Doing Right Requires Righteousness

March 17, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. ¹⁷For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. ¹⁸With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. ¹⁹And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. ²⁰We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, ²¹for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. ²²And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 ESV

Paul unashamedly and boldly asked the Corinthians to participate in a fundraising effort to alleviate the suffering of the Hebrew Christians living in Judea. Ongoing persecution and the lingering effects of a recent famine had left them in dire straits, and Paul was doing all that he could to raise support from the churches in Macedonia, Achaia, Asia Minor, and Galatia. And the church in Corinth was to be no exception. He wanted them to know the joy of participating in the gracious support of their fellow believers, even those whom they had never met. Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give because he did not want them to do so out of compulsion or with any sense of regret. But he was unapologetically claiming that their giving would be in keeping with the example of Christ Himself. Paul reminds them that, though Christ “was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9b NLT).

Paul knew that he was doing the right thing, but he had a strong desire to do it in the right way. He was fully aware that everything he did was analyzed and critiqued by his enemies. And while he wasn’t one to waste time worrying about what men thought about him, he did worry about the potential damage his actions might do to the name and cause of Christ. That’s why he was taking special care to handle the collection of the funds in a way that was above board and free from accusation by his enemies.

He was sending Titus to collect whatever gift the Corinthians could provide, because they knew Titus and had built a solid relationship with him. But Paul was also sending another individual, “the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 8:18 ESV). It is unclear who this brother was, but evidently, the Corinthians knew exactly who Paul was talking about because he was well-known and well-respected by them. This individual had a reputation for trustworthiness, and Paul indicates that he had “been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us” (2 Corinthians 8:19 ESV).

Paul wasn’t taking any chances because he knew his efforts to raise funds for the Hebrew Christians in Judea provided a perfect opportunity for his enemies to accuse him of everything from extortion and greed to larceny and the abuse of power. But in the end, what Paul was most concerned about was the name of Christ. He did not want to do anything that might damage the reputation of His Savior or detract from the cause of the gospel. So he took extra precautions to ensure that his efforts were blameless and free from any hint of impropriety.

We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NLT

It was Jesus who said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 ESV). Peter echoed these words.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. – 1 Peter 2:12 NLT

As believers, we are to always do the right thing, but it is just as important that we do in the right way. We must always consider the outcome of our actions and keep in mind that our conduct is being analyzed by those around us, especially unbelievers. We are ambassadors for Christ, and all that we do in this life is to be done on His behalf and in His name. We speak and act on His part, and even our right actions, if not done in the right way, can produce the wrong results and bring harm to the name of Christ.

We can’t afford to live with the attitude: “Who cares what they think?” Our conduct has consequences. Our actions speak volumes. Every word and deed is a potential testimony that will reflect either positively or negatively on the cause of Christ. What we do matters, but how we do it is just as important.

Paul was unashamed to ask the Corinthians for money, but he was unwilling to do it in a way that might damage his reputation, hinder his ministry, or bring shame to the name of Christ.

We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 MSG

That is how we are to live, and that is the attitude we must maintain as we do so. Our mission matters; so does our methodology. We must always strive to do the right thing, the godly thing, in the right way – blamelessly and above reproach.

Father, as Your child, it matters what I do. But I know I have to put a higher priority on doing the right thing in the right way. My motives matter. My attitude makes a difference. As Paul points out, You love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). You always look at the heart and Your Son said, “What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45 NLT). So if I give begrudgingly, I may appear to be doing the right thing, but I am doing it with a wrong heart. If I say all the right things, but I harbor bitterness or anger toward someone, my words are meaningless. Paul said, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT). So, I want don’t want to just do the right thing; I want to do it in the right way and with a righteous heart. With David I pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Meanwhile, Back In Judah

November 5, 2025November 5, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. ²He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. ³And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. ⁴He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). ⁵He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. ⁶For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. ⁷And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. ⁸He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

⁹In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it, ¹⁰and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. ¹¹The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, ¹²because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed. – 2 Kings 18:1-12 ESV

Things were not going well in the northern kingdom of Israel. In the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign, Samaria fell, and the people of Israel were exiled to Assyria; the land was soon occupied by foreigners resettled by King Shalmaneser. Soon, these pagan idolaters were assimilated by the Israelites who had been left behind. Marriages between the Israelites and these idolatrous outsiders produced a new wave of apostasy within the land of promise, and Yahweh was not pleased. When “the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them” (2 Kings 17:25 NLT), King Shalmaneser attempted to remedy the problem by sending a captured Israelite priest back to Israel with orders to instruct the people in the proper ways of worshiping Yahweh. But while this lone priest did as he was commanded, his effort proved futile because the polytheistic occupants of the land simply added Yahweh to their growing number of gods. And the author ends chapter 17 with the sad assessment, “So while these new residents worshiped the Lord, they also worshiped their idols. And to this day their descendants do the same” (2 Kings 17:41 NLT).

But meanwhile, back in Judah, a new king had ascended the throne of David, who proved to be a welcome light in the darkness that had pervaded the land of promise for so long. In a rare statement of positivity, the author declares that Hezekiah “did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done” (2 Kings 18:3 NLT). This 25-year-old, newly appointed king wasted no time in implementing much-needed reforms within the kingdom of Judah.

He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. – 2 Kings 18:4 NLT

Hezekiah had his work cut out for him, and the nature of his reforms reflects the nation’s sad moral and spiritual state. The people of Judah had become so idolatrous that they seemed to turn everything into a false god. As proof of their seemingly uncontrollable urge to worship other gods, the author states that they had even begun to offer sacrifices to “the bronze serpent that Moses made” (2 Kings 18:4 NLT). When the people of Israel were making their way from Egypt to the land of Canaan, they grew impatient with the length of the journey and the suffering it entailed. In a fit of discontentment, they called out to Moses, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness? There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” (Numbers 21:5 NLT). In response to their ingratitude and disrespect, “the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died” (Numbers 21:6 NLT).

This plague of poisonous serpents got their attention, and “the people came to Moses and cried out, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.’ So Moses prayed for the people” (Numbers 21:7 NLT). And the LORD heard that prayer and gave Moses the following instructions:

“Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” – Numbers 21:8 NLT

Moses followed the LORD’s instructions, crafting a snake out of bronze and attaching it to a pole. “Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!” (Numbers 21:9 NLT). But centuries later, this icon from Israel’s past had been turned into just another false god to be worshiped in place of Yahweh. They even gave it a name: Nehushtan. Rather than allowing this symbol from Israel’s past to serve as a reminder of Yahweh’s holiness, judgment, and gracious deliverance, they transformed it into a false god.

This was the spiritual cesspool into which Hezekiah began his reign. But Yahweh had prepared this young man for just such a time. The author states, “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time” (2 Kings 18:5 NLT). He was the right man for the job and had come along at just the right time. As many of the citizens of the northern kingdom languished in captivity and their neighbors and friends wallowed in spiritual apathy and apostasy back in the land, Yahweh was using a newly appointed king to institute a series of reforms in Judah.

The author wastes no time in establishing the secret to Hezekiah’s success.

He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city. – 2 Kings 18:6-8 NLT

The LORD was with him because, unlike most of his predecessors, Hezekiah remained faithful and obedient. He refused to turn his back on Yahweh and did everything in his power to call the people to repentance and revitalize their commitment to the one true God. He instituted a series of significant reforms, beginning with a restoration of the Temple itself and involving the recalcitrant Levitical priesthood.

“Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary. Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned the LORD and his dwelling place; they turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.” – 2 Chronicles 29:5-7 NLT

His pep talk to the priests motivated them into action and prompted a thorough physical and spiritual cleansing of the LORD’s house.

Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the Lord, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the Lord’s instructions in their work. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found. – 2 Chronicles 29:15-16 NLT

With the Temple properly reconsecrated and purified, the once-neglected sacrificial system was restored, and the people brought so many offerings that “there were too few priests to prepare all the burnt offerings…There was an abundance of burnt offerings, along with the usual liquid offerings, and a great deal of fat from the many peace offerings” (2 Chronicles 29:34, 35 NLT).

Hezekiah’s reign actually began four years before the fall of Samaria and the deportation of the people of Israel to Assyria. While King Hoshea of Israel had been busy paying tribute to King Shalmaneser of Assyria in a vain attempt to stave off further assaults and the possibility of total annihilation, Hezekiah “revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute” (2 Kings 18:7 NLT). Unfazed by the presence of this powerful enemy, Hezekiah set his sights on another perennial foe of Judah, the Philistines. He refused to allow the 800-pound gorilla in the room to distract him from his duties as the king of Judah, choosing instead to encourage his people to recommit themselves to the worship of Yahweh.

Six years into his reign, Samaria fell, and the northern kingdom became a vassal state of Assyria. Hezekiah was smart enough to know that King Shalmaneser was far from done and would soon turn his sights on Judah. But Hezekiah “remained faithful to the LORD in everything” (2 Kings 18:6 NLT). He had watched the fall of his northern neighbors and knew precisely what had caused their demise. For his part, he was going to do everything in his power to prevent the same thing from happening under his watch in the kingdom of Judah.

As the rest of 2 Kings 18 will reveal, Hezekiah was about to be tested in ways he could have never imagined. His faith in Yahweh was going to be stretched to the extreme as Sennacherib set in motion his plan to invade Judah.

After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. – 2 Chronicles 32:1 NLT

Hezekiah had done all the right things, but that did not mean the enemy had gone away or lost interest in subjugating the people of Judah. When the Assyrian army showed up on Hezekiah’s doorstep, he would have a choice to make: Trust in the power and presence of Yahweh or allow the enemy to determine his next steps.

No Honor, Even in Death

November 1, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁶At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day. ⁷So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. ⁹And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.

¹⁰When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. ¹¹And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus. ¹²And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it ¹³and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. ¹⁴And the bronze altar that was before the LORD he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar. ¹⁵And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” ¹⁶Uriah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal. ¹⁸And the covered way for the Sabbath that had been built inside the house and the outer entrance for the king he caused to go around the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria. ¹⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ²⁰And Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place. – 2 Kings 16:6-20 ESV

As we have already seen, Ahaz patterned his reign after his contemporaries in the northern kingdom. The author states that “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, as his father David had done, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel” (2 Kings 16:2 ESV). Rather than promote the worship of Yawheh, Ahaz adopted a variety of pagan gods and not only authorized but encouraged their worship. As evidence of his personal commitment to these false gods, Ahaz offered human sacrifices, including his own sons, on their altars.

He even made metal images for the Baals, and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. – 2 Chronicles 28:2-3 ESV

As a result, God authorized the Syrians and the Israelites to act as His agents of judgment against the kingdom of Judah. However, while these two nations ended up making Ahaz’s life miserable, they were not allowed to defeat Judah. Yet their constant attacks resulted in the loss of land and lives. Hundreds of thousands of the citizens of Judah were killed or captured, leaving the rest of the people in a state of constant fear. And because Judah’s army had been unable to prevent these costly attacks, Ahaz was forced to seek assistance from the Assyrians.

King Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria with this message: “I am your servant and your vassal. Come up and rescue me from the attacking armies of Aram and Israel.” – 2 Kings 16:7 NLT

Of course, Ahaz knew that Tiglath-pileser would not provide assistance without some form of compensation, so, to pay off his rescuers, Ahaz drained the royal treasury and pilfered silver and gold from the Temple coffers to sweeten the deal. And while Ahaz’s plan came with a high price tag, it proved effective. The Assyrians immediately launched an attack against Damascus, the capital city of Syria. Rezin, the king of Syria, was killed in the battle, and Damascus was taken. When King Ahaz received word of the victory, he traveled to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-pileser. While there, he became obsessed with one of the many altars dedicated to the Syrian gods. He had a model made and sent to Uriah the high priest, who was ordered to build an exact replica in Jerusalem. Uriah complied with the king’s command, and when Ahaz returned to Jerusalem, he offered sacrifices to the Syrian god. Adding insult to injury, he also ordered the removal and relocation of the bronze altar that stood in the Temple courtyard.

These were just a few of the many “reforms” that Ahaz instituted. He was making wholesale changes to the religious institution that God had ordained for His chosen people. While Ahaz didn’t sanction the complete abandonment of Yahweh worship, he did create an unauthorized, fully syncretized form of religion that transformed Judah’s religion from monotheism to polytheism. God Almighty became just one more deity among the many whose altars and high places filled the land of Judah.

But Ahaz would soon discover the error of his ways because, in time, the ambitious king of Assyria would turn his sights on Judah. Ahaz’s former “savior” would become his potential destroyer.

So when King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him. Ahaz took valuable items from the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and from the homes of his officials and gave them to the king of Assyria as tribute. But this did not help him. – 2 Chronicles 28:20-21 NLT

Once Tiglath-pileser saw how easily Damascus had fallen, he became greedy and determined to make Jerusalem his next point of conquest. So, as he had done before, King Ahaz attempted to buy off the Assyrians. With the treasuries of the palace and Temple depleted, he was forced to ransack the private property of his own officials. But this time, his plan failed. King Tiglath-pileser gladly took his money but refused to call off his troops. This left Ahaz in a state of desperation, and with no other choice but to seek divine help. But rather than seek the aid of Yahweh, Ahaz “offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him” (2 Chronicles 28:23 NLT). Ironically, in an attempt to thwart the Assyrians, Ahaz put his hope in the gods of the nation whom the Assyrians had easily defeated. He unwisely rationalized, “Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them” (2 Chronicles 28:23 NLT).

But his reasoning proved faulty, producing a painfully predictable outcome. Rather than providing deliverance from his enemies, his appeal to these non-existent gods produced “his ruin and the ruin of all Judah” (2 Chronicles 28:23 NLT). Displaying a blatant and stubborn disregard for Yahweh, Ahaz continued to place all his hope in the pagan deities he had adopted. Not only that, in anger and defiance, Ahaz ordered the desecration of Yahweh’s Temple and barred the doors to prevent anyone from worshiping or calling upon the one true God.

The king took the various articles from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. He shut the doors of the LORD’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods in every corner of Jerusalem. He made pagan shrines in all the towns of Judah for offering sacrifices to other gods. In this way, he aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of his ancestors. – 2 Chronicles 28:24-25 NLT

Ahaz did all of this in a misguided attempt to stop the Assyrian threat. But what he failed to realize was that the presence of the Assyrians was due to his disregard and disrespect for God. Everything he was doing was going to backfire because he was refusing to give Yahweh the glory and honor He deserved. Ahaz had tried to relegate God Almighty to an inferior status among his growing retinue of false gods. He treated Yahweh with contempt, acting as if He were powerless and incapable of delivering either redemption or judgment. But little did he know that this “impotent” God was about to bring down judgment against Judah’s northern neighbor, and would use the dreaded Assyrians to accomplish His divine will.

