The Legacy of Kings - The Book of 1 Kings

In this Bible Story, we learn about the downward spiral of Judah and Israel. Their kings, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, lead their people into an era of idol-worship, war, and cynicism. The past glory of David and Solomon seems like a distant memory, and the people of Israel grow accustomed to sin and shame. This story is inspired by 1 Kings 14, 15:33-34 & 2 Chronicles 12. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 2 Chronicles 12:6 from the King James Version.

Episode 120: King Jeroboam’s son Abijah was sick, and as he sat at the boy’s bedside, he called for his wife to disguise herself and seek out the prophet Ahijah. When she arrived, his message for her was not one of hope but of judgment and of recompense for her husband's sins. And as she rode home in heartbreak, her son Abijah died.

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Producer: Ben Gammon

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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the
King humbled themselves, and they said, the Lord is righteous
second Chronicles twelve six. Dear God, in this moment, I
will not allow my legacy to be remembered through a
negative lens like the two kings in to day's story.

(00:23):
As much as it remains with me, I will leave
a legacy worthy of telling my future generations about. I
will use whatever influence you have given me to influence
those around me to honor and to love You Lord
with their whole hearts. In this moment, I declare that

(00:45):
my life will serve as a lamp to point people
to the marvelous path of abundant peace and provision you
provide for your children to live in accordance to your ways.
Even when I make a mistake, I will be swift
to correct and redirect my steps. Thank you for never

(01:07):
leaving me and for always giving me another chance to
become the best version of myself. You are good, and
your mercy endures forever. My soul knows this very well.
In Jesus' name, Amen, thank you for making prayer a

(01:32):
priority in your day. To learn more about the Bible,
stay tuned for today's story, brought to you by Bible
in a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Com The Legacy of Kings.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
In our last story, we learned about the Man of
God's disobedience towards the Lord. He was tricked into eating
among the wicked city and ultimately devoured by a lion. Meanwhile,
the country of Israel was descending into wickedness under the
leadership of Jeroboam. In this story, we behold the two kings,

(02:15):
Jeroboam of Israel and Rioboam of Judah, and the fates
of both men, as well as their legacies inspired by
the Book of First Kings.

Speaker 4 (02:28):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year. In our previous reading, we heard
about the Man of God. He went to Jeroboam to
deliver a word of condemnation from God for this king,
who had turned to idle worship and abandoned God's truth.
On his trip home, he had believed the word of
a prophet who had lied to him about God, and

(02:49):
then he disobeyed the Lord's command. This disobedience cost this
man his life, as we'll hear in today's passage, the
Two Kings and the Divided kingdom of his Islae will
suffer the consequences of their own sins, will once more
be reminded that the only path to true success in
life is by believing God's commands and obeying him. Let's

(03:13):
listen now to God's word.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
It was late into the night. The clouds were thick
in the sky and blocking the stars from shining down
on Israel. The land was asleep except King Jeroboam, who
was sitting at the bedside of his son Abaijah. The
boy quivered in his sleep. The sheets were damp from
his sweat, and he trembled from his fever. Jeroboam stroked

(03:40):
his son's hair and patted his forehead with a damned cloth.
He could not stand to see the suffering of his son.
His wife was beside him, holding her son's hand. Jeroboam
looked at her and said, we have no clue what
is wrong with him, or if he will make it.
You should disguise yourself and leave the city towards Shiloh.
There is a prophet named Ahijah. He is the one

(04:03):
who told me I would be king long ago. Go
and ask him about our son's future. So the king's
wife departed towards Shiloh. She rode into the night, shrouded
under a cloak to hide her identity. She came to Shiloh,
where he dwelled. There was a small home in the
hills where he lived. The queen entered the home to

(04:23):
find the prophet old and decrepit in his bed. A
Hyjah could not see in his old age, but he
was still attuned to the Lord's spirit and wisdom. Jeroboam's
wife will come to you pretending to be some one else,
the Lord told him. Tell her only what I tell you.
So when he heard the footsteps of the queen, he

(04:45):
called out, come on in, dear wife of Jeroboam, why
do you hide your identity. She was shocked to hear
him call out to her, and paralyzed by his insight
despite his blindness. I have disturbing news, he told her.
The Lord has spoken to your husband, saying I have
given you all you have asked for. I ripped the

(05:07):
kingdom away from the line of David and gave it
to you. But you are nothing like my servant David.
You have done more evil than all kings who have
lived before you. Since you have turned your back to me,
I shall bring disaster to your lineage. Your family will
die in the city streets and be remembered no more.
A few small tears fell from Jeroboam's wife. Her hands

(05:30):
began to shake as she listened to the old prophet's
speak curses over her family. Ahijah got up from his
bed and held her hands. When you return home, your
son shall be dead. All of Israel shall mourn for him,
for he is the only good thing to come out
of Jeroboam's life. He then released her hands. The queen

(05:52):
stood up and began to leave. As her back was
turned to the prophet, he spoke one last thing. This
would prove to be the most desrving.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
News of all.

