1Kings, chapter 15, comments

 

1Kings 15:1 ¶  Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. 2  Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 3  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. 4  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: 5  Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6  And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7  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. 8  And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

2Chronicldes 13:1 ¶  Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. 2  He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

We’ve seen that variations in the spelling of a name are minor issues and should not be a concern so Abijam and Abijah. What do we make of the difference in 1Kings and 2Chronicles with regard to the difference in mothers reported. John Gill reported that Josephus, Jewish historical writer who witnessed the fall of Jerusalem having gone over to the Roman side, said that (quoting from Gill’s commentary), “she was the daughter of Tamar the daughter of Absalom, and so his granddaughter; and which may account for her being called Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, ( 2 Chronicles 13:2 ) since the difference between Maachah and Michaiah is not very great; and Uriel might he the name of Tamar's husband; though it is most likely that both father and daughter had two names; she seems to be mentioned here, to observe that she was the cause and means of her son's disagreeable walk…”

Abijam was shown mercy because of his great-grandfather David’s faithfulness. This should be a lesson to all mankind that our faithfulness or our disobedience have repercussions throughout generations to come. Abijam’s reign is short though. It is clear by cross-referencing that Abishalom is another name for Absalom as Strong’s says, two versions of the same name.  

2Chronicles 11:20  And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. 21  And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)

Abijam continued the war his father had with Jeroboam. Jeroboam’s reign over Israel and Rehoboam’s reign over Judah and Benjamin began at roughly the same time. Rehoboam reigns 17 years and then Abijam reigns 3 years. Then Asa reigns over Judah. We are now at two decades after Solomon’s death. Two kings have reigned over Judah and one over Israel.

1Kings 15:9 ¶  And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. 10  And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 11  And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. 12  And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13  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. 14  But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. 15  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, and gold, and vessels. 16  And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17  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 king of Judah. 18  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 Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, 19  There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 20  So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21  And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. 22  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 builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 23  The rest of all 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. 24  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.

So, we had Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, then Abijam, and now Asa ruling over Judah. 61 years are marked from the end of the reign of Solomon and the beginning of the reign of the next king after Asa. Maachah, Gill says reporting from ancient Jewish sources, was called his mother but was in reality his grandmother who brought him up which shows that even with a wicked person providing the parenting a person can turn out good.

Asa took the sodomites, the homosexual temple prostitutes out of the land, and got rid of the idols his father had worshipped. He also removed Maachah from her position as queen due to her idolatry. He did not completely eradicate idolatry from the land but at least his heart was right with God.

He fought Baasha, King of Israel, all his days and even made an alliance with the King of Syria, Benhadad by paying him off. This constant struggle ended in his old age with some kind of foot disease, which apparently led to his death. We will see much more detail when we get to 2Chronicles 16.

1Kings 15:25 ¶  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. 26  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. 27  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. 28  Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. 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 unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: 30  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. 31  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? 32  And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 33  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. 34  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.

We’re getting further away from Israel’s Golden Age as Nadab reigns in the northern kingdom of Israel for only two years.

1Kings 14: 20  And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

Baasha of the tribe of Issachar, son of Ahijah, engineers a coups d’etat killing Nadab and reigning in his place. This occurred in the third year of Asa, king of Judah. He destroyed all of Jeroboam’s family, as prophesied in 1Kings 14. Asa of Judah and Benjamin and Baasha of Israel were at continuous war. Baasha has a decently lengthed reign of 24 years. But he was evil and walked in the same evil path that Jeroboam walked, making Israel to sin. Notice how a king was responsible for the actions of his people.