Ahaz’s wholesale and completely unauthorized “renovation” of God’s house was meant to please the Assyrian king. It seems that Ahaz was desperate to win the favor of this powerful ruler to prevent any further threats to Judah’s national sovereignty. But Ahaz would not live long enough to experience the consequences of his ill-advised renovation plans. His death brought his reign to an end, and his son, Hezekiah, inherited his throne and less-than-stable kingdom. The Book of 2 Chronicles adds an insightful fact to Ahaz’s royal funeral.

When Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal cemetery of the kings of Judah. Then his son Hezekiah became the next king. – 2 Chronicles 28:27 NLT

According to the Book of 1 Kings, David and his son, Solomon, were both buried within the walls of the old city of David. This was the original site of David’s capital, which was later greatly expanded as his kingdom grew. The author’s reference to “the royal cemetery of the kings of Judah” indicates that there was a site within the old city set apart to memorialize the kings of Judah.

Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. – 1 Kings 2:10 NLT

When he [Solomon] died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. – 1 Kings 11:43 NLT

When Rehoboam died, he was buried among his ancestors in the City of David. – 1 Kings 14:31 NLT

When Abijam died, he was buried in the City of David. – 1 Kings 15:8 NLT

One might conclude that this royal cemetery was reserved for the “good” kings of Judah, but the interments of Rehoboam and Abijam alongside David and Solomon seem to belie that assumption. Both of those men were far from righteous, and their reigns were marked by apostasy and idolatry. Yet, Ahaz was not afforded the same privilege of being buried among his illustrious predecessors.

There is no explanation given for this decision, but it might be that Ahaz was deemed unworthy of the honor. His desecration of God’s house and his plunder of the Temple treasury would have alienated him from the priesthood and likely led to the decision to bar his interment among the kings of Judah. It is interesting to note that Ahaz’s son and successor, Hezekiah, would institute reforms designed to restore the worship of Yahweh and reopen the doors of the Temple his father had closed. As a result, when Hezekiah died, “they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David” (2 Chronicles 32:33 ESV). Unlike his apostate father, Hezekiah was buried alongside David, Solomon, and the other kings of Judah within the walls of the old city of David. His many religious reforms secured him a spot among his royal predecessors, a privilege denied his father.

The Pervasive Power of Pride

October 29, 2025October 29, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign. ²He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. ⁵And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land.’ ⁶Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁷And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

⁸In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months. ⁹And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. ¹⁰Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place. ¹¹Now the rest of the deeds of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹²(This was the promise of the LORD that he gave to Jehu, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it came to pass.) – 2 Kings 15:1-12 ESV

Reading this chapter can become a bit confusing because it seems to chronicle the lives of two different kings serving over Judah at the very same time. In verse 1, we are introduced to Azariah, the son of Amaziah. Then, in verse 13, we’re told that Shallum became king of Israel during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah. There is a simple solution, though; the king of Judah went by two different names. Chapter 26 of the book of 2 Chronicles uses this alternate name exclusively when recording the history of his reign. But they are one and the same man.

As the opening verses indicate, Azariah (Uzziah) ascended to the throne of Judah after the death of his father, Amaziah. He was only 16 years old at the time of his coronation and would reign for 52 years. Only Manasseh enjoyed a longer tenure on the throne of Judah.

Azariah’s lengthy reign brought stability to a nation that had been reeling after the assassination of its prior king, Azariah’s father. It was a time of blessing and prosperity because, unlike so many other kings of Judah, Azariah chose to seek the LORD.

…he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. – 2 Chronicles 26:4-5 ESV

But there are three qualifying words in the above statement: “as long as.” Azariah’s prosperity and success were directly tied to his faithfulness. It was God who made him prosper. And as long as he remained faithful to Yahweh, he experienced His blessings. And, according to the Book of 2 Chronicles, those blessings were many.

God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal and against the Meunites. The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. – 2 Chronicles 26:7-8 ESV

Azariah built cities within the territories he confiscated from the Philistines. He also ordered the construction of fortified towers throughout the land of Judah and had cisterns dug to provide water for his growing herds. Azariah had extensive landholdings, including farms and vineyards. He was wealthy, successful, and powerful, and his army was well-trained and equipped with the latest in weapons technology. And the city of Jerusalem was protected by state-of-the-art fortifications. As a result, “His fame spread far and wide, for the LORD gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful” (2 Chronicles 26:15 NLT).

Azariah enjoyed Yahweh’s blessings. He had it all: Wealth, power, and fame. But you can almost sense that he was ripe for a fall, and the author of 2 Kings cuts to the chase, revealing that Azariah’s days of enjoying the blessings of God would be short-lived and followed by a time of judgment and despair.

Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. – 2 Kings 15:4-5 ESV

The book of 2 Chronicles provides us with the details surrounding Azariah’s fall, and it’s an all-too-familiar story of the pitfalls of pride.

But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the LORD his God by entering the sanctuary of the LORD’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. – 2 Chronicles 26:16 NLT

Azariah was a man who became accustomed to getting what he wanted. He had enjoyed unprecedented success; everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. His victories were many, his landholdings were significant, his wealth was extensive, and his power was unsurpassed. But all of this led to a pride problem. He came to believe that he could get away with anything. But when he entered the sanctuary of God and attempted to usurp the role of the priests, he overstepped his bounds. He violated the Mosaic law and incurred God’s wrath. And it is not as if Azariah didn’t know any better because he had been informed of his indiscretion by the high priest and 80 other men of God.

They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The LORD God will not honor you for this!” – 2 Chronicles 26:18 NLT

But rather than repent of his sin, Azariah became angry. He didn’t like being told what he could or could not do. So, God struck him with leprosy. In just seconds, Azariah’s entire life was turned upside down. He was immediately removed from the Temple and, because of his leprosy, was banned from ever setting foot in the house of God again for the rest of his life. He would spend the last 11 years of his reign in quarantine and isolation, as his son ruled the nation as his co-regent. Eventually, Azariah died, and his son took his place as king of Judah. He was buried, and the only lasting legacy he left behind was his failure. The people would say of him, “He had leprosy” (2 Chronicles 26:23 NLT).

Azariah had fallen prey to the age-old sin of pride and failed to heed the warnings of his predecessor, Solomon. In his Book of Proverbs, Solomon included the wise but often ignored saying, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 ESV). Azariah learned a painful lesson on the pervasive power of pride. He had enjoyed the seemingly endless blessings of God, but had wrongly assumed that he could do no wrong. However, Yahweh has standards and expects His children to live according to His will and in keeping with His commands. The king was not exempt from God’s rules, and Azariah learned that lesson the hard way.

About three years before Azariah’s fateful decision to play priest and offer sacrifices to God, Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam II, became king in Israel. The assessment of his reign is a familiar one.

And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. – 2 Kings 15:9 ESV

Unlike Azariah, Zechariah’s reign was brief, lasting only six short months, and it would end with his assassination by Shallum, who would take his place on the throne of Israel. But Zechariah’s abbreviated reign fulfilled a promise that God had made to Jehu, king of Israel. Jehu had obeyed God’s command and destroyed the house of Ahab. Not only that, he ordered the execution of any who worshiped Baal and turned the temple of Baal into a public latrine. As a reward for Jehu’s cleansing campaign, God made a vow:

“You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.” – 2 Kings 10:30 NLT

Zechariah was the fulfillment of that promise, but his reign would only last half a year. His murder would usher in an era of intrigue, deception, and instability. Over the next 20 years, the northern kingdom of Israel would have six different kings, and only one would die from natural causes; the rest would be assassinated. It would be a time marked by pervasive wickedness, rampant idolatry, and increasing resistance on the part of the people to heed God’s repeated calls to repent.

At the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem during the reign of Solomon, God issued a promise to His chosen people. He agreed to dwell in their midst in the house they had constructed for Him, listening to their prayers and responding to their cries of need. But it was all conditioned on one thing: Their repentance.

