Asa of Judah

Asa (Hebrew: אָסָא, Standard Asa Tiberian ʾĀsâ) was the fifth king of the House of David and the third of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Abijam, and great-grandson of Solomon. William F. Albright has dated his reign to 913 B.C.E.-873 B.C.E., while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 911 B.C.E.-870 B.C.E. I Kings and II Chronicles describe his reign in a favorable manner. They both give his reign as being 41 years.

Background

Asa lived during the first stages of the Divided Kingdoms, when the unified monarchy under Solomon had been split into two by the successful rebellion of Jeroboam I, who reigned under the northern kingdom of Israel. The Davidic dynasty under Solomon's son Rehoboam remained in control over the southern kingdom of Judah. According to the biblical account, Jeroboam's rebellion had initially been sanctioned by God through the ministry of the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh. However, Jeroboam earned the prophet's disapproval for establishing sanctuaries at Dan and Bethel.

Although the prophets warned the kings of Judah against military actions against their northern brothers, wars did break out. Judah suffered as a result of the north's alliance with Egypt, and Jerusalem was sacked by the Egyptian king, whom the Bible calls Shishak, during the reign of Rehoboam. After Rehoboam's death, his son Abijam (also called Abijah) succeeded in winning back several northern towns, in part through an alliance with Israel's enemy, the kingdom Damascus (Syria).

Although generally favoring the south against the north, the biblical writers disapprove of both Rehoboam and Abijam for not being zealous enough in promoting the "Yahweh-only" tradition of the Jerusalem priesthood. That situation changed under the reign of Asa.

Purging of Idolatry

The story of Asa begins on a more hopeful note. He reigns a good long time, 41 years, and his grandmother's name is given as Maacah, a daughter of David's son Absalom, according to the account of the Books of Kings. The version in Chronicles adds deals concerning Asa's positive response to a call for religious reform.

The prophet Azariah son of Oded exhorted Asa early on to reinforce strict national observance of henotheistic worship of Yahweh only.

He purged the land of former religious worships; all the sites of non-Judaic worship were destroyed and the worshipers persecuted. The Queen Mother, Maacah, was also deposed for having been involved with local, non-Judaic gods, worships, and beliefs, which were practiced by neighboring peoples. He also made the practice of prostitution forbidden and prosecuted all offenders. Finally, when the religious transition was completed in Asa's fifteenth year, a great feast was held in Jerusalem at Solomon's Temple. At that time, many northerners, particularly from the tribes Ephraim and Manasseh, migrated to the Kingdom of Judah because of the fruitful golden age in Judah, and the internal conflict in the Kingdom of Israel due to the fall of the dynasty of Jeroboam I.

Wars and Defense Projects

Asa revamped and reinforced the fortress system originally built by his grandfather Rehoboam, taking advantage of years of peace. An invasion by the Egyptian-backed chieftain Zerah the Ethiopian and his million men and 300 chariots was defeated by Asa's 580,000 men (these figures come from II Chronicles) in the Valley of Zephath, near Mareshah. The Ethiopians were pursued all the way to Gerar, in the coastal plain, where they stopped out of sheer exhaustion. The resulting peace kept Judah free of the influence of the Pharaohs until the time of Jehoiakim, some centuries later.

In Asa's 36th year, King Baasha of Israel attacked the Kingdom of Judah. Baasha built the fortress of Ramah on the border, not ten miles from Jerusalem. The result was that the capital was under pressure and the military situation was precarious. Asa took gold and silver from the Temple and sent them to Ben-Hadad I, King of Damascus, in exchange for the Damascene king cancelling his peace treaty with Baasha. Ben-Hadad I attacked Ijon, Dan, and many important cities of the tribe of Naphtali. and Baasha was forced to withdraw from Ramah. Asa tore down the unfinished fortress and used its raw materials to fortify Geba and Mizpah, on his side of the border.

Later Years

Hanani the Seer, a prophet, admonished Asa for relying on foreign as opposed to Divine help in defeating Baasha. Asa became very angry and threw Hanani in jail. Asa was also not as just as he had been. Asa developed an infection in his toes that later spread to the rest of his body. However, he consulted doctors as opposed to prophets and priests to try and cure it.

Succession

Asa died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, in the grave that he had dug for himself. He was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat.

House of David Cadet Branch of the Tribe of Judah
Preceded by: Abijam	King of Judah Albright: 913 B.C.E. – 873 B.C.E. Thiele: c.911 B.C.E. – 870 B.C.E. Galil: c.911 B.C.E. – 870 B.C.E.	Succeeded by: Jehoshaphat

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