Can you let me know your thoughts about this? The account in 1 Kings 15:14: "Although he did not remove the high places, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life." This suggests that Asa was good during his whole life. But 2 Chronicles 16:10 mentions him persecuting a prophet and oppressing his people: "Asa was angry with the seer... he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people." How do we deal with the discrepancy? -- Aziz Sarah

Certainly Asa's anger and ill behavior do not reveal a man of excellent character. But then 1 Kings 15:14 is only meant to show us that Asa wasn't an idolater. He was committed to Yahweh; he did not serve the Baals. I think that is the point.

Many kings of Judah--and especially Israel--strayed from monotheism. But not Asa. In this respect, he was one of the better kings.