1 Kings 15 Study Notes

15:1-2 The only revealing detail in the formal opening for Abijam’s (“Abijah” in Chronicles) record was that his mother Maacah was from the line of Absalom, or Abishalom. This relationship might indicate that Solomon’s family had to make some accommodations with the family of Absalom, Solomon’s half brother, to maintain rule over Judah (see 2Sm 15-18).

15:3-5 Abijam was bad, like his father (14:22-24), with the typical negative comparison with David; but then this record has one of several statements in 1 Kings to the effect that God spared Jerusalem and a wicked king because of the good king, David.

15:6 The reference to war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam departs from the normal pattern of dealing only with the current king. Other translations follow variant texts that read “Abijam” instead of “Rehoboam.” Others consider this to be a scribal error. The CSB translates this statement as a factual flashback reference to Rehoboam’s rule.

15:7-8 The only distinctive point to note in this closer is the reference to continued war between Abijam and Jeroboam, a reference that is redundant if v. 6 also refers to Abijam. At this point these were still border skirmishes.

15:9-24 With King Asa of Judah and Nadab of Israel, two parallel movements began. First, religious revival began under Asa so that God had a reason to restore blessings to the good kings of the south. This revival, led by two good kings, Asa and Jehoshaphat, lasted about sixty years. Then, early in the reign of Asa, the rule of Nadab began a bloody process of civil war and violence, which actually ended with the restoration of Hebrew economic and political power under Omri and Ahab. These two movements were inseparable because God used the renewed power of the wicked kings of the north to bring renewed blessing, power, and wealth to the good kings of the south. Chapters 15 and 16 trace the revival in the south and the resurgence of political power in the north. Asa’s revival is recorded first.

15:9-10 The only unexpected point in Asa’s opener is that he was a grandson of Maacah, from the line of Absalom, or Abishalom; thus, Absalom and Solomon were co-ancestors to the covenant royal line.

15:11-12 Asa, nevertheless, turned out to be a godly king. He was the first king since the division of the kingdom to do what was right in the Lord’s sight. What influenced him to choose obedience to God? From the data available, it seems that the presence of godly Levites in the south could have been a factor (2Ch 11:13-14).

15:13 As a queen mother, Asa’s grandmother, Maacah, was a stumbling block to faith in the Lord. Part of cleansing the kingdom was removing her bad influence.

15:14 For all of the good kings, the high places that were not taken away were probably illegal shrines for worshiping the Lord away from the Lord’s house, not for worshiping pagan gods. Tolerating the pagan high places would have been out of character for a good king and contrary to his general behavior as recorded.

15:15 The gifts to the Lord’s temple, especially the silver and gold, marked the return of prosperity among the people.

15:16-17 With Baasha, whose formal record comes later (15:33-16:7), the border skirmishes became war. His offensives involved both Judah and the Philistine plain. These military advances were probably possible because of the newly reestablished chariot armies. Apparently, Baasha penetrated Benjamite territory and began building a fortress at Ramah about six miles north of Jerusalem. This could have cut off all trade on that road. There were two locations named Ramah just north of Jerusalem. The one in the middle of Benjamin would have posed the greater threat. This would have been a serious blow to whatever limited benefit Judah was gaining from north-south trade on the road through Jerusalem. Most of the significant trade bypassed Jerusalem by moving up the coastal plain and then inland through passes that opened into the Plain of Esdraelon. From there the trade moved to points west in Phoenician ships or by land to points northeast of Palestine.

15:18-22 This was such a serious threat that Asa purchased an alliance with the Arameans of Damascus. The Chronicler rebukes Asa for not trusting in the Lord instead (2Ch 16:7-10). This alliance must have been particularly humiliating since earlier years had been marked by alliances in which the Hebrews were dominant and collected tribute. Now the king of Judah had to pay the Arameans to deliver him from the threat of Israel. The Arameans’ response was devastating to Israel. The northern regions were plundered, and Baasha, despite a small resurgence of Hebrew strength, had to take refuge in his capital, Tirzah. Asa then used the building materials at Ramah to build his own defenses north of Jerusalem at Geba and Mizpah in Benjamin. Depending on the location selected for Ramah, these fortifications would have formed a defense line just north of Ramah or two miles or so south of the other Ramah.

15:23-24 Asa’s foot disease is mentioned without comment, but it may be a hint that his enlistment of help from Aram was viewed by God as an expression of lack of faith. This is brought out more clearly in 2Ch 16:7-12.

15:25-16:28 This section chronicles the reign of five kings of Israel: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri. Israel had a favorable location for exacting some control over local transit trade. This trade financed a limited revival of Israel’s military strength. Israel’s military capacity had revived sufficiently for aggressive warfare against the Philistines as early as Nadab, the son of Jeroboam. This new military was a local chariot force that included homegrown Hebrew warriors. Thus, eventually, a Hebrew chariot commander, Omri, could become king of Israel (16:16). Despite the civil wars and palace revolutions, this was a time of restoring the military power of Israel.

15:25-26 These two verses follow the typical formula. They tell of the beginning of the rule of Nadab over Israel and pass the usual negative moral judgment. Jeroboam’s example was not only the measure of evil for Nadab, but for almost every other king of Israel.

15:27-30 This campaign against Gibbethon, just south of Gezer, demonstrated the resurgence of Israel’s military strength. Since the most effective arm of any offensive army in that era was typically the chariots (with the exception of David’s), the text is likely referring to a chariot army. Nadab died in a battlefield revolution. Baasha, Nadab’s killer, fulfilled the prophecy that the house of Jeroboam would be exterminated (14:10-11,14).

15:31-32 This closing again calls attention to the more or less continual war between the two kingdoms. The note about war between Asa and Baasha normally would be more at home in the closing section about Baasha.

15:33-34 This introduction reveals nothing distinctive about the rule of Baasha. He was the first of three kings whose beginning and length of rule statements are combined into a single sentence. Translated literally, this formula was: “became king . . . for twenty-four years.” Introductions to two other kings of this group, Elah (16:8) and Omri (16:23), show this unusual wording.