Matthew Henry on 2 Chronicles 14:1-8
Here is, I. Asa's general character (Ch2 14:2): He did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 1. He aimed at pleasing God, studied to approve himself to him. Happy are those that walk by this rule, to do that which is right, not in their own eyes, or in the eye of the world, but in the eyes of God. 2. He saw God's eye always upon him, and that helped much to keep him to what was good and right. 3. God graciously accepted him in what he did, and approved his conduct as good and right.
II. A blessed work of reformation which he set on foot immediately upon his accession to the crown. 1. He removed and abolished idolatry. Since Solomon admitted idolatry, in the latter en…
Read the whole note in the consoleJamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Chronicles 14:5
he took away . . . the high places--that is, those devoted to idolatrous rites.
took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images--All public objects and relics of idolatry in Jerusalem and other cities through his kingdom were destroyed; but those high places where God was worshipped under the figure of an ox, as at Beth-el, were allowed to remain (Kg1 15:14); so far the reformation was incomplete.
Adam Clarke on 2 Chronicles 14:2
Did that which was good - He attended to what the law required relative to the worship of God. He was no idolater, though, morally speaking, he was not exempt from faults, Kg1 15:14. He suppressed idolatry universally, and encouraged the people to worship the true God: see Ch2 14:3-5.
John Gill on 2 Chronicles 14:5
Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images,.... Perhaps the high places in 2 Chronicles 14:3 design only the high places and altars in Jerusalem, and near it; these in all the rest of the cities of the land; the "images were", as the word signifies, "sun images", either made in the form of the sun, or dedicated to it, or temples for it; See Gill on Leviticus 26:30,
and the kingdom was quiet before him; he had no foreign enemy to molest him, and so took that opportunity to reform divine worship, and in that he met with no opposition from his people.
