151 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
151 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah
151 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.
151 In the eighteenth year of the rule of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah took over the throne of Judah.
151 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.
151 Abijam began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reign in Israel.
9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah,
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began his rule over Judah.
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.
9 Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam's reign in Israel.
(Read 1 Kings 15:9-24)
Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That is right indeed which is so in God's eyes. Asa's times were times of reformation. He removed that which was evil; there reformation begins, and a great deal he found to do. When Asa found idolatry in the court, he rooted it out thence. Reformation must begin at home. Asa honours and respects his mother; he loves her well, but he loves God better. Those that have power are happy when thus they have hearts to use it well. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; not only cast away the idols of our iniquity, but dedicate ourselves and our all to God's honour and glory. Asa was cordially devoted to the service of God, his sins not arising from presumption. But his league with Benhadad arose from unbelief. Even true believers find it hard, in times of urgent danger, to trust in the Lord with all their heart. Unbelief makes way for carnal policy, and thus for one sin after another. Unbelief has often led Christians to call in the help of the Lord's enemies in their contests with their brethren; and some who once shone brightly, have thus been covered with a dark cloud towards the end of their days.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 15:1
Commentary on 1 Kings 15:1-8
(Read 1 Kings 15:1-8)
Abijam's heart was not perfect with the Lord his God; he wanted sincerity; he began well, but he fell off, and walked in all the sins of his father, following his bad example, though he had seen the bad consequences of it. David's family was continued as a lamp in Jerusalem, to maintain the true worship of God there, when the light of Divine truth was extinguished in all other places. The Lord has still taken care of his cause, while those who ought to have been serviceable thereto have lived and perished in their sins. The Son of David will still continue a light to his church, to establish it in truth and righteousness to the end of time. There are two kinds of fulfilling the law, one legal, the other by the gospel. Legal is, when men do all things required in the law, and that by themselves. None ever thus fulfilled the law but Christ, and Adam before his fall. The gospel manner of fulfilling the law is, to believe in Christ who fulfilled the law for us, and to endeavour in the whole man to obey God in all his precepts. And this is accepted of God, as to all those that are in Christ. Thus David and others are said to fulfil the law.