And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Asa ruled Judah in the south, and Baasha ruled Israel in the north, two halves of one nation. Their war ran the whole length of both reigns — so why did brothers fight each other for a lifetime, and what did it cost them?
A Symptom of Decline
Solomon's reign had ended in peace. What came next looked nothing like it, and one writer explains why.
H. L. RossierThis whole account is filled with wars and cruelty. It follows Solomon's reign of peace, which ended so quickly because the king and his people were unfaithful... This is one of the main symptoms of decline. War breaks out — relentless war between people of the same race. Next the kings of Israel are the ones who start the fighting. They feel their position threatened because Judah keeps up God's testimony. A nation that has turned to idols after knowing the true God cannot bear God's testimony so close by. It hates it and wages desperate war against it.
Brothers Fighting the Wrong Enemy
The problem was not just the war. It was who stood on each side of it.
Leslie M. GrantWar between Asa and Baasha (Judah and Israel) is a sad testimony to the weakness of both peoples, for they were brothers (v.32). Why was their time not spent rather in fighting the common enemies of Israel?
Why Baasha Could Not Leave Judah Alone
Baasha's method was a blockade. He fortified Ramah, a town on the border, to stop his own people crossing over. One writer explains what drove him, and where Asa gave him an opening.
Henri L. RossierThis happens again and again. Those like Baasha still keep up a profession of true religion, though it is mixed with deadly errors. They cannot bear a testimony near them that attracts souls. Sadly, by tolerating evil in some measure, Asa himself gave an occasion for this hostility.
Another writer points out what was pulling Baasha's people toward Judah.
C. KnappBaasha made a treaty with Ben-Hadad king of Syria. He also built up Ramah as a fortress on his southern border. He wanted to stop his people, as far as he could, from moving to Judah, where Asa's prosperity attracted them.
What the Long War Cost Asa
Constant pressure wears a man down. Asa had trusted God before. This time he paid Baasha's own ally to change sides.
Leslie M. GrantWhen war threatened Asa from Baasha and Israel, the faith of Asa sadly faltered... Why did Asa not simply commit this matter to the Lord in prayer? But he failed badly by enlisting the help of the Lord's enemies against his own brothers the Israelites. He also took the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord to pay Syria for this help (v.18). God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8), but Asa in effect gave God's glory — the gold — to Ben-Hadad! So Asa made the fatal mistake of enlisting the world's help to fight against his own brothers, the children of Israel (v.19). Instead of making a treaty with Syria, how much better it would have been for Asa to seek the restoration of Israel! But in our day believers too often use shocking means to fight other believers who have offended them. They also use what belongs to God to serve their own selfish ends. Asa did the same with the gold and silver from the house of the Lord.
The Road Judah Should Have Taken
There was a better way, and a prophet had urged it from the start of the split.
H. L. RossierNext came Shemaiah, the prophet to Rehoboam. He urged the king and his people not to fight against their brothers, the children of Israel (1 Kings 12:22; 2 Chronicles 11:2). That was the only fitting course for those who still kept the lamp of David. They were the Lord's witnesses. They ought to accept the division as the result of their own sin. And they ought to commit themselves to God, who would know how to put things right once His judgment had run its course and borne its fruit.
Summary
- Decline — Endless war between people of one nation is not just politics. It is a main symptom of decline, and it follows unfaithfulness.
- Division — Baasha attacks because he cannot bear a true testimony next door. He even fortifies the border to stop his people crossing over.
- Distraction — The war showed the weakness of both sides. Brothers fought each other while the real enemies went unopposed.
- Downfall — Long pressure exposed Asa. He hired the world's help against his own brothers and paid with gold from God's house. He never simply took the matter to God in prayer.
- Direction — The answer to division was never the sword. Accept the break as the fruit of sin. Seek the restoration of the other side. Leave the remedy with God.