When we think of the kings of Judah during the Divided Kingdom period, names of kings like the good King Hezekiah and his wicked son Manasseh might come to mind. On the other hand, King Asa is probably one of the more obscure characters among the names of the kings of Judah. Nevertheless, there is much to learn from the Bible, about what it has to say about The Rise and Fall of King Asa.
THE RISE OF KING ASA
King Asa was the grandson of King Rehoboam and the son of King Abijah (also known as Abijam). King Rehoboam was an unwise king that caused the United Kingdom of Israel to be divided into two (cf. 1 Kings 12). King Abijah was described as “walking in the sins of his father… and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God…” (1 Kings 15:3).
Unlike his grandfather and his father, King Asa was described as “doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD…” (1 Kings 15:11). He removed the sodomites from the land, and took away the idols that his forefathers had made (1 Kings 15:12). He even removed his own mother from being the queen, for she had made an idol in a grove (1 Kings 15:13). In a parallel passage in 2 Chronicles, King Asa is described as “commanding Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4).
What can we learn from the rise of King Asa? We learn that we are personally responsible for our own conduct before God. Even though our parents may be idolaters, just as King Asa’s father was an idolater, we do not inherit their sin (cf. Ezekiel 18:20). Rather, we can choose to do what is right in God’s eyes regardless of our family background and history.
We also learn from King Asa that in order to please God, we must remove sin from our lives, just as King Asa removed the sodomites and idols from the land. The apostle John reminded us that “if we say that we have fellowship with Him (God), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6).
We also learn from King Asa that it is important to be a good influence to others around us, to be a soul winner for God, just as King Asa commanded the nation to seek God. We can do so by “training up our children in the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6), and by speaking frequently about God to our family and friends (cf. Matthew 28:19-20).
However, as we reflect on the lessons learned from the rise of King Asa, let us also ponder on the cautionary tale that the Bible holds for us, about the fall of King Asa.
THE FALL OF KING ASA
The Bible records that King Asa was one of the longest ruling kings of Judah, ruling for 41 years (1 Kings 15:10; 2 Chronicles 16:13). For 35 years, his kingdom was at peace (2 Chronicles 15:19). In the 36th year of his reign, King Baasha of Israel built a fortification at Ramah, thus blocking access to Judah (2 Chronicles 16:1). This was a very threatening action indeed. King Asa sent silver and gold to King Benhadad of Syria, to bribe him into breaking his alliance with King Baasha of Israel and attacking them instead (2 Chronicles 16:2-3).
King Benhadad of Syria defeated Israel (2 Chronicles 16:4), but all was not well for King Asa of Judah. Hanani the seer told King Asa that King Asa had not relied on God, but on the king of Syria instead. As a result, King Asa would no longer have peace, but war instead (2 Chronicles 16:7-9). Instead of repenting, King Asa was angry with Hanani, and threw him into prison. In the 39th year of his reign until his death in the 41st year of his reign, King Asa had an exceeding great disease in his foot, yet despite this, he did not turn to the LORD for help, but only relied on his physicians (2 Chronicles 16:12-13).
What can we learn from the fall of King Asa? We learn that our salvation is not guaranteed, no matter how faithful we may have been in the beginning of our Christian walk with God. The world may teach the false doctrine of “once saved, always saved”, but just as King Asa fell out of favour with God through his actions, we can become “entangled again and overcome by the pollutions of the world” (2 Peter 2:20).
What else can we learn from the fall of King Asa? We learn that when we rely on our own thinking and way of doing things, instead of turning to God and his Word for help, that is sinful. King Asa did not rely on God for help, but tried to bribe the Syrians to attack Israel instead. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5).
A final lesson that we can learn from the fall of King Asa is that although it is painful to hear criticism, we ought to reflect on it and see what we can change, instead of rejecting it outright just like King Asa rejected Hanani the seer. Proverbs 15:5 states that “a fool despiseth his father’s instruction, but he that regardeth reproof (i.e. correction) is prudent.”
CONCLUSION
Although King Asa is one of the more obscure kings in the annals of Judah’s history, there is so much we can learn from him. Let us imitate the things that led to the rise of King Asa, and shun the mistakes that led to his fall.
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