Though Solomon begins well, he later falls into repeated sin. Solomon sins against the law of kings in that he amasses horses, gold, chariots, and foreign women (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). Because of Solomon’s sin, the nation of Israel is torn in two – Israel and it’s 10 tribes in the north (Samaria) and Judah and Benjamin in the south (Jerusalem).
For the next three centuries, both Israel and Judah go back to Canaanite and Egyptian worship and exile. This is the backdrop of the book of Kings and Chronicles.
At the beginning we have Solomon building the temple and at the end its destruction. The book of Kings finishes with a glimmer of hope with Jeconiah eating at the table of King Merodach. This is perhaps a sign that although Judah will someday return from its Babylonian captivity, they will still be placed under the authority or slavery of the nations.
From the time of separation into two nations, we have 14 kings in the North. In Israel. Seven from Jeroboam to Ahab and seven from Jeroboam II to King Hoshea. In the middle is the story of Elijah and Elisha.
Everything in the Book of Kings turns on the Word of God and the faithfulness of each king is measured by how He handles the word of truth. The story of each King begins by answering the question, “How did this King Walk before the Lord?” “Who was his father? Did he walk like an Egyptian or a Canaanite, or did he walk like his father David?’
By way of example, we read this in 1 Kings 15,
…in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam… Abijam began to reign over Judah… His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom and 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 15:1-3)
What is interesting here is the way in which the question, “who is your father”, gets answered.
For the most part, both Israel and Judah walk more like the nations around them than like David. The result is a lot of uncomfortable exchanges between the Kings and the prophets.
To get a feel for these uncomfortable exchanges between king and prophet, we can ask, “How goes it with you and Jesus today? How has it gone this week with you and Jesus?”
Before we ask how goes it with you and your wife, you and your job or you and your cat, your kid or your boat building, let’s ask ourselves, “How goes it with Jesus?”
This is the constant challenge directed to the kings of Israel and Judah by men like Elijah and Elisha. Has God’s word been peripheral or central? Where would we look to find out?
In the passage above the author answers that for King Abijm in a very surprising way.
He wants to talk about this kings mum and dad. He wants us to know how this king walked. And how did He walk? In the sins of His father (Rehoboam) whose mum, the author feels we should know, is an Ammonite.
Let’s compare Abijim with his brother King Asa who reigns after him
…Asa began to reign over Judah and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah. And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. He put away the male cult prostitutes… that his fathers had made. He 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. (1 Kings 15:9-13)
Notice that where Abijim walked unfaithfully before the Lord, Asa walked faithfully – and longer.
And where do we look to see the faithfulness of Asa? In his own backyard. We look to his mum and dad. Asa does right in the eyes of the Lord. How? By giving greater weight to the Word of the Lord than to his mother’s dirty worship habits.
The faithfulness of this king turned on the Word. And the evidence of his faithfulness was how he applied that Word to himself and those closest to him.
Who mum is is very important to the author of the Book of Kings and Chronicles.
The first thing the author wants you to know about Jeroboam, for example, is that his mum was called Zeruah (which means ‘harlot’). What kind of king was Jeroboam? A rotten king who made Israel stumble.
How about king Ahaziah in Israel (the North)?
He was 22 years old when he began to reign. He reigned one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah [That’s Jezebel’s daughter, by the way]. He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counsellor in doing wickedly. (2 Chronicles 22:2-3)
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What about Rehoboam, the king in Judah in the south?
His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Judah (Rehaboam) did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. (1 Kings 14:21-22)
And finally, on a positive note…
And Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign… His mother’s name was Azubah … He walked in all the way of Asa his father… doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. (1 Kings 22:42-43)
The pattern seems clear – and deliberate. When you have a Hebrew mum, you tend to get a faithful king. When you have a mum from the pagans, you tend to get a faithless king.
When mum and dad sin through neglect, idolatry or suppression of the Word of God in the lives of their children, they should not be surprised when their sons and daughters abandon the faith and fall headlong into unbelief and all manner of wickedness.
The other thing to notice is that this faithlessness tends to spread. The sinful ways of the kings in Israel and Judah, just like the luke-warm ways of ministers and shepherds in our own day, usually led to a faithless flock.
But if unfaithfulness is contagious, holiness is more so. The Good News of the Gospel is that the righteousness of one man – King Jesus – has led to the righteousness of many.
This is an encouragement to parents who wonder whether their marrying choices and child-rearing efforts will bear good fruit, and a warning to pastors and shepherds to watch over their manner of life and doctrine and to never be careless in their handling of the word of God.
Our atomised world likes to run on the mantra of, “Every man for himself”. The gospel runs on different tracks. It runs along a straight line where Christ takes responsibility for His own righteousness and the righteousness of His people.