Session 5 1 Kings 15:9-22
1 KINGS 15:9-22
MEMORY VERSE: 1 KINGS 15:11
People who study change remind us that the past is present. In some way, past experiences still exist. Past ac-tions defined an organization or group, so a change involves creating a new identity even when most were com-fortable with the old identity. The old identity may be why they joined in the first place. King Asa faced the past and took action to move Judah toward honoring God once again. To do that, the people would have to make a break from the past.
(In PSG, p. 46)
Abijam became king when his father Rehoboam died, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years (1 Kings 15:1-2). Unfortunately, he continued in his father’s evil ways rather than following the spiritual example of his ancestor David (15:3-5). The wars that began between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued during the days of Abijam (15:6-8), though Asa’s first ten years saw peace (2 Chron. 14:1).
Asa became king of Judah following his father Abijam’s death (1 Kings 15:9). He followed the Lord faithfully and took steps to undo the evil practices Rehoboam and Abijam had done (15:11-13). He also honored the Lord by bringing consecrated gifts into the temple (15:15). He also led the people in a time of national renewal following a military victory (2 Chron. 15:1-15).
Asa faced military pressure from Baasha, king of Israel, who fortified Ramah a few miles north of Jerusalem (1 Kings 15:16-17). Asa sent a large amount of money to Ben-hadad, king of Aram, north of Israel, and urged him to break his treaty with Baasha (15:18-19). Ben-hadad broke his treaty with Baasha and invaded Israel, leading Baasha to withdraw from Ramah (15:20-21). King Asa then re-claimed the area Baasha had taken (15:22). When Asa died, his son Jehoshaphat took his place (15:23-24).
Meanwhile in the Northern Kingdom, Nadab, Jeroboam’s son, became king and reigned just two years (15:25). Baasha, Nadab’s general, conspired against him, struck him down, became king in his place, and destroyed Jeroboam’s entire household (15:27-30). Sadly, Baasha continued to follow Jeroboam’s evil example (15:33-34). The prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, pronounced judgment against Baasha for the king’s wickedness, and his words proved true (16:1-7). Baasha’s son Elah reigned only two years before Zimri, one of his military leaders, killed him and became king (16:8-10). Zimri then struck down Baasha’s entire household and eliminated Baasha’s family line in fulfillment of Jehu’s words (16:11-14). Zimri reigned only seven days before he faced trouble from Omri, one of his army commanders (16:15-17). Zimri took his own life rather than face the consequences of defeat, and after a brief time period, Omri became Israel’s king (16:18-22).
Omri reigned twelve years as king over Israel; he purchased the hill on which he built Samaria and established it as the Northern Kingdom’s capital city (16:23-24). However, Omri followed his predecessors’ bad spiritual example by committing evil against the Lord and encouraging idolatry (16:25-26). When Omri died, his son Ahab assumed Israel’s throne (16:27-28).
EXPLORE THE TEXT
9 In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
The twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam was 910 BC. The prophet Ahijah had told Jeroboam God would make his kingdom great like King David’s—if Jeroboam followed God faithfully (1 Kings 11:37-38). Nevertheless, Jeroboam took the Northern Kingdom in a bad direction, intentionally disrupting the spiritual unity between Israel and Judah (1 Kings 12:25-33). He set up two golden calves at Dan and Bethel and urged the people to worship instead of going all the way to Jerusalem. He also allowed non-Levites to serve as priests and changed the date of one the fall feasts God had commanded.
When Asa became king of Judah, the Southern Kingdom desperately needed a good spiritual example. Asa’s father Abijam and grandfather Rehoboam had followed evil paths, as had Asa’s great-grandfather Solomon in the latter days of his reign (1 Kings 11:1-3).
Asa reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem, and his long reign brought stability to Judah. The comment that his grandmother’s name was Maacah, daughter of Abishalom further connected him to Abijam, his father in the genealogical record (1 Kings 15:2). The word translated grandmother literally means “mother,” but also can mean “grandmother,” just as the word “father” can mean “ancestor” and “son” can mean “descendant” (Matt. 1:1; John 8:56). First Kings 15:2 requires this meaning.
11 Asa did what was right in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made. 13 He also removed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 The high places were not taken away, but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his entire life. 15 He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the LORD’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.
The biblical writer noted that Asa did what was right in the LORD’s sight. The word translated right also can mean “just” or “upright” and has as its root meaning the idea of straightness. Indeed, for much of Asa’s reign, he followed straight after the Lord.
The comment that Asa served the Lord well as his ancestor David had done connected Asa with his great-great-grandfather’s spiritual legacy. The comment also contrasted Asa’s faithfulness to God with the unfaithfulness of Abijam, Rehoboam, and to some extent Solomon. David had encouraged his son Solomon to follow the Lord faithfully so God would fulfill the covenant He had made with David (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 1 Kings 2:3-4). Solomon began well but did not finish well. Rehoboam and Abijam had done evil, but Asa was determined to lay hold of the promise God had made to David and stop Judah’s downward spiral.
