THE REFORMS OF ASA This chapter reveals the behavior of the kings of Judah, who, at the beginning have not reached the evil of the kings of Israel. It presents to us two kings of Judah: the wicked Abijam, who reigned only a short period of time; and Asa, whose reigning days were good and long. It presents to us, as well, two wicked kings of Israel: Nadab the son of Jeroboam, and Baasha who scattered the house of Jeroboam. 1- Abijam the son of Rehoboam, an evil king, reigns over Judah 1 - 8 2- Asa the son of Abijam, the reformer 9 - 15 3- A treaty between Asa and Ben-Hadad against Israel 16 - 22 4- Illness and death of Asa 23 - 24 5- Nadab the son of Jeroboam, the evil king 25 - 28 6- Baasha destroys all the house of Jeroboam 29 - 34 1- ABIJAM THE SON OF REHOBOAM , THE EVIL KING: (1 – 8) It presents a concise summary of the short reign of Abijam the son of Rehoboam; who, although he walked in the sins of his father; yet, in him there was found a glimpse of light; that, for the sake of his father David, God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting his son Asa to reign after him, a good man, who started by some reforms, although he fell into some serious weaknesses. The second book of Chronicles 13, mentioned the exalted conquest of Abijam the son of Rehoboam over Jeroboam, with the help of God. When speaking about him, being attached to God, the book of Chronicles called him Abijah, binding his name to Jehovah. But here, speaking about his sins, he is called Abijam. According to some, his name was originally Abijam, then changed by the Jews to Abijah, to refer him to Jehovah; Whereas, according to others, his real name was Abijah, meaning (Jehovah is my father or my desire); yet, because of his evil, the Jews called him Abijam, meaning (father of the sea); to deny him the reference to Jehovah; the same way they changed the name of the city of ‘Bethel’ to ‘Beth Aven’ in Hosea (5: 8); and Jehoahaz to Ahaz (2 kings 15: 38). https://coptic-treasures.com/ God stopped the war between the two kingdoms (1 kings 12: 24), but because of the many persistent troubles caused by Jeroboam on the border, Abijam had to defend his kingdom; resorting to God to support him; and when Jeroboam was overcome, he retreated and kept his peace the rest of his reign (2 Chronicles 13: 20). “Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nabat, Abijam became king over Judah. He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (1-3) Rehoboam had 28 sons (2 Chronicles 11: 21); and Abijam was not the firstborn, but the oldest of the sons of Maachah whom the king loved more than all his other women. Abijam reigned in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam; For Rehoboam (father of Abijam) reigned 17 years (1 kings 14: 21). Each of them had a son called Abijah or Abijam. Abijah the son of Jeroboam died, as mentioned in the past chapter; whereas Abijah the son of Rehoboam lived after his father and became terror to Jeroboam. Abijam, actually reigned less than three years; but as it was the custom of the Jews, they used to count a part of a year as a whole year, and a part of a day as a whole day. He died in the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam, and his son Asa reigned after him. His mother’s name was Maachah, a Semite name meaning (oppression); a granddaughter of Abishalom (his daughter’s daughter); the third wife of Rehoboam; also called by the name of ‘Michaiah’ the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, the husband of Tamar, daughter of Abishalom (2 Samuel 14: 27). “Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by setting his son after him, and by establishing Jerusalem” (4) God supported Abijah to defeat Jeroboam; Yet, for his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, after his conquest he fell in pride; Hence God cut his reign short and set his son Asa a king after him. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem” .It was the custom in the East, never to leave the house in darkness, unless its owner dies or if the house is destroyed. Hence, keeping a lamp lighted, meant the continuity of the life of man. According to the Holy Scripture, “The light of the wicked indeed goes out, and the flame of his fire does not shine. The light is dark in his tent, and the lamp beside him is put out” (Job 18: 5,6); and, “The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out” (Proverb 13: 9) Although the sins of king Abijam have darkened the kingdom; yet, God gave a lamp in Jerusalem, a promise He gave to David, that his house will be lighted until Jesus Christ, his son according to the flesh, comes, who will give light to the whole world. In the old covenant the golden lampstand had its special rites, concerning its seven lamps the kind of oil, and the flaxes used in them The continuity of lighting it, an essential thing in the life of those people; was a symbol of the need of human nature for the divine enlightenment, to take the darkness away from it, and to carry the fellowship with Christ, the true Light given to the world. If Christ is the “Way” who leads our inner man to the bosom of the Father; He is, as well, the “Light” who reveals to us this royal path, so as not to deflect away from it. + In truth, the light was hidden and