In 1 Kings 15, we find a format that will follow through the Book of 2 Kings: we read of a king of Israel or Judah, whether he was good or evil, and then we read of the alternating king of the opposite group or about the son of that king. If we read about Israel’s king first then we read about Judah’s king second and vice versa. As noted, we might read about a king of Judah and his son, before we switch to reading about the corresponding king of Israel. As we will see all the kings of Judah were evil. They followed in the ways of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. Eight of the kings of Judah were good, including David. The good kings were said to follow in the ways of their “father,” David. As we start 1 Kings 15, we read of King Abijam of Judah. We’re told he did what was evil as his father had. (His father was Rehoboam.) He reigned for only three years. Even though he did what was evil, God didn’t end the line of David as king in Judah, for the sake of David. God valued His covenant with David and for David’s sake, whether the kings of Judah were good or evil, He let them rule. We’re told Abijam was at war with Jeroboam, and when he “slept with his fathers,” or died, he was buried in the city of David. As we will see, some of the kings of Judah were not buried in the city of David. That’s always a clue for us that we have just read about one of the bad kings!
After Abijam died, Asa, his son, ruled in his place. Asa was a good king. He undid the idol worship his father and grandfather had established. He also formed an alliance with Syria against Israel that allowed him to retake some land in the northern part of his kingdom. He reigned for forty-two years and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jehoshaphat ruled in his place.
Next we read of Nadab, Jeroboam’s son ruling in Israel. He ruled only two years, and because he was a king in Israel, we know he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Baasha, one of Jeroboam’s military officers, conspired against Nadab and overthrew him. He then had all of Jeroboam’s family killed, which fulfilled the prophecy pronounced against Jeroboam during his reign. Baasha reigned over Israel for twenty-four years, and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Even though Baasha had overthrown the household of Jeroboam, he continued to walk in the way of Jeroboam. We learn a key principle in this chapter: No one has to “walk in the way” of his or her ancestors but people often do. All the kings of Israel followed the path of least resistance, which was to follow the sinful example set by Jeroboam. A handful of kings in Judah either followed the example of their good father, or they looked back to the positive example set by David and ruled according to God’s plan for their life. Whatever example your parents set for you, you have the opportunity to follow it if they walked in the way of the LORD, or to follow Jesus, if they didn’t!
In 1 Kings 16, the usual pattern changes, as we read of several kings of Israel and their reigns without hearing about any kings of Judah. First, we read of King Baasha’s unfaithfulness. Because he didn’t change direction, the word of the LORD came to Baasha, and he was told what had happened to Jeroboam and his “house,” would happen to him. When Baasha died, his son Elah took his place and continued on the path of sin established before him. Zimri conspired against Elah and killed him after Elah had reigned only two years. Zimri killed the entire household of Elah, fulfilling the prophecy against Baasha. Zimri’s rule lasted only seven days, as another military commander, Omri, overthrew him. Omri reigned for twelve years, and continued Israel’s evil direction away from the Lord. Following Omri, Ahab, his son, became king. We’re told Ahab did more evil than all the kings of Israel. He added to his sin by marrying Jezebel, who brought Baal worship to Israel in addition to their worship of the golden calves, which had been set up during Jeroboam’s reign. This spiral of evil in Israel would lead them to the point of God’s judgment of them and their being carried off to exile by the Assyrians.
At an initial glance, it might be difficult for us to understand how a nation, which had been established by God could move so quickly toward destruction. If we do wonder about that, we need to look in the mirror as Americans. In a matter of decades, we have moved away from so many patterns of good established in scripture. We have become a nation where everyone does what is right in our own eyes, as was the case in Israel during the period of the judges. While the establishment of the monarchy changed that direction for a time, we see the human heart, if it is not dedicated to the LORD, will dedicate itself to itself or to false gods. That is because God created us to worship Him, and when we don’t pursue that God-given purpose, any other purpose we pursue will lead us down the path of evil and destruction, whether in a short time or long.
1 Kings 17 introduces us to the prophet Elijah. Elijah starts his ministry in Israel by telling King Ahab it would not reign there for three years, unless he said it would. It did not. This drought produced a famine across the region. Elijah was initially fed by God in a supernatural manner as birds brought him food. Later, the LORD told him to go to Zarephath, where he would meet a widow who would provide him food. When Elijah met the widow, she told him she had no food and she was preparing for her son and her to die, after she baked a last loaf of bread for them. Elijah told her to prepare food for him first. She did, and as a result, her flour didn’t run out for the entire period of the famine! The widow’s son got sick and died. She told Elijah it was his fault, but Elijah brought the son back to life. After that the widow believed he was a true prophet. That would do it!
As we turn to Matthew 3, we are introduced to John the Baptist and his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus and baptizing people as a sign of their repentance. John’s message was strong. He called the religious leaders a brood of vipers. He told them God was able to raise up a generation of children to Abraham from the stones. In other words, God didn’t need the current generation of Israelites to continue the line of Abraham. Eventually, Jesus came to John for baptism. John told Jesus it was he who needed to be baptized by Jesus instead of the other way around, but Jesus convinced John it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. We learn an important truth about Jesus here: He did many things He didn’t need to do to set an example for us. As a sinless man, He didn’t need to subject Himself to baptism, or to being here on earth at all, for that matter, but He did it so we would have the opportunity to receive salvation through Him.
At the conclusion of Matthew 3, after Jesus’ baptism, God the Father affirms Jesus’ obedience, by sending the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and by the verbal affirmation: This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. As Jesus prepared to start His earthly ministry, He received the affirmation of His Heavenly Father. What a powerful message for us who are dads. If Jesus, the Son of the living God, needed affirmation at the outset of His ministry, we must certainly affirm our children when they make efforts to follow God’s calling in their lives, or when they pursue what is good over what is evil.