Historical Books 1 Kings

Good or Evil in God's Sight

Discover Jesus as: Something Greater 1 Kings 15-16 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 264 of 730
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INTRO

My goal for Revive School is to take each of you deeper into the Word. There is so much meat in these historical books we’ve been studying. Read the Word like it is brand new to you and ask the Lord what He wants you to hear. I want us to know the Word inside and out so we will be ready to release God’s Word to others.

In the past couple of days, we saw the nation of Israel divided into two kingdoms because of King Solomon’s sin of disobedience. However, because of the Davidic covenant, we know these kingdoms will come back together and that the house of David will always be on the throne in Israel. The Kingdom of Israel (the northern part) experienced nine different dynasties that lasted for 250 years. The Kingdom of Judah (the southern part) contained the tribe of Judah and the house of David that lasted 350 years. First Kings 15 covers the kings of both Judah and Israel from 913 to 885 BC.1The southern kingdom and the house of David would point to one thing—Something Greater, it pointed to Jesus.

To keep the royal lineage in mind, here were the kings of each kingdom after Solomon’s death through 1 Kings 15:

Judah (southern kingdom*) Israel (northern kingdom)

Rehoboam (evil king) Jeroboam (evil king)

Abijam/Abijah (evil king) Nadab (evil king)

Asa (good king) Baasha (evil king)

*The southern kingdom maintained the lineage of David and the David Covenant.

TEACHING

1 Kings 15:1–8: In the 18th year of King Jeroboam’s reign of Israel (the northern kingdom), Abijam followed Rehoboam and became king of Judah (the southern kingdom) and reigned three years (vv. 1–2). Abijah’s name was a mixture of the Hebrew word for “father” with the Hebrew word for “sea,” usually used for a Canaanite god. Possibly, “This name reflects the Canaanite influence that had come even into the royal family this early in Judah’s reign.”2Abijam continued in all the sins his father Rehoboam had committed and was not devoted to the Lord as David had been (v. 3). Rehoboam had at least 18 wives, but because of God's covenant with David, He used David’s son to establish Jerusalem (v. 4). David had been obedient to God, except in how he dealt with Uriah the Hittite (v. 5). Rehoboam and Jeroboam had been at war throughout Rehoboam’s life (v. 6). Abijam and Jeroboam were also at war, but Abijam trusted God and was victorious (2 Chronicles 13:2–20). The pattern of recording obituaries is provided for Abijam in verses 7–8.

1 Kings 15:9–15: Asa followed Abijam and reigned 41 years (vv. 9–10). Asa had a good reign and did what was right in God’s sight (v. 11). Asa banished male cult prostitutes, moved all the idols his fathers had made, removed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother because she had an obscene image of Asherah. King Asa chopped down his grandmother’s obscene image and burned it (vv. 12–13). MacArthur describes the queen mother as “corrupt,” who had created an obscene image, an idol that was “a horrible, repulsive thing,” possibly something that was “sexually explicit.”3Asa did not get rid of the high places of worship (v.14) because they could have been used for the worship of God, his heart was completely devoted to God for his entire life (1 Kings 8:61; 2 Chronicles 14:4; Matthew 22:37–38). Asa also brought things to the Lord’s temple that he and his father had consecrated to the Lord (v. 16).

1 Kings 15:16–22: Asa, the good king, was constantly at war against Baasha, the king of Israel (v. 16). Sadly, of all 19 kings of Israel and Judah, only eight of them did right in the eyes of the Lord. Asa is an important king for us to study. Baasha built Ramah to cut off access to Asa (v. 17). Asa made a treaty with one of Baasha’s supporters and then attacked the cities of Israel. Baasha finally quit building Ramah and returned home. King Asa commanded everyone in Judah to remove the stones and timbers of Ramah so it could not be built again.

CLOSING

Asa addressed the sin in his own family’s life and removed his grandmother from his palace. He removed the idols and unholy things from the land. The questions for us to consider are:

  1. What things need to be removed from our lives?
  2. What unholy things exist?
  3. What idols have we created or do we hold in a place of primary importance?

What do you need to remove from your life in order to bless somebody else? Asa probably offended family by removing the evil of his grandmother's doing, but he didn't let it stay so that his family could be a blessing to the Lord.

  1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 415.

  2. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary: 1 Kings (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 449

  3. MacArthur, p. 415.

Questions

  1. In 1 Kings 15:3–4, why did God continue to let evil kings rule? (2 Samuel 7:8–9)
  2. In 1 Kings 15:28–30, Baasha became king and slaughtered all of King Jeroboam’s descendants. Did he do this because the Lord told him to, or did God use an evil king to carry out His promise? Why do you think that?
  3. Ahab became king and did evil in the sight of the Lord, even more than any king before him. In what ways was Ahab worse?
  4. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in 1 Kings 15—16 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin 1 Kings 15:11

“Asa did what was right in the LORD’s eyes, as his ancestor David had done.”

Following the reign of several kings who did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, King Asa took the throne. King Asa reigned for forty-one years and did what was right in the Lord’s sight. He banished male cultic prostitutes, removed all idols, and even dealt with generational sin by removing his grandmother as queen mother, by chopping and burning down her obscene images. In other words, King Asa removed anything not pleasing to God, except for the high places. King Asa’s heart was devoted to God his entire life.

King Asa went into his grandmother’s home and found obscene images. Would the King of kings find anything in your home that needs to be removed? As you reflect, think about items or activities that may have become idols in your life: a TV show, gaming for long hours, an app on your phone, or clothes in your closet. Maybe there is an activity you partake in because all the generations of your family have, but you know it is evil in the eyes of the Lord. Ask the Lord today: “Is there anything in my home I need to remove in order to keep my heart completely devoted to You?” Then, in obedience, remove whatever the Lord reveals to you.

“Asa did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, as his ancestor David had done.”

—1 Kings 15:11

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Matthew 6:21 — “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
  • Romans 6:1-2 — “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
  • 1 Corinthians 8:5–6 — “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’—yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from Him, and we exist for Him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through Him, and we exist through Him.”