I Kings 15

Abijam reigns three years over Judahverses 1-2

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat

reigned Abijam over Judah

three years reigned he in Jerusalem

And his mother’s name was Maachah

the daughter of Abishalom

Abijam was not faithful to the LORDverses 3-5

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

Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God

give him a lamp in Jerusalem

            to set up his son after him

and to establish Jerusalem

            because David did that which

was right in the eyes of the LORD

            and turned not aside from anything that HE commanded

                        him all the days of his life

                                    save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite

Abijam and Jeroboam foughtverses 6-8

And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam

all the days of his life

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

And Abijam slept with his fathers

and they buried him in the city of David

                        and Asa his son reigned in his stead

Asa reigned forty-one years over Judahverses 9-10

And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel

reigned Asa over Judah

and forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem

And his mother’s name was Maachah

the daughter of Abishalom

Asa pleased the LORD by his actionsverses 11-15

And Asa did that which was RIGHT in the eyes of the LORD

as did David his father

And he took away the sodomites out of the land

and removed all the idols that his fathers had made

And also Maachah his mother

even her he removed from being queen

BECAUSE she had made an idol in a grove

and Asa destroyed her idol

and burnt it by the brook Kidron

But the high places were not removed

            nevertheless Asa’s heart

was perfect with the LORD all his days

                        and he brought in the things

which his father had dedicated

                        and the things which himself had dedicated

                                    into the house of the LORD

                                                silver – gold – vessels

War between Asa and Baashaverses 16-17

And there was war

between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days

                        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 made treaty with Ben-hadad of Syriaverses 18-19

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 Ben-hadad

the king of Tabrimon – the son of Hezion

king of Syria

that dwelt at Damascus – saying

There is a league between me and you and between

my father and your father

BEHOLD – I have sent to thee a present of silver and gold

Come and break your league with Baasha king of Israel

that he may depart from me

Ben-hadad fought Israelverses 20-22

So Ben-hadad hearkened to king Asa

and sent the captains of the hosts

which he had against the cities of Israel

and smote Ijon – Dan – Abel-beth-maachah – all Cinneroth

with all the land of Naphtali

And it came to pass – when Baasha heard thereof

that he left off building of Ramah

and dwelt in Tirzah

Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah

none was exempted and they took away

the stones of Ramah – and the timber thereof

            wherewith Baasha had built – and king Asa built with them

Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah

Acts of Asa recordedverses 23-24

The rest of 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

                        and Asa slept with his fathers

and was buried with his fathers

in the city of David his father

And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead

Nadab did evilverses 25-26

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

                  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

Baasha killed Nadabverses 27-28

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

      even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha

                  slay him – and reigned in his stead

Baasha fulfilled prophecy of Ahijahverses 29-30

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 spoke by HIS servant Ahijah the Shilonite

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

Nadab’s history recordedverses 31-32

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?

And there was war

between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days

Baasha reigned for twenty-four yearsverses 33-34

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

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

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 7        Now the rest of the acts of Abiam, 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. (4421 “war” [milchamah] means battle, the waging of armed conflict against an enemy, hand-to-hand fighting, battle line, or struggle)

DEVOTION:  History is important. I love history. We are to learn from history. The Old Testament is to be a place where New Testament saints find out more about how the LORD works with HIS people.  We are to learn from their sins and from their righteousness.

So we have the Historical books of the Bible. They start with Joshua and end at Esther to give us the history of the children of Israel in the Promised Land.  They tell us who was faithful to the LORD and who didn’t follow the LORD.

The Bible doesn’t hide anything. It tells all that is necessary to understand how the LORD works with HIS people. It informs us of what we need to do to please the LORD and bring glory to HIS name.

Jesus used examples from the Old Testament to show the HE knew what was written and what was going to happen in the future to Israel. The Old Testament gives us not only the past but the future work of the LORD.

Our study of the historical books helps us to realize that no one was perfect and the LORD used imperfect men and women to serve HIM. HE wanted to have willing workers which could be found in every generation.

This is true today as well. There are many men and women who want to be good servants of the LORD and need to understand what the LORD expects of them. This can be found in the reading of the Word of God. Good Biblical preaching and teaching helps as well. We need to be able to discern between false teaching and good teaching and this can only be learned through a daily study in the Word of God. We need to hide the Word of God in our hearts, so that, we sin less against God.

