1 Kings 15:17
And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
The verse belongs to the history of the kings after Israel and Judah divided into two separate kingdoms. It falls in the history of the two separate kingdoms for about eighty years, from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat, recording the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. It belongs to the history of Asa king of Judah and Baasha king of Israel after the kingdom was divided, a time of war and strife between the two divisions.
It belongs to the account of the apostasy of Israel in which the kings led the nation to forsake the worship of the living God and turn to the worship of idols. That apostasy turned away from the God-given plan of worship which pointed to Christ and revealed the way of salvation from sin, forsook all that was pure and true and uplifting, and turned to the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, to that which was impure, untrue, and degrading, to the worship of the creature instead of the Creator.
The verse is part of the account of Baasha, who killed Nadab and reigned over Israel for twenty-four years. His dynasty lasted only two generations before being succeeded by Omri, the builder of Samaria. It is part of the account of Asa's reign in Judah, which was largely for the better. It is included in the account of Abijah and Asa's reigns in Judah, which are described more fully in Chronicles.
The verse describes Baasha's military action against Judah in his relations with Judah and Syria: he went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent people from entering or leaving Asa's kingdom. Ramah was thus used to restrict movement into and out of Judah, to prevent people from coming to or leaving Asa in Judah. Asa responded by sending silver and gold to the Syrian king to break his alliance with Baasha and assist Judah. That payment included treasures from the Lord's house used to obtain help against Baasha. After Baasha's forces withdrew, Asa took the building materials from Ramah and used them to build other cities, and the conflict between Israel and Judah brought financial hardship that continued after the division of the kingdom.