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Asa King of Judah

The last years of King Abijah’s brief reign were peaceful. It was during this time period of peace that he had passed away and his son Asa came to the throne. King Abijah didn’t do everything right when he ruled Judah, but there were some things that he did do well. He continued to lead Judah in the worship of God even though pagan altars and shrines were still spread out across the land. Asa must have been influenced by the true worship of God because most of his reign was categorized by honoring Yahweh.  He appears on the Biblical Timeline with World History starting in 970 BC

Life under King Asa

King Asa was given a peaceful rule by the Lord. This peace allowed him to build up many of the fortresses along Judah’s and Israel’s border. All of the shrine prostitutes were removed from the land and most of the pagan altars were destroyed as well. The people were encouraged to continue on in the worship of God. He also took away his grandmother’s position as Queen Mother of a pagan cult.
King Asa honored God by placing gold and silver in the temple. Asa’s name means “doctor” or “healer” and his name is a reflection of the effort that he made to help heal Judah of their sins.

Asa vs. Baasha

Since King Asa followed the Lord he was granted a long reign of peace. During the latter end of his reign, he ran into problems with King Baasha of Israel along the border. King Asa decided to form an alliance with King Ben-Hadad of Aram. After bribing the king of Aram to break a peace treaty with Israel, King Asa used his assistance to push the Israelites off of the border. King Asa didn’t try to reunite the kingdom after defeating King Bashaa.

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King Asa

All Rulers have Problems

Even though King Asa was a godly ruler who governed his people well he was criticized by the Lord for aligning himself with Aram. Hanani the prophet came to King Asa and told him what God had revealed to him. Hanani explained that he should have relied on God instead of Aram to deal with Bashaa. King’s Asa’s actions prompted God to send the people of Judah into a constant state of war. King Asa was enraged with Hanani and had him imprisoned. The Bible then mentions that King Asa started to mistreat many people because of his anger. Eventually, the king had developed a disease in his feet and instead of relying on God he sought out doctors and physicians for a cure.

King Asa became very week and immobile in his old age and he had to share the throne with his son Jehoshaphat. The king died two years after establishing this co-regent form of rule and his son became the sole monarch of Judah.

Biblical References

  • 2 Chronicles 14: 1 Asa becomes king of Judah
  • 2 Chronicles 15 King Asa carries out serious reforms in Judah and God is pleased with his efforts.
  • 2 Chronicles 16 King Asa is judged by God through the prophet Hanani and Asa’s latter years as a ruler is marked by disobedience and unfaithfulness.
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Asa King of Judah Defeats Ethiopians

King Abijam of Judah was the father of King Asa who ruled  from Jerusalem around 900 B.C which is where this event appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart. King Asa was the fifth ruler that was descended from the line of David. King Asa ruled Judah for 41 years and he made it a point to honor God by obeying his commandments. Asa’s name means “healer” or “doctor” and this name reflects Asa’s character and how he corrected a lot of the wrong things in Judah that offended God. King Asa made it a point to remove the pagan shrines that had become a part of their culture that was introduced from King Jeroboam of Israel.

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Ethiopian Warriors

King Asa constantly fought against King Bashaa of Israel during his reign, but he also fought against other enemies such as King Zerah from Ethiopia. The Ethiopians had been interacting with the kingdom of Judah since the time that King Solomon had reigned. Historians claim that King Zerah was taking a large army north of Israel to battle against the Assyrians. King Zerah had probably been conquering and subjecting lands all around him because of the large army that he had commanded. 2 Chronicles 14:9 states that Zerah had marched his million man army into a Judean town known as Mareshah. King Asa found out about King Zerah’s force in Mareshah and took his forces to the town to do battle.

King Asa only had a 300,000 man army and was seriously outnumbered by the powerful Ethiopian force. Asa realized that the only way that he could defeat Zerah was by relying on God. In 2 Chronicles 14:11 Asa prays to God and the Lord answers his request because the Judean king was faithful to him. The forces of Judah moved out against the Ethiopians and God caused them to win. The Ethiopians were being beaten so bad that they had to retreat and when they did the forces of Judah pursued them a great distance to a foreign territory called Gerar. Once the people of Gerar heard about the defeat of the mighty Ethiopian army they feared God and the people of Judah.

After the Ethiopians were defeated King Asa’s men took their abandoned possessions that they had left behind. His forces raided far into Ethiopian territory and took their livestock, cattle and camels. King Asa’s forces had won a great victory because God allowed them to win.

Biblical References

  • 1 Chronicles 15: 11 King Asa made it a point to obey God.
  • 1 Chronicles 15: 12, 13 he removed most of the pagan shrine and got rid of the pagan priests.
  • 1 Chronicles 15: 16 King Asa always at war with King Bashaa of Israel.
  • 2 Chronicles 14: 1,6 God gives Judah ten years of peace because Asa obeyed him.
  • 2 Chronicles 14:9 King Asa and King Zerah prepare for battle in the town of Mareshah.
  • 2 Chronicles 14: 11 King Asa prays for God’s help against King Zerah.
  • 2 Chronicles 14: 12, 13 God gives King Asa’s forces the victory of the Ethiopians.
  • 2 Chronicles 14: 13-15 King Asa’s forces chase the Ethiopians all the way back to their homelands and take their possessions, livestock and camels.