Abijah’s short reign was followed by the long one of Asa, marked by godliness. He took away the idol altars and high places, and broke the columns or statues, and cut down the "groves" (which were not rows of trees, but most probably were wooden symbols of a goddess in the form of images or pillars, or mere stems of trees inserted in the earth.—part of the system of idolatry). And he commanded his people to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to practice what His word laid upon them.
Asa went further, and removed out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images. This was most commendable; but when were all these marks of idol worship brought in?
Though idols may have been secretly worshiped right along since Egypt was left behind, the open introduction of idolatry clearly came in Solomon's day (see 1 Kings 11:3333Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. (1 Kings 11:33)). For this evil, the kingdom was, divided, and Solomon's on Rehoboam had but two of the twelve tribes to reign over Yet neither Rehoboam nor his son Abijah seems to have repented of the evil in any measure. It remained for Solomon's great-grandson to make a beginning at the exclusion of idolatry from the land, from the two tribes who recognized the divinely ordered line of David as their rulers, for the ten tribes never gave up the open practice of the worship of idols.
Judah must be protected from enemies without, beside having the grasp of the enemy (idolatry) within weakened, Asa felt, and he caused fortified cities to be built, though the land had rest, for God had given him freedom from war.
In Asa we see a happy combination of profession and practice and prosperity, and he could rightly say, "We have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side."
Asa had an army, and it was to be tested lest he become careless and indifferent; the enemy of our souls, too, the devil, always quick to seek occasion against those who fear God, would not wish to leave the pious and peaceful king without attack. Accordingly Zerah the Ethiopian, with an enormous army came, and approached to Mareshah, not twenty-five miles from Jerusalem, on the southwest, one of Asa's fortified cities.
To follow the Lord in the quiet walks of life, gives great sanction to call upon Him for help when trouble is near, and Asa now proved the might of His hand upon Whom he called.
"Thou art our God"; he could say, "let not man (the word used for 'man' here is of man as weak, mortal) prevail against Thee."
God smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and they fled, crushed before the Lord and before His army. Thus was God honoring them that honor Him.
Happy Asa, happy Judah, while God was their resource!