But King Asa was not perfect. No one is sinless (1Jn. 1:8-10). His devotion to the Lord seems to have waned toward the end of his 41-year reign, a reminder that finishing strong in the Christian life is difficult and requires supreme devotion to the Lord.

Answer: Though King Asa’s morality waned in his later years, whole-hearted devotion to the Lord marked the overall trajectory of his life.

Problem: Twice Scripture says Asa’s heart was “perfect” toward the Lord all his days (1Kng. 15:14; 2Chr. 15:17, KJV), even though he sinned in serious ways.  

Explanation: Asa was the third king of Judah, the son of King Abijah and the grandson of King Rehoboam—Solomon’s only son. Under the rule of Rehoboam (who reigned seventeen years) and Abijah (who reigned three years), Judah—Israel’s southern kingdom—had fallen into moral and spiritual decay.

Unlike Abijah, who walked “in all the sins of his father” (1Kng. 15:3), King Asa spurned his father’s wickedness. He was the first, great, reforming king of Judah. He built cities, fought battles, and brought years of peace to the land. But his greatest success was spiritual. He worshipped the true God (2Chr. 14:3), removed idolatry (v. 3), prayed to God for help (v. 11), and even removed his grandmother in her position as queen mother because she worshipped the Asherah poles (15:16).

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