veiled in the law of Moses; but once Jesus came, and lifted the veil up, it shone, and the blessings whose shadow was presented in the letter, was instantly and truly proclaimed. (The scholar Origen) + The rays of the Word is eternally ready to shine, as long as the windows of the soul are open through the simple faith. (St. Hilary, bishop of Poitier) + Whoever rejects the light of the Word of God, should fear the punishment of the eternal darkness. (Father Caesarius, bishop of Arle) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + Let us hope and endure, until the Lord’s anger upon the night, which is the father of the wicked, passes by. “We were once the children of the night; we, sometimes were darkness” (Ephesians 2: 3; 5: 8); and its traces are apparent in our bodies, as we are dead by sins (Romans 8: 10). “Until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away” (Songs 2: 17). (St. Augustine) + It was also said that Christ gave light to the nations; as it is said by the prophet Isaiah: “I gave You as light to all the nations, for You to be my salvation to the end of the earth”; Hence David says: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and light for my path”.. (Father Aphrahat) + No creation, rational or have the power of understanding, are enlightened by themselves, but through the fellowship with the eternal truth. (St. Augustine) “Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (5) God allowed for the lamp of David’s house to stay lighted, not for the sake of Abijam, nor for that of his father Rehoboam, as they both committed evil; but for the sake of David their father, whose faithfulness to the Lord, the uprightness of his heart, and his true love, endured as blessings for the grandchildren of his grandchildren. With contrition within himself, seeking the glory of God, David sang: “Surely, I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty God of Jacob” (Psalm 132: 3-5); And he enjoyed the divine promise: “There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My anointed” (Psalm 132: 17). That is the lamp that all the forces of darkness could never quench; namely, Jesus Christ the son of David, the https://coptic-treasures.com/ Light of the world. Having held fast to the divine commandment, a lamp to lighten the road for him (Psalm 119: 105); God set a non-quenchable lamp in David’s house. The Word of God commends David for the uprightness of his heart, and for not turning aside from the commandments of the Lord. Although David sinned, yet nothing was mentioned of his sins except that concerning the matter of Uriah the Hittite. This does not mean that it was not forgiven, but, by mentioning it, God intends to confirm its seriousness, lest someone else would fall into it. By his repentance, David indeed, did not lose his covenant with the Lord, nor lost the divine promises for himself and for his descendants after him. Mentioning that particular sin, exhorts us to have strong awareness of it, for it remains attached to us, not concerning our salvation and eternal glory, but to make others beware not to fall. On another aspect, mentioning it, confirms the mercies of God, who sees David’s heart as upright and blameless, despite his past fall into that horrible sin. Mentioning it opens the door of hope before every sinner. “And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life” (6) We are told by the second book of Chronicles (Chapter 13) how Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and sought from Jeroboam and all Israel to resume their bond to the temple and to the priesthood of the sons of Aaron and the Levites, instead of opposing the Lord and fighting against the God of their fathers. In his talk. He seemed as someone jealous upon his people, and upon the glory of God; But, according to many, he was not truthfully faithful in his talk; but used it to stir up Israel against Jeroboam, and to establish his own kingdom. Saying: “His heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (3), indicates that he worshipped the idols together with the Lord; even though he brought into the house of the Lord precious utensils (15),probably to replace those that were taken away by Shishak the king of Egypt; And even though he seemed as a servant jealous upon the glory of the Lord in his war against Jeroboam (2 Chronicles10-13-12). God granted him conquest over Jeroboam, but unfortunately he walked in all the sins of his father (3); and to him apply the words of the prophet Isaiah, saying: “Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly; and will not behold the majesty of the Lord” (Isaiah 26: 10) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of Chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam” (7) The hatred between the two kingdoms in the days of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, continued in the days of Abijam the son of Rehoboam, with an open, and serious war (1 Chronicles 13). “So Abijam rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place” (8) 2- ASA THE SON OF ABIJAM, THE REFORMER: (9 – 15) “In the twentieth year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah; And he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom” (9, 10) Here he mentions Asa’s grandmother, and not his mother, on