“…if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 NLT

God required that His people display humility and a willingness to turn away from their wicked ways. In other words, He demanded repentance. If they wished to experience His presence, power, and provision, they would have to change their ways, not just outwardly but inwardly. External acts of obedience would not be enough. Sacrifices and offerings of contrition would prove insufficient if their hearts were not in it. King David understood the need for genuine, heartfelt repentance when it came to confession of sin. After being convicted of his illicit and immoral affair with Bathsheba, he penned the following words to God in the 51st Psalm.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. – Psalm 51:16-17 NLT

The prophet Joel echoed this same sentiment when he wrote:

That is why the LORD says,
    “Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
    Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
    but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
    He is eager to relent and not punish. – Joel 2:12-13 NLT

Yahweh wanted to forgive His people. He was anxious to restore their fortunes and pour out His blessings. But He demanded a change of heart that showed up in tangible expressions of humility, obedience, and dependence upon Him.

You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide

September 30, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.

²Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” ³But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? ⁴Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.

⁵The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” ⁶And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” ⁷He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” ⁸They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” ¹⁰But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’” ¹²But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹³Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. ¹⁴Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” ¹⁵Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king ¹⁶and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”

¹⁷So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. ¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? – 2 Kings 1:1-18 ESV

The Book of 2 Kings continues the chronicle of the kings of Judah and Israel. With Ahab’s death, his son Ahaziah ascended to the throne, and he proved to be cut from the same cloth. “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother…” (1 Kings 22:52 ESV). In other words, he was just as immoral and spiritually bankrupt as every other king who had ruled over the northern kingdom. He not only inherited his father’s kingdom but also his predilection for false gods. “He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done” (1 Kings 22:53 ESV). And, as the opening chapter of 2 Kings reveals, his penchant for idolatry would prove to be his undoing.

But before the author reveals the fate of Ahaziah, he opens the second half of his history of the kings of Israel and Judah with a somewhat parenthetical statement: “After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel” (2 Kings 1:1 ESV). It seems that Ahab had been extracting a sizeable annual tribute from the Moabites, literally fleecing his smaller neighbor to the east. But upon Ahab’s death, King Mesha put an end to these debilitating payments.

Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. – 2 Kings 3:4-5 ESV

Before the very outset of his reign, Ahaziah would find himself having to deal with the sins of his father. Ahab had been a harsh and uncaring king who made a lot of enemies along the way, and Ahaziah would have his hands full trying to manage the royal mess his father had left him.

But before Ahaziah had a chance to deal with the rebellious Moabites, he suffered a life-threatening fall that left him confined to his bed in the royal palace in Samaria. His injuries were severe enough that he was concerned about whether he would fully recover. So, he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, seeking a divine prediction concerning his fate. It had been Ahaziah’s parents who had introduced Baal worship to Israel, and he proved to be a faithful adherent to their false religion. In his time of suffering, he sought the counsel of Baal rather than Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. While Baal worship was rampant throughout the northern kingdom, Ahaziah sent his messengers to Ekron, which was located on Israel’s eastern border with Philistia. Ekron was a renowned occult center, and it was far enough away from Samaria that the news of the king’s injuries might be kept a secret.

However, Ahaziah’s messengers never reached Ekron. They were met along the way by Elijah, the prophet of Yahweh. Ahab’s old nemesis appears on the scene once again, but this time, he has bad news for Ahab’s son. Elijah had received instructions from Yahweh, commanding him to intercept the king’s messengers and inform them of their master’s fate. Ahaziah was hoping to hear a positive word from Baal, but instead, he would receive bad news from the God of Israel.

“Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? Now, therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.” – 2 Kings 1:3-4 NLT

There is a hint of sarcasm in this message. Yahweh is chiding Ahaziah for sending his messengers all the way to Ekron to seek a word from his false god. Baal worship was rampant within the nation of Israel. There were shrines and high places dedicated to Baal and Asherah all over the northern kingdom. In fact, Ahaziah had access to a Baal temple that his father had built in the capital city of Samaria.

He [Ahab] erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. – 1 Kings 15:32 ESV

And there were literally hundreds of priests and prophets who served on behalf of Baal. Yet, Ahaziah had sent his messengers on a field trip all the way to Ekron in hopes of hearing something from his god. Perhaps he had started his search for an answer at the local temple, but had come up empty-handed. This could have led him to his “long-distance-call” to Ekron.

When Ahaziah heard the less-than-positive pronouncement his messengers delivered, he grew suspicious. This was not the news he had been expecting. So, he asked for a description of the man who had predicted his pending death. As soon as he heard what the man looked like, his suspicions were confirmed; it was Elijah the Tishbite. As the son of Ahab and Jezebel, Ahaziah would have grown up hearing the stories of Elijah and his defeat of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He would have been very familiar with his mother’s intense hatred for this prophet of Yahweh. The ongoing battle of words and will between his father and Elijah would have taken place right in front of him. So, when he discovered that Elijah had once again interjected himself into Israel’s affairs, he sent guards to arrest him. But, just like the messengers he had sent to Ekron, the guards never made it to their destination.

As visible proof of his role as a spokesman for Yahweh, Elijah called down fire from heaven that wiped out all 50 men, including their captain. But this display of power made no impression on the stubborn and unrepentant Ahaziah. He simply sent another 50 guards who suffered the very same fate. The third commander recognized the divine nature of Elijah’s role and wisely chose to beg for mercy.

“O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!” – 2 Kings 1:13-14 NLT

The angel of God intervened, instructing Elijah to spare the lives of these men and accompany them back to Samaria. When he arrived in the capital city, Elijah reiterated his earlier message, but this time, directly to Ahaziah. He confirmed that the king would not recover from his injuries. Ahaziah’s stubborn refusal to seek God even in his time of greatest need would come with a death sentence. His unjustified yet unwavering allegiance to Baal had sealed his fate. As always, the words of Elijah proved to be true.

So Ahaziah died, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. – 2 Kings 1:17 NLT

Yet another king of Israel met an untimely but well-deserved end. The legacy of unfaithfulness, begun by Jeroboam, had been passed down from generation to generation, infecting each successive king and bringing the just and righteous judgment of God upon them. And because Ahaziah had no male heir to whom he could leave the throne, his brother Jehoram became king of Israel.

Ahaziah, like his predecessors, failed to recognize Yahweh as the one true God. He acted as if Yahweh no longer existed in Israel. But he had been proven wrong. Yahweh was still alive and well, and His power was undiminished. While Ahaziah refused to seek Yahweh’s face, he could not escape Yahweh’s sovereign will. The God of Israel could be ignored, but He would not go away.

Ahaziah had made the fateful mistake of rejecting the one true God. Like his father, Ahaziah had stubbornly refused to acknowledge the supremacy of Yahweh, choosing instead to act as if the God of Israel was non-existent and powerless. But as King David declared in one of his psalms, only a fool would dare deny Yahweh’s existence.

Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!

The LORD looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
    not a single one!

Will those who do evil never learn?
    They eat up my people like bread
    and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
Terror will grip them,
    for God is with those who obey him.
The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
    but the LORD will protect his people. – Psalm 14:1-6 NLT

Ahaziah tried to pretend that Yahweh didn’t exist, but he paid for his folly with his life.

The Almighty and Accountability

September 11, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁸In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. ⁹But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah, ¹⁰Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

¹¹When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. ¹²Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, ¹³for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols. ¹⁴Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? – 1 Kings 16:8-14 ESV

Being the heir to a king in Israel could be a dangerous occupation, particularly if your father was under God’s judgment. There was Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, who was assassinated in the second year of his reign. Baasha, his murderer, took his place on the throne of Israel, and Baasha secured his kingdom by having the entire extended family of Jeroboam executed. That way, there would be no heirs to try to reclaim the throne.

