King Asa, A Lesson of Grace

By Charisse Graves:

King Asa is a fascinating figure in the Old Testament. It was said of King Asa that “...the heart of King Asa was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days.” (1 Kings 15:14) This is a rather provocative statement considering that King Asa did not finish entirely well. King Asa’s life is a lesson of grace from God to us, revealing that even if we are striving with our whole heart to follow Him, we can still fall short unless we heed the Word of the Lord. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

King Asa started his reign with intense zeal for the Lord. “Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God, for he removed the foreign altars and high places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim, and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment.” (2 Chronicles 15:2-4)

God gave Asa rest, and the kingdom remained undisturbed for ten years until the Ethiopian army (a million men) came against Asa’s 580,000 man army. Asa, realizing he was hopelessly outnumbered, turned to the Lord. “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” (2 Chronicles 15:11)

Then the Lord sent the prophet Azariah to instruct Asa. “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him… But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.” (2 Chronicles 15:2-4, 2 Chronicles 15:7)

King Asa listened and obeyed. He courageously removed all the idols from the land and restored the altar of the Lord. He also deposed his grandmother from her position, because she made a horrid image as an Asherah pole, which he cut down and burned. Further, all of Judah took an oath to the Lord. “All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.” (2 Chronicles 15:15)

King Asa enjoyed peace and plenty under his reign for approximately twenty-five years. Then, as so often happens in peace and prosperity, Asa failed to ask of the Lord’s counsel when he was faced with war. Instead, (as is our natural inclination) he made a “treaty” with the King of Aram and did not inquire of God. King Asa decided it was better to receive temporal help by way of a human alliance rather than trust God and seek His will in the matter.

God in His mercy sends Hanani to rebuke and instruct Asa in his folly. However, Asa did not accept the reproof and did not repent. What did Asa do? The very same thing most of us would do, he became enraged. Asa, in his anger, had Hanani thrown in prison and shackled. He also mistreated and oppressed some of his people (possibly those who sided with Hanani). Your classic “kill the messenger” scenario, versus that of King David when rebuked by Nathan, heeded the correction which led to true repentance.

But, Asa’s folly does not end there. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.” (2 Chronicles 16:12)

We are again amazed that such a godly man would not even, in his own personal affliction, seek the Lord. This is the same King Asa that cried out to the Lord in his earlier years and witnessed the faithfulness of God, and is the one who had a heart wholly committed to the Lord all of his days.

Well, if it was possible for Asa to have a blind spot, what about us? Oh Lord, in your infinite mercy, please reveal any areas inwhich we have been deceived. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 2:21)

We need to be careful when analyzing King Asa’s faults to give him due credit for his devotion to the Lord. If the Bible were being written today, would our name be found on the pages, crediting us for tearing down modern day idols? “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And, we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:19-21)

My prayer is that we will listen and obey the Word of the Lord leading us to all godliness and that by God’s grace we will finish well. “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Pressing towards the Prize,
Charisse Graves