The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 5 · Section 19 · Concurrent kings · Judah · Asa
The third King of Judah, ASA.IN the 20th year of Jeroboam, Aſa began to reign over Judah, and he reigned 41 years. He began his reign in the time of the firſt King of Iſrael, and continued to the reign of the eighth. In which time the Kingdom of Iſrael was in three ſeveral families, viz. Jeroboam's, Baaſha's, and Omri's. 'Tis probable that he was very young when he came to the Crown; and that hereupon Maachah his Grandmother the wife of Rehoboam, (his mother poſſibly being dead) was made Queen Regent during his minority. But when he came to ſome ripeneſs of years he ſhewed that his heart was upright before the Lord, and that he was an enemy to the Idolatry that was in the land, and deſired to maintain the true worſhip of God; a thing the more to be wondred at, he having ſuch a Father, and ſuch a Grandmother. His Grandmother it ſeems had out of her zeal to Idolatry ſet up ſome new abominable Idol in a Grove. He though young took courage, and aſſuming the Government into his own hands depoſed her from being Queen Regent, and deſtroyed her Idol, and burnt it by the Brook Kidron, and ſtampt it to powder out of indignation, and caſt the duſt thereof into the Brook. He did that which was right in the ſight of the Lord, and reformed thoſe things that were out of order in matters of Religion, and removed all the Idols that his Fathers had made; yet the high places where the people worſhipped the true God of Iſrael were not removed (the people being very loth to be tyed to one place for the offering of their Sacrifices) but the high places that were dedicated to the worſhip of ſtrange gods he took away. He took away alſo all the Sodomites out of the land which he could diſcover, [ſee Ch. 14.24.] but ſome it ſeems remained till his Son Jehoſhaphat came to the Crown, and then he removed them, 1 King. 22.46.
During this time of peace which the Lord had given them he exhorted his ſubjects to aſſiſt him in fortifying ſeveral Cities in his Kingdom, and to make about them Walls, Towers, Gates and Bars, while yet the land was quiet before them. For (ſays he) we have ſought the Lord, and he hath given us reſt on every ſide, therefore let us make a good improvement of this mercy by preparing in time of peace for war, 2 Ch. 14.6, 7.
After this he brought into the Lords houſe the things that his Father, after his famous victory over Jeroboam, had dedicated, adding ſomething more of his own free gift, viz. ſilver and gold, and veſſels for the ſervices of the Temple.
For ten years he enjoyed peace, during which time Jeroboam died, and Nadab his Son ſucceeded him; Nadab two years after was ſlain by Baaſha, who reigned in his ſtead. When thoſe ten years were expired ſome enemy or other made war againſt him, but who it was is not expreſſed. And afterwards about the fourteenth year of his reign Zerah the Ethiopian with a vaſt Army of the Arabians (as it ſeems) and Philiſtines joining with him, invaded the Kingdom of Judah with an hoſt (according to common fame) of a thouſand thouſand, and with a thouſand †Supple mille foreign ut patet ex Cap. 16.8.and three hundred Chariots and Horſemen proportionable, Ch. 16.8.*See Ch. 16.8. Aſa met them with an Army of five hundred, and eight thouſand levied out of Judah and Benjamin, all mighty men of valour. And at Mareſhah a City in Judah they ſet their armies in battle-array to fight. Then Aſa cried unto the Lord his God, and prayed, ſaying, It is nothing with thee to help whither with many or them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we reſt on thee, and in thy name we go out againſt this great multitude. O Lord thou art our God, let not man prevail againſt thee. So the Lord ſmote the Ethiopians with ſuch a dreadful fear that they fled before Aſa, and the men of Judah, and ſo many of them were ſlain, and the reſt routed that they could not rally or make head again. So the men of Judah purſued them to Gerar a City of the Philiſtines, and ſpoiled it and the Cities round about it, and carried away very much ſpoil from them; for a great terrour from the Lord fell upon them, ſo that they durſt not reſiſt. And the men of Judah fell alſo upon the Tents of the Arabians who had joined with theſe Ethiopians, and took from them abundance of ſheep and camels, and ſo laden with ſpoils marched back to Jeruruſalem. