Asa Asks for Help From the King of Syria

In this chapter we have the sad end of the history of Asa. After having shown great faith, Asa fails in a new trial. It starts with the building of Ramah by Baasha king of Israel (2Chr 16:1). Ramah must become a dividing city between the brother peoples. Baasha, the king of the ten tribes realm, wants to prevent his subjects from defecting to the realm of Asa. He is the picture of the nominal Christian who wants to stifle any activity aimed at serving God because through such activities he loses his own authority and influence.

Asa does not seek the LORD’s face on this matter, but seeks his support from Ben-hadad, the king of Aram or Syria (2Chr 16:2-3). He buys this support and gets the money for it from the treasuries of the LORD’s house. With this, he destroys at one stroke his own dedication (2Chr 15:18) and the blessing obtained from the LORD (2Chr 14:13-14).

His tactics seem to be successful. Ben-hadad now turns against Israel and takes possession of cities there (2Chr 16:4), which subsequently leads to Baasha ceasing its building activities (2Chr 16:5). Asa conquers territory and uses Baasha’s materials to strengthen his own cities (2Chr 16:6). But the treasures which he has taken from the house of the LORD and has given away, he does not get back!

Thus, things of the world may enter the church and members of the church may see it as a proof of blessing. However, spiritual wealth is lost in these activities. The beginning of sin is like flowing water in through a hole in the dike: as the water flows through the hole, the hole gets bigger and the flow gets stronger. We see that with Asa in the following verses. Asa rejects the prophet who comes to him, and he rejects those who agree with the prophet (2Chr 16:10). Finally, in his illness he doesn’t seek the LORD, but the physicians (2Chr 16:12).

In the last mention of King Asa in the Old Testament (Jer 41:9), we read what was the beginning of his deviation. We read there about a cistern “it was the one that King Asa had made on account of Baasha, king of Israel”. Other translations state that he made this cistern or pit “for fear of Baasha king of Israel” (the English Darby translation and the German Elberfelder translation). Asa made a kind of shelter because he is afraid of Baasha. “Fear of man lays a trap” (Pro 29:25) and Asa runs into this trap.

The Message of Hanani

The seer Hanani – his name means ‘gracious’ – who comes to Asa, does not come with an encouraging message, but with a serious exhortation (2Chr 16:7). He points out to Asa how he has relied on the LORD when he had to deal with a tremendous force majeure of enemies and that the LORD had therefore given him the victory (2Chr 16:8). The LORD is still the same. As He has answered his prayer before, He still wants it.

The LORD seeks opportunities to hear (2Chr 16:9a; 1Pet 3:12; Pro 15:3; Pro 5:21). For this His eyes move to and fro throughout the earth. Here we see that not a man seeks the face of the LORD, but the LORD seeks the faces of people who are directed toward Him. It shows His desire to help the powerless. The LORD waited for a call of faith from Asa to show His power for his favor.

It is foolish not to go to God (2Chr 16:9b). It is foolish to lean on a broken reed and not on the unshakable Rock of the centuries. The alliance with Ben-hadad may give Asa the desired result, but he gets wars. A covenant with the world prevents us from conquering it. The many experiences we have of the Lord’s goodness do not always increase our confidence. A new trial often shows our lack of confidence or our forgetfulness of past deliverances. Only when we have nothing else we do trust Him.

The effect of the prophet’s words on Asa is enmity (2Chr 16:10). He is the first Old Testament king of whom we read that he persecutes a prophet. More kings will follow in doing that, such as Joash (2Chr 24:20-21) and Herod (Mk 6:17-18; 27). By throwing Hanani into prison, he wants to silence the voice of God.

This is what people will always try when they are addressed in their conscience, but do not want to break with evil. Joseph, Daniel, Jeremiah and John the baptist experienced the same as Hanani. Even today, everyone who speaks God’s Word will experience this in situations where one resists Him. In mild form the faithful preacher experiences this, for example, if he is not invited or allowed to speak because of his faithful preaching.

Not only Hanani has to suffer. All those who are like Hanani and remind Asa of his unfaithfulness to the LORD, face his anger. Asa oppresses them with the aim of silencing them. He just doesn’t want to listen to the voice of the LORD anymore. This is a tragic development for a man who started so well and continued well for so long.

The End of Asa

The whole history of Asa is described “in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel” (2Chr 16:11). It is also emphasized “from first to last”. This book is not included in the Bible. It is not, however, the case that his history has been lost. On the day everything will be revealed by God, He will use that book as a testimony for His judgment of the life of Asa.

After his rejection of Hanani and others, Asa becomes diseased in his feet (2Chr 16:12). Why in his feet? Is this not symbolic for his walk? Asa is no longer walking in faith. In his old age he has gone his own way. The disease in his feet is a disciplinary means of the LORD to bring him back to the way of faith.

Thus, the Lord can also ‘paralyze’ us, making us incapable of serving. He can take the power out of our walk of faith if we are not willing to turn to Him with repentance about our wrong walk. We may well pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psa 139:23-24).

Asa reacts to the discipline, which is intended to make him repent, by making a new mistake. He doesn’t seek his help from the LORD, but from the physicians. In itself, it is not wrong that he seeks help from physicians. His fault is that he expects his help only from these people and not from the LORD (cf. 2Kgs 20:5-7; Psa 103:3). Therefore his end is not like that of Paul, who can say at the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2Tim 4:7). A good start does not guarantee a good end. Therefore we need endurance in the race that is set before us (Heb 12:1).

After a reign of forty-one years including a disease during the last two years, Asa goes to sleep “with his fathers” (2Chr 16:13). He is buried “in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself” in Jerusalem, here called “the city of David” (2Chr 16:14). We don’t know when he had that grave cut out. In any case, he wanted his body to be placed in a place connected with the name of David. It seems that he has relied on the promises made to David with a view to an everlasting kingship that will find fulfillment in the great Son of David.

The people pay great tribute to him at his burial. They “laid him in the resting place which he had filled with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art”. Asa has not only taken care of a tomb, but also of a bed that doesn’t spread the death scent, but a wonderful scent. Perhaps he did so because he wants to be remembered by his people as someone who did good. He has done so for most of his life. The people seem to be aware of this and therefore make a very great fire for him (cf. 2Chr 21:19; Jer 34:5). Here we can think of burning incense.