Twenty-four years later, Baasha’s son, Elah, ascended to the throne after his father’s death. But he, too, would enjoy a reign of only two years before being assassinated by Zimri, one of his own military officers. And Zimri also took drastic measures to protect his newfound power and position.

Zimri immediately killed the entire royal family of Baasha, leaving him not even a single male child. – 1 Kings 16:11 NLT

Both Jeroboam and Baasha were under the judgment of God. In Jeroboam’s case, God had placed his entire lineage under a curse because he had led the northern tribes of Israel to worship false gods.

“You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made other gods for yourself and have made me furious with your gold calves. And since you have turned your back on me, I will bring disaster on your dynasty and will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. I will burn up your royal dynasty as one burns up trash until it is all gone.” – 1 Kings 14:9-10 NLT

And though Baasha was not a descendant of Jeroboam, he would find himself under a similar curse because he had chosen to follow Jeroboam’s example.

“I lifted you out of the dust to make you ruler of my people Israel, but you have followed the evil example of Jeroboam. You have provoked my anger by causing my people Israel to sin. So now I will destroy you and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. The members of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.” – 1 Kings 16:2-4 NLT

Yahweh had elevated these two men from obscurity to places of power and great influence. But rather than respond in gratitude and reverence, they let their success go to their heads. They lost sight of the fact that they had been placed on the throne by God and that it was He who deserved their honor, worship, and faithfulness. It was the prophet, Daniel, who told King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings” (Daniel 2:20-21 NLT). The psalmist, Asaph, wrote, “it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another” (Psalm 75:7 ESV).

Power is intoxicating, and it has a highly attractive quality to it that, once tasted, can become addictive and habit-forming. As has been made abundantly clear, the position of king was highly coveted in Israel. Since Jeroboam, who was a relative nobody, had been able to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame and fortune, everyone believed the position was open to anyone with enough drive and ambition to take it. Baash deemed himself a far better candidate than Nadab, so he took matters into his hands, eliminated the competition, and crowned himself king. But in doing so, he failed to realize that he was nothing more than an instrument in the hands of God. The Almighty had used him to bring judgment against the house of Jeroboam. Baasha would have enjoyed a long and fruitful reign if he had only recognized the hand of God in his life and given Him the glory and honor He so richly deserved. But Baasha became blinded by his own glory.

The history of the kings of Judah and Israel has come a long way since the day when Solomon asked God for “an understanding mind” (1 Kings 3:9 ESV). As the newly crowned king of the still united nation of Israel, Solomon was aware of his shortcomings. He knew he was young and ill-prepared to rule over the vast kingdom his father had built. And, faced with the formidable task of following in his father’s footsteps, Solomon had sought the assistance of God.

“I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” – 1 Kings 3:7-9 NLT

Notice that Solomon understood that the people of Israel were God’s chosen people, not his. He was simply a figurehead, serving on behalf of God and according to His sovereign will. At the early stages of his reign, Solomon seemed quite aware of his place on the depth chart. He had no delusions of grandeur and showed no signs of an overinflated sense of self-worth. He was humble, submissive, and fully aware of his need for God’s help. But over his four-decades-long reign, Solomon grew increasingly more self-reliant and obsessed with the trappings of power and success. He began to seek fulfillment and satisfaction in all the wrong places and, ultimately, he was forced to confess that his quest had left him unfulfilled and dissatisfied.

I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. – Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 NLT

In essence, Solomon had become an idol factory. He manufactured all kinds of substitutes for God, hoping to discover meaning and purpose for his life. In the early days of his reign, he turned to God. But as the years progressed, he began to seek help and hope in all the wrong places.

I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! – Ecclesiastes 2:4-8 NLT

He had it all, but he had nothing. Surrounded by all the trappings of success, Solomon discovered that his life was empty and he was trapped in an existential maze with no hope of finding the exit. He was lost. Yet the answer to his problem was all around him. It was God who had given him wisdom and wealth. His fame and fortune were the handiwork of Yahweh. But Solomon had begun to read his own press clippings and assumed that his greatness was his own doing. He lost sight of God, and that ultimately led him to seek help from his menagerie of false gods. That decision would have long-lasting ramifications, resulting in the division of his kingdom and the rise of men like Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Nadab, Abijah, Baasha, and Zimri.

The pattern established by Solomon continued for generations. Each successive king seemed to lose sight of his calling and, in time, lost touch with God. They each became guilty of making substitutes for God, a fact that the author of 1 Kings makes painfully clear.

So Zimri destroyed the dynasty of Baasha as the LORD had promised through the prophet Jehu. This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed, and because of the sins they led Israel to commit. They provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, with their worthless idols. – 1 Kings 16:12-13 NLT

Late in his life, long after his meaningless quest for significance had left him empty-handed, Solomon came to a painful yet necessary epiphany.

Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. – Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 NLT

He allowed God to become obscured by the pleasures and trappings of success. He spent his entire life pursuing wealth, treasures, fame, and influence. But in doing so, he turned His back on the very one who had made it all possible. It was God who had placed Solomon on the throne. It was God who had blessed Solomon with wisdom and wealth. And it was God who took it all away and gave it to someone else. Now, years later, the pattern continued to repeat itself, providing further proof of the validity of Asaph’s words: “It is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.”

A Legacy of Apostasy

September 9, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

²⁵Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.

²⁷Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. ²⁹And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. ³⁰It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel.

³¹Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³²And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

³³In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. ³⁴He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. – 1 Kings 15:25-34

You have to go back to Chapter 14 to pick up the story of Jeroboam’s reign over the northern kingdom of Israel, his eventual death, and the ascension of his son Nadab to the throne.

Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place. – 1 Kings 14:19-20 ESV

This matter-of-fact synopsis of his two-decades-long reign doesn’t tell the whole story. Since the inception of his kingship, Jeroboam had led the people of the ten northern tribes to abandon Yahweh for the false gods he had created. He had set up golden calf idols in the cities of Dan and Bethel and made his own priesthood to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. Fearing that the Israelites would return to Jerusalem in Judah to worship at the Temple of Yahweh, Jeroboam had instituted his own religion featuring his substitute gods. Yahweh had condemned this egregious act of apostasy and issued a decree of judgment against Jeroboam, delivered by the prophet Ahijah.

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the LORD has spoken it.”’ Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover, the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. – 1 Kings 14:7-14 ESV

Jeroboam had sent his wife to seek the prophet’s assistance and was hoping that Ahijah might provide insight into his son’s illness. But the news he received was far from encouraging. The prophet disclosed that Abijah would die, and his words were fulfilled. Upon arriving home, Jeroboam’s wife found that Abijah had died and “all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet” (1 Kings 14:18 ESV).

With Abijah’s death, Jeroboam’s son Nadab was destined to succeed his father to the throne. But his reign was short-lived and marked by the same excesses as Jeroboam’s. The apple had not fallen far from the tree.

He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. – 1 Kings 15:26 ESV

Jeroboam had taught his son well, and, evidently, the death of his brother had little impact on Nadab. It seems unlikely that Nadab was uninformed as to the circumstances surrounding Abijah’s death. The pronouncement made by the prophet could not have gone unnoticed in the royal household. Yet, Nadab chose to make no course corrections regarding his father’s ill-fated obsession with idolatry. He carried on Jeroboam’s legacy and, in so doing, helped fulfill the prophet’s prediction.

