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I Kings 14 - 15
I Kings 14:
More Kings come and go.
Most are evil, but a few are good.
Jeroboam, the king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, found himself in a real crisis. One of his sons got very sick. Perhaps as a last resort, after praying to his pagan gods, he decided to seek the help of a real prophet, the Prophet from Shiloh, Ahijah. This is how chapter 14 begins.
Verse 1, when King Jeroboams’ son becomes ill, he sends his wife (in disguise) to visit the prophet Ahijah over in Shiloh (verse 2). She packs a nice gift box for the prophet consisting of cakes, honey, and bread (verse 3). Was this a custom of the day or might she have been hoping that it might influence the prophet to give her a good report?
Ahijah wasn’t the kind of prophet the king was used to dealing with. Usually, the false prophets, like some modern pastors, would tell the kings and the people only what they wanted to hear. Isaiah makes this point in Isa. 30:9-11, “these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions! And to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions... stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel.’” Prophets and pastors who tell the king and congregation what they want to hear get rewarded and have greater job security.
The Prophet Ahijah, who, if you recall was the prophet who told Jeroboam that he would become king over the northern tribes (1 Kings 11:29-31), would always tell the king what he NEEDED to hear rather than what he WANTED to hear.
What if pastors were given an employment contract which protected them from being fired for unbiblical reasons? Would the subjects of their sermons be different if they knew that their job and income were secure?
What did Ahijah do when he wasn’t giving messages from God to the king? He must have been an historian and writer. In 2 Chron. 9:29 it says that he was the author of a book described as the "Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite," which contained information about Solomon's reign. This book goes by another title, also, The Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41). No, don’t look for that book on Amazon.com. It was lost to history many years ago.
Jeroboam was hopeful for good news from Ahijah. Afterall, he did bring him good news when he was told that he would inherit the northern tribes of Israel. Perhaps he was thinking that he would bring him good news again. Too bad Jeroboam didn’t listen to his counsel when he was corrupting the religion of Israel with the golden calves, unqualified priests, etc.
When Jeroboam’s wife arrived at the front door of the home or office of the prophet, Ahijah said (verse 6), “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense?” She must have been shocked that he knew her identity, especially since by this time the elderly prophet was blind. Knowing her identity would probably give credibility to any message he might give her. If she was a skeptic or reluctant to take on this role, she probably wasn’t a skeptic any longer.
Ahijah tells her to tell Jeroboam, (verses 8-10), “I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what is right in my eyes. You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back. Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel.”
Ahijah then tells her to go back home. He says, (verse 12) “when you set foot in your city the boy will die.” What should she do? Should she stay out of town? Relocate? Imagine the guilt she might have felt if her son died as she entered the city.
Why aren’t we told more? The purpose of the book of Kings is to explain to the people why they are being invaded and taken into captivity. It is not a comprehensive history of these nations. It is more of a spiritual history, how the kings either led their people away from God or closer to God. As for the more comprehensive history of their reigns, when the death of these kings is announced you will oftentimes find this type of statement, “As for the other events of the reign of _________ are they not written in the books of the annals of the kings of Israel.”
Ahijah continues with his message for Jeroboam. Verse 14, “The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam.” The cutting off of the family of Jeroboam meant that his entire family would be massacred. This mass murderer turned out to be Baasha who we will meet in chapter 15. There’s something to look forward to. “Verse 15, “And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their forefathers and scatter them beyond the River.” More bad news. Not only would Jeroboam’s family come to an end, but the nation would be scattered. What might Ahijah be referring to? Well, in time, the Assyrians will invade Israel and take many into captivity.
If Jeroboam had paid attention to the covenant rules given by Moses and agreed to by all of Israel, he would know that Deut. 28 speaks of these curses if the nation disobeyed God. Verse 25, “the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.” Verse 36, “the Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers.” Verse 47, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in naked ness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. Verses 63-64, “You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will scatter you among all nations from one end of the earth to the other.”
Apparently, he didn’t pay attention to Deut. 17:18-19 either. It says, “When he (the king) takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law . . . and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.” I don’t think these kings did their homework, do you?
Well, the baby died and so did Jeroboam after a twenty-two-year reign (1 Kings 14:20). Jeroboam was told that if he followed the Lord and was faithful to the Law, then he would have God’s promise: “I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you” (1 Kings 11:38). But Jeroboam didn’t, there was no dynasty for him. He died and was succeeded by his son Nadab (verse 20).
Now the narrative switches over to Rehoboam and what is going on in the southern kingdom of Judah. He was 41 years old when he became king and ruled for 17 years (verse 21). How did he do as king? Was he a more righteous king than Jeroboam? We know that a few of the kings of Judah were good kings, but Rehoboam wasn’t one of them. Verses 22-24, “Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” They also “set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles. . . there were even male shrine prostitutes in the land.” It sounds as if Jeroboam and Rehoboam are competing with one another as to who can lead their people further away from God.
