Four Kings - (3 bad/1 good)
In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijam became king of Judah and reigned for three years in Jerusalem. Like his father, he also committed many sins. Yet for David's sake, the Lord allowed Jerusalem to endure. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
In the twentieth year of Jeroboam, Asa, king of Judah, began his 41 year reign. Asa pleased the LORD like his forefather David, banishing the temple prostitutes and removing all the idols his father had made. He also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made an outrageous object for Asherah. Asa cut down this object and burned it in the Kidron Valley. There was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel. Asa took all the silver and gold remaining in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace. He entrusted them to his ministers, sent them to Ben-hadad (son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, king of Aram, resident in Damascus) and made a treaty, and he in turn broke his treaty with Baasha, king of Israel, that he withdrew from Asa. When Baasha heard of it, he left off fortifying Ramah, and stayed in Tirzah. Then with carried away the stones and beams with which Baasha was fortifying Ramah King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpeh.
In the second year of Asa, Nadab, son of Jeroboam, became king of Israel for 2 years. He did evil in the Lord's sight, plottin gwith Baasha. Once he was king, he killed off the entire house of Jeroboam, not leaving a single soul to Jeroboam but destroying him utterly.
In the third year of Asa, king of Judah, Baasha, son of Ahijah, began his twenty-four-year reign over Israel in Tirzah. He did evil in the Lord's sight.
2 comments:
As you say, this chapter chronicles 4 kings; only 1 was good, like David.
Notes indicate that, although David sinned, his devotion to God was never questioned. He never worshiped other gods or idols as these kings did. Asa was the good king. The first good thing he did was to expel the male prostitutes from the shrines. Then he demolished all the idols in the land including one his grandmother made. He also returned all the originally dedicated silver and gold articles to the temple.
As the kings progress, they continue to battle each other; Judah and Israel. God allows this to continue for David's sake. I guess the people mirror their ruler, that is, I don't suppose it would matter if the people wanted to return to loyalty to God. I guess this demonstrates that faith of a people starts with their ruler. When the ruler is good, the people are good and vice versa. An interesting thought with the election of our new president.
I am continuing on our alternate site 151biblestudy2.blogspot.com
with 1 kings 16.
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