1 Kings 15:1-8 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:1-8. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Kings 15:1-8 (NIV)
1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah,
2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.
4 Nevertheless, 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.
5 For 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.
6 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout [Abijah’s] lifetime.
7 As for the other events of Abijah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
8 And Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.
On verses 1-8: Here we read about Abijah son of Rehoboam and his 3 year reign as king of Judah. The writer of 1 Kings saw little that was noteworthy about Abijah’s reign other than the fact that he committed all the same sins his father Rehoboam committed (v3). In fact the only reason God allowed Abijah to continue reigning as king was for his great grandfather David’s sake (v4), because David had followed the Lord. Because David obeyed, his great grandson Abijah was blessed long after David was gone.
What can we learn from this? Could it be that some of the greatest advantages, blessings, and comforts you know today are because someone older went ahead of you, paved the way for you, prayed for you, and/or lived their life in such a way that God decided to bless everyone who came after them, including you? Some of the greatest blessings you and I will experience in life have nothing to do with our own faithfulness to God, but are the result of someone else’s faithfulness.
In this regard I think of my grandmother. I am told that nearly every morning before her children woke up she would be in her living room, kneeling and praying to God for her children and the generations after them. I absolutely believe that my grandmother’s prayers are a huge reason why the generations that have outlived my grandmother are so blessed today.
When you live your life for God’s glory, the positive effects that flow from your life will be felt for generations to come.
Father, thank You for those who have gone ahead of me and whose faith, sacrifice, prayers and hard work have allowed me to be so blessed today. The greatest of these of course is Your Son Jesus, who went ahead of us and sacrificed Himself for us long before we were born, all so that we could have the greatest blessings today. May I never take for granted those who have gone before us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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