Today’s passage: 1 Kings 15:1-24
Helpful thoughts:
- Here is a chart for a visual on the reigns of the kings.
- Some think that the name Abijam was a purposeful name change.
- He is referred to as Abijah in 2 Chronicles 13. Abijah means, “My Father is Yahweh.”
- Abijam means, “Father of the sea.”
- Seeing Maacah the daughter of Abishalom mentioned twice in two generations seems strange until we realize a few things concerning her.
- She had become a notable member of the royal family (Queen Mother) and was a major proponent of obscene idol worship.
- Her father’s name, Abishalom, could also be spelled, “Absalom.” (2 Chronicles 11:20) Abijah was Solomon’s and Absalom’s grandson. Asa was their great-grandson.
- Asa didn’t need to rely on the king of Syria to help him. God is all-powerful (2 Chronicles 16:7-10).
Questions to consider:
- Why did the Lord allow evil men to rule in Jerusalem on David’s throne (Verse 4)? Even though these men were changing from generation to generation (And sometimes from year to year), what is true of the Lord’s promises?
- What was the one thing Asa didn’t do in regards to the worship of the people of Judah? What would allowing the pagan high places remain in Judah provide for future generations, even future kings?
- What might be the “high places” of our day and culture? It’s easy to look back at Israel’s history and see the obvious error, but is there anything that we might struggle with today that Christians from other generations (even the early church) might see as obvious idolatry and worldliness?