CROWNED | 1 Kings Chapter 15
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
Week 2 / Day 15
INTRODUCTION
Before we get started today, I want to take a moment to draw your attention to yet another name clarification. Yesterday, we took note of the difference between Abijah (the son of Jeroboam who became sick and subsequently died) and Ahijah (the prophet, Jeroboam sent his wife to speak with before the child’s death). Today, you will read about a man with another VERY similar name: Abijam. It’s important, as you are reading, not to gloss over the names, running the risk of lumping them into one person in your thoughts. Remember, these are three different men with three distinct stories to tell.
Now, before we dive fully into today’s passage, let’s meet the key players we will be reading about.
Abijam - the 2nd king of Judah after the nation divided, and the king we just spoke about briefly.
Asa - the 3rd king of Judah after the nation divided.
Maacah - Asa’s grandmother, who was “the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah (2 Chronicles 13:2) and Tamar (2 Samuel 14:27), making her the granddaughter of Absalom, David’s rebellious son.” (Patterson & Austel)
Nadab - the 2nd king of Israel after the nation divided.
Baasha - the 3rd king of Israel after the nation divided.
Ahijah - the father of Baasha, not to be confused with the prophet, whom we read about in chapter 14.
And just as a quick “geographical reminder”, after the nations of Israel and Judah divided, Jerusalem remained as the capital of Judah, the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom, Israel, established temporary capitals at Shechem and Tizrah before settling in its “permanent capital”, Samaria, where it remained until it was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC.
READ
Now, take a moment to read 1 Kings 15, slowing down and really reading the text, not just glossing over it! Yes, we are going to unpack it together in a moment, but take the time to really read and listen for what the Lord may be speaking to YOU through His word today.
REFLECT
Today’s passage can easily be split into two parts: the first being “The two kings of Judah” and the second “The two kings of Israel.” As this chapter unfolds, we begin reading of the “Two kings of Judah” and see clearly that the legacy of spiritual lethargy continues into the next generation with Abijam, the son of King Rehoboam, as verses 2 and 3 tell us:
“He reigned for three years in Jerusalem…And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God…” (ESV)
That little phrase “his heart was not wholly true to the Lord” tells us that he had knowledge of the Lord, but had chosen not to walk in faithfulness to Him. We see this truth supported in 2 Chronicles 13, which makes it clear that Abijam not only had knowledge of the Lord but he also knew how to preach, even going as far as to call out Jeroboam for his idol worship; however, he still did not uproot the idolatry and sexual immorality that was implemented under his father Rehoboam, allowing the lineage of apostasy to run rampant during his brief reign.
But then Asa takes the throne, and we finally begin to see a bit of light breaking through for these lost and broken people. Asa, the great-grandson of Solomon and great-great-grandson of David, “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done.” (1 Kings 15:11 ESV)
Just a quick aside - you may have noticed that I said that Asa was the great-great-grandson of David; however, verse 11 just called David his father. That is because, in Hebrew literature, the word “father” can be used to refer to an ancestor in general and is not restricted to one’s father. So the use of “father” in verse 11 is used in the ancestral sense.
Now, let’s take a look at all Asa does to begin bringing reform to the nation, turning hearts and eyes back to the Lord!
First, verse 12 tells us he “put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his father had made.” (ESV) “These state-sanctioned homosexual idol-temple prostitutes were introduced into Judah during the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:24)*)
But Asa didn’t stop at just removing idol worship and blatant acts of sexual immorality. Second, he even stripped his own grandmother of her title and role as queen mother because she had made an “abominable image for Ahserah”, who was believed to be a pagan fertility goddess.
Asa meant business, and he was definitely willing to face the difficult reality and make the difficult decisions, both for his nation, which he ruled, but also for his family! What a bold move, acting righteously even when his family (more specifically, his own grandmother) was in the wrong. I love how Christopher Knapp, a Christian author, evangelist, and Bible teacher, puts it:
“It is in a man’s own family circle that his faithfulness is put fairly to the test.”