Two years into his reign, Nadab was leading the northern tribes into battle against the Philistines. Nadab likely sought the aid of his false gods before launching his raid against the Philistine town of Gibbethon. However, they proved to be far from helpful, as Nadab was assassinated by one of his own men, a man named Baasha from the tribe of Issachar. The prophet had warned Jeroboam that his sins would have repercussions.

“…the LORD will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. – 1 Kings 14:14 NLT

And it was only going to get worse. After crowning himself king, Baasha conducted a campaign to completely eradicate all members of Jeroboam’s family.

He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the LORD had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. – 1 Kings 15:29 NLT

It is unlikely that Nadab knew he was acting in the interests of Yahweh. He was unaware that he was an instrument in the hands of God, carrying out divinely decreed judgments against Jeroboam for his apostasy. But the author makes it clear that Nadab’s actions were God-ordained.

This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit. – 1 Kings 15:30 NLT

Having wiped out the royal family of Jeroboam, Baasha went on to reign for 24 years. As the text indicates, he conducted an ongoing campaign against King Asa and the southern kingdom of Judah. His hatred for his southern kinsmen never abated, and his idolatrous behavior never diminished. Instead, “he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit” (1 Kings 15:34 NLT).

Yet, Yahweh used this idolatrous and murderous man to accomplish His divine will regarding Jeroboam. Baasha meted out the justice of Yahweh on the kinsmen of Jeroboam, but never recognized his own guilt and culpability for perpetuating the dangerous practice of idolatry. He failed to connect the dots and grasp the connection between Jeroboam’s unfaithfulness and Yahweh’s judgment. In fact, he had no idea that he was serving as Yahweh’s agent of judgment but did what he did for selfish and self-serving reasons. He had no intention of removing the idols and high places that dotted the landscape of the northern kingdom. At no point did he call the people of Israel to repentance or encourage them to renew their commitment to Yahweh.

Under his leadership, the downward spiritual spiral of the ten northern tribes ran unchecked, and his unabashed apostasy would result in Yahweh’s judgment upon his house. He too, would not go unpunished for his rebellious and idolatrous behavior.

King Baasha serves as the perfect foil to Judah’s King Asa. It was said of Asa, the great-grandson of King Solomon, that he “did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done” (1 Kings 15:11 NLT). And yet, Baasha “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit” (1 Kings 15:34 NLT).

Two men, both serving as kings over the people of God, but who exhibited two completely different mindsets when it came to the worship of God. One was faithful, while the other was disobedient. Asa attempted to do the right thing and promote the worship of Yahweh, while Baasha perpetuated the destructive habits of his predecessors. And this pattern of disobedience would continue from one royal administration to another.

Kings would come and go in Israel with God pouring out His divine judgment on each successive monarchy. Yet, they would refuse to repent and return to Him in humility and submission. Yahweh was trying to get their attention but their unbridled pride and arrogance prevented them from hearing His message and heeding His warning. And the outcome was far from pretty.

The Failure to Finish Well

September 8, 2025September 9, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁹In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, ¹⁰and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. ¹²He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁴But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. ¹⁵And he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

¹⁶And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, ¹⁹“Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” ²⁰And 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, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. ²²Then 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 been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. ²³Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴And 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. – 1 Kings 15:9-24 ESV

The men who inherited the thrones of Judah and Israel were not doomed to repeat their predecessors’ mistakes. Their fate was not predetermined just because their fathers happened to model ungodly behavior. Though most of these men inherited kingdoms and legacies marked by sin and rebellion against God, they each had a choice to make. But as will become increasingly apparent, few of them seemed to make the right choice. The sins of a father can have a powerful influence over his son. The manner by which he conducts himself while performing his royal duties will make a strong impression on the one who follows in his footsteps – for better or worse.

In the case of Abijam, he was succeeded as king by his younger brother, Asa. These two brothers shared the same mother: Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom [Absalom], and they had both grown up in the household of Rehoboam. But each would approach their kingly responsibilities differently. While Abijam “walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 15:3 ESV), Asa “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (1 Kings 15:11 ESV).

The book of 2 Chronicles provides further details concerning Asa’s reign.

In his days the land had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace. – 2 Chronicles 15:1-6 ESV

This young man had been born to the same pagan mother and lived through the wicked reigns of his father and older brother, and yet he had managed to maintain a semblance of his faith in Yahweh. In fact, the author of 1 Kings declares that he “did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done” (1 Kings 15:11 NLT). Perhaps he had managed to develop a close relationship with his grandfather, David, before his death. Or it could be that he had grown up hearing the stories of David’s many exploits and of his close relationship with God. He was likely intrigued and influenced by God’s description of David as “a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 ESV).

Something was triggered in Asa that led him to take a different path than that of his father and brother. After two decades of leadership that had promoted further idolatry and propagated a spirit of rebellion among the people of Judah, Asa appeared on the scene, determined to right the wrongs of his predecessors. And he got off to a great start.

He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. – 1 Kings 15:12-13 NLT

These radical reforms must have been met with stiff opposition. After 20 years of worshiping false gods, the people of Judah had grown comfortable with the licentious and immoral nature of idolatry. They enjoyed the no-rules nature of these pagan religions. Their man-made gods allowed them to satisfy their basest desires and offered a tempting alternative to the more legalist and restrictive laws that accompanied the worship of Yahweh. So, it seems likely that Asa’s reforms were not welcome with open arms.

But, despite any opposition he may have encountered, Asa attempted to redress the sins of his father and brother by removing all the pagan shrines they had built and restoring the worship of Yahweh. He made an effort to renew the nation’s commitment to the Temple as the dwelling place of God and the only place where the worship of God was to be practiced.

…he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. – 1 Kings 15:15 ESV

This seems to indicate that Asa and his brother had both been guilty of offering expensive gifts to the many false gods of Judah. But now that he was king, Asa was righting that wrong, ordering the collection of all those valuable items and placing them in the treasury of the Temple. This very public act was both a demonstration of repentance and a visual reminder that there was only one true God who was worthy of man’s worship and deserving of such gifts of honor and praise.

Asa’s reign lasted 41 years, and while he “was wholly true to the LORD all his days” (1 Kings 15:14 ESV), he found it difficult to completely eradicate all the vestiges of idolatry in the land. The author of 2 Chronicles states that he “commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment” (2 Chronicles 14:4 ESV), and he “took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars” (2 Chronicles 14:5 ESV). But 1 Kings reveals that his removal efforts were incomplete: “But the high places were not taken away” (1 Kings 15:14 ESV).

That little statement speaks volumes. It acts as a soft whisper of warning, providing a foreboding omen of what is to come. Asa’s efforts, while sincere and well-intentioned, would prove to be incomplete. His failure to eradicate all the high places was like a doctor failing to locate and remove all the cancer cells from the body of his patient. Those few sacred sites that were left standing would continue to lure the people of Judah away from God, and the apostasy they produced would continue to spread like cancer throughout the nation. His partial obedience, while praiseworthy, would in the long run prove insufficient. There were other signs that Asa’s love for God, while strong, had been influenced by the actions of his father and brother.

The author of 2 Chronicles states that Asa“ had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace” (2 Chronicles 14:6 ESV), and yet 1 Kings 15:16 paints a slightly different picture.

…there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. – 1 Kings 15:16 ESV

This is not a contradiction, but simply a recognition that the animosity between the northern and southern kingdoms had not abated. Thirty-six years into his 41-year reign, Asa found himself facing a threat from Baasha, the king of Israel. This man had murdered Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, and crowned himself king. Then, in an effort to secure his hold on the throne, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family (1 Kings 15:29). His actions seemed to have spawned a mass exodus of people who crossed the border into Judah to escape his reign of terror. So, as a preventative measure, Baasha built a fortified city along the border that provided a military presence to deter any further desertions.