account of that she was a strong woman who submitted her man Rehoboam and her son Abijam, especially concerning idol-worship. Removing her from being a queen was a proof of Asa’s faith, and his jealousy for the Lord. Her name was was originally Michaiah, then became Maachah when she became a queen; as it was the custom to change the name with the change of circumstances. “And did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David” (11) Even though Asa was not a prophet, nor a psalmist; and had no continuous conquests in war; yet he followed the lead of his father David in his faithfulness to the Lord, his loyalty, and care for the glory of the Lord. He started his reign with positive reforms, “what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, not disregarding the negative aspect, namely, destroying evil, and wiping out all its traces. “And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his father had made” (12) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Asa started strong, spiritually and politically. Beside the temple, he inherited from Solomon, as well, the crawling of idol-worship to the people; together with bitter evils and transgressions from his father Abijah, and his grandfather Rehoboam. He took away the houses of corruption, where homosexuality was practiced by (the perverted in the land); and was common as a part of idol-worship, mixed with adultery and homosexuality, both between males and males, and between females and females. Some of the heathen priests provoked the people, particularly of the lowly class, to practice evil to the account of the temples. By the perverted persons, he means those who practiced fornication with males; when some men, priests, and servants of the temple, clothed themselves with women attire to practice corruption. Yet those perverted persons were not utterly banished, for some of them remained until the days of his son Jehoshaphat (22: 46). He followed that by destroying all the idols made by his father, to take away every curse from the kingdom. Diversion to idol-worship led to taking the kingdom away from the descendants of Jeroboam (1 kings 14: 10-14): Baasha (1 kings 16: 2-4) and Zimry (1 kings 16: 19); and bringing it over to another family; which did not happen with Abijah, nor with all the kings of Judah; on account of the unique faithfulness of David. In the period between the division of the kingdom and the captivation, the royal family did not change in Judah, whereas it changed nine times in Israel within two and a half centuries. “Also he removed Maachah, his grandmother,r from being queen mother, because she made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the brook Kidron” (13) His faithfulness to the Lord was true and deep; he destroyed the idols made by his father. Together with the kingdom he inherited Maachah, his idol-worshipping grandmother; who had then a serious role. Having an upright heart, nothing stood against him; he removed her from her position as a queen for she set an obscene image; then drove her out of the royal palace to dwell in a private house, to keep her influence away from his own wife, from those who worked in the palace, and from statesmen everywhere. He did as the Levites (Deuteronomy 33: 9) who put the ministry of God above every family relationship. He cut down and burned his mother’s obscene image by the brook of Kedron, following the lead of the prophet Moses (Exodus 32: 20), to take away every trace of the idol-worship; and as https://coptic-treasures.com/ Manasseh did when he moved the idol of Ashtoreth away from the house of the Lord, and burned it by the brook of Kedron; to keep the city from being defiled with the smoke or the unclean ashes of the idol. In the Volgata it came that Asa removed his grandmother from her role as a priestess, practicing the sacred rites presented to ‘Priapus’ and his obscene image, she sanctified to him. In the Septuagint version it came that he removed her from her position as a ruler of a group she set by her obscene image. In the Syrian version he removed her from her greatness, as she used to worship the idols with awe. And in the Chaldean version, he removed her from her kingdom. The word translated here as ‘image’, is derived from the Hebrew word, meaning (horror) or (fear); which applies to a very ugly and fearful image, like that of the Egyptian god ‘Betah’. “But the high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa’s heart was loyal to the Lord all his days” (14) He cut down and destroyed all the idols, even those through which some worshipped God; Yet he did not remove the high places, namely, the altars set on the tops of hills to offer sacrifices to the living God; which the Jews used before building the temple; then the commandment clearly came to offer the sacrifices in only one place, namely, the temple (Deuteronomy 12: 11). Asa probably did not consider them as opposing the worship of the living God; not perceiving that they might be a snare that would draw many to idol-worship. The high places should not be understood as for idol-worship, but they were altars on which sacrifices were offered to the living God. Although it was banned by the law, yet it was not like idol-worship. Saying that his heart was loyal to God, does not mean that he never sinned; but that he was faithful in his worship and his ministry to the Lord, and longing to live as is befitting. With his heart enflamed and renewable; the young king cut out the evil he received from his father and grandfather; deciding to do what is good in the sight of the Lord, like his father David. Here we find a concise account of the reign of Asa; which is shown in more detail in 2 kings 16, 15, 14. