Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 15
Asa served only the true God; and he wanted everyone in Judah to serve only the true God.
That was very different from how previous kings in Judah and Israel had behaved. Solomon, Rehoboam and Abijah permitted false religions; they sometimes even built places where people could serve false gods. Asa was the first king in Jerusalem since David who remained loyal to God through his whole life.
Those false religions were popular, especially the religions that encouraged wrong sex acts. Asa was acting very boldly when he opposed them. However, he managed to gain the support of his people. They too truly wanted to turn back to the true God (2 Chronicles 15:12-15).
Rehoboam, Asa’s grandfather, had permitted a religion where young men or boys offered themselves for sex with other males. It seems to be foreigners who offered themselves for this purpose. Asa ended that: he ordered them to leave the country.
Asa even acted against his own grandmother, Maacah, who encouraged people to serve the false female god, Asherah. He publicly destroyed the pole that Maacah had made for Asherah. He removed Maacah from her position of honour in the palace.
Maacah’s pole for Asherah was just one of the objects for a false religion that Asa destroyed. Everywhere across Judah, in the towns and on the hills, there were sacred poles, columns and idols (images of false gods). Asa destroyed them all.
Next part: The high places that Asa did not destroy (1 Kings 15:14)
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