When Rehoboam died, his son Abijam, (known as Abijah according to 2 Chronicles 13) reigned in his place as king of Judah (v1-8). This was in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam king of Israel. Abijam seemed to start well, Chronicles tells us that he knew The LORD, but he didn’t go on to follow Him and didn’t remove the idolatry and sexual immorality introduced by his father Rehoboam. In fact, this chapter tells us that he walked in all the sins of his father, and his heart was not loyal to the LORD. Interestingly he is compared to David his grandfather, who, it is said, did right in the eyes of the LORD, except for his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.
Whilst David repented of that sin and was forgiven, we must remember that God had said that his sin would reflect in his family, and it is apparent here, apart from The LORD blessing despite his sin – “Nevertheless for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem.” The grace of God is clearly seen.
Abijam and Jeroboam were at war which followed on from Rehoboam. Abijam only reigned three years, which was relatively short, and maybe because he was not loyal to the LORD. He died and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Asa reigned in his place. We can read more about the life of Abijam (Abijah) in 2 Chronicles 13.
At the end Judah faced a surprise attack from Jeroboam which seemed to mean a certain defeat, but Abijam cried out to the LORD and God won a great victory – “Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD God of their fathers.” (2 Chronicles 13:18) and in v21 But “Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.”
In Jeroboam’s twentieth year as king of Israel, Asa, the son of Abijam (Abijah) became king of Judah. At last, one who did right in the eyes of the LORD (v9-11). You will notice that kings were usually measured against King David as to whether they did right or not. Asa was no exception. He was the great great grandson of David.
He made some very courageous moves (v12-15) including banishing the perverted people and removing the idols which his fathers had made, but more than that, he removed his grandmother Maachah from being Queen Mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa cut down the image and burned it by the Brook Kidron, the valley of which was the city’s main rubbish dump. The idols were the temple prostitutes introduced by Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:24). The word ‘obscene’ in Hebrew could properly be translated ‘frightening, horrible or abominable’, and some believe it was to do with a fertility cult, worshiped with impure rites.
Asa was loyal to the LORD all his days, but he didn’t remove the high places. This seemed to be, as 2 Chronicles 14:3 says, that he did remove the high places dedicated to idolatry but not the ones dedicated to the LORD. He also restored the silver and gold utensils to the temple.
There was constant war between Israel and Judah continued by Baasha king of Israel against Asa, and Baasha attacked Judah and built a barrier at Ramah to prevent free movement into Judah in an effort to force Asa into giving concessions (v16,17).
Asa displeased the LORD by taking the gold and silver out of the LORD’S House and put them in the hands of his servants and sent them to Ben Hadad, king of Syria in Damascus (v18-20) to make a treaty with him to attack Baasha, king of Israel by breaking his treaty with him and getting Baasha to withdraw. This he did and attacked various parts of Israel so that Baasha withdrew and stopped building Ramah and remained in Tirzah (v21).
2 Chronicles 16:7-10, tells us that God was not pleased and spoke by Hanani the prophet who delivered His word to Asa, saying, “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore, from now on you shall have wars”
“Asa was angry with (Hanani) and put him in prison …. And oppressed some of the people at that time”. It was sad that Asa responded in that way as he had been loyal to the LORD but rebelled when the LORD sent word to him that what he had done was wrong.
How often do we fail to respond to God’s correction. We are happy when God seems to be happy with us and things go well, but not so when we are corrected by Him.
Asa commanded his people to demolish what Baasha had built at Ramah and with the stones and timber built Gera of Benjamin and Mizpah (v22).
Asa did many great things, but some foolish ones too. All his acts are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. He became diseased in his feet, we are not told exactly what, but it would be a great disability to someone so active (v23,24). 2 Chronicles 16:12 record that it was severe, but he sought the help of physicians rather than God.
This is not saying that we should not seek medical help, but in its context, Asa should have come before the LORD as it was evidently connected to his anger against God.
He was buried in the City of David and Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
In all, Asa was a good king, but he did not finish well. He had been loyal to the LORD (see 2 Chronicles 14 and 15), but his latter days showed anger, unbelief and hardness which led to him oppressing his people, and ill health. We can learn from him about our attitude and behaviour and, hopefully, we will finish well rather than rebelling in our later years.
Interestingly there is a reference in Jeremiah 41:9 to a cistern built by Asa when he feared the attack of Baasha.
Jeroboam died and his son Nadab became king of Israel in the second year of Asa’s reign. He only reigned two years and did evil in the LORD’S sight, walking in ways of his father Jeroboam who made Israel sin. Baasha, son of Ahijah, conspired against him and killed him at the Philistine town of Gibbethon, where Nadab had laid siege. Baasha became king and killed all the house of Jeroboam leaving none alive (v25-32). In the previous chapter of this book, we read that Ahijah the Shilonite had foretold all this that the LORD’S anger was provoked by the sins of Jeroboam.
There was war between Asa and Baasha all their days. You can read more of Nadab in the book of Chronicles.
In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha became king of Israel and reigned twenty-four years. Baasha did evil just as Jeroboam had done (v33,34). He was the son of Ahijah, but he followed the ways of Jeroboam.