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Despite all the reforms he has done, and the conquest he got in the name of the lord, yet he fell into the following weaknesses: (1) He resorted to Ben-Hadad king of Aram to save him from Baasha king of Israel (19, 18); disregarding the Lord who gave him awe and conquest. (2) Instead of listening to Hanani the seer who rebuked him for doing that,het became angry, and put him in prison (2 Chronicles 16: 7-10). (3) When God allowed for him to have a disease in his feet, to provoke him to repentance, he did not seek the heeling from God, but sought it from the physicians (2 Chronicles 16: 12). “He also brought into the house of the Lord the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated, silver , gold, and utensils” (15) The things which his father and he himself had dedicated, are the things that Abijam gained in his wars, including his war against Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13: 16-17); he dedicated them to the Lord as David did (2 Samuel 8: 11); he also dedicated the spoil he got in his war against Zerah the Ethiopian (2 Chronicles 14: 9-15), which took place in the eleventh year of his reign (2 Chronicles 18; 15; 10). The heathen kings used to dedicate to their gods a part of the spoil they get in their wars, as did Nebuchadnezar (Ezra 1: 7). Asa tried to make up for what Shishak king of Egypt has taken in the days of king Rehoboam. If we look back at the kings of Judah, we find that about half of them were good kings, and the other half were wicked. Yet through God’s care for his people, we find that He allowed for the good kings to reign a longer period, whereas for the wicked ones, it was for shorter ones. If it came in the commandment that he who honors his father and mother will live longer on earth; how much would it be for him who honors his heavenly Father, and his holy mother the Church. This does not mean that the wicked die young, and the good live longer; for one day for the Lord is like a thousand years; And for many elders, their life is counted as few minutes which passed fruitless; whereas for others, every breath of their life, they are considered as though have given work which no time could ever banish. 3- A TREATY BETWEEN ASA AND BEN-HADAD AGAINST ISRAEL: (16 – 22) https://coptic-treasures.com/ There had been a treaty between Abijam, Asa’s father and Tabrimmon, Benhadad’s father, king of Aram; which helped Abijam to enjoy a great conquest over Jeroboam, followed by several conquests (2 Chronicles 13: 17-20). But that treaty came to an end when Baasha, king of Israel, managed to make a treaty with Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon. …\ The way Jeroboam previously made a treaty with Shishak king of Egypt to support him against Judah, Baasha king of Israel, a man of war who did not know peace, made a treaty with Ben-Hadad against Judah; that provoked Asa to pay much to make Benhadad break that treaty. Anyway, the division of Israel destroyed both kingdoms, scattered all their human and material resources; which was used by the kings of the surrounding nations to their account. As Asa’s military might weakened as a result of his war against the Ethiopians (2 Chronicles 14: 9), he resorted to make a treaty with Ben-Hadad king of Damascus (Aram) against the king of Israel, an act that was not justified by the Lord. And when Hanani the Seer came to rebuke Asa for resorting to the king of Aram, and disregarding the Lord; He got angry, and put him in prison (2 Chronicles 16: 7-10). According to some, even though there was no actual danger from Israel’s side against Judah; Asa’s intention was to destroy Israel, even if the price was to rob the treasuries in the house of the Lord. Asa sinned by bribing Ben-Hadad king of Aram (Syria) to break his covenant with Israel; and not trusting in the Lord his God, who has done much for his, and for his fathers’ sake, and who is capable of saving him from any tribulation, without trusting in human arm. He did wrong by giving the king of Aram all the silver and gold in the treasury of the Lord’s house, and that of the king’s house. The division of Israel, therefore, provoked each of the two kingdoms to compete to gain the surrounding nations to their side -- Aram and Egypt in particular -- to support one against the other. “Now, there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all his days” (16) In 2 Chronicles 14: 1, reading that the land had rest for 10 years at the beginning of Asa’ s reign, we may assume that, even though there has been differences and controversies https://coptic-treasures.com/ between Asa and Baasha; yet there was no great war between them, other than the one mentioned here. He fortified the walls of the cities (2 Chronicles 14: 6, 7). And.When he trusted in the name of the Lord