Today's Reading:

1 Kings 15:1-24
2 Chronicles 13
2 Chronicles 14
2 Chronicles 15
2 Chronicles 16

When Asa became king over Judah (south), he removed his own grandmother, Maacah, from her position as Queen Mother! This was quite a bold move. Maacah, possibly the daughter of Absalom, had married King Rehoboam (Solomon’s son and successor). She held an official title and would have been influential with a position in Judah’s court. This meant political power, court oversight, and a religious role. Asa removed her because of her idolatry; she had set up a horrid or obscene Asherah image that promoted pagan worship. Asa had the courage to remove his own influential grandmother because of her sin.

Asa gave us a bold example of balancing our love for family and wholehearted devotion to Him. When have you had to “call out” a family member because their words, actions, or beliefs went against God’s commands? Was it a parent, spouse, child, or extended family member? How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

Common names in the Bible can be confusing. In 1 Kings 14, we just read about one Abijah (son of Jeroboam in the north) who became sick and died. Now, in chapter 15, another Abijah, the son of Rehoboam, becomes the king of Judah in the south. Yes, these were two different “Abijah’s” and from the two different kingdoms. Note that some versions translate the southern king Abijah as Abijam. Scripture often mentions the king of the opposite kingdom at the start of a new section, so we can keep the two kingdoms straight during the overlapping reigns.

Abijah King of Judah #2 (south)- Abijah was not heart loyal to the Lord. Despite the sins, though, God kept David’s covenant royal line going. Abijah’s army was outnumbered two to one, but he still stood on Mount Zemaraim and reminded Jeroboam that the Lord had made the line of David and his descendants the kingly line forever by a “covenant of salt” (2 Chronicles 13:5). Salt is a powerful preservative. With Jeroboam trying to ambush him, Abijah stood on the mountain and declared that the Lord and the priests were with him. Salt has value, just like the everlasting covenant and loyalty.

Abijah condemned the northern kingdom’s rebellion from God. To have correct worship you must follow God’s legitimate commands, follow His chosen kings, and His dwelling place not human choices like Jeroboam’s golden calves. He gave God the glory for the victory, saying the Lord killed Jeroboam. The “lamp” in Jerusalem symbolized David’s dynasty, that God’s light (truth, divine presence, and rule) would not go out.

Asa King of Judah #3 (south)- Asa took over the reign after his father, Abijah’s death. He reigned for 41 years as a good king with a mostly loyal heart to God, which brought peace to the southern kingdom. He was the longest and best of the kings of Judah. God was pleased that he removed the “male shrine prostitutes,” which were cult sex acts that the pagans worshipped. Asherah was the Canaanite fertility goddess for land, people, and livestock. These temple prostitutes were both male and female who did detestable acts (both homosexual and heterosexual) which God prohibited for the Israelites. Older translations of the Bible use “Sodomites” to describe them. Asa had also removed his own grandmother!

When the Cush (Ethiopian) army of a million men attacked, he prayed one of the great prayers in the Bible. ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty… We rely on you.” (2 Chronicles 14:11). However, Asa did not remove all the high places (Canaanite worship) and had relied on foreign alliances and physicians instead of trusting in God. He made a political treaty with Ben-Hadad of Aram (Syria), paying him with gold and silver from the Temple.

He had then put a prophet in prison who confronted him (Hanani). Asa was on his spiritual decline. At the beginning of Asa’s reign, he had listened to the prophet Azariah and made the covenant to follow the Lord with all his heart and soul. He was blessed because of his trust in God. The seer (prophet) Iddo had been involved with the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah (2 Chronicles 9:29, 12:15, and 13:22). This was the last record of prophet Iddo in Scripture.

Today's Discussion question:

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