And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. In his personal walk and conversation, in his government of the nation, and especially in the matters of his God, and of religion, he made David his pattern and example to copy after. read more
And he took away the Sodomites out of the land ,.... Which were in the times of Rehoboam, 1 Kings 14:24 , and continued in his father's reign; those he took away, either by driving them out of the land, or by putting them to death according to the law of God, Leviticus 20:13 even as many of them as he had knowledge of, for some remained, see 1 Kings 22:46 , and removed all the idols that his fathers had made ; or suffered to be made, as Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijam, see 1 Kings... read more
And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen ,.... From the kingdom, as the Targum; from having any share in the government, as she might have had during his minority, his mother being dead, as some conjecture; and not only took away her power and authority, but all the ensigns of it, and perhaps forbid her the court: or he removed her from the queen, his own wife, that she might not be corrupted by her; or rather it was from presiding over the rites of the idol next... read more
The sodomites - הקדשים hakkedeshim ; literally, the holy or consecrated ones. See on 1 Kings 14:24 ; (note). read more
She had made an idol in a grove - The original word, מפלצת miphletseth , is variously understood. I shall give its different views in the versions: - "Besides, he removed his mother Maacha from being chief in the sacred rites of Priapus, and in his grove which she had consecrated." - Vulgate. read more
Reformation. The moral condition of Judah was fearful when Asa came to the throne. The apostasy of Solomon had inaugurated a retrogression which was aggravated in the reigns following, so that for three generations the abominations of the heathens were increasing. The condition of Israel was even worse, under the system introduced by Jeroboam, to which the successors of that monarch tenaciously held. When the Holy Land was in such a state of degeneracy, what was the condition of the world... read more
Zeal without trust. AN OPPORTUNITY RECOGNIZED AND USED . The need of the time was manfully met. Brought up in an idolatrous home, he nevertheless saw that this sin was sapping the foundation of the nation's stability and strength, and he set himself to root it out. 1 . The land was cleansed from . filthy abomination, from legalized, and even sanctified, sin ("And he took away the Sodomites," etc.) The nation that legalizes sin will reap corruption and shame: that which... read more
And Ass did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. ["It is a wonder how Ass should be good, of the seed of Abijam, of the son of Maachah" (Hall). ] read more
The Reign of Asa. Though this prince reigned forty and one years—a longer period than any of his predecessors, and, with two exceptions, a longer period than any of the kings who came after him—yet his reign, so far as it is recorded here, may be summed up in few words. "Happy is the nation," it has been said, "which has no history." But happier still the nation whose history, like that of Judah in the time of Asa, may be comprehended under these two heads— internal reforms, and ... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 15:9-24
We have here a short account of the reign of Asa; we shall find a more copious history of it 2 Chron. 14:1-16:14 Here is, I. The length of it: He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem, 1 Kgs. 15:10. In the account we have of the kings of Judah we find the number of the good kings and the bad ones nearly equal; but then we may observe, to our comfort, that the reign of the good kings was generally long, but that of the bad kings short, the consideration of which will make the state of God's... read more