1 Kings 15:1-34
1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah,a the daughter of Abishalom.
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
4 Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lampb in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
6 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.
10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother'sc name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyedd her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
14 But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.
15 And he brought in the thingse which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.
16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
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.
18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
19 There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may departf from me.
20 So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.
22 Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted:g and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.
23 The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphath his son reigned in his stead.
25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.
26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:
30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.
31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years.
34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
God’s lessons from history
1 Kings
Philip Smith
Chapter 15
Abijam’s rule as king of *Judah
v1 It was the 18th year of the rule of Jeroboam son of Nebat. At this time, Abijam became king of *Judah. v2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Absalom.
v3 He *sinned in the same way as his father had done before him. He was not completely loyal to the *Lord his God as David his *ancestor had been. v4 But because of David, the *Lord his God gave David a *descendant to rule Jerusalem. The *Lord appointed David’s *descendant to rule after him, and he made Jerusalem safe. v5 David had done what pleased God. He obeyed all the *Lord’s commands except in the matter of Uriah the *Hittite.
v6 The state of war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued during Abijam’s entire life. v7 The book of the History of the Kings of *Judah contains a record of all the events when Abijam ruled. That book records all that Abijam did. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. v8 When Abijam died, they buried him in the city of David. His son Asa became king after him.
Abijam ruled between 913-910 *B.C. He was not like David. He did not serve God. But because of David’s love for God, God allowed David’s *descendants to continue to rule in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles chapter 13 tells us about the war between Abijam and Jeroboam. Abijam described how the people in Jerusalem still obeyed the *Lord. Abijam warned the *Israelites about their false gods. He told them that God would support the army from *Judah. And he asked the *Israelites not to fight against them. Jeroboam did not listen. Jeroboam lost the battle and he did not get his power back.
On that occasion, Abijam did well. He trusted God, and he won the battle. But that was not Abijam’s usual behaviour. He did not continue to be loyal to God.
We cannot be sure about the reason for Abijam’s *sin. Perhaps he was like his grandfather Solomon. Solomon began well, but he did not continue to be loyal to God. Like Solomon, Abijam had many wives (2 Chronicles 13:21).
Or perhaps Abijam expected God’s help because he performed all the *religious ceremonies. God wants us to trust him completely. Ceremonies are not enough.
Asa’s rule as king of *Judah
v9 It was the 20th year of King Jeroboam’s rule over *Israel when Asa became king of *Judah. v10 He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Absalom. v11 Asa did what pleased the *Lord. His *ancestor David had done this.
v12 All the male priests who offered their bodies for sex had to leave the country. He removed all the *idols that his *ancestors had made. v13 His grandmother Maacah had made a disgusting *idol of Asherah. So he removed her as queen mother. He cut the *idol down and he burned it in the valley called Kidron. v14 He did not remove all the places of *worship on the high hills. But he remained loyal to the *Lord all his life. v15 He placed in the *temple the silver and gold. He also placed there the other objects that he and his father had given to God.
v16 King Asa and King Baasha of *Israel were always at war while they were in power. v17 Baasha attacked *Judah. He made the city called Ramah strong. He did this in order to stop anyone who wished to enter or leave Asa’s territory.
v18 Asa then took all the silver and gold that was still in the *Lord’s *temple and in Asa’s own palace. He sent it by some of his officials to Damascus. He sent it to Benhadad the king of Syria, who ruled there. He was the son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion. And with the silver and the gold, Asa sent this message: v19 ‘Let us have an agreement’, he said. ‘There was one between our fathers. Here is a gift of gold and silver for you. Now end your agreement with Baasha king of *Israel. Then he will stop his attacks on me.’
v20 Benhadad agreed to this. He sent his officers and their armies to attack the towns of *Israel. He *conquered the towns called Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah and the area near Lake Galilee. He also *conquered the whole of Naphtali. v21 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah. Instead, he went to Tirzah. v22 Then King Asa ordered everyone in *Judah to carry away the stones and wood from Ramah. Baasha had used these to make Ramah strong. Asa used the stones and wood to make Mizpah and Geba in Benjamin strong.
v23 You can read about Asa’s other acts and the cities that he built. The information is in the History of the Kings of *Judah. When he was old, he had a disease in his feet. v24 He died and people buried him in the city of David his *ancestor. Jehoshaphat his son became king after him.
