Asa - Abijah's Son is Crowned King

By Mary Vee
I Kings 15 and II Chronicles 14

From Asa's Journal

My father reigned in Jerusalem only three years. This hardly provided me the training I needed to take his place. But he died suddenly and I was crowned king.

The kingdom rested in peace for ten years. I can't tell you how good it felt not to have to deal with battles. After all, I needed time to learn my job!

During this time, I learned to listen to the advisors and priests. I ordered the immediate removal of all foreign altars and the high places, then commanded my men to smash the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. The incense altars in every town in Judah also were removed.

I commanded everyone in Judah to seek the Lord, the God of our fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. And as we sought the Lord together, He gave us peace.

During the time of peace, I continued the work started by my grandfather, king Rehoboam. I ordered the cities in Judah to be fortified. We put walls around them with towers, gates, and bars. 

This great land of Judah is ours because we sought the Lord our God. He gave us rest on every side. This became a time of prosperity for Judah.

My army had three hundred thousand men from Judah. Each man equipped with large shields and with spears. We also had two hundred and eight thousand soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin. Each man armed with small shields and with bows. All of the soldiers were brave fighting men.

One year after I became king, Jeroboam, the evil man who stole the hearts of the other ten tribes and steered them away from worshiping our great God, died. His son, Nadab succeeded him as king of Israel.

Nadab continued to lead the people away from God. I thought Jeroboam was evil, but his son Nadab committed greater crimes. Apparently the people of Israel agreed. From the tribe of Issachar a man named Baasha devised a plan to kill Nadab.

Nadab led his army to attack a Philistine city. During the battle, Baasha murdered Nadab and crowned himself king of Israel. The same day he began to reign he killed all of Nadab's family, even his cousins, anyone related to his father, Jeroboam.

The prophets said Jeroboam suffered this punishment because of the great and many sins he committed.

Unfortunately, Baasha followed in Jeroboam and Nadab's footsteps. He continued to lead the ten tribes of Israel away from worshiping and obeying God. 

This will not go well for them. I am reminded by their example of the importance to worship and obey God.

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1. The kings of Judah have been Rehoboam, his son Abijah, and his son _________.
2. The kings of Israel have been Jeroboam, his son Nadab, and the new king ________.
3. Asa got rid of all the ___________
4. He ordered the people to _________________
5. Nadab was an evil king. So much so, a man from the tribe of Issachar planned to ______.
6. Was Baasha, king of Israel, a good or bad king?
7. Was Asa, king of Judah, a good or bad king?

Abijah - First Battle

By Mary Vee
II Chronicles 13

From Abijah's Journal

Last time I wrote, I told you of my new position as king of Judah. After father's passing, I deeply wanted to reunite the kingdom, all twelve tribes.

As my foe, Jeroboam, king of Israel, he drew the battle line with an army twice the size of mine. I spoke to them, warning the soldiers of our deep desire to worship the Lord. I welcomed them to join us and to walk away from Jeroboam as their leader.

Not one came to our side. 

I raised my sword signaling my army to attack. But, it was then that a noise from behind my army captured my attention. I looked and found an ambush of Jeroboam's soldiers waiting to attack. They crept around behind us while I offered their army one last chance to join us. Crafty.

Surrounded on all sides by an army twice the size of us, I knew we were doomed unless we had help from God. I and my men cried out to the Lord. The priests with us, ones appointed by God, blew their trumpets signaling all the men of Judah to raise the battle cry.

At the same moment our cry rang toward the heavens, God routed Jeroboam and all of his army before us. Jeroboam and his army tried to flee, but God delivered them into our hands. Their army suffered five hundred thousand casualties from our swords. A heavy loss for Jeroboam's army.

My army chased Jeroboam, forcing him to retreat quite a ways. We took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. What a glorious victory for Judah. Jeroboam did not regain power at any time during my reign.

After the battle we celebrated the Lord's victory over Jeroboam's army. We had relied on the Lord the God of our fathers for help, and he provided.

Life became easier afterwards.

I married fourteen times and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. I must admit I didn't keep all the commands of the Lord after the day of the battle. The priests warned my father against doing many of the things he did. They warned me too. My heart was not fully devoted to the Lord any longer.

Not like David, the great king that everyone talks about. The priest once told me I should feel blessed because, although I had sinned, for David's sake, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 

The priest also said David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord's commands all the days of his life--except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

I don't know that I could live up to such a standard. It seemed easier to follow my father's footsteps, even though it did not please God.

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1. Who is king of Israel at this time?  Who is king of Judah at this time?
2. Why did Abijah fight Jeroboam's army?
3. What sneaky plan did Jeroboam's army have?
4. What did Abijah and his army do when they saw Jeroboam's attack? They cried to _____
5. What happened next?
6. After the battle what kind of life did Abijah choose to live? Why?
7. Did Abijah choose to continue following God?

Rehoboam-Death and Life

By Mary Vee
I Kings 14, 15 and II Chronicles 12

From Abijah's Journal, New King of Judah

My father, Rehoboam, son of Solomon, grandson of King David reigned Judah for seventeen years. He assigned my living quarters in Jerusalem with him to give me the training necessary to reign in his place. Recently, my father died.

His passing troubled me, for although he prepared me to take over his throne, I still felt unprepared. In my heart, I knew what I had to do first. I wanted to reunite the kingdom as one Israel. I could only do this with God's help.

Jeroboam had reigned over Israel for eighteen years. He ripped the heart and soul of our people, pulling them away from worshipping God to praise evil false gods.

I rallied an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men to fight against Jeroboam. He drew up a battle line, commanding eight hundred thousand able troops. This did not frighten me. The Lord can win battles with only a few soldiers.

I brought my men to the top of Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim. We stood facing Jeroboam's army. His men needed another chance to leave their leader and join forces with throne God appointed for Israel. Jeroboam could join us as well, if he wanted.

I called out to Jeroboam's army with this message:

"Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! Don't you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? Yet your leader, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, an official of Solomon, son of David, rebelled against his master.

"Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam, my father, son of Solomon, when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them. And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David's descendants.

"You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. But didn't you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.

"As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed."

I gave them a few moments to consider my words. Stop by next time when I will have their decision to tell.

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1. What happened to Rehoboam, king of Judah?
2. Who is Abijah?
3. What did Abijah want to do first?
4. Why did Abijah take his army to the mountain?
5. What did Abijah want to tell Jeroboam's army?
6. What do you think the Jeroboam's soldiers will decide to do?