A dynasty continues (1Kings 15:1-24)

If you’ve got your Bibles, turn with me to 1 Kings chapter 15. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had nine dynasties in about 250 years while the Southern Kingdom faithfully maintained the Davidic dynasty for 350 years, and that was the dynasty from which the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, would come (Matt. 1:1). With all of its faults, the kingdom of Judah was identified with the true and living God, practiced authorized worship in the temple, and had kings who came from David’s family.

We’re looking today at two kings of Judah, Abijam and Asa. Now, on the surface, this passage might look like just another list of kings who reigned, how long, and what they did. But buried in these verses are two powerful lessons about the condition of our hearts and the legacy we leave behind. Because here’s the truth, You can have the right lineage, the right opportunities, and the right position but if your heart’s not right with God, it all falls apart. And on the other hand, You can come from a broken past, but if your heart is loyal to the Lord, He can use you to bring renewal and peace.

I. The Warning of Abijam -You can’t Inherit Faith (vv. 1-8)

A. Abijam (also called Abijah) had it made.

He came from the line of David, the greatest king Israel ever had. He had royal blood, a godly heritage, and spiritual opportunity. Abijam may have had David’s blood flowing in his veins, but he didn’t have David’s heart beating in his chest.

Abijam had all the advantages yet he followed in the sins of his father. He shows us that faith is not something you can pass down like property. It’s something that must be chosen and lived out daily. Abijam inherited religion, but he never made it personal. Abijah knew his history and had believed what God said to Moses and David, but he had no faith.

B. Abijam’s Reign

Abijam succeeds his father and governs in Jerusalem only three years. He too opposes Jeroboam throughout his reign. In fact, Abijam defeated Jeroboam in Ephraim, then took “Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages”. Thus, he was able to gain some relief from the northern threat. Still, he commits all the sins his father practiced.

Why, then, does God allow him to rule at all? Why does God abide Judah’s existence? Again, the answer lies in the Lord’s grace and his covenant with David. The Lord will continue David’s dynasty and protect Jerusalem because of David’s faithfulness. Certainly David sinned in the Bathsheba/Uriah incident, but he repented and never turned to idols as Solomon, Rehoboam, and now Abijam have done. God keeps his promises even when David’s descendants do not.

Church, let me tell you something. You can be raised in church, know the hymns, say grace before every meal, and still have a heart that’s far from God. Your grandma’s prayers can cover you, but they can’t convert you. You’ve got to make your own decision to follow Jesus.

II. The Example of Asa - A Heart Loyal to the Lord (vv. 9–15)

A. A heart like that of David.

Asa didn’t just talk about faith he acted on it. He cleaned house spiritually and tore down idols, removed false worship, even stood up to his own grandmother who had brought an idol into the palace! That takes courage.

Asa decided that following the Lord meant changing the direction of his life and his nation. Asa has no use for idols and attempts to end the pagan practices Rehoboam and Abijam allowed, even encouraged. He rids the land of the sacred prostitutes that his father and grandfather had ignored and removes “the idols his father had made.”

B. Asa’s religious fervor does not exempt him from military threats.

He and Baasha, Jeroboam’s eventual successor, fight “throughout their reigns.” Baasha poses such a threat that Asa pays Syria’s Ben-Hadad to break his alliance with Baasha and come rescue him. Perhaps Ben-Hadad agrees in order to weaken his neighbor’s military capability.

Asa knew how to call on the Lord in the day of trouble. Also Asa’s motive wasn’t simply to defeat a dangerous enemy but to bring glory to Jehovah. Like David approaching Goliath, he attacked the enemy army “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel”

We live in a world that loves convenience more than commitment. But loyalty, true loyalty to God shows up in the daily decisions. What you watch and listen to when nobody’s looking. How you treat your spouse and children behind closed doors. Whether you stand for truth even when it costs you something. Asa reminds us: God blesses a heart that’s loyal even if that heart still has some high places that need work. Look at verse 14.

III. The Challenge of Asa – Finish Well (vv. 16–24)

A. Asa started well, but he stumbled in the end.

Apparently King Asa had become careless in his walk with the Lord, because the Lord sent Baasha, king of Israel, to war against him. Baasha fortified Ramah, which was located about six miles north of Jerusalem. From this outpost he would be able to monitor his own people who might go to Jerusalem and also launch his own attack on Judah.

After all that the Lord had done for Asa, you would think he would have called the people together to confess sin, seek the Lord, and learn His will about this serious situation. But instead, in his unbelief, he resorted to politics. He took the dedicated treasures from the temple and gave them to Ben-hadad, king of Syria, and entered into a pact with a pagan nation.

B. Everyone was happy with the results of the treaty except the Lord.

He sent the prophet Hanani to rebuke the king and give him the Word of the Lord. It was the task of the prophet to rebuke kings and other leaders, including priests, when they had disobeyed the law of the Lord. The prophet’s message was clear: if Asa had relied on the Lord, the army of Judah would have defeated both Israel and Syria.

The fundamental problem was not Judah’s lack of defenses but the king’s lack of faith. Unlike David, whose heart was sincere before the Lord, Asa’s heart was divided—one day trusting the Lord and the next day trusting in the arm of flesh. A perfect heart isn’t a sinless heart but a heart wholly yielded to the Lord and fully trusting Him.

Asa was a man who made a good beginning and lived a life of faith, but when it came to his final years, rebelled against the Lord. God gave Asa time to repent, but he refused to do so.

Today God’s calling you to check your heart. Have you been riding on someone else’s faith? Your parents, your spouse, your church? It’s time to make it personal.

Maybe you’ve got some idols. Things that have taken God’s place in your life. It’s time to tear them down and return to the Lord.

Or maybe you’ve been tired you started well, but you’ve lost your fire. God is ready to renew your strength and give you peace like He gave Asa.