1 Kings 15:9

THE REIGN OF ASA OVER JUDAH

"And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Asa to reign over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father And he put away the sodomites of the land, and removed all the idols that his father had made. And also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Ashera; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken away: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with Jehovah all his days. And he brought into the house of Jehovah the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels."

"His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom" (1 Kings 15:10). "The Jews called any female ancestor mother and any male ancestor father."[2] This woman was actually the grandmother of Asa (1 Kings 15:2). She was the favorite wife of Rehoboam, and, as may be inferred from the statement here, she held the important post of queen-mother, a very distinctive office in Jewish government.

"Abishalom" (1 Kings 15:10). This name is the same as Absalom, but as Absalom apparently had but one daughter Tamar (2 Samuel 14:27), Maacah was probably his granddaughter.

"Maacah ... he removed from being queen" (1 Kings 15:17). Her sin and the reason for this was the abominable image that she made for an Ashera. "This pagan goddess was hailed as the mother of 70 different gods, including Baal ... She was also called by a title that meant, She who walks on the sea."[3] This action of Asa, along with his throwing the sodomites out of Judah, were powerful evidences of his loyalty to the Lord. Of all the people on earth who might be entitled to such a nickname as "gay," none could be less entitled to it than the contemptible sodomites!

"But the high places were not taken away" (1 Kings 15:14). The idolatry of Israel was already so deeply entrenched and supported by popular opinion that king Asa was powerless to do anything about it. This is adequate proof that even the most righteous of rulers cannot always accomplish all that they would like to do in leading the people in the right way.

"He brought into the house of Jehovah the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that he had dedicated" (1 Kings 15:15). It is surprising that Abijam had made any dedications to the Lord, but the explanation is found in 2 Chronicles 14:9ff. God had given him a victory over Jeroboam. Asa's dedications were probably those which he pledged following his victory over the Cushites in the eleventh year of his reign.