A Person and a Place (1 Kings 15:1-8)

A Person and a Place

1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 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. 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life–except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

6 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout [Abijah’s] lifetime. 7 As for the other events of Abijah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 8 And Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king. (1 Kings 15:1-8)

In the year 925 BC, Rehoboam followed Solomon as king of the Israelites, but things did not go well. There was rebellion and the kingdom divided into Israel in the north (with ten tribes led by Jeroboam), and Judah in the south (led by Rehoboam).

Eighteen years later, Jeroboam was still king of Israel, but Rehoboam had died and his son Abijah started his three-year reign in Judah. The Bible tells us that all three kings, Jeroboam in the north, and Rehoboam followed by Abijah in the south, were not devoted to the Lord. However, there was an important difference between the two kingdoms.

First, there was a place: Jerusalem. Located in the south, Jerusalem with its temple was the center of Jewish worship. Without such a spiritual center, Jeroboam and the northern kings who followed him created new places of worship (Dan and Bethel) and man-made gods for people to bow down to.

Second, there was a person: David. In Israel, the kings would change dynastic families often, especially by assassination, but in the south, the kings were always descended from David and the Lord would often do things “for David’s sake” (verse 4).

Did David and Jerusalem really matter? After all, both Jeroboam in the north and Abijah in the south sinned against the Lord. The two kingdoms were constantly at war (verse 6). Yet the Bible tells us that in a battle between Israel and Judah (2 Chronicles 13), although Jeroboam had the larger army, Abijah could point to a person and a place: David and Jerusalem. Then God listened and gave Abijah victory.
Christians are not perfect. Like the Israelite kings, we often sin and turn away from God. Yet there is always a person, Jesus, and there is always a place, Calvary, where Jesus died for our sins. Because of that person and that place, God is always ready to listen and give us victory.
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Prayer:
• Have you sinned and turned away from God?
Is it time to remember Christ and the place where He died for you?
Because of Jesus and the cross, God’s love and forgiveness are always there for you.