Asa knew that turning the people back to God included turning them away from idolatry. First, he banished the male cult prostitutes from the land. Many of the Canaanite peoples practiced sexual rites as part of their pagan worship. The Lord had warned His people through Moses not to do such things (Deut. 23:17). But once God’s people settled the land, they began to worship such gods as Baal and Asherah and to adopt their worship practices (Judg. 2:11-13; 3:7). Asa rid the land of male cult prostitutes who provided sex as part of pagan worship.
Second, Asa removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made. The books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles record how both Solomon and Rehoboam were guilty of making idols (1 Kings 11:7; 14:23; 2 Chron. 14:3,5). Asa knew that he needed to encourage the people to worship God but also to remove the sources of temptation they faced to maintain their idolatry.
Asa’s reforms included action against members of his own family: he also removed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother. Asa determined she could no longer hold this role because she had made an obscene image of an Asherah, a Canaanite goddess of fertility. The word translated obscene image comes from a root that means “to shudder” and emphasizes the awful nature of the idol Asa’s grandmother had made.
The goddess Asherah was often represented by a wooden pole. Asa also took action against the image his grandmother had made. He chopped down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley. He likely did this publicly so everyone could see his desire for the people to worship God alone. The narrow Kidron Valley lay immediately east of Jerusalem between the city and the Mount of Olives.
The term high places denotes elevated sites throughout the land on which worship occurred. The Law of Moses told the people that when they entered the land, they were to offer sacrifices only at the place the Lord chose (Deut. 12:2-7). However, God’s people were sacrificing on high places when Solomon became king (1 Kings 3:3) and continued to do so under future kings (2 Kings 12:3; 14:4; 15:4). Even if the people worshiped the one true God at the high places, they were not fully following God’s command.
Nevertheless, the text affirms that Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his entire life. The word translated wholeheartedly devoted comes from a word related to the Hebrew word shalom. It denotes a wholeness or completeness of life and attitude. Asa could not solve every spiritual issue in Judah, but he could set a strong example by following the Lord faithfully to the best of his ability. Doing so during his entire forty-one-year reign positively impacted Judah’s spiritual climate.
Asa brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the LORD’s temple. The Bible does not mention his father Abijam bringing gifts to the temple; some interpreters believe the word father’s refers back to Solomon (1 Kings 7:51). The word consecrated occurs twice in this verse and comes from a root that means “set apart” or “separate.” Asa desired to set these gifts apart for the Lord’s service. The adjective form of this word usually is translated “holy,” which designates someone or something dedicated unto God. Asa brought silver, gold, and utensils to the Lord’s temple and dedicated them for service there. The king’s actions again testified to his determination to follow the Lord.
God expects leaders to follow Him wholeheartedly. Leaders who set a good example can have profound spiritual influence over those they lead. The Bible encourages church people to pray for their leaders because doing so benefits the entire church (Heb. 13:17).
16 There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns. 17 Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. 18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”
There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns. Baasha had become king in Asa’s third year. He reigned twenty-four years (1 Kings 15:33), so war between these two kings regularly oc-curred over that time though Asa enjoyed peace for his first ten years (2 Chron. 14:1). Baasha was an evil king who did not follow the Lord (1 Kings 15:34).
On one occasion, when Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah, Baasha’s attack left Asa in a vulnerable position. Baasha built Ramah in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. Ramah was an important city in the tribal territory of Benjamin, about five miles north of Jerusalem and near the Northern Kingdom’s southern border. Ramah was also the prophet Samuel’s hometown and burial place (1 Sam. 1:1,19; 7:17; 25:1). Benjamin’s territory was strategic because a major north-south highway and a major east-west highway ran directly through it. Thus, Baasha was blocking a key passageway, cutting off trade and communication with Judah and restricting Asa’s travel northwest to the Mediterranean coast or northeast to the Jordan Valley.
The king of Judah could not allow Baasha to block him in. Consequently, Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple. He added to that the treasuries of the royal palace and took it and gave it to his servants. The word servants here denotes Asa’s most trusted officials.
King Asa dispatched his servants to Ben-hadad, the king of Aram. A Ben-hadad is also mentioned in 1 Kings 20:1, though this latter verse probably refers to his son. He reigned over Aram (Syria) and was a strong leader. Ben-hadad lived in Damascus, Aram’s capital city and a city with a long history. Abraham’s head slave Eliezer was from Damascus (Gen. 15:2-3), and David had established garrisons in Damascus after he conquered Aram (2 Sam. 8:5-6). The apostle Paul went there after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and was baptized there (Acts 9:10-18).
