1 Kings 15:3: “And [Abijam] walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.”

July 18th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The next two chapters of 1 Kings gives us the history of both the northern and southern kings. The accounts of their reigns overlap, which can be a little hard to follow if we don’t keep the 2 separate (north: Israel and south: Judah). The southern kingdom continued to spiritually go downhill as Solomon’s grandson, King Abijam, followed in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather. The wording here suggests that he learned the sins from his father. He needed to be more like his great-grandfather, David, but that didn’t happen.

A kindergarten class was asked to draw pictures of God. The kids excitedly drew big suns and stick men with rainbows overhead. But one little girl drew a picture of a man with a suit and tie on. She said, “I don’t know what God looks like, so I just drew my daddy instead.” It has been said that a child is not likely to find a father in God unless they find something of God in their father. This is a concept that should stay with fathers all their lives.

How careful we need to be as parents and grandparents. Many have noted that children are a blank piece of paper on which parents and grandparents write. The question isn’t whether or not we will write, but what will we write. In fact this can be applied to every believer, because we will all have an opportunity at some time or another to influence small children toward God. May the Lord give us grace to only encourage them toward eternal life.

“LORD, help us to eternally impact a young life for You this day.”

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1 Kings 15 KJV

¹ Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. ² Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.   ³ And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. ⁴ Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:  ⁵ Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶ And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. ⁷ Now 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 stead. ⁹ And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. ¹⁰ And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.  ¹¹ And Asa did that which wasright in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. ¹² And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.  ¹⁴ But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. ¹⁵ And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels. ¹⁶ And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷ And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any 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 delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ There is a league between me and thee, andbetween my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.  ²⁰So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof , that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. ²² Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none wasexempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.  ²³ The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of 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 stead. ²⁵ And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.  ²⁶ And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. ²⁷ And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸ Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. ²⁹ And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: ³⁰ Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger. ³¹ Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³² And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ³³ In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. ³⁴ And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.