CHALLENGE:  Here are the two sides of a battle with relatives fighting with one another. This was not God’s plan then or now.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 12      And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. (1544 “idols” [gilluwl] means a pagan and material effigy that is worshiped as a representation or in lieu of a deity, image, logs, blocks, shapeless things, or trunks)

DEVOTION:  Part of the worship of false gods was individuals both men and women who lived around the places of worship and offered sexual favors to those who came to worship.

The last chapter gave us a hint of what was going in at these false temples of false gods. In the groves and the high places people would gather to not keep their commitment to the LORD.

This was sinful but those worshiping false gods didn’t care what the LORD thought of them. In verse 24 of the last chapter we read that “there were sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.” The LORD considered these sins abominations that the Amorites were doing before the children of Israel arrived. They were supposed to kill all the Amorites because the LORD told Abraham that they would inherit the Promised Land when the “iniquity was full.”

Apparently the when the children of Israel came it was full but they never got rid of it. They allowed it to continue to the point where they accepted the practices. The LORD was angry with the children of Israel for allowing this to take place.

We need to realize that the “iniquity” of any nation can become full in the eyes of the LORD and then HE has to judge that nation. Many times we find the LORD judging the children of Israel with heathen nations. The prophets complained about this happening but they were the tools the LORD used to correct HIS people.

Can we be getting close to the time when the LORD will judge our nation because we are not standing true to HIS standards even in places that call themselves churches but worship a false god that is not presented in the Word of God?

CHALLENGE: Do we have things in our churches that we worship? Are there articles of furniture that we would never let go of because they are too precious in our sight? Are there things in our services that we would never change because we like them?

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: 13      And also Maacah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. (517 “mother” [’em] means grandmother, caregiver, provider, stepmother, or parent)

DEVOTION:   Maacah was the daughter of Absalom who was a rebellious son of David. So she received the wrong training regarding respecting the LORD and being obedient to the LORD.

Parenting is very important in the lives of children. Bad parents cause all kinds of problems for their children while growing up and as adults. We can’t blame our parents for all of our problems but good parenting can stop some of them.

Here is a grandmother who trained her son in a way that was displeasing to the LORD. How can we say that? Well, she established an Asherah Pole for the worship of a false god in Jerusalem. She also was declared queen during her son’s reign which was a evil reign.

So now her grandson comes to the throne and he wants to please the LORD and removes her Pole and destroys it and takes her seat out of the throne room of the Palace. He removes her from power.

Grandparents can be a good influence on their grandchildren or a bad influence. How Asa overcame the bad influence of his grandmother is not stated. His mother’s name is not listed here. She might have been the influence he needed to follow the LORD correctly.

So the influence of his father and grandmother didn’t take hold of him when he came to power. The LORD was the one who influenced him the most.

We need at least one of the four to have a good influence toward the LORD. Asa didn’t have a grandfather, grandmother or father who influenced him to follow the LORD.

It could have been a good teacher while he was growing up. We are not sure but we would like to understand that each child is important to the LORD and their training is important. We must spend time training our children and grandchildren to understand the Word of God for the next generation to serve HIM faithfully.

CHALLLENGE: It is never too late to establish the principles of the LORD in our children and grandchildren. It has to be done in love. That is how the LORD trains us!!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 14      But the high places were not removed, nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. (8003 “perfect” [shalem] means complete, full, just, peaceable, quiet, or whole)

DEVOTION: The Word of God has at least two uses for the word “heart.” One use is for the physical organ that keeps the blood flowing in our body. The other use is for the center of our life. It is talking about the standards we set for our life. It deals with our relationships to others. This second use is what this verse is referring to in the life of Asa.

Asa was not sinless but God looked at his heart and saw someone who wanted to wholly follow HIM. He was someone who was completely sold out for the LORD. His example was King David. He had the reputation of having a heart that was fully committed to the LORD except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

God doesn’t look at our outward appearance but at our hearts. Outwardly we may not look so good but God knows what is going on inside of us and whether we want to serve HIM or not. HE knows our motives. HE knows whether we really want to do what is right in HIS sight.

Some people put on a good outward appearance but inside they are prideful or bitter or just not willing to let God have HIS way in their lives. The LORD knows that no human has a sinless life to offer HIM. The LORD knows what represents a heart that is completed willing to serve HIM.

That person might not give the LORD all the glory that HE deserves but he comes closer than others. This is hard to understand. This chapter mentioned that David’s heart was wholly toward the LORD except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. This chapter also mentioned that Asa didn’t remove the high places.

We all have areas of our lives that need work until we die. Does that mean that God condones sin? NO!!! HE knows that we are sinful. HE knows that we still have our sin nature after we become a follower of HIM. HE knows our heart. HE knows those who are faking it and those who are real.