Five years into Rehoboam’s reign, the King of Egypt invaded Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the temple and the palace (verses 25-26). Poor Rehoboam had to replace all those gold shields with cheaper copies, made of bronze (1 Kings 14:27). What a comedown. Going from gold shields to bronze. It would be like giving up your luxury automobile for 1980 oil-burning, rusted out station wagon whose fender is covered with duct tape. The kind of car your kids are embarrassed to be seen in by their peers.
If Rehoboam was puzzled as to why God hadn’t protected him from these invaders, Shemaiah the prophet helped him to understand why. “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak” (2 Chron.12:5).
To his credit though, Rehoboam and his subordinate leaders didn’t rationalize their behavior or argue with the wisdom and justice of God. 2 Chron. 12:6, “The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, ‘The Lord is just.’” God’s responded with mercy. Verse 12, “Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed.”
Yet even after the Egyptian invaders left the land, Rehoboam refused to turn back to God and destroy all the pagan worship sites. Rather, his efforts went to rebuilding the fortifications and cities, and reorganization of his army. From this point on the nation of Judah never recovered its original strength, wealth, and political influence.
Rehoboam ended his reign with ongoing conflict with Israel. He died and was succeeded by his son Abijah. And again, a more comprehensive history of his reign is written “in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah” (verse 29).
I Kings Chapter 15:
Abijah has a short reign and was followed by Asa, a Good King with a long reign.
Abijah, successor to Rehoboam, didn’t make much of an impact on the history of Judah. His reign was short, only three years. Which was good, because he was another lousy king, just like his father Rehoboam. Verse 3, “He committed all the sins his father had done before him.” Verse 4, “Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his “God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.” This person would be named Asa.
Fortunately, the next king of Judah, Asa, (verse 8) was a good king with a long reign. He is one of only a few kings who was described as doing (I Kings 15:11-12), “what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done.”
Besides Ahijah there was another true prophet by the name of Azariah. Azariah urged Asa (2 Chron. 15:1-3) to lead the nation in the long-neglected observances of the Law of Moses. Asa agreed and purged the land of foreign religions and false idols; all the sites of Baal and Asherah worship were destroyed. Asa even removed his grandmother from her position as the Queen Mother, because she made an Asherah pole. These poles were thought to have been made of wood and were set up next to an altar to Baal. Later, King Manasseh of Judah would place an Asherah pole in the Holy Temple (2 Kings 21:7).
Asa took her Asherah pole and burnt it in the Kidron Valley. Then the nation renewed its covenant with God and a great feast was held in Jerusalem at Solomon's Temple (2 Chron. 15:10–11). This was like a “Back to Torah” movement or a Great Awakening for Israel.
How did Asa manage to avoid becoming a devotee to the pagan religion practiced by so many others? When did he come to realize that they were all wrong? Did he keep his doubts secret until he had the power as king to do something about it? How did others respond to his reforms? Was there a large minority of others who agreed with him? Did he need a couple of extra layers of security around him to protect him from his religious opponents? What did his reforms do to his family relationships? Imagine the Queen Mother glaring at him at family gatherings after he destroyed her Asherah pole. Some of these questions were probably addressed in the book of the annals of the kings.
During this time of reformation many northerners migrated to the Kingdom of Judah to escape the chaos and idolatry. This and other migrations south led to a blurring of the distinction between Israel and Judah.
In his later years Asa developed some sort of foot disease. He did seek medical treatment, but he never sought help from the Lord (2 Chron. 16:12). Why would we be told this?
I wonder why Asa, the reformist, didn’t seek healing from God. There was no danger in seeking healing from God, but there was danger in seeking healing from doctors. In fact, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that doctors could do more good than harm for their patients. President Garfield was a good example. After he was shot, doctors probed Garfield's wound with unsterilized fingers and instruments, attempting to find the bullet. In the process, Garfield's liver was punctured, and an infection set in, killing him 79 days after being shot.
Most historians and medical experts believe that Garfield probably would have survived his wound had the doctors just left him alone. An assassin shot him, but his doctors killed him.
We will return to Asa’s foot disease shortly, but we have to get back to the narrative.
In verse 16 we return to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Judah. Asa decided to seek a treaty with the King of Aram in Damascus (I Kings 15:18) to protect himself from Baasha, the king of Israel. The only problem was the King of Aram, Ben-Hadad, already had a treaty with Baasha king of Israel. But Asa had a gift for Ben-Hadad, silver and gold that the Egyptian army didn’t get their hands on. Asa asks, (verse 19) “Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.” Ben-Hadad took the gold and silver, broke his treaty with Baasha, and sent his army to fight Baasha’s troops in Israel (verse 20). How can you trust a king who breaks an earlier treaty with another nation?
And after a reign of over forty years Asa died and was buried in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 16-14), “They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes.” Why all the spices and perfumes? Was that a tradition of that day or were his feet diseased in such a way as to give off an offensive odor that had to be masked by the flowers and perfumes? What medical issue might he have suffered from? Perhaps he suffered from a blood circulation disorder such as might be brought on by diabetes which caused the tissue on the toes to die which smelt bad.
I Kings 15:14 says, “Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.” Perhaps the reason why he didn’t make even more reforms was due to ongoing health problems which weakened him.
