A War Between Brothers

(9) In the twentieth year of King Jeroboam of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. (10) He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (11) Asa did what was pleasing to the LORD, as his father David had done. (12) He expelled the male prostitutes from the land, and he removed all the idols that his ancestors had made. (13) He also deposed his mother Maacah from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thing for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable thing and burnt it in the Wadi Kidron. (14) The shrines, indeed, were not abolished; however, Asa was wholehearted with the LORD his God all his life. (15) He brought into the House of the LORD all the consecrated things of his father and his own consecrated things—silver, gold, and utensils.

(16) There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days. (17) King Baasha of Israel advanced against Judah, and he fortified Ramah to prevent anyone belonging to King Asa from going out or coming in. (18) So Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the House of the LORD as well as the treasuries of the royal palace, and he entrusted them to his officials. King Asa sent them to King Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion of Aram, who resided in Damascus, with this message: (19) “There is a pact between you and me, and between your father and my father. I herewith send you a gift of silver and gold: Go and break your pact with King Baasha of Israel, so that he may withdraw from me.” (20) Ben-hadad responded to King Asa’s request; he sent his army commanders against the towns of Israel and captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, as well as all the land of Naphtali. (21) When Baasha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah. (22) Then King Asa mustered all Judah, with no exemptions; and they carried away the stones and timber with which Baasha had fortified Ramah. With these King Asa fortified Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

(15) Thus said the LORD: A cry is heard in Ramah— Wailing, bitter weeping— Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted For her children, who are gone.

(1) The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. (2) He came to Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin; the LORD is with you as long as you are with Him. If you turn to Him, He will respond to you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. (3) Israel has gone many days without the true God, without a priest to give instruction and without Teaching. (4) But in distress it returned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, and He responded to them. (5) At those times, no wayfarer was safe, for there was much tumult among all the inhabitants of the lands. (6) Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God threw them into panic with every kind of trouble. (7) As for you, be strong, do not be disheartened, for there is reward for your labor.” (8) When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abominations from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He restored the altar of the LORD in front of the porch of the LORD. (9) He assembled all the people of Judah and Benjamin and those people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who sojourned among them, for many in Israel had thrown in their lot with him when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

(23) All the other events of Asa’s reign, and all his exploits, and all his actions, and the towns that he fortified, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Judah. However, in his old age he suffered from a foot ailment. (24) Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.

This was his sin, that he sent Ben Hadad the king of Aram, and didn't trust in God who had won battles already for him (described in Chronicles). As a punishment, his legs became ill in the time of his old age. He sent Ben Hadad as if he himself didn't have the legs to go out to war, and so God punished him that he had no strength in his legs in his old age.

Asa was stricken in his feet, as it is written: “Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet” (I Kings 15:23). And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: This indicates that gout [padagra] grabbed hold of him. Mar Zutra, son of Rav Naḥman, said to Rav Naḥman: What are the circumstances of gout? What pain does it involve? He said to him: It feels like a needle inserted into living flesh. The Gemara asks: From where did he know this? The Gemara answers: Some say that he himself suffered from this condition, and some say that he heard it from his teacher, and some say that he knew it through divine inspiration, as it stated: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and His covenant, to make them know it” (Psalms 25:14).

Rava taught: For what reason was Asa punished in his feet? Because he made Torah scholars perform forced labor [angarya], as it is stated: “Then King Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted; and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber thereof, with which Baasa had built, and King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah” (I Kings 15:22). The superfluous expression “unto all” indicates that the proclamation was issued to everyone, including Torah scholars. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the next phrase in the verse: “None was exempted [ein naki]”? Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: This includes even a bridegroom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy, as the verse states with regard to a bridegroom: “He shall be free [naki] for his house one year” (Deuteronomy 24:5).

(25) Nadab son of Jeroboam had become king over Israel in the second year of King Asa of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. (26) He did what was displeasing to the LORD; he continued in the ways of his father, in the sins which he caused Israel to commit. (27) Then Baasha son of Ahijah, of the House of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. (28) Baasha killed him in the third year of King Asa of Judah and became king in his stead. (29) As soon as he became king, he struck down all the House of Jeroboam; he did not spare a single soul belonging to Jeroboam until he destroyed it—in accordance with the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite— (30) because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he caused Israel to commit thereby vexing the LORD, the God of Israel.

(29) During that time Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem and the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh met him on the way. He had put on a new robe; and when the two were alone in the open country, (30) Ahijah took hold of the new robe he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. (31) “Take ten pieces,” he said to Jeroboam. “For thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hands, and I will give you ten tribes. (32) But one tribe shall remain his—for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. (33) For they have forsaken Me; they have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Phoenicians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites; they have not walked in My ways, or done what is pleasing to Me, or [kept] My laws and rules, as his father David did. (34) However, I will not take the entire kingdom away from him, but will keep him as ruler as long as he lives for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, and who kept My commandments and My laws. (35) But I will take the kingship out of the hands of his son and give it to you—the ten tribes. (36) To his son I will give one tribe, so that there may be a lamp for My servant David forever before Me in Jerusalem—the city where I have chosen to establish My name. (37) But you have been chosen by Me; reign wherever you wish, and you shall be king over Israel. (38) If you heed all that I command you, and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, keeping My laws and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you and I will build for you a lasting dynasty as I did for David. I hereby give Israel to you;

One must question why this was considered a sin; after all, had Ahijah the prophet not transmitted the word of God that this would befall the house of Jeroboam?... We can suggest that Baasha was punished since he had clearly acted not as punishment for Jeroboam's sins, as he himself followed those practices, nor did he do this to fulfill God's word..., but rather out of an evil heart, so that he would be king and no one could contest his monarchy. Furthermore, he was punished becuase he killed him at a time when Nadav was fighting God's wars against the Philistines...