What happened next provides a further glimpse into Asa’s heart and how he viewed his relationship with God. When faced with this increased military presence at his border, Asa decided to seek outside help. Notice that he did not seek assistance from Yahweh. Instead, he took the sacred treasures from the house of God and sent them to “Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria” (1 Kings 15:18 ESV). In essence, he sent a bribe to the king of Syria, in the hopes that this pagan king would come to the aid of Judah. And his ploy worked.

And 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, with all the land of Naphtali. And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah… – 1 Kings 1:20-21 ESV

Asa ordered the immediate dismantling of Baasha’s military outpost, and peace was restored. But there’s more to the story. The book of 2 Chronicles reveals that Asa’s decision to make a covenant with the king of Syria was outside the will of God. The prophet of God delivered a stinging rebuke to Asa.

“Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.…You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” – 2 Chronicles 16:7,9 ESV

This news angered Asa, and he had the prophet thrown in prison, but his anger did not abate. His frustration with God manifested itself in the cruel oppression of his own people. In time, he became a bitter man, driven by rage and suffering from poor health.

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. – 2 Chronicles 16:12 ESV

The great reformer had become an angry and self-reliant ruler who refused to turn to God for healing or help. His reign lasted 41 long years but ended in pain, suffering, and alienation from God, and then he died. Yes, he proved to be a better king than his brother, but in the end, they both suffered the same fate. Their sins left them separated from God, and both men ended up leaving less-than-stellar legacies. Of Asa, the author simply states, “in his old age he was diseased in his feet” (1 Kings 15:23 ESV). What a fitting description for the end of Asa’s life. Forty-one years earlier, he had begun his reign walking in the footsteps of his grandfather David. He had been faithful and eager to be a man after God’s own heart. But by the end of his life, Asa’s walk with God had taken a devastating detour. He found himself unable to walk at all, a fitting symbol of his greatly diminished spiritual condition.

Had Asa listened to the words of Moses and Micah, his story might have ended much differently.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good…” – Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NASB

O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8 NLT

God Demands Faithfulness, Not Flawlessness

September 7, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. ²He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ³And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. ⁴Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, ⁵because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. ⁷The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. – 1 Kings 15:1-8 ESV

All throughout his record of the kings of Judah and Israel, the author has dropped slight hints or clues that provide further insight into the actions of these men. In the case of Rehoboam, the king of Judah, he reveals that “When Rehoboam died, he was buried among his ancestors in the City of David. His mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman. Then his son Abijam became the next king” (1 Kings 14:31 NLT). Hidden away in these three sentences is a small detail that could easily be overlooked. But this seemingly innocuous fact helps to explain how the spiritual state of God’s chosen people had so quickly deteriorated.

Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, and Solomon had more than 700 wives and 300 concubines. Many of those women were foreign princesses who had been given to Solomon as part of a peace agreement made between their home country and Israel. The author has already revealed that Solomon made many such treaties that required him to marry these women from pagan nations.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. – 1 Kings 11:1-2 NLT

God had strictly forbidden the Israelites from taking wives for themselves from among the nations that lived in the land of Canaan. Long before the people of Israel had entered the land, Moses had clearly communicated God’s prohibition against any fraternization with the enemy.

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.” – Deuteronomy 7:1-4 NLT

But Solomon had chosen to disobey God’s command in a significant way. He had hundreds of foreign wives and, according to the closing verses of 1 Kings 14, he had married a woman from among the Ammonites. Once again, this small detail is intended to shed light on the moral and spiritual state of the nation. To fully grasp the significance of Solomon’s marriage to this woman, we have to understand that the Ammonites were the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. But more importantly, their very existence is tied to a sad and sordid event that took place in Lot’s life. After Lot and his two daughters had been rescued from the sinful city of Sodom by an angel of the Lord, they found themselves living in a cave in the wilderness. One night, while Lot was drunk, his two daughters had sexual relations with him, resulting in both girls becoming pregnant. The book of Genesis states that “The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben Ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today” (Genesis 19:38 NLT).

Hundreds of years later, when the people of Israel were making their way from Egypt to the land of Canaan, their distant relatives, the Ammonites, refused to allow them to pass through their territory. In fact, they would actually attempt to have them cursed. So, God put a permanent ban on the descendants of the Ammonites and Moabites.

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. These nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in distant Aram-naharaim to curse you. But the LORD your God refused to listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing because the LORD your God loves you. As long as you live, you must never promote the welfare and prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites. – Deuteronomy 23:3-6 NLT

Yet Solomon had chosen to disobey the will of God by marrying an Ammonite princess. From this unauthorized and illegal union had come the next king of Israel, Rehoboam, a man who proved to be anything but loyal to God. When Rehoboam died, his son Abijam took his place. But even in announcing Abijam as the next king of Judah, the author drops another not-so-subtle hint regarding this man’s lineage. He states that “His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom” (1 Kings 15:2 ESV). To understand the significance of this detail, we have to look at the book of 2 Chronicles.

Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). – 2 Chronicles 11:18-21 ESV

Abishalom is another variation of the name Absalom, and Abijah and Abijam are one and the same person. Rehoboam married a daughter of the very man who tried to steal the crown from his grandfather, David. Absalom proved successful in staging a coup against his father, but it was short-lived. Had he managed to complete his coup attempt, Solomon would never have been the next king of Israel. Yet, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, married the daughter of the man who attempted to deny his father his God-given right to the throne of Israel.

There are so many plots and twists to this story that remain hidden from view, but they provide the context for all that happens. The individual actions of these men are to be seen as the byproducts of a much bigger problem. The nation of Israel had a long and sordid history of disobedience to God, and each successive generation followed in the footsteps of their ancestors, displaying the lingering and infectious nature of sin. It becomes painfully clear that each indiscretion and act of insubordination, no matter how small, has consequences. Our sins against God can take on a life of their own and, just as an infectious disease can spread from one person to another, so we can end up passing on our sinful propensities to the next generation. That is precisely what happened with the son of Rehoboam.

…he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. – 1 Kings 15:3 ESV

Yet, God had his hand on Abijah, giving him victories over Jeroboam and the ten tribes of Israel. But it was not because of anything Abijah had done. God was honoring the faithfulness of David.

But for David’s sake, the LORD his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. For David had done what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight and had obeyed the LORD’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite. – 1 Kings 15:4-5 NLT

Not only do our sins have consequences, but our acts of faithfulness can also be passed on. God was preserving the kingdom of the rebellious Abijah because of the faithfulness of his grandfather. Amazingly, some of David’s faithfulness had been passed down to his grandson, manifesting itself in a powerful declaration of allegiance to God, spoken to the rival forces of the ten northern tribes.

“Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the LORD that is led by the descendants of David? You may have a vast army, and you have those gold calves that Jeroboam made as your gods. But you have chased away the priests of the LORD (the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so-called gods of yours! But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not abandoned him.” – 2 Chronicles 13:8-10 NLT

When the battle ensued, the people of Judah cried out to God, and He delivered them.

So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their ancestors. – 2 Chronicles 13:18 NLT

Despite their track record of unfaithfulness, God gave Abijah and the people of Judah a great victory over their enemies. This rebellious young king, who had inherited many of his father’s worst traits, managed to lead his people back to the LORD, if only for a short time. Faced with overwhelming odds and the threat of defeat at the hands of Jeroboam and the ten tribes of Judah, Abijah cried out to God. In that brief, shining moment, the nation of Judah placed their hope in the Almighty, and He delivered them. Abijah was far from perfect, but he chose to lead his people back to the LORD.

