“But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 15:17 Mean?
"The high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days." The Chronicler presents a more nuanced evaluation than Kings: the high places remained (the familiar qualification), but Asa's heart was perfect (shalem — complete, whole, undivided) his entire life. The incompleteness of the reform and the completeness of the heart coexist in the same king.
The word "perfect" (shalem — from shalom) doesn't mean flawless. It means whole, undivided, fully oriented toward God. Asa's heart was pointed in the right direction even though his hands didn't finish the reform. The direction was perfect. The execution was incomplete. Both statements are true.
The coexistence of incomplete reform and complete heart creates the most realistic spiritual evaluation in Chronicles: you can have a whole heart and an unfinished task. The heart's orientation doesn't guarantee the hands' completion. Asa loved God with his whole heart — and the high places stayed.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you have a 'perfect heart' with an incomplete reform — and does God accept that?
- 2.What unfinished spiritual work coexists with your genuine devotion?
- 3.What does 'perfect' meaning 'whole-hearted' rather than 'flawless' change about your self-evaluation?
- 4.What does God emphasize more — the remaining high places or the direction of your heart?
Devotional
His heart was perfect. All his days. And the high places remained. A perfect heart and an incomplete reform — in the same person, at the same time, for his entire life.
The 'nevertheless' in this verse works differently than in Kings: in Kings, 'nevertheless the high places' qualifies a positive evaluation. In Chronicles, 'nevertheless the heart was perfect' overcomes the negative evaluation. The high places matter — but the heart matters more. The incomplete reform is noted. The complete heart is the final word.
The word 'perfect' — shalem, from shalom — means undivided, not flawless. Asa wasn't sinless. He made mistakes (relying on Syria, 2 Chronicles 16:7). But his heart's orientation was whole: fully pointed at God, undivided in its loyalty, complete in its devotion. The perfect heart is the directed heart, not the errorless one.
The coexistence teaches the most important lesson about spiritual evaluation: God evaluates your heart's direction more than your hands' completion. The high places that your reform didn't remove aren't the final word about your faithfulness. The heart that drove the reform IS the final word. Asa's heart was perfect. His reform wasn't. God emphasized the heart.
What unfinished reform in your life coexists with a heart that's genuinely, wholly oriented toward God? The high places may remain. The heart matters more. Not because the high places don't matter — but because the heart is what God evaluates 'all his days.'
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Comparing this verse with marginal references, it would seem that in 2Ch 14:3, 2Ch 14:5 the intention and endeavors of…
The high places were not taken away - He had totally suppressed or destroyed the idolatry; but some of the places,…
We are here told what good effect the foregoing sermon had upon Asa.
I. He grew more bold for God than he had been. His…
the high places Heb. bâmôth. These were not necessarily places of idolatrous worship, but they were sanctuaries not…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture