1 Kings 15:16

ASA'S ALLIANCE WITH DAMASCUS AGAINST BAASHA

"And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt in Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. And Benhadad hearkened unto Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and smote lion, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. And it came to pass when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. Then king Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted: and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built therewith Geba and of Benjamin, and Mizpah."

"There was war between Asa and Baasha" (1 Kings 15:16). Asa lived much longer than Jeroboam, and Baasha was the king who had succeeded him. The narrator would conclude his record of Asa, before returning to the history of northern Israel.

"Baasha ... built Ramah" (1 Kings 15:17). This place was not very far from Jerusalem and was situated in the heart of Benjamin. This move by Baasha was exceedingly hostile, as it indicated his desire to bottle up Asa and eventually take over the southern kingdom. Now, when the Cushites had invaded Judah, Asa had asked help and guidance from the Lord, but now, at a later time, he asked help from the king of Syria in Damascus. The prophet Hanani condemned Asa for this lack of confidence in the Lord and severely rebuked him. Asa's angry response was to imprison the prophet (2 Chronicles 16:7-10).

It should not be overlooked that Baasha's building Ramah here was in fact his fortification of the place.

"Benhadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Syria" (1 Kings 15:18). We are amused that Matheney comments on this thus: "This genealogy of the royal house of Damascus has been confirmed by the discovery of an Aramaic inscribed monument of this Benhadad to the god Melqart."[4] It is this writer's view that the inscription on that monument is confirmed by this record in the Bible. The false notion that monuments are always correct is ridiculous. If one doubts it, let him read the inscription on the grave of Robert Fulton in the old Trinity Church graveyard at the foot of Broadway in Manhattan! (It credits Fulton with the invention of the steamboat).

"A league between me and thee and between my father and thy father" (1 Kings 15:19). This is supposed to refer to a league that might have been made between Abijam and the king of Syria and which aided Abijam's great victory over Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:17-20).

"And all Chinneroth" (1 Kings 15:20). "This refers to the tract of land on the western shores of Lake Chinnereth."[5] Of course, Chinnereth is one of the names of Lake Galilee (Lake Tiberius), all of these being various designations of a single body of water.

Asa's aid from Damascus thwarted Baasha's purpose against Judah and also enabled Asa to confiscate the building materials which Baasha had assembled at Ramah, with which the king of Judah fortified Geba and Mizpah, cities somewhat north of Ramah, thus securing himself against a renewal of Baasha's threat.