In Chronicles scholarship, Judean King Asa is generally evaluated as a religiously devout king at first, but in 2 Chronicles 16, there is a tendency to interpret his experienced a spiritual deterioration based on his lack of reliance on God, his reaction after the prophet’s rebuke, and his attitude after becoming ill. However, this paper examines this negative interpretation through characterization analysis, and argues that the positive characteristics of Asa continue to be revealed in Chapter 16.
There are three events that are evaluated as Asa’s negative conduct in 2 Chronicles 16. First, while Baasha was preparing for war against Judah, Asa sought support from Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, rather than relying on God. Second, when he heard the prophet’s rebuke, he responded by oppressing the people. Third, when he suffered from a foot disease, he relied on physicians rather than Yahweh and eventually died. These events have traditionally been interpreted as evidence of spiritual unfaithfulness. However, characterization analysis highlights positive aspects of Asa within this negative narrative.
In the first case, Asa built Geba and Mizpah after his alliance with Ben-hadad. In Chronicles, architectural projects are generally recorded as the actions of righteous rulers, suggesting that Asa had a politically and militarily stable governance. In the second event, the prophet predicted that “there would be a war,” but in reality, there were no further wars during Asa’s reign. This suggests that the Chronicler did not see the prophet’s words as a literal prophecy. Finally, he was given a lavish funeral, and he was buried in the royal tombs of the City of David. This suggests that the Chronicler still evaluated Asa as a revered king.
In conclusion, the Chronicler not only portrays Asa in a negative light, but also emphasizes his achievements and intends to minimize negative events. Therefore, even in 2 Chronicles 16, Asa continues to maintain the pattern of a righteous ruler, and it is unreasonable to evaluate him only as a king who experienced spiritual deterioration.