151 Now in the eighteenth e year of King Jeroboam , the son of Nebat , Abijam became king over Judah . 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem ; and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom . 3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God , like the heart of his father David . 4 But for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem , to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem ; 5 because David did what was right in the sight of the Lord , and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life , except in the case of Uriah the Hittite . 6 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 e 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 became king in his place .
9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel , Asa began to reign as king of Judah . 10 He reigned forty-one e years in Jerusalem ; and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom . 11 Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord , like David his father . 12 He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his fathers had made . 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother , because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah ; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron . 14 But the high places were not taken away ; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days . 15 He brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things : silver and gold and utensils .
16 Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days . 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent e anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah . 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries 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 Tabrimmon , the son of Hezion , king of Aram , who lived in Damascus , saying , 19 "Let there be a treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father . Behold , I have sent you a present of silver and gold ; go , break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me." 20 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel , and conquered Ijon , Dan , Abel-beth-maacah and all Chinneroth , besides all the land of Naphtali . 21 When Baasha heard of it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah . 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah -none was exempt -and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built . And King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah . 23 Now 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 e of the Kings of Judah ? But 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 place .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 15:1-24
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.
Commentary on 1 Kings 15:9-24
(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.