15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah. 

 

In earlier chapters, the author of 1 Kings recorded the establishment of the divided kingdom after Solomon’s reign. Jehovah wanted a divided monarchy of two states which would worship Him together in Jerusalem. Instead, King Jeroboam led the ten tribes of Israel into an idolatry. He established the calf god as the god of Israel, created two additional cities for pagan sacrifices, and created a non-Levitical illegal priesthood. 

 

King Rehoboam of the south was not much better. He tolerated pagan worship. Asherah poles were established on all of the high hills of Judah. Sodomite prostitution temples were established throughout all of Judah. Both Israel and Judah were worshiping pagan gods, worshiping the erect male penis, and engaging in sodomite prostitution temples.

 

The author will spend the rest of the next two books on a survey of all of the kings of Judah and Israel. Israel will raise up 19 kings, all of them evil. Israel will refuse to repent and go into the Assyrian Captivity in 722 B.C.

 

Judah will raise up 20 kings, with 12 of them being evil. They would not learn from the Assyrian Captivity of Israel, nor would they repent. They would make the same mistakes as Israel and go into the Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C.

 

While King Jeroboam was ruling Israel in his 18th year, then King Rehoboam of Judah died. The new king of Judah was Abijah, the son of King Rehoboam. King Jeroboam also had a son named Abijah, who would later follow his father as the King of Israel. Abijah means “my father is Jehovah.”

 

15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

 

King Abijah was the second king of Judah. He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. Parts of years are considered whole years in the Bible. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. Abishalom means ‘My Father is peace.” 

 

15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.

 

King Abijah of Judah was not like the good King David, but more like his evil father King Rehoboam. 

 

15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty in Jerusalem by giving him a son to succeed him and by protecting Jerusalem.

 

Even though King Abijah was evil, God gave him a son to carry on the line of Judah. God was keeping His promises of the Davidic Covenant.

 

15:5 He did this because David had done what he approved and had not disregarded any of his commandments his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite.

 

Jehovah was very pleased with the human life of David, except for the adultery/murder incident with Uriah the Hittite.

 

15:6 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s lifetime. 

 

While Rehoboam and Jeroboam were kings of Judah and Israel, Abijah was growing up during civil war.

 

15:7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 

 

King Abijah of Judah continued his father’s civil war against King Jeroboam of Israel. These events were recorded in the “Annals of the Kings of Judah.” This was an uninspired book which has been lost.

 

15:8 Abijah passed away and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. 

 

King Abijah of Judah died. His son Asa became the next king of Judah. Asa was also from the line of David and Solomon.

 

15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 

 

King Jeroboam of Israel was still reigning during Judah’s third king.

 

15:10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 

 

King Asa of Judah ruled for 41 years.

 

15:11 Asa did what the Lord approved like his ancestor David had done. 

 

Judah only had eight good kings out of twenty. Israel had no good kings out of nineteen. King Asa was one of the few good kings of Asa.

 

15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols his ancestors had made. 

 

The male cultic prostitutes were temple sodomites. King Asa of Judah removed these sodomite temple, as well as the disgusting pornographic and violent idols that were all over the hills of Judah. Because of this action, God called Asa a “good king.” A good electorate and good politicians will remove homosexuality from a land. An evil nation will tolerate it and even glorify it, causing God to become the judge of that nation. God’s views on homosexuality have not changed since the days of Asa. He is still “the same today, yesterday, and forever.” 

 

15:13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 

 

Macaah was removed as queen mother because she was worshiping an erect penis.

 

15:14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime.

 

King Asa of Judah failed to remove all of the high places, but he was dedicated to Jehovah.

 

15:15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 

 

King Asa and his father made holy items and stored them inside of the temple.

 

15:16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other.

 

King Baasha was the third king of Israel. He was the son of King Ahijah of Israel. There was also a King Ahijah of Judah, both living about the same time.

 

15:17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.

 

Ramah was five miles north of Jerusalem. King Baasha of Israel took this city so that he could block supplies coming into Jerusalem.

 

15:18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 15:19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 15:20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth.

 

King Asa of Judah hired mercenary soldiers from Syria to attack Israel. This conquest gave Syria control of a major trade route in Israel.

 

15:21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 

 

King Baasha of Israel had to leave Judah to protect Israel from the Syrians.

 

15:22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. King Asa used the materials to build up Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah. 

 

King Asa of Judah ordered every man of his own tribe of Judah to carry away the building stones that were used at Ramah. He used these building materials to fortify his own cities of Geba and Mizpah. Geba and Mizpah were six or seven miles from Jerusalem. King Baasha’s plan backfired. King Asa used Baasha’s building materials against him.

 

15:23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease.

 

King Asa died of a foot disease. His other successes and accomplishments were recorded in the “Annals of the Kings of Judah,” which was an uninspired secular book which has been lost.

 

15:24 Asa passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king. 

 

King Jehoshaphat became the fourth king of Judah. He was also from the line of David. Jehoshaphat means “Jehovah is Judge.”

 

15:25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 

 

King Nadab became the fourth king of Israel. 

 

15:26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 

 

Like all of the past and future kings of Israel, King Nadab of Israel was evil.

 

15:27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 

 

King Nadab of Israel was assassinated by Baasha. 

 

15:28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 

 

Baasha became the fifth king of Israel.

 

15:29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, just as the Lord had predicted through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 

 

God had offered to build Jeroboam a house similar to that of David, if he was obedient. Instead, Jeroboam established a false religious system in Israel. Ahijah the prophet predicted to King Jeroboam that his entire royal family line would be assassinated by one of his servants. Baasha went beyond this prophecy. He killed not just the male heirs, but the entire Jeroboam family line, including women and children. This was standard operating procedure for pagan kings. After Jeroboam died, the Jeroboam dynasty only lasted two years.

 

15:30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel. 

 

King Jeroboam led Israel into idolatry, so Jehovah wiped out his family line.

 

15:31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

 

The “Annals of the Kings of Israel” was a non-inspired secular book which has been lost.

 

15:32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other. 

 

The civil wars between Israel and Judah continued to reduce the male population and the natural resources of both nations. All of the surrounding nations began increasing their male population, natural resources, and fortifications. They were beginning to crave the land and natural resources of Israel.

 

15:33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years.

 

King Baasha was the fifth king of Israel. He followed after four generations of the Jeroboam dynasty. The prophet Ahijah predicted that Baasha would be the servant who would end the Jeroboam dynasty.

 

15:34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 

 

King Baasha of Israel was evil, just like all of the other nineteen kings of Israel.