I can’t imagine how difficult it had to have been for Asa to not just speak out against the way his family had been living and leading for so many years, but to also act on it, removing the idols that stood in opposition to the Lord’s commands as well as the titles and positions of the people who lived their lives in opposition to Him. However, despite his many advancements, “One thing Asa failed to remove from Judah were the high places, but the Bible still describes him as a man whose heart was “wholly true” to the Lord.**” Reflecting closely the spiritual legacy left by his great-great-grandfather, King David, who is famously known to this day as “a man after God’s own heart.”
On top of all he was doing to “clean house” spiritually, Asa also fought continually with Baasha, the king of Israel. So though his reign was filled with great victory, it was also wrought with great difficulty both on the home front and on the battlefield.
The saga of the “Two kings of Israel” begins to unfold in 1 Kings 15:25, which recounts the reign of Nadab, son of Jeroboam. Nabad’s reign was a very brief 2 years, which ended abruptly after Baasha conspired against him and killed him, and was truly just a continuation of Jeroboam's, as his agenda was simply to faithfully carry out his father's. As 2 Chronicles 11:14 tells us,
“The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the Lord as priests.” (NLT - Emphasis Added)
But the end of Jeroboam’s dynasty came to a firm halt when Baasha took the throne and quite literally cleaned house - killing all of the house of Jeroboam - fulfilling the repercussions of Jeroboam’s disobedience to the Lord’s promise and command, which we read in 1 Kings 11:38:
“If you listen to what I tell you and follow My ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey My decrees and commands, as My servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.” (NLT)
Had Jeroboam remained faithful to the Lord, his legacy and lineage would have been blessed and protected, just as David’s was. However, Jeroboam lived in opposition to all that the Lord commanded, and so, ultimately, the promise of the throne was taken not just from him personally but from his family line entirely. Or, as Knapp puts it:
“So ended the first of the nine dynasties that for two hundred and fifty years ruled (or misruled) the kingdom of Israel.”
And upon the end of the Jeroboam dynasty, in walks Baasha. And, as is expected with a man who came to the throne through assassination, Baasha was a wicked man and ushered in a dreadful period for Israel, both spiritually and politically.*” For as verse 34 states plainly:
“He was openly evil before God, walking in the footsteps of Jeroboam, who both sinned and made Israel sin.” (MSG)
At this point, I almost begin to feel bad for the Israelites living in both the Northern and Southern kingdoms! You almost want to ask, “God, why would you do this to your people? Why aren’t you delivering them from such oppressive kings? Haven’t you allowed them to suffer enough already?”
Well, to begin to answer that question, we have to look all the way back to 1 Samuel 8, where the elders of Israel approached the prophet Samuel and asked for a human king, for they wanted to be ruled just like the other nations around them. In response to this request, the Lord warns them clearly:
“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of cities, and some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 1 Samuel 8:11-18 (ESV)
You see, the difficulty the Israelites are living in is not punishment from God for their actions,, but rather the consequences of those actions. Long before a single human king took the throne over Israel, the Lord gave a clear warning - If you choose THIS (an earthly king, just like all of the other nations of the world), then you must know you are also choosing THAT (the difficulties of living under the authority of a flawed and selfish king)! And now God’s people are living with the consequences of that deliberate and informed decision made!
RESPOND
Asa was willing to confront sin even when it involved his own family. Are there any unhealthy influences, traditions, relationships, or patterns in your life that you have tolerated because addressing them would be uncomfortable or even costly?
The Israelites experienced consequences from choices made generations earlier, yet each king (and ultimately each individual Israelite - remember Abijah from yesterday?) still had the opportunity to choose a different path. What patterns, habits, or legacies have been handed down to you that need to be broken rather than continued?
Israel wanted a king they could see, but God desired to be their King Himself. So when Israel asked for a human king, they were ultimately rejecting God’s leadership in favor of something that looked more like the world around them. Are there areas of your life where you trust a person, institution, achievement, financial security, or even yourself more than you trust God to lead and provide?
Who or what is truly sitting on the throne of your life? We’ve asked it before, and I encourage you to ask yourself once again - What or who in my life have I “crowned”?
RESPOND
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