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Azariah the Son of Oded, and he went out to meet Aſa and his Army at their return, and leſt they ſhould be too much puffed up with this great victory, he ſaid unto Aſa and his Soldiers, You ſee by experience that the Lord is with you while ye be with him, and that while you walk in his ways he will not fail to bleſs you. If ye ſeek him he will be found of you, but if ye forſake him he will forſake you. You may ſee a clear inſtance of this in the Kingdom of Iſrael, who for above thirty years laſt paſt (namely ſince their revolt under Jeroboam) have lived without the publick pure worſhip of God, not having his Prieſts to inſtruct them, nor regarding his Law to direct them; but if they would repent and return to God, undoubtedly he would be ready to receive them into his favour again. For in former times (viz. the times of the Judges) when the Iſraelites were in great trouble, and under ſore oppreſſions, ſo that there was no peace to him that went out or came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of thoſe Countries, and Nation was deſtroyed of Nation, and City of City, (God vexing them with ſore adverſity) yet even then when they did ſeek to the Lord and turn'd unto him, he had mercy upon them, and did afford them help and deliverance. And ſo if the ten Tribes that have thus forſaken the Lord would turn to him, he would ſurely have mercy upon them. But whatever they do, let me adviſe thee, O King, and thy ſubjects to go on courageouſly with the work of reformation begun by you, and aſſure your ſelves that God will ſtill be with you to bleſs you whilſt you are for him.
When Aſa heard theſe words, together with the Propheſie of Oded (the Father of this Azariah) which it ſeems he declared unto him at this time, and added it to his own exhortation, Aſa took courage and made a more diligent ſearch throughout all his Kingdom, and put away the remaining Idols that were found among them, and that not only out of the land of Judah and Benjamin, but out of the Cities which either his Father Abijam, or he himſelf had taken about Mount Ephraim. See 2 Chron. 13.19. & 17.2. And he renewed and repaired the Altar of the Lord that Solomon had built in the Prieſts Court, which now by continual uſe was ſomething decayed; and he ſummoned all Judah and Benjamin, and ſuch of the ten Tribes as were within his Dominions, (for they fell to him out of Iſrael in abundance when they ſaw that the Lord ſo eminently bleſſed him) and on the third month in the fifteenth year of his reign (which was the 35th*For Rehoboam reigned 17 years, Abijah 3, Aſa 15, at this preſent. ſince the Kingdom of Judah and Iſrael were divided, 2 Chron. 15.19.) he and his people offered unto the Lord of the ſpoils they had gotten, ſeven hundred oxen, and ſeven thouſand ſheep, and entred into a Covenant to ſeek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart, and all their ſoul, and that whoſoever ſhould worſhip any falſe Gods either publickly or privately ſhould be put to death according to the Law, Deut. 17.2, &c. And they ſware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with ſhouting, and with Trumpets and Cornets ſounding. And all Judah rejoiced at the Oath, for they had ſworn with all their heart, and ſought the Lord with their whole ſoul, and he was found of them, and heard their prayers, and granted their deſires, accepted what they did, and proſpered their endeavours, and he gave them reſt round about. There had been no war betwixt Iſrael and Judah in Aſa's time till the 15th year of his reign*2 Chron. 15.19. for, There was no more war, read, there had been no war, viz. betwixt Iſrael and Judah, till the 15th year of Aſa. Bellum enim non fuerat uſque ad annum trigeſſimum quintum regni Aſae. Tremel.. But now about the ſixteenth year of Aſa and 36th ſince the diviſion of the Kingdoms, Baaſha King of Iſrael perceiving how potent Aſa began to be, and how faſt the Iſraelites revolted to him, and how they had all entred into a Covenant to ſerve the Lord, he began to arm againſt them in the fourteenth year of his reign, and from this time there was war between Baaſha and Aſa all their days, 1 King. 15.16.
