Asa and the Myers Briggs
Asa the INTJ1
Characteristics*
sees patterns quickly and can plan with the future in mind, concise, objective, principled, analytical, logical
Strengths*
calm, assured, decisive, objective thinkers, logical decision makers, high standards
Weaknesses*
can get hyperfixated on their vision, difficulty engaging in social conversations, difficult to get to know, may appear aloof
Asa’s Personality
Asa started out his reign so energetic and zealous for the law that it makes one wonder why he made such poor choices at the end of his life. Why did Asa, after all the good he did and after all he knew about God, ignore the prophet in favour of the magicians? He worked to remove idol worship and return the nation to God. He even had his mother taken off the throne due to her pagan practices.
Did he simply just get weak and tired?
Did he let himself get so tired and overworked that he burned out?
Did his physical pain overwhelm him to the point he became delirious?
These are questions we don’t have the answers to, however if Asa really was an INTJ personality type, it would make sense that he burned out.
The INTJ personality type is characterized by being highly logical and principled. When INTJs are unhealthy and imbalanced, all of the strengths they possess becomes their downfall. They are exceptionally devoted to their goals/plans, and can easily get hyperfixated on achieving their long term plans to the neglect of other important areas of their lives.
Asa’s long term goal was to rid the nation of every appearance of idolatry, however, in this quest, it seems as if he neglected to take care of himself, and that is what led to his downfall.
We can learn from Asa’s personality.
Asa in the Bible
- 1 Kings 15,16; 2 Chronicles 14-16
- King of Judah for 41 year
- Rehoboam was is grandfather
- Abijah was his father-(tried to reunite Israel/does not reign long)
- son was Jehoshaphat
- mother was a pagan
- Asa had his mother “dethroned” for idolatry
- Took away altars to pagan gods
- broke down idols and cut down groves where idol worship was practiced
- commanded Judah to “seek the Lord”by following the law
- restored rest
- diseased in his feet in his old age
Asa’s INTJ characteristics
- principled
- humble toward God
- long range decision maker
- took his job seriously
- not afraid to stand up for truth
- humble toward God
- works to restore God’s order in the nation
- principled
- objective
- spoke his mind concisely
Asa- The INTJ-summary
The lineage as follows:
David –>Solomon –> Rehoboam –> Abijah (aka Abijam) –> Asa
Asa attempted to restore God’s sovereignty in the nation. He tore down groves, destroyed idol worship, and renewed the altar of the Lord. He’s also known as “good king Asa” to many. However, toward the end of his life, the prophet Hanani reproves him (2 Chronicles 16). Subsequently, he gets mad, puts Hanani in prison, oppresses the people, and “in his disease does not seek the Lord” (verse 12).
Asa may have suffered from burnout. He started a strong and dedicated king, but he allowed his faith to waver and trusted man-made mysticism over God in the end. It is a sorrowful thing to do all the good Asa did for the nation just for him to neglect the Lord at the end of life. In light of protecting our own souls, we can learn some things from Asa’s life and character.
Importance of Balance
Avoiding Burnout
Asa needed a more balanced long, term approach to staying faithful to God. While doing a great deal of good eliminating idol worship and pagan practices for the nation, he neglected his own personal spiritual, physical, and mental health needs. After all that work, in his old age, he neglected what was really important; it seems as if he simply burned out in the end.
Imbalance in any of these areas will make us more susceptible to burnout:
- work life
- family life
- social life
- financial health
- emotional health
- spiritual health
- physical health
The INTJ, above other personality types, can struggle with balancing the different layers of responsibility life offers because they can easily get a one-tracked mind on their mission. They have high standards and expectations for themselves and others, and are especially diligent when they have a cause or a mission to achieve.
All of these things can mean that without intentionally practicing balance, the INTJ can be susceptible to obsessiveness and hyperfocus towards their mission/plan. They can easily turn in to workaholics, and become hyperfixated on a goal, forgetting to take breaks to restore their energy. INTJs need to be aware of these pitfalls so that they can avoid burnout in their lives.
It’s possible Asa experienced burn out when his physical health began to deteriorate. While we don’t know what disease Asa had in his feet, any type of physical illness that causes constant and severe pain, leaves us tired, vulnerable, and emotionally overwhelmed.
Even after tirelessly working to eliminate pagan practices from the nation, Asa turned to men’s wisdom instead of looking to God when he was in a vulnerable and weakened state. We can do the same if we are not intentional and diligent in strengthening our minds, souls, and bodies. So that we do not succumb to the cares of this world and jeopardize our eternity with God, let’s be mindful of the areas in our own lives that are vulnerable, imbalanced, and susceptible to burnout.
- *Information for personality types has largely been derived from a culmination of my own study from a variety of locations, however for this series, I heavily rely on the MBTI Manual published by CPP and the following: Briggs Myers, Isabel (2015, 7th ed). Introduction to Myers-Briggs Type: A Guide to Understanding Your Results on the MBTI Assessment. USA: CPP, Inc & The Myers Briggs Co. *Disclaimer: Using the MBTI to speculate personality type of Bible characters is only a jumping off point for further discussion and learning from them.1 ↩︎