A Godly King

A Godly King

Q: Whose heart remained completely faithful to the Lord throughout his life?

• a. Asa’s
• b. Abijam’s
• c. Ahab’s

Idol worship became a big problem in both Israel and Judah. Some of the kings took part in idol worship, some ignored it, and a few tried to get rid of it. Abijam (also known as Abijah), a grandson of Solomon, inherited the kingdom from his father, Rehoboam. The kingdom was a mess because of Rehoboam’s foolish decisions. Abijam followed Rehoboam’s sinful ways.

In case you are getting confused about who’s who, here’s the way it goes:

• Solomon reigned while everyone was part of one kingdom.
• Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, didn’t listen to his wise advisers and lost most of the kingdom to Solomon’s servant Jeroboam, who led the northern kingdom (Israel). (See 1 Kings 12:12-20.)
• Abijam succeeded his father, Rehoboam, as king of the southern kingdom (Judah). He was equally wicked.
• Abijam’s son, Asa, succeeded him as king of Judah. Asa was different. The Bible says, “Asa did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.”

Asa started cleansing the land of wicked practices. He got rid of the sinful people working in the Temple. He destroyed the idols. The land was rid of everything except the pagan shrines. It would have been good to destroy them, too, but Asa didn’t. Despite that, Asa’s heart remained true to God through his reign.

Asa was a godly king who was also successful in defending Judah against enemies. Even though he made mistakes, like not tearing down the pagan shrines, he was devoted to the Lord.

For You

Asa removed the idols and tried to turn the people to God, and God blessed him because of his godly heart. God does not expect you to be perfect. You will make mistakes, but God sees your heart and motives—that’s what really matters.

Answer: a

Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the LORD throughout his life.   1 Kings 15:14

(The Whole Story: 1 Kings 15:1-24)