his God, he could conquer Zareh the Ethiopian (2 Chronicles 14: 9-15) “And Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or gone in to Asa king of Judah” (17) Although there was a continuous enmity between the two kings, yet no war worthy to mention happened, except when Baasha king of Israel started to build the village of Ramah on a high plateau within the portion of Benjamin (Joshua 18: 15; 1 Samuel 1: 19; Matthew 2: 18), about 6 miles north of Jerusalem, on the way to Bethel; which represented a threat against Judah (Isaiah 10: 29). ,,, In its place nowadays is ‘Alram’. Prophesying about the killing of the children of Bethlehem, Jeremiah said: “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children , because they are no more” (Jeremiah 31: 15) He built that village for the following reasons: a- To cut off commercial relationships between Judah and the northern kingdom. b- To stop anyone of his people, who had the intention to immigrate to Judah (2 Chronicles 15: 9); or to go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord in the temple. c- As a first step to attack the southern kingdom, or to attack Jerusalem. “Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and the treasuries in the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to king Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying: ‘Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me” (18, 19). https://coptic-treasures.com/ In 2 Chronicle 16: 7-10, it came that Hanani the Seer went to Asa and rebuked him for resorting to the king of Aram, disregarding the Lord his God; and prophesied wars that will bring his end up. Ben-Hadad, meaning (the son of god the sun). According to some scholars three kings of Aram carried that name: The first Ben-Hadad, most probably, ‘Hezion’, or ‘Rezon’ whom God set as an adversary against Solomon (11: 23); the second Ben-Hadad was the one who fought against Ahab (22: 1-36); and the third Ben-Hadad was the one who caused trouble to Israel during the reign of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 13: 3-13). … When Ben-Hadad sent an army to the northern regions of Israel, and took over some towns in the Galilee on the border of Syria, Baasha had to retreat from Ramah. Abijam and Asa brought the spoils of their enemies into the house of the Lord (15), those taken by Asa from Zareh the Ethiopian in particular (2 Kings 14: 13). Yet, whatever were the quantities of silver and gold that were in the palace and the temple, they are counted as nothing after Shishak the king of Egypt took all the treasuries in the days of Rehoboam (1 kings 14: 26). “So Ben-Hadad heeded king Asa and sent the captains of his army against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth Maachah, and all Chinneroth with all the land of Naphtali” (20). Accepting the bribe from Asa, the king of Aram believed that by entering into a covenant with Judah, he would be able to take over some of the cities of Israel, close to him. Ijon: west of Wady et-Teim, the best of the region of Mej Ayun, separated by hills from the Teim; was a fertile plain irrigated by wells, surrounded by hills, some of which are high, but mostly an agricultural land. Abel-Beth Maacha: called Abel Meim (2 Chronicles 16: 4); and called Abellare by Josephus. Chinnweoth: a northern region of Palestine, probably got its name from its extension, connected to the lake; North of Tiberias, known in the late eras as ‘The plain of Gennesaret’; or as ‘The town of Gennesaret’ by Josephus. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Now it happened when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and remained in Tirzah” (21) Because he could not fight two enemies at the same time, Baasha stopped building Ramah, and returned to his palace in Tirzah, a village close to Sheshem.(Nables). “Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah, none was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building, and with them king Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah” (22) We should not mix Geba of Benjamin, mentioned here, with Gibeah of Saul. Geba, here, was one mile North East of Ramah (Joshua 18: 24); a high place on Wady Suweinet (1 Samuel 13: 3; 14: 5), 800 feet deep; By fortifying ‘Geba’, Asa believed that it would give him a better defense than Ramah. Mizpah: Now called ‘Beth Samuel’, about a mile west of Ramah (Joshua 18: 26), the highest hill close to Jerusalem; was the city where the children of Israel gathered together to choose their first king (1 Samuel 10: 17-27); and where Asa made a pit (Jeremiah 41: 5-9). 