1 Kings 15

1 It was in the eighteenth year of King Yarov'am the son of N'vat that Aviyam began his reign over Y'hudah.

2 He ruled three years in Yerushalayim; his mother's name was Ma'akhah the daughter of Avishalom.

3 He committed all the sins his father had committed before him; he was not wholehearted with ADONAI his God, as David his forefather had been.

4 Nevertheless, for David's sake ADONAI his God gave him a lamp burning in Yerushalayim by establishing his son after him and making Yerushalayim secure.

5 For David had done what was right from ADONAI's perspective; he had not turned away from anything he had ordered him to do, as long as he lived, except in the matter of Uriyah the Hitti.

6 There was war between Rechav'am and Yarov'am as long as he lived.

7 Other activities of Aviyam and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y'hudah. But there was war between Aviyam and Yarov'am.

8 Aviyam slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son became king in his place.

9 It was in the twentieth year of Yarov'am king of Isra'el that Asa began his reign over Y'hudah.

10 He ruled forty-one years in Yerushalayim; his [grand]mother's name was Ma'akhah the daughter of Avishalom.

11 Asa did what was right from the perspective of ADONAI, as David his ancestor had done.

12 He rid the land of cult-prosti-tutes and removed all the idols his ancestors had made.

13 He also deposed Ma'akhah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a disgusting image as an asherah. Asa cut down this image of hers and burned it in Vadi Kidron.

14 But the high places were not removed. Nevertheless, Asa was wholehearted with ADONAI throughout his life.

15 He brought into the house of ADONAI all the articles his father had consecrated, also the things he himself had consecrated - silver, gold and utensils.

16 There was war between Asa and Ba'sha king of Isra'el as long as they both lived.

17 Ba'sha attacked Y'hudah, and he fortified Ramah to prevent anyone's leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Y'hudah.

18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold left among the treasures of the house of ADONAI and among the treasures of the royal palace; and, entrusting them to his servants, King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tavrimmon, the son of Hezyon, king of Aram, who lived in Dammesek, with this message:

19 "There is a covenant between me and you, which existed already between my father and your father. Here, I am sending you a present of silver and gold; go, and break your covenant with Ba'sha king of Isra'el, so that he will leave me alone."

20 Ben-Hadad did as King Asa asked - he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Isra'el, attacking 'Iyon, Dan, Avel-Beit-Ma'akhah, all of Kinn'rot and all the land of Naftali.

21 As soon as Ba'sha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and stayed in Tirtzah.

22 King Asa then issued a proclamation requiring every man in Y'hudah, with no exception, to come and carry off the stones and timber Ba'sha had used to fortify Ramah. With them King Asa fortified Geva of Binyamin and Mitzpah.

23 The other activities of Asa, all his power, all his accomplishments and the cities he fortified are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y'hudah. But in his old age he suffered from a disease in his legs.

24 Asa slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David his ancestor. Then Y'hoshafat his son became king in his place.

25 It was in the second year of Asa king of Y'hudah that Nadav the son of Yarov'am began his reign over Isra'el, and he ruled Isra'el two years.

26 He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, following the example of his father and the sin through which he had made Isra'el sin.

27 Ba'sha the son of Achiyah, from the descendants of Yissakhar, conspired against him; and Ba'sha attacked him at Gib'ton, which belonged to the P'lishtim; for at the time Nadav and all Isra'el were besieging Gib'ton.

28 It was in the third year of Asa king of Y'hudah that Ba'sha killed Nadav and became king in his place.

29 As soon as he had become king he killed off the entire house of Yarov'am, destroying every living soul and leaving not one survivor. This was in keeping with what ADONAI had said through his servant Achiyah from Shiloh;

30 it was the punishment for the sins Yarov'am had committed and through which he had made Isra'el sin, thereby angering ADONAI the God of Isra'el.

31 Other activities of Nadav and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra'el.

32 There was war between Asa and Ba'sha king of Isra'el as long as they both lived.

33 It was in the third year of Asa king of Y'hudah that Ba'sha the son of Achiyah began his reign over all Isra'el in Tirtzah, and his rule lasted twenty-four years.

34 He did what was wrong from ADONAI's perspective, following the example of Yarov'am and committing the sin through which he had made Isra'el sin.

1 Kings 15 Commentary

Chapter 15

Wicked reign of Abijam, king of Judah. (1-8) Good reign of Asa, king of Judah. (9-24) The evil reigns of Nadab and Baasha in Israel. (25-34)

Verses 1-8 Abijam's heart was not perfect with the Lord his God; he wanted sincerity; he began well, but he fell off, and walked in all the sins of his father, following his bad example, though he had seen the bad consequences of it. David's family was continued as a lamp in Jerusalem, to maintain the true worship of God there, when the light of Divine truth was extinguished in all other places. The Lord has still taken care of his cause, while those who ought to have been serviceable thereto have lived and perished in their sins. The Son of David will still continue a light to his church, to establish it in truth and righteousness to the end of time. There are two kinds of fulfilling the law, one legal, the other by the gospel. Legal is, when men do all things required in the law, and that by themselves. None ever thus fulfilled the law but Christ, and Adam before his fall. The gospel manner of fulfilling the law is, to believe in Christ who fulfilled the law for us, and to endeavour in the whole man to obey God in all his precepts. And this is accepted of God, as to all those that are in Christ. Thus David and others are said to fulfil the law.

Verses 9-24 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That is right indeed which is so in God's eyes. Asa's times were times of reformation. He removed that which was evil; there reformation begins, and a great deal he found to do. When Asa found idolatry in the court, he rooted it out thence. Reformation must begin at home. Asa honours and respects his mother; he loves her well, but he loves God better. Those that have power are happy when thus they have hearts to use it well. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; not only cast away the idols of our iniquity, but dedicate ourselves and our all to God's honour and glory. Asa was cordially devoted to the service of God, his sins not arising from presumption. But his league with Benhadad arose from unbelief. Even true believers find it hard, in times of urgent danger, to trust in the Lord with all their heart. Unbelief makes way for carnal policy, and thus for one sin after another. Unbelief has often led Christians to call in the help of the Lord's enemies in their contests with their brethren; and some who once shone brightly, have thus been covered with a dark cloud towards the end of their days.

Verses 25-34 During the single reign of Asa in Judah, the government of Israel was in six or seven different hands. Observe the ruin of the family of Jeroboam; no word of God shall fall to the ground. Divine threatenings are not designed merely to terrify. Ungodly men execute the just judgments of God upon each other. But in the midst of dreadful sins and this apparent confusion, the Lord carries on his own plan: when it is fully completed, the glorious justice, wisdom, truth, and mercy therein displayed, shall be admired and adored through all the ages of eternity.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 15

In this chapter we have a short history of the reign of Abijam, 1Ki 15:1-8 and of Asa, 1Ki 14:9-24, both kings of Judah; and of the reigns of Nadab the son of Jeroboam, and of Baasha, who destroyed his family, both kings of Israel, 1Ki 15:25-34.