Speaker 3 (06:02):
The Lord will raise up a new king to destroy
your husband. He will shake Israel to its core, and
it shall be whipped about like a log in rapids.
They will be uprooted and scattered beyond the Euphrates River.
Israel will feel abandoned because of Jeroboam. Without a word,
she fled back to the city. The child had died,

(06:24):
just as a Hija had predicted, and the rest of
Jeroboam's kingship was marked with war. His reign was twenty
two years and most of his time was plagued with dysfunction,
idol worship, and needless conflict. Once he passed, his son
Nada took over as king.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
We begin today's scripture in the palace of King Jeroboam.
He refused to turn from his wicked ways, and his
son Abaji now lay sick in his bed. The king
is desperate for answers, but there are none. He then
remembered a name he had long since forgotten, Ahijah, the
prophet who has spoken God's word to him concerning the

(07:09):
division of Israel and that the northern tribes would make
him king. It's the same prophet who warned Jeroboam to
keep God's commands and follow him, something else that he
had forgotten long ago. So he sends his wife to
Ahijah and tells her to disguise herself and inquire of
their son's future. She does what the king asks and

(07:31):
enters the prophet's home. His eyes are weak, but his
spirit is still strong, and he senses God's speaking to him,
telling him who this woman is and to tell her
only what God says. Ahijah beckons her to come near,
identifying her as the king's wife. He then delivers bad news.
God gave Jeroboam all he had asked for, but he

(07:54):
turned his back on God. He became a more wicked
king than Israel had ever known, and for this his
family would come to destruction. The sixth son would be
dead when the woman got back home, and Jeroboam's rule
would come to an end and the people would be scattered.
Jeoboam's sins would cause all of Israel to feel abandoned.

(08:16):
And in First Kings fourteen verse sixteen, we read God's
final words to Jeroboam's wife, and he will give Israel
up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned
and made Israel to sin. When she returned home, she
found the son dead, just as Ahijah had prophesied, and
all the people mourned the loss of this child. It

(08:39):
was said that the child was the only good thing
to ever come from Jeroboam's life. What a sad commentary
on the worthless legacy of this king who had been
chosen by God. He had held such promise, but his
name is now ruined forever because he chose to follow
after other gods and give his worship to false god

(09:00):
gods rather than the one True God. And to lead
Israel to sin. His reign was marred by idolatry and
conflict with the Southern kingdom ruled by Rao Boem. Raoboam
did not fare much better. In fact, Judah was even
worse off. Under his reign. The people turned to idolatry
and ritual prostitution. God's wrath burned against Judah, and the

(09:25):
King of Egypt invaded the land, pillaging gold and treasures
from God's House and the king's palace. The richly adorned
temple Solomon had built was a shadow of its former glory.
God was judging his people for their lack of faith
and devotion to Him, but he would not abandon them.
Their future would be marked by much conflict and only

(09:47):
a few kings who followed God and sought his favor.
Much of what would come would be evil kings who
turned from God, and with them the people. These evil
kings ruled, and the people paid the price for they
all fell into sin and judgment. There will, however, be
glimmers of a future hope, a time when God would

(10:09):
send the true and one mighty king that would point
Israel and the whole world to God, the Father. His
name is Jesus and the promised Messiah and the savior
of the world. Dear God, thank you for what we
learn in today's reading that you are serious about sin
and will always judge disobedience. May we learn your ways

(10:34):
and do your will and walk in holiness before you.
May we see that judgment comes upon all of those
who reject you and believe the lies of Satan. Thank
you for your son, Jesus Christ, the Savior, who came
into the world to give his life on the cross,
to die and to rise again so that we could

(10:55):
have eternal life. That we can turn from our idols
in our old way and have a brand new life.
And if you want this brand new life, why not
where you are right Now, bow your head and pray
a prayer like this. Dear God, I thank you for
loving me, for sending your son into the world to

(11:17):
be my savior. I believe Jesus that you died and
rose again and that you're coming again for me, and
I trust you as my Lord and my savior. Lord.
I give you my heart. I will follow you by
the power of your spirit all the days of my life. Amen.

(11:39):
Thank you for listening to today's Bible. In a Year podcast.
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot com
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(11:59):
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(12:22):
bless you.