Let’s dive into the story of King Asa, son of Abijah, of Judah, whose reign is a powerful reminder of the importance of faith and humility.

Asa started off strong. He was a more righteous ruler than his father. One of his first acts, as Ginzberg tells us in Legends of the Jews, was to abolish the worship of Priapus, a practice his own mother was devoted to. In return for this piety, God granted him victory over Zerah, the king of the Ethiopians. This victory was huge! It allowed Asa to reclaim the treasures that Shishak had stolen from his grandfather, treasures that Zerah had then taken from Shishak. Imagine the weight of history, of reclaiming what was lost!

But the good times didn't last.

Soon, Baasha, the king of Israel, along with Ben-hadad, the Aramean king, attacked Asa. In a move that would define his reign, Asa tried to appease Ben-hadad by handing over those very treasures he had just regained. A prophet, unnamed in this account, rightfully rebuked him. "Why trust in princes," the prophet essentially asked, "when you should trust in God?" After all, God had visibly helped him defeat the Ethiopians and the Lubim! He didn't even need to fight; God answered his prayer and smote the enemy. It seems Asa was relying on his own skills a little too much, even enlisting the scholars of his realm into the army against Baasha.

And there were consequences. According to the narrative, Asa was afflicted with gout, ironically, since he was known for the strength in his feet. But more than that, the division between Judah and Israel, which God had initially intended to limit to just thirty-six years of separation from the house of David, became permanent. Had Asa remained faithful, he could have ruled over all of Israel.

Here's where things get even more intertwined. Asa, through a marriage connection with the house of Omri, actually helped stabilize the Israelite dynasty. His support allowed Omri to eliminate his rival, Tibni. But this connection had a dark side. Because of it, God decreed that the descendants of Asa would perish alongside the descendants of Omri. This grim prophecy came to pass when Jehu killed the king of Judah because of his friendship and kinship with Joram, the king of Samaria.

Asa's story is a cautionary tale. He had moments of great piety and great victory, but his reliance on earthly power, his lack of complete trust in God, ultimately led to his downfall and had far-reaching consequences for his kingdom. What could he have accomplished if he had maintained his initial faith? It’s a question that echoes through history.