There are many in our churches that are not real. Most of those individuals have never had anyone follow-up their commitment to the LORD. Remember those who are genuinely committed to the LORD are chastened of the LORD for disobedience.

We are to suffer for the LORD to help us mature in HIM. There are some in the pews of most churches who are just maintaining a spot in a pew with no service to the LORD. Hopefully, this last sentence doesn’t describe any of us. We are to be out there serving the LORD with our time, talent and treasures. Remember God KNOWS our heart.

Our hearts can be very deceitful. We are the only ones who really know our heart. We know if we are wholly sold out for the LORD. We know if we are a hypocrite or not. The LORD knows too. 

CHALLENGE: Do people think that we have a heart that is completely serving the LORD? Do you think your heart is completely serving the LORD?

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: 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 to the saying of the LORD, which HE spoke by HIS servant Ahijah the Shilonite. (8045 “destroyed” [shamad] means to exterminate, to destroy completely, damage irreparably, be made useless, overthrown, or pertaining to being in a totally ruined state)

DEVOTION: Timing means nothing to the LORD. HE has all the time in the world. HE states that something is going to happen and it will in HIS TIME.

Too often when something doesn’t happen in the timing, we think it should than the LORD is not in control. Our timing and the LORD’S timing are not always the same. HE is patient and we are not usually. We want things to happen when we think they should. Too often our timing is not right.

When we try to help the LORD along with something we think needs to be judged quickly we fail. We think that the LORD should not allow something to continue but HE does. This is wrong thinking.

The LORD does everything in HIS timing. HE knows when to judge and who to judge. Here we have someone destroying the family of Jeroboam years after some of us think HE should have. We want the LORD to do things immediately as far as we are concerned. HE should never wait.

Remember that HE knows the right timing to get things done for HIS glory. We sometimes don’t understand why HE allows things to happen the way they do in our society and even in our churches.

Our understanding has to be that HE will do things when they have to be done in HIS way at all times. We have to accept HIS actions as perfect. Our actions are not perfect because we are not perfect.

CHALLENGE: Accept God’s timing for judgment and for blessings. HE is always on time.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Book of the Chroniclesverses 7, 23, 31

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

House of the LORDverses 15, 18

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Book of the Chroniclesverses 7, 23, 31

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 3-5, 11, 14, 15, 18, 26, 29, 30, 34

God – Elohim (Creator)verses 3, 4, 30

LORD his Godverses 3, 4

Eyes of the LORDverses 5, 11

House of the LORDverse 18

Sight of the LORDverses 26, 34

Saying of the LORDverse 29

LORD God of Israelverse 30

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the six twenty-four- hour period of creation)

Uriah the Hittiteverse 5

Benhadad – king of Syriaverses 18-20

Asked by Asa to break league with Baasha

He fought against Baasha

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Walked in sinsverses 3, 26, 34

Not perfectverse 3

Matter of Uriah the Hittiteverse 5

Sodomitesverse 12

Idolsverses 12, 13

League with heathen nationverse 19

Evilverses 26, 34

Sinverses 26, 30, 34

Sinnedverse 30

Provoked the LORD God of Israelverse 30

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Heart was perfectverses 3, 14

Do right in eyes of the LORDverses 5, 11

Servantverse 29

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Jeroboam (Israel)verses 1, 6, 9

Abijam (Judah)verses 1-8

Reigned three years

Walked in sins of father

LORD gave him a lamp in Jerusalem

Davidverses 3, 4, 24

Did what is right in eyes of LORD

Jerusalemverse 4

Jeroboamverse 6

Asa over Judahverses 8-24

41 years he reigned over Judah

Did that which is right in eyes of LORD

Took away the sodomites

Removed the idols

Removed Maachah as queen because made idols

High places not removed

Heart was perfect with the LORD

War with Baasha – king of Israel

Asked Ben-hadad to break league with Baasha

Built Geba of Benjamin

Built Mizpah

Acts written in book of chronicles

Baasha – king of Israelverses 16-21

Was building Raman

Left building Raman and lived in Tirzah

Jehoshaphat reigned in Judahverse 24

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

13. Only here is the Asherah (see on 14:15) described as a ‘sculpture in the round’ (gillūlîm, v. 12, idols) which should cause the beholder to ‘shudder’ (mipleṣet), a term used elsewhere of an earthquake (cf. Ps. 55:5; Isa. 21:4), at the repulsive (rsv ‘abominable’) image. The Asherah pole also was repulsive and ‘obscene’ (neb; Vulg. a phallic symbol; rsv, ‘abomination’) in the eyes of the true worshipper of God and was associated with the worship of the Canaanite mother-goddess. The Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem was then the city’s main rubbish dump. (Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, p. 167). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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13 מִפְלֶצֶת (mip̱leṣeṯ, “horrible, repulsive thing”) is from the verb פָּלַץ (pālaṣ, “shudder,” used of an earthquake in Job 9:6). The emphasis is on the terrible shock the detestable Asherah worship ought to have produced in the heart of the believer.

