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Commentary on 1 Kings 15 verses 9–24
We have here a short account of the reign of Asa; we shall find a more copious history of it Ch2 14:1-15, 15, and Ch2 16:1-14. Here is,
I. The length of it: He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem, Kg1 15:10. In the account we have of the kings of Judah we find the number of the good kings and the bad ones nearly equal; but then we may observe, to our comfort, that the reign of the good kings was generally long, but that of the bad kings short, the consideration of which will make the state of God's church not altogether so bad within that period as it appears at first sight. Length of days is in Wisdom's right hand. Honour thy father, much more thy heavenly Father, that thy days may be long.
II. The general good character of it (Kg1 15:11): Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and that is right indeed which is so in God's eyes; those are approved whom he commends. He did as did David his father, kept close to God, and to his instituted worship, was hearty and zealous for that, which gave him this honourable character, that he was like David, though he was not a prophet, or psalmist, as David was. If we come up to the graces of those that have gone before us it will be our praise with God, though we come short of their gifts. Asa was like David, though he was neither such a conqueror nor such an author; for his heart was perfect with the Lord all his days (Kg1 15:14), that is, he was both cordial and constant in his religion. What he did for God he was sincere in, steady and uniform, and did it from a good principle, with a single eye to the glory of God.
III. The particular instances of Asa's piety. His times were times of reformation. For,
1.He removed that which was evil. There reformation begins; and a great deal of work of that kind his hand found to do. For, though it was but twenty years after the death of Solomon that he began to reign, yet very gross corruption had spread far and taken deep root. Immorality he first struck at: He took away the sodomites out of the land, suppressed the brothels; for how can either prince or people prosper while those cages of unclean and filthy birds, more dangerous than pest-houses, are suffered to remain? Then he proceeded against idolatry: He removed all the idols, even those that his father had made, Kg1 15:12. His father having made them, he was the more concerned to remove them, that he might cut off the entail of the curse, and prevent the visiting of that iniquity upon him and his. Nay (which redounds much to his honour, and shows his heart was perfect with God), when he found idolatry in the court, he rooted it out thence, Kg1 15:13. When it appeared that Maachah his mother, or rather his grandmother (but called his mother because she had the educating of him in his childhood), had an idol in a grove, though she was his mother, his grandmother, - though, it is likely, she had a particular fondness for it, - though, being old, she could not live long to patronise it, - though she kept it for her own use only, yet he would by no means connive at her idolatry. Reformation must begin at home. Bad practices will never be suppressed in the country while they are supported in the court. Asa, in every thing else, will honour and respect his mother; he loves her well, but he loves God better, and (like the Levite, Deu 33:9) readily forgets the relation when it comes in competition with his duty. If she be an idolater, (1.) Her idol shall be destroyed, publicly exposed to contempt, defaced, and burnt to ashes by the brook Kidron, on which, it is probable, he strewed the ashes, in imitation of Moses (Exo 32:20) and in token of his detestation of idolatry and his indignation at it wherever he found it. Let no remains of a court-idol appear. (2.) She shall be deposed, He removed her from being queen, or from the queen, that is, from conversing with his wife; he banished her from the court, and confined her to an obscure and private life. Those that have power are happy when thus they have hearts to use it well.
2.He re-established that which was good (Kg1 15:15): He brought into the house of God the dedicated things which he himself had vowed out of the spoils of the Ethiopians he had conquered, and which his father had vowed, but lived not to bring in pursuant to his vow. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well, not only cast away the idols of our iniquity, but dedicate ourselves and our all to God's honour and glory. When those who, in their infancy, were by baptism devoted to God, make it their own act and deed to join themselves to him and vigorously employ themselves in his service, this is bringing in the dedicated things which they and their fathers have dedicated: it is necessary justice - rendering to God the things that are his.
VI. The policy of his reign. He built cities himself, to encourage the increase of his people (Kg1 15:23) and to invite others to him by the conveniences of habitation; and he was very zealous to hinder Baasha from building Ramah, because he designed it for the cutting off of communication between his people and Jerusalem and to hinder those who in obedience to God would come to worship there. An enemy must by no means be suffered to fortify a frontier town.
