The Warning and Wisdom in the Life of King Asa
There are some people in Scripture who begin poorly and end well. Then there are others whose stories begin with fire, conviction, courage and wholehearted devotion to God, yet somewhere along the journey, something changes. Asa is one of those people. His story mirrors so many believer today. It reveals how easy it is to move from passionate dependence/reliance on God to subtle self-reliance. The same spiritual drift we see happened with King Asa, is the same spiritual drift we see happening to day. King Asa’s life teaches us that spiritual drift rarely happens suddenly. It happens gradually, quietly, and often after seasons of success.
His story is both encouraging and sobering. Let's break this down:
King Asa: The King Who Started Well
The Bible introduces Asa with a rare and powerful statement:
“Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.” — 2 Chronicles 14:2
At a time when many kings embraced idolatry and led the nation away from God, Asa chose reformation.
He removed pagan altars.
He tore down idols.
He destroyed false worship practices.
He called the people back to covenant relationship with God.
Asa understood something many believers still struggle to understand today: revival often requires removal before restoration.
Before God establishes new things, He often confronts old compromises.
God’s Requirement Was Simple but Costly
Through the prophet Azariah son of Oded, God gave Asa a foundational truth:
“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
God was not merely asking for religious activity. He wanted wholehearted dependence.
To seek God means:
- pursuing Him intentionally,
- trusting Him fully,
- obeying Him consistently,
- and remaining surrendered even when circumstances become difficult.
Asa initially did exactly that.
The Prayer That Revealed Asa’s Heart
One of the defining moments of Asa’s reign came when Judah faced an overwhelming Ethiopian army led by Zerah.
Judah was vastly outnumbered.
Naturally speaking, defeat seemed inevitable.
But Asa prayed one of the most powerful prayers recorded in Scripture:
“Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
— 2 Chronicles 14:11
What made this prayer so powerful? Asa acknowledged:
- God’s unlimited power,
- human weakness,
- and complete dependence on the Lord.
That phrase stands out:
“We rest on You.”
That is the posture God desires from every believer.
Not self-sufficiency.
Not pride.
Not dependence on intellect, influence or earthly systems.
But trust. Deep trust.
The kind of trust that says:
“God, if You do not move, I cannot overcome this.”
And God responded. The Lord gave Judah victory, because Asa depended on Him. God kept His promise (See2 Chronicles 15:2)
The Danger That Comes After Victory
Many people think the greatest spiritual danger comes during hardship.
But often the greater danger comes after success.
Success can slowly produce self-reliance.
Experience can create spiritual independence.
Familiarity can weaken desperation for God.
This is where Asa’s story begins to shift.
Later in his reign, Asa faced conflict again. But this time, instead of seeking God like he did before, he turned to political strategy and formed an alliance with Syria.
The prophet Hanani confronted him with these words:
“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.” — 2 Chronicles 16:7
This was the issue:
Asa had changed his source of dependence. He allied himself with what God wanted to destroy. He took what God has blessed him with and bribed Ben-hadad, King of Syria with it.
Earlier, Asa said: “We rest on You.” Now Asa rested in human solutions.
One of the Saddest Moments in Asa’s Life
When corrected by the prophet, Asa did not humble himself.
He became angry.
“7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.”
— 2 Chronicles 16:7,10
This is often one of the clearest signs of spiritual drift: a heart that can no longer receive correction.
A teachable spirit is one of the greatest protections in the life of a believer.
Pride resists correction. Humility receives it.
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." —Proverbs 16:18
"God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" —James 4:6
Sadly, Asa’s decline continued.
Later, he became diseased in his feet and Scripture records something heartbreaking:
“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.”
— 2 Chronicles 16:12
The issue was not that Asa sought physicians. Scripture does not condemn medical care. The deeper problem was that Asa no longer sought God. His dependence and the fear of the Lord had faded.
The Warning Hidden in Asa’s Story
Asa did not fall because he stopped believing God existed. He fell because he slowly stopped depending on Him. That is the subtle danger many believers face today.
You can:
- still attend church,
- still know Scripture,
- still function in leadership,
- still appear spiritually strong,
while quietly depending more on yourself than on God. Spiritual drift rarely announces itself loudly. It often begins with small compromises:
- prayer becoming optional,
- self-sufficiency replacing surrender,
- success replacing humility,
- and strategy replacing dependence on God.
The Verse That Captures Asa’s Entire Story
In the middle of Asa’s correction comes one of the most powerful verses in Scripture:
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
— 2 Chronicles 16:9
God is still searching today.
Not for perfect people.
Not for the most gifted people.
Not for the strongest people.
He is searching for hearts that remain loyal, humble, dependent, and surrendered. Those who are willing and obedient. Those who still depend and fear Him.
Asa Points Us to the Better King
The life of Asa ultimately reveals the weakness of human kingship.
Even good leaders fail.
Even sincere people drift.
Even reformers can become self-reliant.
But Asa’s story points us toward a greater King:
Jesus Christ.
Unlike Asa:
- Jesus never drifted,
- never became self-reliant,
- never resisted the Father,
- and never failed in obedience.
Hebrews 7:25 says:
“He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Jesus not only saves us.
He sustains us. He continually intercedes for believers, so that dependence on God can remain alive within us.
Final Reflection
The tragedy of Asa is not simply that he failed.
The tragedy is that the man who once cried,
“We rest on You,”
eventually stopped resting in God altogether.
May we learn from his story.
May success never make us self-reliant.
May correction never harden our hearts.
May experience never replace intimacy with God.
And may we remain people who continually say:
“Lord… we rest on You.”