1
In the eighteenth year of the rule of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah took over the throne of Judah.
2
He ruled in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Absalom.
3
He continued to sin just like his father before him. He was not truehearted to God as his grandfather David had been.
4
But despite that, out of respect for David, his God graciously gave him a lamp, a son to follow him and keep Jerusalem secure.
5
For David had lived an exemplary life before God all his days, not going off on his own in willful defiance of God's clear directions (except for that time with Uriah the Hittite).
6
But war continued between Abijah and Jeroboam the whole time.
7
The rest of Abijah's life, everything he did, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. But the war with Jeroboam was the dominant theme.
8
Abijah died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Asa was king after him.
In this chapter we have a short history of the reign of Abijam, 1Ki 15:1-8 and of Asa, 1Ki 14:9-24, both kings of Judah; and of the reigns of Nadab the son of Jeroboam, and of Baasha, who destroyed his family, both kings of Israel, 1Ki 15:25-34.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.