V. The faults of his reign. In both the things for which he was praised he was found defective. The fairest characters are not without some but or other in them. 1. Did he take away the idols? That was well; but the high places were not removed (Kg1 15:14); therein his reformation fell short. He removed all images which were rivals with the true God or false representations of him; but the altars which were set up in high places, and to which those sacrifices were brought which should have been offered on the altar in the temple, those he suffered to stand, thinking there was no great harm in them, they having been used by good men before the temple was built, and being loth to disoblige the people, who had a kindness to them and were wedded to them both by custom and convenience; whereas in Judah and Benjamin, the only tribes under Asa's government which lay so near Jerusalem and the altars there, there was less pretence for them than in those tribes which lay more remote. They were against the law, which obliged them to worship at one place, Deu 12:11. They lessened men's esteem of the temple and the altars there, and were an open gap for idolatry to enter in at, while the people were so much addicted to it. It was not well that Asa, when his hand was in, did not remove these. Nevertheless his heart was perfect with the Lord. This affords us a comfortable note, That those may be found honest and upright with God, and be accepted of him, who yet, in some instances, come short of doing the good they might and should do. The perfection which is made the indispensable condition of the new covenant is not to be understood of sinlessness (then we were all undone), but sincerity. 2. Did he bring in the dedicated things? That was well; but he afterwards alienated the dedicated things, when he took the gold and silver out of the house of God and sent them as a bribe to Benhadad, to hire him to break his league with Baasha, and, by making an inroad upon his country, to give him a diversion from the building of Ramah, Kg1 15:18, Kg1 15:19. Here he sinned, (1.) In tempting Benhadad to break his league, and so to violate the public faith. If he did wrong in doing it, as certainly he did, Asa did wrong in persuading him to do it. (2.) In that he could not trust God, who had done so much for him, to free him out of this strait, without using such indirect means to help himself. (3.) In taking the gold out of the treasury of the temple, which was not to be made use of but on extraordinary occasions. The project succeeded. Benhadad made a descent upon the land of Israel, which obliged Baasha to retire with his whole force from Ramah (Kg1 15:20, Kg1 15:21), which gave Asa a fair opportunity to demolish his works there, and the timber and stones served him for the building of some cities of his own, Kg1 15:22. But, though the design prospered, we find it was displeasing to God; and though Asa valued himself upon the policy of it, and promised himself that it would effectually secure his peace, he was told by the prophet that he had done foolishly, and that thenceforth he should have wars; see Ch2 16:7-9.
VI. The troubles of his reign. For the most part he prospered; but, 1. Baasha king of Israel was a very troublesome neighbour to him. He reigned twenty-four years, and all his days had war, more or less, with Asa, Kg1 15:16. This was the effect of the division of the kingdoms, that they were continually vexing one another, and so weakened one another, which made them both an easier prey to the common enemy. 2. In his old age he was himself afflicted with the gout: He was diseased in his feet, which made him less fit for business and peevish towards those about him.
VII. The conclusion of his reign. The acts of it were more largely recorded in the common history (to which reference is here had, Kg1 15:23) than in this sacred one. He reigned long, but finished at last with honour, and left his throne to a successor no way inferior to him.
