been obtained. Instead of relying wholly on Jehovah his God, he appears to have imagined that his former

policy in regard to Syria had been a mistake. Like many who, on losing the first freshnes s of their faith, seek

to combine trust in the LORD with what they regard as most likely means of worldly success, Asa entered

into a new alliance266 with Ben-Hadad, purchasing it with the silver and gold treasured up in the Temple and

in the royal palace.

He may have argued, that this did not imply a renunciation of his former allegiance to Jehovah; that he had

no personal intercourse with Syria, which, indeed, was far separated from his dominions; that his was only a

countermove to Baasha's schemes; and that a similar league had, during the reign of his father, proved

eminently successful. But the result of an alliance so incongruous, and purchased in so dubious a manner,

proved the beginning of spiritual declension and of little honor or real benefit to his country. Ben-Hadad

was only too ready to entertain Asa's proposals. It could never have been his real policy to strengthen the

neighbor-state of Israel, and to weaken that of Judah. On receivin g the rich bribe, which made Judah

virtually tributary to him, he broke his league with Baasha, and immediately invaded Israel, overrunning the

northern territory, penetrating as far as the district of Chinneroth (Joshua 11:2; 12:3; 19:35), - which gave its

name to the Lake of Gennesaret, -and occupying the land of Naphtali. This threatening danger in the north

of his dominions obliged Baasha hastily to quit Ramah. Asa now summoned all Judah. The materials

accumulated for the fortress of Ramah were removed, and used for building two new forts, Geba ("the

height") and Mizpah ("the outlook") (comp. Joshua 18:24, 26; also Jeremiah 41:5-9). Both these cities lay

within the territory of Benjamin, about three miles to the north of Ramah, in very strong positions, and

commanded the two roads to Jerusalem.

But with the retreat of Baasha from Ramah, the troubles of Asa did not end; rather did they only then begin.

When, alone and unaided, he had, in the might of Jehovah, encountered the hosts of Egypt, signal succes s

had been his; peace and prosperity had followed; and God's prophet had been specially sent to meet the

returning army with good and encouraging tidings. It was all otherwise now. Hanani the prophet was

directed to meet Asa with a message of reproof and judgment; instead of, as formerly, peace, there would

henceforth be continual warfare (2 Chronicles 16:9); and the alliance with Syria would prove neither to honor

nor profit. On the other hand, even had his fears been realized, and the combined armies of Israel and Syria

invaded Judah, yet if, instead of buying the alliance of Ben-Hadad, he had gone forward in the name of the

LORD, victory such as that over the Ethiopians would again have been his (2 Chronicles 16:7). As it was,

Asa had chosen a worldly policy, and by its issue he must abide. Henceforth it was no more Jehovah Who

was arrayed against the might of man, but the contest would be simply one of cunning and strength, as

between man and man (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Hanani had spoken, as all the prophets of Jehovah, fearlessly, faithfully, and only too truly. It was probably

conviction of this which, in the unhumbled state of the king, kindled his anger against "the seer." Once more

it might seem to Asa as not implying rebellion against God, only a necessary precaution against disunion

and dissatisfaction among his own subjects, threatening to upset his political calculations and

combinations, to use measures of severity against the prophet from which he would have shrunk at a former

period of his reign. All the more requisite might these appear, since his unwelcome monitor evidently

commanded the sympathies of an influential part of the community. But it was an unheard -of proceeding,

which happily found imitation only in the worst times of Israel (1 Kings 22:,6-29; Jeremiah 20:2; 29:26; Acts

16:24), to put the prophet of the Load "in the house of stocks" 267 on account of his faithfulness, and by a

series of persecutions to oppress, and, if possible, crush268 those who sympathized with him.

Nor was this all. The fatal tendency which had showed itself in the Syrian alliance, and still more in the

measures against Hanani and his s ympathizers, continued and increased with the lapse of years. Two years

before his death, Asa was attacked by some disease269 in his feet. In this "also" 270 "he sought not Jehovah

but in (by) the physicians."  271