Christian preachers emphasise the importance of “finishing well”—remaining faithful right to the end. At the very end of his long reign, Asa fell short in this regard.

Asa’s grandmother Maakah has been worshipping a “replusive image” (2 Chronicles 15:16). Will he treat her leniently? No! He destroys the image and demotes her from the position of queen mother. Asa has also removed the “high places” (shrines) from Judah (14:5)—but he does not remove every high place from Israel (15:17). “Israel” here apparently means all the territory he controls. Nevertheless, Asa’s heart remains true “all his life”; his gifts to the temple reflect his commitment. (vv. 17–18).

For a long time, there is no war, and Judah’s borders now lie as far north as Bethel. In Asa’s 36th year, however, Baasha of Israel pushes into Benjaminite territory, capturing Ramah (16:1). This threatens to cut the main road linking Jerusalem and the coastal plain, greatly restricting traffic into and out of Judah. Surprisingly, Asa does not seek God. Instead, he buys help from Ben-Hadad king of Aram with silver and gold—some of it taken from the temple treasuries (vv. 2–3).

The policy seems to succeed (vv. 4–6). Ben-Hadad is happy to weaken a potentially dangerous neighbour. He breaks his treaty with Baasha and captures several cities from Israel. Baasha, who has been strengthening Ramah’s fortifications, has to abandon this work in order to respond to the threat. Asa musters the people of Judah and they carry off Baasha’s building materials, which they then use to fortify Geba and Mizpah. It is all neatly done.

But the prophet Hanani confronts Asa (vv. 7–9): Why did you rely on the king of Aram and not on the Lord? Could not the God who gave you victory against Zerah have given you victory over Baasha? God rewards faithfulness, not political cunning. You might have defeated not only Baasha, but the Arameans as well. Now your kingdom will be plagued by wars because of your folly.

Asa’s response is to imprison Hanani and ill-treat others among his subjects, probably those who questioned his treatment of Hanani (v. 10).

Imprisoning a prophet amounts to rejecting the word of the Lord; the disease that overshadowed Asa’s last years is likely understood as divine punishment for this. Yet the Chronicler draws a different lesson: “Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the doctors” (v. 12). Once again, Asa makes the same mistake of seeking human rather than divine help.

Asa’s reign thus ends disappointingly. The pattern of his reign—faithfulness rewarded by blessing followed by unfaithfulness which is punished by judgment—will recur in the reigns of later kings of Judah. In spite of the failures of his last years, the people honour Asa at his death, burying him with many spices in a special tomb and commemorating him with a great fire (v. 14). He has been the best king of Judah so far.

See also 1 Kings 15:13–24.