The author simply records: “And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place” ( 1 Kings 15:8 ESV). There is no definitive declaration of Abijam’s spiritual legacy, good or bad. However, the Book of 2 Chronicles reveals that Abijam’s actions had a positive effect on his son and heir to the throne.

When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years. Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God. He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands. Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace. – 2 Chronicles 14:1-5 NLT

Yahweh doesn’t demand perfection from His people; He simply asks that they be faithful. The reference to Uriah the Hittite in verse 5 is meant to convey that David was far from flawless in his actions. His affair with Bathsheba and his role in her husband’s execution are dark spots on his spiritual legacy, but Yahweh viewed David as a man after His own heart.

David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life. – 1 Kings 15:5 ESV

God demands faithfulness, not lawlessness. He is looking for the person who will resist the temptation to compromise their convictions and remain true to their covenant commitments to Him. Abijam was not a perfect king or a sold-out follower of Yahweh, but when the time came, he did the right thing, and his son followed his example. But will the legacy continue? What will be the nature of this new generation of leadership? Will the next king be faithful or faithless? Will he display a heart for God or a hard-headed insistence to live in rebellion against Him? Only time will tell.

The Downward Spiritual Spiral

September 6, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁹Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ²⁰And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

²¹Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. ²²And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. ²³For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, ²⁴and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.

²⁵In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. ²⁶He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, ²⁷and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. ²⁸And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

²⁹Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ³⁰And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. ³¹And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place. – 1 Kings 14:19-31 ESV

From this point forward, the author will provide a side-by-side chronology of the two kingdoms, alternating his focus from one kingly line to the other. The kingdom over which David and Solomon once reigned has been officially and permanently divided, creating two nations that will each mirror the excesses and exigencies of their rebellious leaders.

He begins with a short recap of Jeroboam’s reign over the ten northern tribes, which became known as the nation of Israel. Notice that the author refers to the wars that Jeroboam had to fight. Unlike Solomon, Jeroboam would not have the pleasure of ruling over a kingdom characterized by peace and prosperity. His entire 22-year reign would be marked by constant wars and territorial conflicts. The land that God had awarded to the ten tribes as their inheritance would become a place of turmoil and unrest. And the pagan nations that had once occupied the land would once again assert themselves and pose a persistent threat to Israel’s peace and security. But two decades into his reign, Jeroboam died, and his son Nadab assumed the throne of Israel.

Meanwhile, in the south, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, ruled over the nation of Judah. He sat on the throne of his father in the city of Jerusalem, but the extent of his domain had been drastically reduced. He ruled over a single tribe, Judah, and he did so from “the city the LORD had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name” (1 Kings 14:21 NLT). This somewhat innocuous line is actually intended to stress the dramatically altered fortunes of Judah and its king. God had graciously allowed Solomon to construct a house for Him in the capital city of Jerusalem. The magnificent Temple that Solomon spent nearly eight years constructing was meant to be the dwelling place of God on earth, and God had agreed to honor this man-made structure by allowing it to be associated with His name.

“I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.” – 1 Kings 9:3 NLT

But God had warned Solomon that this honor was conditional. If Solomon and the people of Israel failed to remain faithful to their covenant commitment, the glorious temple would fail to protect them from the judgment of God.

“As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. …But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will gasp in horror.” – 1 Kings 9:4-8 NLT

But Solomon had failed to live up to his end of the agreement. He allowed his love for his 1,000 forbidden foreign wives and concubines to turn his heart away from God. He became an idol worshiper and ordered the construction of countless shrines and holy sites dedicated to these false gods, which led to the apostasy of the people of Israel. Ultimately, that is what led to the split of his kingdom. But Solomon’s acts of spiritual adultery would pale in comparison to those of his son. Rehoboam’s 17 years of misguided leadership ended up causing the nation of Judah to abandon the one true God for a pantheon of false gods and immoral religious practices.

During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, provoking his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors. For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. There were even male and female shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. – 1 Kings 14:22-24 NLT

While the house of God remained in Jerusalem, the people occupied themselves by offering sacrifices at the countless pagan shrines dotting the landscape of Judah. There were literally Asherah poles “on every high hill and under every green tree.” In other words, they were everywhere. Asherah was a female fertility god worshiped by the Syrians, Phoenicians, and many other nations that once called Canaan home. While Rehoboam was king, he encouraged the people to resurrect the gods and religious rituals of the land’s former inhabitants. In essence, he promoted spiritual regression. He led the people to adopt the false gods of the very same nations that had once occupied the land. Years earlier, Moses had clearly communicated God’s will concerning these pagan nations and their false gods.

You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the LORD your God has commanded you. This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the LORD your God. – Deuteronomy 20:17-18 NLT

But hundreds of years later, Rehoboam was reviving the “detestable customs” and causing the people to “sin deeply against the LORD.” Judah had become a hotbed of religious syncretism and moral relativism. They even instituted the use of sexual promiscuity as a feature of their worship, utilizing male and female cult prostitutes as priests and priestesses. Nothing was off-limits, and the commands of God became little more than divine suggestions, up to interpretation and easily ignored.

But God would not tolerate their unbridled and unapologetic disobedience. In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s 17-year reign, God sent the Egyptians to mete out His judgment against the rebellious and unrepentant people of Judah.

King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. – 1 Kings 14;23-24 NLT

Having heard the rumors concerning the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple and the vast extent of his wealth, the Egyptian troops set their sights on these symbols of the nation’s prosperity. They ransacked the Temple and the royal palace, stealing everything, and further diminishing Rehoboam’s status as a king. Now, not only was his domain a fraction of its former size, but his financial net worth was greatly reduced. So much so that he didn’t have enough capital to replace the golden shields his father had commissioned. He was forced to manufacture cheaper replicas made of bronze. This scene portrays a stark contrast between the glory days of his father, Solomon.

So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. – 2 Chronicles 9:22-27 NLT

During Solomon’s reign, Israel enjoyed unprecedented peace because they were a force to be reckoned with in the region. Even the Egyptians sought alliances with Solomon because of the strength of his army.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer, killing the Canaanite population and burning it down. He gave the city to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married Solomon. So Solomon rebuilt the city of Gezer. – 1 Kings 9:16-17 NLT

Yet, by the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, the Egyptians no longer feared Judah’s strength and took advantage of the nation’s weakened condition. It had only taken five years to transform the once-powerful kingdom of David into a regional laughing stock. And Rehoboam’s fortunes didn’t improve when the Egyptians returned home. He found himself in a constant civil war with King Jeroboam and the ten northern tribes. Twelve years later, at the age of 58, Rehoboam died, and his son took his place as the king of Judah. With this transition of power, a sad and recurring pattern begins to emerge. With each succeeding generation, the kings of Judah and Israel will bequeath to their heirs not only their throne but their propensity for sin, creating a seemingly unbroken chain of ever-increasing rebellion against God.

One of the themes that will be repeated incessantly throughout the rest of the books of 1st and 2nd Kings is the downward spiritual spiral of the men who will lead the two divided nations. Because of Rehoboam’s unfaithfulness and subsequent failed leadership, “Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done” (1 Kings 14:22 ESV). And, sadly, that pattern would repeat itself time and time again as the kings of Israel and Judah continued to violate the covenant commitments made to Yahweh. The fates of both nations were directly tied to the spiritual apostasy of their kings. In time, the truth of the proverb would become a reality.

…when the wicked rule, the people groan. – Proverbs 29:2 ESV

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