prize by seizing much of Israel’s northern territory. Then, while Israel was fighting Syria in the far north, Asa attacked Ramah.

He destroyed the fort and carried away the materials to build two forts for his own kingdom as protection against Israel (1Ki 15:18-22).

This policy of trusting in foreign nations showed a weakening of Asa’s trust in God, and brought him into conflict with the prophet Hanani. It was a failure of faith that repeated itself just before his death.

When suffering from a disease in the feet, he looked for healing through pagan sorcerers instead of trusting in God (1Ki 15:23-24; 2 Chron 16:7-14).