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One-sentence summary: King Asa of Judah follows after the Lord, and the Lord delivers him from his enemies.
In the 18th year of Jeroboam, Abijah becomes king over Judah and reigns three years in Jerusalem. He "[walks] in all the sins of his father," and his heart "is not loyal to the Lord his God." But the Lord gives David a lamp in Jerusalem for his sake, because David did what is right in the sight of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything He had commanded him all his life except in the matter of Bathsheba. There is war between Abijah and Jeroboam, and Jeroboam dies and is buried in the city of David. His son Asa reigns in his place for 41 years, and he does what is right as David did and banishes the perverted people and removes the idols from the land, and he even removes his own grandmother from being the queen mother because she made an obscene image. He cuts it down and burns it, but he does not remove the hight places. However, his heart remains loyal to the Lord, and he brings the dedicated things into the Lord's house. There is war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days, and Baasha comes up against Judah, and Asa takes all the silver and gold from the Lord's house and king's house and puts it into the hands of his servants and sends it to the king of Syria, asking him to break his treaty with Baasha and make one with him instead, which he does, and fights Baasha. King Asa makes a proclamation, and they take away all the stones Baasha he had used for building, and he builds cities with them. In his old age, he becomes diseased in his feet, and he dies and is buried with his fathers, and Jehoshaphat his son reigns in his place. Nadab, Jeroboam's son, reigns after him for two years, but he does evil in the Lord's sight. Baasha conspires against him and kills him and reigns in his place, and he kills all the house of Jeroboam, according to the word of the Lord spoken by Ahijah because of his sins. There is war between Baasha and Asa all their days, and it says Baasha does evil in the sight of the Lord.
The same story is chronicled in both books. Abijah stands on the mountains of Ephraim and says to Jeroboam and Israel that the Lord gave the dominion of Israel to David forever by a covenant of salt, but Jeroboam has rebelled. He says they have cast out the priests of the Lord and made anyone priest to idols that are not gods. He declares the Lord is the true God and that they have not forsaken Him, but that Judah performs their duties every morning to the Lord. He says the Lord is with them as their head, and the priests have sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against them. He tells them not to fight against the Lord or they will not prosper, but Jeroboam causes an ambush to come behind them, and when Judah looks around, the battle is all around them. They cry out to the Lord, and the priests sound the trumpets. Then, they all shout, and the Lord strikes Jeroboam and all Israel, and they flee before Judah, and the Lord delivers them, and Abijah and his people slaughter many of them. It says they prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers. And Abijah pursues Jeroboam and takes cities from him, and he does not recover strength again in the days of Abijah, and the Lord strikes him, and he dies. But Abijah grows mighty and has many sons and daughters. Then, Abijah dies, and Asa his son reigns.
In those days, the land is quiet for ten years, and Asa does what is good and right in God's sight because he removes the foreign gods and high places and commands Judah to seek the Lord and keep the law and commandment of the Lord. He builds fortified cities and has rest because the Lord gives him rest. Ethiopia comes agains Judah with an army of 1,000,000. Asa cries out to the Lord, saying it is nothing for Him to help, no matter how many come against them. He declares his reliance on the Lord and asks Him not to let man prevail; the Lord strikes the Ethiopians, and they flee. They are "broken before the Lord and His army." Judah takes much spoil and defeats other cities, because the fear of the Lord comes upon the people, and they plunder the other cities, returning to Jerusalem.
The Spirit of God comes upon Azariah the prophet, and he goes out to meet Asa, saying the Lord is with him and Judah and Benjamin as long as they are with him. "If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you." He says Israel has been a long time away from the true God, a teaching priest, or the law. He tells them to be strong and not let their hands be weak, for their work will be rewarded. When Asa hears, he takes courage and removed the abominable idols from Judah, Benjamin, and the cities he has taken, and he restores the altar of the Lord. He gathers Judah and Benjamin and all those who come from Israel- who have come to join them because they see the Lord is with them- and they offer to the Lord many sacrifices from the spoil. They also enter into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul. It says that whoever would not seek the Lord is put to death- small or great, man or woman, and they take an oath with a loud voice with shouting and trumpets, and they all rejoice at the oath because they swear with all their heart and seek Him with all their soul, and it says He was found by them; He gives them rest all around. However, the high places are not removed. Asa remains loyal to the Lord all his days, and there is no war until the 35th year of his reign.
In the 36th year of his reign, Baasha king of Israel comes up against Judah, which is when Asa makes the treaty with Syria. More on this is said in Chronicles than in Kings. A seer comes to Asa and says that because he relied on the king of Syria instead of the Lord, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from his hand. He says that in the past, he relied on the Lord, and He delivered them from the Ethiopians, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him," but Asa has acted foolishly and will have wars henceforth. Asa is angry at the seer and has him imprisoned, and he also oppresses some of the people. In the 39th year of his reign, he becomes diseased in his feet severely, but he seeks his physicians instead of the Lord, and he dies in the 41st year.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
Leaders have a huge responsibility, as the Lord holds them responsible not only for their own sins, but for the sins of the people if they lead them down the wrong path.
"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him." Wow!
As long as we rely on the Lord, it does not matter who is against us. That should make us very confident!... and very humble!