Asa King of Judah
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.
When we looked at Asa’s father, we noticed that the term bath in Hebrew can mean “granddaughter” as well as “daughter,” and that Maakah was in fact not Absalom’s (“Abishalom’s”) daughter, but his granddaughter. Now the same woman is called “mother” (Hebrew ‘im) of Asa, when in fact she was his grandmother. Translations such as the New Revised Standard Versions (NRSV) simply have “mother” here, but the 2011 edition of the NIV (which we are using here) has the more accurate translation “grandmother.” We’re introduced to her again because she retained her position as the “great lady” or “queen mother” of Jerusalem, although Asa had a wife and a son of his own. Perhaps Maakah retained her rank because Asa was probably quite young when he became king. His father Abijah only reigned three years and died before he was 45.
11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 15 He brought into the temple of the LORD the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. (NIV)
What a change for Judah! Asa “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” It’s easy to see that what’s right in God’s eyes isn’t always going to be popular with all the people. When Asa took the throne, the first ones to go were the male prostitutes. They didn’t just lose their jobs, they were expelled from the land. Jeroboam was probably happy to have them up north. Next was the queen mother. Maakah had built a “repulsive image” in honor of the fertility goddess Asherah. Asa burned it in the valley below the temple, the Kidron Valley, and then removed Maakah from her lofty position.
Asa’s one concession was that he left the other pagan worship places, the “high places,” alone. But despite this failing, Asa’s heart was judged by God, and the Lord’s judgment was good: Asa was “fully committed to the Lord all his life.”
That’s a judgment we would all like to strive for. It isn’t easy, and in fact we all have our crosses to bear, just as Jesus said we would (Matthew 10:38). But we serve our Savior, and thank him for the incredible gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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