Asa’s message to Ben-hadad reminded him of a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. The word translated treaty also can mean “covenant.” The Bible does not mention a prior treaty Asa and Ben-hadad or their fathers had, though it is possible they and their fathers Abijam and Tabrimmon had done so. At any rate, Asa needed Ben-hadad’s help and called his attention to what Asa’s servants had brought: Look! I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. The word translated gift elsewhere is translated “bribe” (Prov. 17:23; Mic. 3:11), and that sense is clear from what Asa asked Ben-hadad to do. The money was not really a “gift.”
Asa urged Ben-hadad, go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will withdraw from me. After Solomon, the nation of Israel had split into two parts—Israel the Northern Kingdom and Judah the Southern Kingdom. Israel lay between Judah and Aram; Baasha, Israel’s king, had attacked Judah, and Asa knew that if Ben-hadad attacked Baasha from the north, Baasha would have to withdraw from Ramah to defend his northern border.
Verse 14 mentioned how Asa followed the Lord wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, he chose to trust in Ben-hadad to save him rather than trusting the Lord to save him, and the prophet Hanani rebuked Asa for this lack of faith (2 Chron. 16:7-10). God allowed Asa’s actions, but who knows what greater blessing Asa and his kingdom would have witnessed if Asa had trusted God instead?
Believers must guard their hearts when they face difficulties. Sometimes human means of solving an issue may fall outside God’s plan. God calls on us to trust in Him rather than pursuing an action that may be less than ethical. When we face difficult decisions, we should pray, perhaps seek counsel from other believers, and only proceed when we are convinced our course of action is what God wants (Rom. 14:5).
20 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinnereth, and the whole land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.
Ben-hadad listened to King Asa. This means he both accepted Asa’s gift and determined to implement Asa’s suggested course of action. Aram’s king sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel in Israel’s northern territory. He first attacked Ijon, which lay along Israel’s northern frontier. The city of Dan was seven miles southeast of Ijon. It had a long history going back to the days of the judges, when the tribe of Dan conquered the city and re-named it after their father (Judg. 18:27-29). The city of Abel-beth-maacah, was about five miles northwest of Dan and south of Ijon. The rebellious Sheba had attempted to seek refuge there when he fled from Joab, commander of David’s army (2 Sam. 20:1-2,14-22). The expression all Chinnereth designates the region around the Sea of Galilee; a city by that name also sat on its northwestern shore. The modern name for the Sea of Galilee is kinneret, which means “zither,” the stringed instrument whose shape resembles the shape of the lake.
These cities and territories represented a significant part of the whole land of Naphtali. Much of Naphtali’s territory lay above the Sea of Galilee and down to it, so when Ben-hadad attacked this region, Baasha knew his northern border was vulnerable.
Asa’s strategy achieved its purpose; when Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah. The city of Tirzah was located in Manasseh’s tribal territory and was one of the Northern Kingdom’s capitals before Omri, a later king, moved the capital to the city of Samaria (1 Kings 16:23-24). The text does not reveal what steps Baasha took to defend himself against Ben-hadad. Perhaps his retreat from Ramah enabled him to push back Aram’s king, or perhaps he had to contend with his losses.
22 Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with them.
Baasha’s advance had ended, so King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah. Asa’s people came and carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Asa thereby removed Baasha’s barricade and opened the highways again.
King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with the stones and timbers they had taken from Ramah. Geba lay north of Ramah; it was assigned as part of Benjamin’s tribal territory in the days of Joshua and be-came one of the forty-eight designated cities for the Levites (Josh. 18:24; 21:17). Mizpah lay just north of Geba; God’s people crowned Saul king over Israel there (1 Sam. 10:17-25). By fortifying Geba and Mizpah north of Ramah, Asa was protecting his own interests and restraining Baasha from attacking him again.
Overall, Asa was a good king who wholeheartedly followed the Lord. Nevertheless, Asa here chose to trust his own strategy rather than God’s protection. The Bible also notes that Asa developed a foot disease dur-ing his final years and consulted the physicians rather than consulting the Lord (2 Chron. 16:12). Yet Asa re-ceived a favorable judgment from the writer of 1 Kings. He stopped Judah’s downward spiral into sin. Repent-ance from sin can stop sin’s spiraling effects and turn us in the direction God desires.
(In PSG, p. 52)
The Kingdom
The kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. (See 1 Kings 2:2-4; Philippians 2:10-11.)
Use a Bible atlas to locate places mentioned in Scripture.
Use a Bible atlas to locate Israel, Judah, and Aram, then any major cities 1 Kings 15:16-22 mentions. What geographic features stand out about each location? How does seeing these places and their locations on a map help us better understand the biblical account?