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SUMMARY
First Kings 15:20 precisely details the military outcome of King Asa of Judah's strategic alliance with Ben-hadad I, king of Syria (Damascus), against King Baasha of Israel. Prompted by Asa's substantial tribute, Ben-hadad dispatched his forces to devastate key northern Israelite territories, including the cities of Ijon, Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, the entire region of Cinneroth, and the land of Naphtali, thereby successfully compelling Baasha to abandon his siege against Judah.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
1 Kings 15:20 effectively employs Geographic Listing to underscore the extensive reach and devastating impact of Ben-hadad's military campaign. By meticulously enumerating specific cities and regions—Ijon, Dan, Abelbethmaachah, Cinneroth, and Naphtali—the text creates a vivid and concrete image of the territorial losses and widespread destruction inflicted upon Israel. This detailed catalog serves to emphasize the immediate effectiveness of Asa's strategy and the severe consequences for Baasha's kingdom. Furthermore, an underlying Irony pervades the narrative: King Asa, who had previously demonstrated profound faith and reliance on God for military victory (e.g., 2 Chronicles 14:11), now resorts to relying on a pagan king and worldly wealth to resolve his conflict. This immediate military success, achieved through human cunning and spiritual compromise, subtly Foreshadows the later divine rebuke and the long-term spiritual repercussions of Asa's failure to maintain complete trust in the Lord.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
While 1 Kings 15:20 chronicles a militarily successful outcome for King Asa, its deeper theological significance lies in its implicit critique of human reliance superseding divine trust. Asa's decision to deplete the temple treasury and forge an alliance with a pagan king, rather than seeking God's intervention as he had done in previous, more dire battles, highlights a persistent tension within biblical narratives: the temptation to lean on worldly power, pragmatic solutions, and human ingenuity instead of maintaining unwavering faith and complete dependence on God. Although God can and does utilize various instruments, including foreign nations and human strategies, to accomplish His sovereign purposes, the biblical narrative consistently prioritizes the heart's posture of absolute reliance on Him. This passage serves as a cautionary tale, demonstrating that short-term gains achieved through compromised faith often lead to long-term spiritual repercussions, a diminished walk with God, and a potential loss of divine favor.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This passage profoundly challenges believers to critically examine the ultimate sources of their security and the strategies they employ when facing life's inevitable crises. King Asa's immediate success in diverting Baasha's threat through an alliance with Ben-hadad offers a powerful, albeit complex, illustration that human ingenuity and worldly alliances can indeed achieve desired outcomes. However, the subsequent divine rebuke, detailed elsewhere, reveals that God values not merely the outcome, but fundamentally the path taken and the heart's posture of reliance. For us today, this means diligently discerning whether our solutions to pressing problems—be they financial, relational, professional, or personal—are truly rooted in a deep, abiding trust in God's sovereignty and provision, or if they stem from a pragmatic reliance on human power, influence, or even compromise that might subtly diminish our dependence on Him. It prompts us to consider if our "successes" are genuinely aligned with God's will and if they foster greater spiritual health and intimacy with Him, or if they are merely short-term fixes that ultimately undermine our faith and spiritual integrity.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Asa's alliance with Ben-hadad a "sin"?
Answer: While the text of 1 Kings 15:20 itself simply reports the event, the broader biblical narrative, particularly as expanded in 2 Chronicles 16, clearly indicates that Asa's action was indeed a sin of compromised faith. The prophet Hanani explicitly rebuked Asa for relying on the king of Syria rather than on the Lord God (2 Chronicles 16:7). Hanani reminded Asa that God had previously delivered him from a much larger Ethiopian army precisely because he had relied on the Lord (2 Chronicles 14:9-12). Therefore, while the alliance achieved its immediate military objective, it demonstrated a profound lack of complete trust in God's ability and willingness to deliver, and it incurred divine displeasure, leading to future wars for Asa (2 Chronicles 16:9).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of King Asa's reliance on a pagan king, Ben-hadad, rather than on the Lord, finds its ultimate contrast and profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Asa, a flawed earthly king, sought security and deliverance through human alliances and material bribes, a strategy that yielded temporary success but ultimately revealed a deficit of faith and incurred divine rebuke. In stark contrast, Jesus, the perfect King, never relied on worldly power, political maneuvering, or military might to achieve His redemptive mission. His kingdom is explicitly declared to be "not of this world" (John 18:36), and His power is supremely manifested through humility, self-sacrifice, and perfect, unwavering obedience to the Father's will (Philippians 2:5-8). Where Asa sought external alliances to defeat an earthly foe, Christ conquered the ultimate enemies—sin, death, and the devil—not by forming alliances, but by offering Himself as the ultimate, atoning sacrifice on the cross, thereby disarming and triumphing over the spiritual powers (Colossians 2:15). Believers are called to place their complete and unreserved trust in Him, the true and eternal source of security and deliverance, knowing with absolute confidence that if "God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Unlike Asa's temporary and compromised peace, Christ offers an enduring peace that surpasses all human understanding, a peace secured not by human strength or cunning, but by divine grace and His finished work (Philippians 4:7).