And Baaſha having gotten Ramah, which was one of the Cities of Benjamin from the King of Judah, fearing the greatneſs of Aſa, and the revolt of the Iſraelites to him, he reſolved to fortifie it, and put a Garriſon into it, that he might keep his own people from flying to him. Aſa to divert him from building and fortifying of Ramah, takes out the ſilver and gold that were in the Treaſures of the Temple, and the Kings houſe, and ſent them to Benhadad King of Syria, to hire him to break his League with Baaſha King of Iſrael. He repreſents to him that there was a League between Benhadad and him as there had been between their Fathers; he deſir'd him therefore to break the League he had with the King of Iſrael, and to invade his Country that he might depart from him, for he was come down to his very borders. Doubtleſs for Aſa to be ſo much afraid of the Iſraelites, and to rob the Temple, and therewith to hire an Infidel to break his Covenant with them, and to make war upon them, and that ſoon after God had given him ſo great a victory over that vaſt hoſt of the Ethiopians, Lubims, Arabians, and Philiſtines, and had manifeſted ſo great a readineſs to help him, was a great ſin. Benhadad accordingly having received this preſent (not regarding his faith or league made with the Iſraelites) forthwith invaded and took many of their Cities. Baaſha upon this, left off fortifying Ramah, and went againſt Benhadad to defend his own Country†And afterwards when he had ſecured his own land he went and dwelt at Tirzah.. In the mean time Aſa by Proclamation gathered together all that were able in Judah to go up to Ramah to demoliſh it; and the men of Judah and Benjamin went up thither and fetched away the timber and ſtones that Baaſha had provided to build, and fortifie it with, and Aſa built therewith Geba and Mizpah *See Jer. 41.9. where we read of a pit that Aſa had in Mizpah that continued unto the Captivity., two Cities in the Tribe of Benjamin. Hanani the Seer (father of the Prophet Jehu, 1 King. 16.) came hereupon to Aſa, and ſaid to him, Thou haſt done ill to diſtruſt the Lord, and to relye on the King of Syria to deliver thee from Baaſha. For hadſt thou ſuffered Benhadad to continue firm to his league with Baaſha, they both would have invaded thy land, and thou ſhouldſt have overcome them both as thou didſt the great Army of the Ethiopians; whereas now by making an agreement with Benhadad thou haſt cut off that advantage from thy ſelf, and ſo his hoſt is eſcaped out of thy hands. Thou maiſt remember how God gave thee victory over that vaſt Army of the Ethiopians, becauſe thou didſt relye on him. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth to ſhew himſelf ſtrong in the behalf of thoſe whoſe heart is perfect towards him. Herein therefore thou haſt done fooliſhly, and from henceforth thou ſhalt have wars with Baaſha, 1 King. 15.16.
Aſa was very wroth with the Seer for this his plain and faithful dealing with him, and put him into priſon, and dealt very harſhly alſo with ſome of his ſubjects at the ſame time, who poſſibly ſhewed their diſlike of theſe his proceedings.
In the 39th year of his reign he was diſeaſed in his feet (probably with the Gout) and his diſeaſe proving exceeding painful he ſought not ſo much to the Lord for help as to the Phyſicians.
He died in the forty firſt year of his reign, having reigned in the time of ſeven Kings of Iſrael, viz. in ſome part of Jeroboam's, and all the time of Nadab, Baaſha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and in ſome part of Ahab's; and they buried him in a Sepulcher which he had made for himſelf in the City of David, and they laid him in the Bed or Coffin, which was filled with all kinds of odours and ſweet ſpices prepared by the Art of the Apothecaries, and they made a great burning for him, that is, they burnt ſweet perfumes at his burial in very great abundance, and Jehoſhaphat his Son reigned in his ſtead.
1 King. 15. from v. 9, to 25.
2 Chron. 14. wh. Ch.
2 Chron. 15. wh. Ch.
2 Chron. 16. whole Chapter.