Asa was the next king and he was a very good one, destroying many of the high places in Judah. Because of this the kingdom had rest. The message is that peace comes when we get right with God. Asa acknowledged that it was their turning to God that was the key to the peace they were enjoying. At the same time he fortified various parts of the land.
This was just as well for Judah as they were about to face an attack from Zerah and a million man army. Asa put his trust in the Lord, and so the Lord defeated Zerah. The Judean army completely defeated Zerah and plundered the towns around Gerar.
The emphasis of the writer of Chronicles is on the religious aspect and this is brought out most clearly in Chapter 15 where he focuses on Asa's religious reforms. Azariah, a prophet, came to Asa and gave him God's word, reminding him that victory came only because he had trusted in the Lord.
Asa took these words to heart and it encouraged him to engage in even more reforms of the land, ridding the place of as many idols as possible.
Then he led the whole nation in making a commitment to follow the Lord. He even deposed his mother! However, the clearance was not perfect for there were still some high places left.
Then Israel, under Baasha, attacked and Asa made a deal with Syria. Syria did help, but then Asa received a rebuke from a prophet. He should have learnt from the victories that the Lord was enough and turned to Him, not to the king of Syria. Asa reacted badly, imprisoning the prophet and inflicting suffering on the people. When rulers turn from God the people will suffer.
In fact it is a very sad end to Asa's life. He became ill but even then did not seek the Lord. The lesson of all this is the utter corruption of the human heart. We need to be born again!
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