“Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.”
~ 1 Kings 15:14
Hi James and Ellen,
How do you think that your grandmaa and grandpaa will be remembered after they have completed their tenure on planet Earth? How do you think that your dad and ma will be remembered after they have completed their tenure on planet Earth? How do you think that you will be remembered after you have completed your tenure on planet Earth? How do you think that God sees your grandmaa and grandpaa as they are living out their lives on planet Earth? How do you think that God sees your dad and ma as they are living out their lives on planet Earth? How do you think that God sees you as you are living out your lives on planet Earth? Do you think that God is looking at all the wonderful achievements that your grandmaa, grandpaa, dad, ma and you are accomplishing or do you think that God is looking at all the supporting relationships that your grandpaa, grandmaa, dad, ma and you are making? The Kings Book author helps a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid know how to live his or her life. 1 Kings 15 summaries the lives of several bad kings and a good king. Because of a simmering relationship between a couple of guys that polarized the twelve Israelite people group tribal clans that made up God’s specially chosen guys and gals, the land that God gave them to always have to live in as their very own land if . . . was split into two ‘kingdoms’. The Israelite people group northern kingdom ended up with ten of the Israelite people group tribal clans while the Israelite people group southern kingdom ended up with two of the Israelite people group tribal clans. The northern kingdom was centered out of town of Tirzah while the southern kingdom was centered out of the city of Jerusalem. The northern kingdom kept the name Israel as the name of their land area while the southern kingdom took the name Judah as the name of their land area. The dividing up of the initial land area of Israel into northern and southern kingdoms was the result of jealousy and arrogance.
Probably because of its inauspicious beginning, Israel’s northern kingdom of ten Israelite people group tribal clans would suffer with very ungodly, unethical and immoral kings throughout their 208 years of existence. After Israel’s southern kingdom was left with just two tribal clans – Judah and Benjamin, Israel’s southern kingdom would have some good kings during their 344 years of existence. This chapter begins with Jeroboam – who was the original malcontent militant who instigated the Israelite people groups northern kingdom, acting as king over the guys and gals who lived in Israel’s land area. Jeroboam had been Solomon’s public works manager. Jeroboam was an extremely arrogant dude who thought that he instead of one of Solomon’s kids – Rehoboam, should be Israel’s next king. Jeroboam had played the political card enough so that when he returned to Israel from Egypt – where he had fled to to escape having Solomon kill him after Solomon found out about his political aspirations, the ten Israelite people group northern tribal clans made him their king. After Rehoboam died, Abijah became the southern kingdom’s king. When Abijah died three years later, one of Abijah’s kids – Asa, became the southern kingdom’s king. Asa would be for 41 years king over the guys and gals who lived in Judah’s land area. Verse 14 says, “Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.” Asa did remove his grandma Maacah from her queen ma position after the old gal had an Asherah pole made to confront her grandkid’s desire to purge from the land of Judah all the idol gods that had been made. When Jeroboam died, one of Jeroboam’s kids – Nadab, took over the northern kingdom king position. A couple of years later, a renegade by the name of Baasha – who was from the Issachar tribal clan, plotted to assassinate Nadab. After Baasha murdered Nadab, Baasha for the next 24 years was king over the Israelite people group guys and gals who lived the northern kingdom. After Baasha finished slaughtering all the guys, gals and kids in Jeroboam’s extended family, Baasha decided to do what he had to do to become the southern kingdom’s king. When Asa realized what Baasha wanted to do, Asa sent to Ben-Hadad – Aram’s or Syria’s ruler, the gold and silver that was still left in the Lord’s temple treasuries in the city of Jerusalem to get him to take on Baasha’s army instead of fighting against Baasha army himself. Ben-Hadad instead took on fighting Baasha and his northern kingdom’s army – overrunning a number of the northern kingdom towns.
Why do you think that some guys, gals and kids become troublemakers? When your grandmaa and grandpaa were one summer in San Ignacio, Bolivia with a South America Mission summer team, a couple of missionary kids – Tim and Larry, – whose parents where Bolivia South America Mission field team missionaries, were with the team. When a hen and her chicks were found at the bottom of an outdoor toilet, Tim and Larry said that the hen and her chicks fell through the outdoor toilet’s hole instead of admitting that . . . when one the team’s soccer balls was found deflated because of a couple of holes in it – probably from having been kicked against a barbwire fence, Tim and Larry said that a snake bit the soccer ball instead of admitting that . . . if you could pass on blame for doing something that was wrong to do on something or someone else, what would you do – continue to be a troublemaker or become a truthteller?
1 Kings 15 (784)