There are numerous lessons we can learn when we make a study of certain well—known Old Testament individuals and the events that influenced their lives. In the first book of Corinthians, chapter 10, the Apostle Paul refers to various incidents that occurred in the Old Testament, and points out that they are recorded for our instruction and admonition. For instance, notice verse 6: "Now these things became our examples," and verse 11 "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition (margin, instruction) upon whom the ends of the ages have come." Let us examine one such example, and observe what important lessons we can discover about the life of a king of Judah.

Unlike many rulers before him, King Asa started his reign on a positive note. It is recorded that "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God" (2 Chronicles 14:2). He removed the altars of foreign gods, and places of pagan worship (verses 3, 5). Furthermore, he encouraged the inhabitants of Judah to seek God and to keep His laws and commandments (verse 4).

God's Guidance in Asa's Life

These righteous deeds pleased God and as a consequence the nation enjoyed peace for ten years (verses 1, 6). But after this period of tranquility King Asa faced one of his most challenging tests. Zerah, the Ethiopian, marched into Judah with an immense army of one million men and three hundred chariots (verse 9). Asa cried out to God imploring Him for help: "It is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power [the few]; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude" (verse 11).

It is evident that Asa was a leader who trusted in God and His power to supernaturally intervene for the people of Judah. As a result God gave Asa a resounding victory (verse 13). After the battle, God sent His prophet Azariah to meet the victorious King, and to convey an important message to him. In one of the best known verses in the Bible, the prophet gave this message from God: "The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him He will forsake you" (2 Chronicles 15:2).

Again Asa and the people responded in a positive way and entered into an agreement with God, "to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul" (verse 12). The inhabitants of Judah reacted with enthusiasm and confirmed their desire to follow the good example of their king (verse 15). This attitude and desire to please God and wholeheartedly seek Him resulted in more blessings for King Asa and his people. And so the kingdom of Judah enjoyed additional years of peace and prosperity (verse 19).

Individual Lessons

When our ways please God He blesses us in many ways. It is a living, dynamic principle: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Asa, for 35 years, endeavored to please God in the way he conducted his own life and the affairs of his kingdom. He was aware of his utter helplessness without God's assistance, and on His part the Eternal was an ever–present help in times of need. Now we arrive at the closing years of Asa's life.

Asa's Final Years

The Bible account continues after 35 years of a successful and productive reign. Then an event occurred which had a major impact on the life of the king of Judah. As a result of hostile threats against Judah by Baasha, king of neighboring Israel, Asa sought a military alliance with Ben-Hadad, King of Syria. In order to secure his favor and support he delivered to the Syrian king gifts of precious treasures from the house of God. As a result of the extra help from the Syrians, the king of Israel was forced to abandon his militant plans (2 Chronicles 16:1-6).

However, Asa's ill-considered and unwise decisions did not please God. As a result a prophet, Hanani, was sent to confront Asa. He strongly condemned the king for relying on the Syrians for protection rather than on God (verse 7), and reminded Asa of the time He intervened for the nation of Judah and defeated the might of the Ethiopian army (verse 8). Hanani the prophet ended his admonition by pointing out to Asa that his conduct had been disloyal to God, and that "in this you have done foolishly" (verse 9).

Asa's Errors

Instead of acknowledging his guilt, Asa's reaction to God's admonition was one of anger and hostility. In a fit of rage he cast Hanani into prison (verse 10). But his outrage and resentment did not end there. In verse 10 we are told that, "Asa oppressed some of the people at that time." The Bible does not tell us why or who they were, but is it possible these were friends or advisors who were trying to show Asa the error of his ways? Whatever the reason, Asa was acting irresponsibly and was in the process of tarnishing the exemplary reputation he had developed as a God-fearing ruler.

Three years later Asa again fell into the same trap of trusting men more than God. Second Chronicles 16:12 states: "And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians." The king had not learnt the lesson from his experience three years earlier. He made the mistake of relying on the physicians for healing-to the exclusion of God. Asa was condemned for ignoring God, not necessarily because he went to a physician. Where was the faith and trust Asa previously showed in God? For two years Asa was afflicted with this disease, but there was no indication that he repented of his wrong-doings. Instead, verse 13 merely states: "So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign."

It's the End Result That Counts

It is tragic that Asa, after 35 years of living a righteous and upright life, should fall from grace "in the time of his old age" (1 Kings 15:23). Etched in the pages of our Bibles is the life of Asa the king of Judah who in his last few years failed to nurture and maintain the marvelous relationship that had existed between him and God. Yet God gave him a further six years to acknowledge his transgressions and change. It is unfortunate and lamentable that the biblical account does not indicate Asa ever did.

There are repeated warnings in the Word of God about enduring and staying committed to God and His way of life until the end (Matthew 24:13). King Asa is an example of an individual who, even though righteous for most of his life, failed to faithfully endure and serve God until his death. In Hebrews chapter three verse six we are encouraged to, "hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end." And in Hebrews 10:38-39 students of the Bible are admonished: "Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition [destruction], but of those who believe to the saving of the soul." There is no reason why anyone should not stay the course and with patience complete the race yet before them (Hebrews 12:1).

At times the obstacles seem overwhelming and we can be tempted to give up. At other times we allow the cares of this life to blur the vision of the incredible potential promised to each one of us. Note Hebrews 2:1: "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." Will we "drift away" like Asa and "neglect so great a salvation?" The choice is ours, but if we do our part God's promises stand sure and steadfast: "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

Years ago a friend gave me this valuable advice: What is important is not how many storms in life we encounter and successfully negotiate, but whether we bring the ship safely into harbor. Don't give up, stay the course, finish the race, endure to the end. Remember Asa.