Abijah and His Son Asa

Abijah was harsh, like his father Rehoboam, and his reign was filled with war and strife. Constantly fighting against his brothers in Israel. Yet in all this despair God was faithful to His promise to David that there would always be a king from his line on the throne. After Abijah died, his son Asa came to rule. His heart was turned toward rescuing the people from the idolatry in Judah and with God’s help, he galvanized the people of Judah into a spirit of unity.

In the previous episode, we heard about the descent of Judah and Israel into idolatry and wickedness. Under kings, Jeroboam and Rehoboam God’s people moved further and further away from the standard God had set for His people, and the two nations suffered as a result. These days were a far cry from the former glory of the unified nation of Israel under David and Solomon. Today we’ll learn of the kings that follow Jeroboam and Rehoboam…and sadly it will be more of the same, for the most part. But even in the midst of His children’s unfaithfulness, we’ll see how God remains faithful to David’s descendants. And even in the presence of suffering, there will be glimmers of hope for these hard-headed people. A king will rise in Judah whose heart harkens back to his ancestor David.