The Kidron Valley, the deep depression east of Jerusalem between the temple heights and the Mount of Olives, became from Asa’s time onward the place where reformer kings destroyed all idolatrous cult objects (cf. 2 Kings 23:4–15; 2 Chronicles 29:16; 30:14). (Patterson, R. D., & Austel, H. J. (1988). 1, 2 Kings. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, pp. 130–131). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)

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˒Em can represent blood relatives further removed than one’s mother. In 1 Kings 15:10 the word means “grandmother”: “And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his [grand]mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.” This word can also mean “stepmother.” When Joseph told his dream to his family, “his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What, is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy [step]mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” (Gen. 37:10; cf. 35:16ff., where we read that Rachel died). The word can signify a mother-in-law, or the mother of one’s wife: “And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness …” (Lev. 20:14). The woman through whom a nation originated is called its “mother”; she is the first or tribal “mother,” an ancestress: “Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite” (Ezek. 16:3). Even further removed physically is Eve, “the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20).  (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)

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FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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TRUST GOD

poem by Anne R. C. Neale

You know a lot of things

But there are many things you don’t know,

God knows everything that lies ahead,

Trust God, He’s in control, that’s so.

God controls everything you see,

You must have confidence in Him,

Things happen that you don’t expect,

Keep your Faith and Trust in God and don’t sin.

Don’t be afraid at all,

God watches over you,

He controls everything,

Trusting God always is what you should do.

You know a lot of things

But there are things that you don’t know,

God knows everything that lies ahead,

Trust God, He’s in control, that’s so.

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The Trumpet of God
“And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.” (Exodus 19:19)
This is the first reference to trumpets in the Bible, and it is significant that the “voice” of the trumpet was coming not from man but from God. The setting was the awesome scene at Mount Sinai, when the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments for His people.
The last reference in the Old Testament to trumpets again refers to God’s trumpet. “And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south” (Zechariah 9:14).
The trumpet as used in Israel (Hebrew shofar) was made of rams’ horns and was used on many important occasions. One of the most notable was when the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land at Jericho. “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and…the wall fell down flat,…and they took the city” (Joshua 6:20). These were human trumpets, of course, but they were sounded with the authority of God, and God gave the victory.
We also today can speak with the authority of God if we speak His Word plainly and clearly. But “if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8).
We ourselves may soon hear the trumpet of God, for the return of Christ is drawing near. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven…with the trump of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). As we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, we (like John long ago) will hear a voice “as it were of a trumpet,” saying, “Come up hither” (Revelation 4:1), and then “shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

              (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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GOD IS LOVE

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8
“God is love.” No one can answer against that; one trembles even to handle it; it cannot be analyzed. I simply want to point out that John does not say merely that God loves us or that God is loving. He goes beyond that. He says, “God is love.” God essentially is love; God’s nature is love; you cannot think of God without love.
Of course he has already told us that God is light in exactly the same way that was the first pronouncement. “This then is the message….God is light” (1 John 1:5); and in exactly the same way “God is love” and God is spirit. This battles the imagination; it is something that is altogether beyond our comprehension, and yet we start with it.
Augustine and others deduce from this the doctrine of the Trinity. I think there may be a great deal in that; the very fact that God is love declares the Trinity God the Father loves the Son, and the link is the person of the Holy Spirit. Ah! this high doctrine; it is beyond us. All I know is that God, in the very essence of His nature and being, is love, and you cannot think of God and must not think of Him except in terms of love. Everything that God is and does is colored by this; all God’s actions have this aspect of love in them and the aspect of light in the same way. That is how God always manifests Himself light and love. 
“Therefore, because that is the fundamental postulate, because that is so true of God,” John is saying, that works itself out for us like this: Because God is love, we ought to love one another. For “love is of God.” In other words, love is from God, love flows from God. It is as if John were turning to these people and saying, “God loves, and this love I am talking about is something that only comes from God it is derived from Him.”
A Thought to Ponder: God, in the very essence of His nature and being, is love.
(From The Love of God, p. 43 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.)

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