4- ILLNESS AND DEATH OF ASA: (23-24) “The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. So Asa rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father” (23) In 2 Chronicles 14-16, it was mentioned that he built fortified cities, and his army was 300,000 from Judah, and 280,000 from Benjamin. He conquered Zareh the Ethiopian, whose army was 1,000,000; God talked to him through a prophet , and encouraged him to uproot the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin. https://coptic-treasures.com/ When he was 50 years old, and was diseased in his feet, he did not seek God who chastened him with the illness, but physicians, most probably magicians. “Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place” (24) Asa rested with his fathers; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place. The good king was inherited by a godly son (873-848); who, for three years shared the throne with him. 5- NADAB THE SON OF JEROBOAM THE EVIL KING: (25-28) “Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned over Israel two years” (25) He reigned two incomplete years, for he reigned in the second year of Asa; then was replaced by Baasha in the third year. “And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he made Israel sin” (26) To establish his kingdom, Nadab walked in the way of his father Jeroboam, persisted on worshipping the two golden calves, and on keeping the people from going to Jerusalem to worship in the temple of the Lord. Worshipping the two calves, those two kings, together with their men, were deceiving themselves by assuming that they were worshipping the Lord through them.. Hence God allowed for Nadab to be killed soon by Baasha, in the second year of his reign, while he laid Gibbethon under siege, the city that was taken over by the Palestinians, while trying to take it back. While he was in the midst of his army, Baasha and his men conspired against him and killed him. The army did not stand by their king, but set the killer to replace him. “Then Baasha the son of Abijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him at Gibbethon which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon” (27) https://coptic-treasures.com/ No other king nor judge have ever come from the tribe of Iessachar, except the judge ‘Tola’ (Judges 10: 1-2). Issachar dwelt in ‘Marg ben Amer’ and has been, as Jacob prophesied, “a strong donkey lying down the sheepfolds; he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant; so he bowed his shoulder to the burden, and became a slave at forced labor” (Genesis 49: 14, 15).; And the Lord referred to his lowly origin by saying to Baasha: “I lifted you out of the dust” (16: 1); which indicates that the Lord called him to throne as He did to Jeroboam. Gibbethon: a Hebrew name meaning (mountain) or (a high place), in the land of Dan, on the border of the land of the Philistines, which was given to the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites (Joshua 21: 20), then taken over by the Philistines. Nadab tried to take it back; and Israel continued to do, until the time of ‘Omri’; namely, after 26 years (16: 25). It is probably what is known today as ‘Tel Milat’, 5/8 mile south of Themna, and directly east of Ekron. “Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place” (28) 6- BAASHA DESTROYS ALL THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM: (29-34) “And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed until he destroyed him, according to the words of the Lord which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite” (29) The first task done by the new king was to destroy the house of Jeroboam. Although that was a ferocious act, yet it was allowed by the Lord as a lesson to the people to perceive the fruit of deflection from God, the source of life. By it, the prophecy of Ahijah the prophet was realized, and the Word of the Lord did not fall. But unfortunately, he, whom the Lord used as His rod to chastise the house of Jeroboam, walked in his same way, and did not heed the lesson in it. “Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he had sinned, and by which he had made Israel sin, because https://coptic-treasures.com/ of his provocation with which he had provoked the Lord of Israel to anger” (30) “Now 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?” (31) “And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days” (32) “In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years” (33). “He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin” 34) --------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 KINGS 15 YOU ARE MY RIGHTEOUSNESS, O LORD; YOU ARE MY GOODNESS I SHALL NEVER TRUST IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MY FATHERS + Behold, the history of the kingdom of Judah shakes my whole being; Many good kings begat wicked ones; and many wicked kings begat good ones; Every king is responsible for himself before You; Abijam the son of Rehoboam was not perfect; And Asa the son of Abijam did what is right in the sight of the Lord as David his grandfather did; He removed his grandmother Maachah from the kingdom, and banished her obscene image; He brought his treasuries to the house of the Lord; Yet his heart was not as perfect as that of his grandfather He sinned by trusting in Ben-Hadad the Aramite, to fight against his brother king of Israel; And in his old age he did not seek the Lord to heal him’ Grant me, O Lord, a perfect heart like that of my father David; https://coptic-treasures.com/ Grant me, O Lord, not to trust in the righteousness of my fathers You are my righteousness; You are my goodness. + The kingdom of Israel did not have one king sanctified to You; The wicked Jeroboam begat Nadab who walked in his father’s way; Baasha killed him, then walked in his wicked way; Who will reform my way, but You? Who will set in me a sanctified kingdom (will) but You?
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