Asa ruled for 41 years from 910-869 *B.C. He did what his *ancestor, David had done. He removed the priests who used their bodies for sex. (They did this as part of an evil religion.) He removed *idols. He removed his grandmother as queen mother because she had made an *idol. He burnt her *idol. He put gold and silver back into the *temple. He did not remove all the places of *worship on the high hills. But he was sincere because he tried to please God.
But Asa did not trust God completely. The author of 1 Kings records two particular matters where Asa did not trust God:
• Asa gave silver and gold to persuade Benhadad to stop his agreement with Baasha of *Israel. He used gold and silver from the *temple to get help from a king. Asa did not ask help from God. In 2 Chronicles chapter 16 a *prophet told Asa that he was wrong. He said that in future Asa would have wars. Asa put the *prophet in prison.
• When Asa had a disease in his feet, he did not pray to God. He just asked doctors for help. (See 2 Chronicles 16:12.)
So Asa was a good king who pleased God. But Asa’s *faith was weak. Many people today are like him. When they are comfortable, they serve God. But when they have problems, they are not ready to trust God. Instead, they try to deal with their problems by their own efforts. Or they prefer to depend on human help. But we should always trust God completely, in every situation.
Nadab’s rule as king of *Israel
v25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of *Israel. He did so in the second year of the rule of Asa king of *Judah. He ruled over *Israel for two years. v26 He *sinned against the *Lord, as his father had done. He led *Israel into *sin.
v27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the *tribe of Issachar plotted against him. He killed him at Gibbethon, a town in the country called Philistia. Nadab and his army were attacking it. v28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa’s rule over *Judah. Baasha followed Nadab as king.
v29 As soon as he became king, Baasha killed all Jeroboam’s family. None of them remained alive. This happened even as the *Lord had told his servant Ahijah from Shiloh, the *prophet. v30 This was because of all the *sins that Jeroboam had done. He had also made *Israel *sin. In addition he had made the *Lord, the God of *Israel very angry.
v31 You can read about everything else that Nadab did. It is in the book of the History of the Kings of *Israel. v32 Asa king of *Judah and Baasha king of *Israel were always at war as long as they ruled.
Nadab continued to *sin and to give honour to *idols as Jeroboam had done. Baasha attacked and killed him, and all of Jeroboam’s family. So Ahijah’s *prophecy came true. When God warns us about something, we should listen!
Baasha’s rule as king of *Israel
v33 Baasha the son of Ahijah became king of all *Israel. This happened in the third year of the rule of Asa, king of *Judah. Baasha ruled for 24 years. v34 He *sinned against the *Lord and he led *Israel into *sin. He was like King Jeroboam before him.
Judah ~ one of the tribes of Israel. The southern part of the *Jewish kingdom after it divided.tribe ~ a group of people; a family or people that have the same ancestors; family from one man. Israel came from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or a queen rules.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or mother have come.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.'sin/sinful ~ an action that is wrong or wicked. It is against a religious or moral law.
religious ~ about religion.
Lord ~ the name of God. It can translate either of two words in Hebrew, which is the original language of this book. The word ‘Yahweh’ is God’s most holy name, and means ‘God always’. The word ‘Adonai’ means ‘master’.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or mother have come.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
Hittite ~ one of a group of people who had lived in Canaan before the Jews lived there.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; an Israelite.
Israelite ~ someone who lives in Israel; or, a descendant of Jacob.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
Israelite ~ someone who lives in Israel; or, a descendant of Jacob.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
religious ~ about religion.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
idol ~ the image of a god to whom people give honour.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God; to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
temple ~ the central place of worship that Solomon built in Jerusalem; or, a place where people worship a false god.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God; to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
conquer ~ to take control of a country or group of people by force.
prophet ~ a person who prophesies.
prophesy ~ to speak God’s word; or, to say what will happen in the future.
faith ~ trust; strong belief.
tribe ~ a group of people; a family or people that have the same ancestors; family from one man. Israel came from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or mother have come.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
prophecy ~ what people say when they prophesy.
prophesy ~ to speak God’s word; or, to say what will happen in the future.