1 Kings 13:1-15:32
Long live the king!
Well maybe not.
Jeroboam son of Nebat is judged for his shocking apostasy. Apostasy so great that it would ultimately bring Israel’s downfall. No one from his line is left. For Baasha:
killed Jeroboam’s whole family. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the LORD given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite 1 kings 15:29
Unfortunately, not all is real well with Judah either.
The son and grandson of Solomon aren’t going great:
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. 1 kings 15:3
Finally some good news comes in verse 11:
11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 1 Kings 15:11-14
The story of the kings of Judah however continues to be a roller coaster of good and bad kings.
Thankfully we serve a king who is immune to the failures of man, and does not have to contend with what brought the rule of the great kings of Israel to an end, death. We have a king who rules eternal:
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3
Long live the king!
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