A Tale of Two Kings

Introduction

Open you Bibles this evening to 1 Kings 15. We will look at verse 1-24 today. 1 Kings 15-1-24.

We had a little break with the convention and my trip for work.

Last time we saw that being off even I little in worship can and will lead to apostasy.

We had a talk about if we would see Solomon in heaven.

"Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.” (1 Ki 11:1–4, ESV)

A little bit off on our spiritual trajectory can be very dangerous.

We see can see that even the wisest human king ever cannot be the one on who’s shoulder the government rest.

Solomon didn’t have the strengthen to govern himself.

Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite woman.

The equivalent of this to day is pornography.

Pornography is worse of course, least they were his wives.

The bottomless pit of sexual sin

David’s oracle about the difference between a just king and a wicked king is on display.

Solomon was a just king so the nation did prosper under his rule, but he was not perfectly just so again the trajectory maters.

The question is which king can govern forever maintain a perfect trajectory for his people.

Only one.

We also see how the Solomon trajectory will impact the life’s of generation to come to fulfill what the Lord said, I visit the iniquity of the father on the sons to the 3rd and 4th generation.

Because of Solomon's trajectory Asa will allow the high-places to remain even though he is after God’s Heart.

Before we do that lets pray

Transition

We will start with verses 1 - 8 today. in 1 Kings 15. Where we will start be reading about a king that was short lived

Main Body Division 1

Text

1 Kings 15:1–8 (ESV)

1 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.

Exposition

reigned for three years in Jerusalem .... “he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God.” (1 Ki 15:3, ESV)

Exposition

God was merciful to the nation in stopping the evil being done

Who was his father and what did he do.

“Rehoboam” was the son of Solomon and he reigned 17 years.

“And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.” (1 Ki 14:22, ESV)

High-places and Asherim polls

Male cult prostitutes

"all the abominations of the nations that the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.” (1 Ki 14:24, ESV)

Application

People pleasers and not God pleasers.

“Rehoboam” and Abijah it was said “his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.” (1 Ki 15:3, ESV)

Illustration

We might think of the nominal Christianity here.

Transition

It is Gods mercy alone that we get grace

“Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite”

Exposition

for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp

We see the promises in the first commandment playing out here.

Both the blessing to 1000 generations and the inequity to the 3rd and 4th in one frame.

Transition

The Lord had promised Solomon that if the people of Israel and Judah would abandon him he would make them to “become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins” (1 Ki 9:7–8, ESV) some of the seeds of this are taking place already.

"Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.”

Exposition

Since the kingdom was divided it opened the opportunity for Egypt to raid and take the golden shields.

We will see the strengthening more over the enemies of Israel later as well.

Application

The Hotel fiasco and God reminding me the he is sovereign over the door of my hotel room.

Transition

Consider the length of David’s and and Solomon Reign the 17 of years of Rehoboam and the 3 year reign of Abijam are really short and that God let Jeroboam continue his reign for 22 years.

The ten tribe had no righteous kings.

Judah had several.

Asa

Uzziah

Hezekiah

None of them were able to maintain the trajectory for God people. Even and righteous ruler they all died. The book of Isaiah start with the word, in the year King Uzziah died.

Main Body Division 2

Text

1 Kings 15:9–15 ESV

9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

Exposition

"In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.”

Exposition

As a righteous King the Lord maintains his reign for a long time.

In verse 10 “His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.” Notice anything familiar about that name.

Look at verse 2 “He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.” (1 Ki 15:2, ESV)

“As Abiyah’s son he may have been a minor forced by his father’s brief reign of only one full year to allow his ‘(grand)mother’ to exercise undue influence. He curtailed this and her religious apostasy by deposing her later in his own long reign” [1]

Did you ever wonder why the Mother of the king is alway mentioned?

Genesis 3:15.

Application

There was wickedness all around, yet, out of it God called his ruler.

Transition

What they intended for Evil God intended for good.

"He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.” (1 Ki 15:12–13, ESV)

Exposition

We probably have a picture of how Asa was conceived

Asherah worship was sexual in every way.

There really isn’t must to say about it and remain PG.

The removal of the “male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols” shows Asa was Gods man.

Application

Transition

"But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.” (1 Ki 15:14–15, ESV)

Exposition

But the high places were not taken away

The trajectory is no still not perfect.

All this did was reset back to were Solomon started.

Application

When we are worshiping God the same why the worlds is worship Baal there are going to be problems.

In our day this is pragmatism. Reducing everything to the bare minimum in order to be “effective.”

Results driving Christianity version faithfulness driving Christianity.

Those are mutually exclusive.

Illustration

American football for example, the guy that can make the touch down, the guy that can make results. Right, you want a QB that can make touchdown throws. God’s world is not like this, God is the one making the touchdowns. God is the one in charge of the results. It didn’t mater how clever I was, I was not getting in my hotel room until God said so. God wants the believer that will show up and no mater how much it hurts, no mater how many time if feels like failure they say, God I am here to server you. What your word says I will do, where you place me I will go, even if it death. Here’s the bell lord you though the touchdown. Here is my life Lord you do.

Results Christianity verse Faithfulness Christianity.

If its about the results we will do what ever it takes to get the results.

If its about faithfulness we will be faithful no mater what the results are.

Transition

As we get the end of the tale of our two kings. We have actually be talking about a lot of kings. We will see that the destruction that God told Solomon would come is already underway. Verse 16-24.

Main Body Division 3

Text

1 Kings 15:16–24 ESV

16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. 23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Exposition

"Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus”

Exposition

Israel will eventually be destroyed by the Assyrians.

The seeds of this are starting here.

Judah will also have to fend off the Assyrians enough time that the battles will weaken them to the point Babylon will just be able to walk right in and talk over.

What would it have looked like years later if Asa had gone out to battle against Baasha the say David did against Goliath.

It might have been very different, but this is the will of God. How is both sustaining his people, and the line of Christ, and judgement on the wicked.

Application

God is still sovereignly working out his control offer the world. Take the USA for example.

Illustration

Think about the Civil war. It broke our republic. Before the civil war america was a democratic republic, after the war the US became was a national democracy. The states lost a lot of freedom.

But the democratic republic would not be the same world super power we are today.

What abut World War 1 and 2?

Transition

God was protecting the line of Christ, we can see it as we see the restraining hand with Judah and not as much within the other ten tribes. But God people are every where.

Conclusion

Next time we will read about the Prophet Elijah and the 7000 that God kept for himself. In the mean time beloved family in Christ. We close with words of Paul to the Philippians

Benediction

Philippians 4:8–9 ESV

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

References

Donald J. Wiseman, 1 and 2 Kings: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 9, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 167.

Bibliography

Wiseman, Donald J. 1 and 2 Kings: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 9. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.