1 Kings 15

1 Kings 15:1

D. King Abijam of Judah (15:1-8)Abijam the son of Rehoboam was king of Judah for three years (913911/10 B.C.; 2 Chronicles 13:114:la). 15:1 Verse 1 contains a formula that is frequently repeated in the Books of Kings. This formula describes the beginning of one reign by naming the king who was reigning in the other kingdom and telling how long he had been reigning. Thus this verse explains that Abijam began to reign over Judah during the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel. He is also called Abijah (1Ch_3:10; 2Ch_12:16). 15:2 Here Abijam’s mother is listed as Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom; in 2Ch_11:21 it is Maachah the daughter of Absalom; in 2Ch_13:2 it is Michaiah the daughter of Uriel. It is possible that his mother had two names, and that she was the daughter of Uriel and the granddaughter of Absalom (same as Abishalom). (“Son” or “daughter” often simply designates a descendant in biblical usage.) 15:3-8 Abijam followed his father as an idolater and thus failed to follow David, who was loyal in the sense that he refrained from the worship of carved images. Verses 4 and 5 imply that God would have destroyed the house of Abijam had it not been for His covenant with David. Notice at the end of verse 5 how an otherwise exemplary life can be marred by a moment of passion! The war with Israel that began in Rehoboam’s reign continued through Abijam’s reign. In verse 6 Rehoboam and Jeroboam stand for Judah and Israel. There was war between these two kingdoms throughout Abijam’s life. He tried to bring Israel back both by persuasion and by force of arms, killing 500,000 Israelites in the attempt (2Ch_13:1-20).

1 Kings 15:9

E. King Asa of Judah (15:9-24)Asa the son of Abijam was king of Judah for forty-one years (911/10870/69 B.C.; cf. 2 Chronicles 14:1b16:14). 15:9-15 Asa was one of the few good kings of Judah. He removed the sodomites (idolatrous homosexuals) from the land and destroyed all the idols that his fathers had made (v. 12; cf. 2Ch_14:3-5). He deposed Maachah his grandmother and destroyed her obscene image, though not . . . the high places associated with this idol. He enriched the temple with gifts from his father and from himself. 15:16-22 When Baasha, king of Israel, began to fortify Ramah, a few miles north of Jerusalem, Asa realized that his capital was in peril. However, instead of turning to the Lord, he sought the assistance of Ben-Hadad, . . . king of Syria. By making a liberal payment to this foreign monarch, he persuaded him to attack Israel from the north in the region of Galilee. This drew Baasha’s forces to the north and enabled Asa to disassemble Ramah and to build the fortified cities of Geba and Mizpah along his northern border. The silver and gold that Asa brought to the temple had been given to the Lord. But when Baasha threatened his kingdom, Asa took all the treasures and gave them to a heathen king, defrauding God and enriching Syria. Christians need to be careful not to take what belongs to God (i.e., their time, money, resources, etc.) and give it to someone else. 15:23, 24 The fact that he was stricken with a disease of the feet may be mentioned to indicate God’s displeasure that Asa had trusted in the king of Syria to deliver him. During his last three or four years, Asa’s son . . . Jehoshaphat probably reigned with him.

1 Kings 15:25

F. King Nadab of Israel (15:25-27)Nadab the son of Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, was king of Israel for two years (910/09909/08 B.C.). Nadab followed his father in the practice of idolatry. One of his subjects, Baasha, conspired against him and killed him. At the same time Baasha killed all the remaining members of the house of Jeroboam, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Ahijah (1Ki_14:10, 1Ki_14:14).

1 Kings 15:28

G. King Baasha of Israel (15:2816:7)Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the tribe of Issachar, was king of Israel for twenty-four years (909/08886/85 B.C.). 15:28-34 Baasha’s reign marks the beginning of the second dynasty in the kingdom of Israel. Conflict between Judah and Israel continued throughout Baasha’s reign. With Tirzah as his capital, he continued the idolatrous worship that Jeroboam had instituted.