1 Kings 15

Judah's King Abijam

1 In the eighteenth year of [Israel's] King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah;

2 he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah daughter^[a] of Abishalom.^[b]

3 Abijam walked in all the sins his father had done before him, and he was not completely devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.

4 But because of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem

5 because David did what was right in the Lord's eyes, and he did not turn aside from anything He had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

6 There had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam's life.

7 The rest of the events of Abijam's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings. There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.^[c]

Judah's King Asa

9 In the twentieth year of Israel's King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah;

10 he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's^[d] name was Maacah daughter^[e] of Abishalom.^[f]

11 Asa did what was right in the Lord's eyes, as his ancestor David had done.

12 He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his fathers had made.^[g]

13 He also removed his grandmother^[h] Maacah^[i] from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley.^[j]

14 The high places were not taken away; but Asa's heart was completely with the Lord his entire life.

15 He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord's temple: silver, gold, and utensils.^[k]

16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.

17 Israel's King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to deny anyone access to Judah's King Asa.

18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and put it into the hands of his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying,

19 "There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me."

20 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinneroth, and the whole land of Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard [about it], he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.

22 Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with them.^[l]

23 The rest of all the events of Asa's [reign], along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings. But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.

24 Then Asa rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his forefather David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.^[m]

Israel's King Nadab

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Judah's King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years.

26 Nadab did what was evil in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.

28 In the third year of Judah's King Asa, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

29 When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone alive until he had destroyed his family according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite.^[n]

30 This was because of Jeroboam's sins he had committed and had caused Israel to commit in the provocation he had provoked the Lord God of Israel with.

31 The rest of the events of Nadab's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

32 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.

Israel's King Baasha

33 In the third year of Judah's King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah; [he reigned] 24 years.

34 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight and followed the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Possibly granddaughter; 2 Ch 13:2
• [b]. 2 Ch 13:1-2
• [c]. 2 Ch 13:2,22; 14:1
• [d]. Lit mother's
• [e]. Possibly granddaughter; 2 Ch 13:2
• [f]. 1 Kg 15:2
• [g]. 2 Ch 14:2-3
• [h]. Lit mother
• [i]. 1 Kg 15:2
• [j]. 2 Kg 23:6
• [k]. 2 Ch 15:16-18
• [l]. 2 Ch 16:1-6
• [m]. 2 Ch 16:11-17:1
• [n]. 1 Kg 14:14

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.