His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king (verse 24).
Meanwhile, what’s been going on in Israel to the north? After Jeroboam died his son Nadab succeeded him. But he only lasted two years (verse 25) on the throne. No, he didn’t die of a heart attack or a chariot accident. He was assassinated by one of his own officers, one named Baasha. Yes, the same Baasha mentioned above.
This happened when they were fighting, you guessed it, the Philistines (I Kings 15:27). Maybe Baasha was hoping that Nadab would have died in battle, (like Uriah) but the Philistines just weren’t getting the job done for him. The official report of the kings death may have said that he died a heroic death leading his troops in battle against the Philistines. When in reality Baasha assassinated him. Baasha then killed Jeroboam’s entire family so none of them would retaliate against him. All this was predicted in I Kings 14:10, “I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel.”
The duration of Baasha's reign over Israel was twenty-four years (I Kings 15:33). His job approval rating was very low. Verse 34, “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.”
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Why Study the Bible?
Don’t many consider the Bible to be just a book of myths? Why do we read the Bible rather than the sacred literature of other religions?
How do we know that it is from God? How do we know that what we have today is an accurate translation from the original? Is the Bible complete or have there been some books that have been lost?
We should be able to answer these questions, and there are answers! So start here!
Answers to Common Bible Questions
Lent is a six week period of spiritual devotion starting on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. Those who observe Lent usually give up something for Lent. Some might give up coffee, or soda pop, or alcohol, or chocolate. May I suggest that you give up something that will really impress God and make this season of Lent one of the most memorable and meaningful seasons of your life? May I suggest that if you are giving up something, why not give up some of the acts of our sinful nature mentioned in Gal. 5:19? Why don’t we give up lying about others? Do you think you can give up the hate you feel towards others? How about envy, can we work on putting envy aside this year? How about giving up on the naïve idea that all pastors are mature Christian leaders whose word should always be accepted, rather than wolfs in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15). How about giving up the idea that everyone in church is a real Christian (Matt 7:21-23). How about giving up your desire to seek revenge on those who have hurt you (Matt 18:21-22)? If you are insecure and feel threatened when you see the success of others in ministry, how about giving up efforts to hinder others who have been called to minister (Rom 12:4-8)? Of course it is easier to give up something like chocolate, etc. and make yourself feel like you are doing something that is pleasing to God. If you are not willing to give up unchristian behavior, might I suggest something that will really please God this Lent? Give up all evidence of your profession of Christian faith, such as books, pictures and jewelry. Don’t talk about God, Jesus or the Church. I think God would appreciate it if you would stop giving HIM a bad name by the way you live. Let’s give up what hinders our witness and become a better ambassador for Christ (2 Cor 5:20) this Lenten season.
In Matthew 2:1-2 is says that the magi saw "His star in the east." What was this star that guided these men to Jesus? Some have suggested that it could have been a comet, an asteroid, or perhaps a meteor or an especially bright star. The problem with these suggestions is that these physical things either quickly move across the sky and then disappear or are too far away to provide directions with any precision. It would be hard to get directions from such objects. The "star" had to move constantly or intermittently at the same pace as the magi. Then it says that it hovered over the house where Mary and Joseph had moved to with Jesus. It hardly sounds like a comet or meteor or a star as we know them. Can you think of another time that people in the Bible were guided by some form of light? How about the time when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt? He didn't have a global positioning system with him. He did have a pillar of fire that led him at night (Ex 13:21-22). We see this light in Solomon's Temple (2 Chron 7:1-3) and when the Jews were about to go into Babylonian captivity, we see it leaving the Temple (Ezek 9-11). In the New Testament we see it at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:9) at His transfiguration (Matt 17:5) and His ascension (Acts 1:9). What exactly was this guiding light? The word "star" can also be translated as "radiance." It appears that it was this "radiance" that guided Moses and the magi. The Jews call this the "Shekinah", a physical manifestation of the glory of God in the form of a supernatural radiance. This, I believe, is what the Star of Bethlehem was.
Imagine that you are the pastor of a church. A young married couple is having some difficulties in their relationship and they seek counsel from you. On Monday the wife comes in to give her assessment of their marriage. What do you think she will say? She might say that she is a hardworking, caring and supportive wife and that it is her husband who is the neglectful, insensitive brute and the source of all problems in the marriage. You feel so sorry for this wife and when you see her husband in the hallway, you think to yourself, "What a jerk." On Friday the husband comes in and gives his assessment of the marriage. He tells you that he is hard working and very generous and that she is the major problem in the relationship. As the pastor, you are wondering if they both are talking about the same marriage. Each person tells you what makes them look best and their spouse the worst. Where is the truth? The truth is probably somewhere in between Proverbs 18:17 says, "The first to present his case seems right, til another comes forward and questions him." There are conflicts in all relationships, between spouses, parents and children, employees and employers. When you hear one side of a story, don’t assume that what you hear is the complete truth. And don’t pass on to someone else what you have heard. Probably, at least some of what you heard is untrue to gain your support in a conflict.