Today, during my personal devotions I was reading 1 Kings 15-16. By this time, Solomon is dead and the kingdom is divided in two. I was getting into the part of the Bible where it mentions all the kings and a little about what they did during their reign.
“In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done.” 1 Kings 15:9-11
I love it when I get to read about a good king because they are all so far and few between (I can only think of 3 at the moment)! I kept reading and came to:
“Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah…” 1 Kings 15: 25a
And a little bit further:
“In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel…” 1 Kings 15:33a
Again:
“In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel…” 1 Kings 16:8a
“In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days Tirzah.” 1 Kings 16:15a
“In the thirty-first year of Asa King of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel…” 1 Kings 16:23a
“In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel…” 1 Kings 16:29a
It was at this point that I suddenly noticed that Asa was STILL king of Judah even though there had been SIX kings of Israel! I’ve noticed in the past that if a king only reigns for a little while (for instance- 3 days!), it is usually because this statement followed their name:
“did evil in the sight of the LORD.”
However, when the Bible records that a king did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, it’s usually good news and that king often has a longer reign than the evil kings. This just goes to show that God blesses those who worship him. I’m not saying that nothing bad will ever happen to a righteous person, because that simply isn’t true! All you have to do it look at the New Testament to realize that. However, the Old Testament is full of verses that promise God’s blessings on those who keep his commandments and follow after him. Of course, the ultimate blessing will be eternal life with God but I think God also blesses his people on earth, too.
Maybe it’s not with great wealth, maybe it’s with joy, family, or just the peace that only he gives. I’m so thankful for God’s blessings!
Scribblings of a Sojourner 