Abijah and Ahijah

Saturday 6-13-15 (Home in Modesto)

Scripture reading:  1 Kings 13-14    2 Chron 12     Phil 3

S.  1 Kings 14:12-14  Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam's wife, "Go on home, and when you enter the city, the child (Abijah) will die.  All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only member of your family who will have a proper burial, for this child is the only good thing that the LORD, the God of Israel, sees in the entire family of Jeroboam.  NLT

O.  Things did not go well for Israel after the death of Solomon.  It seems obvious that he had raised his sons as wealthy, spoiled brats.  His son, Rehoboam, who inherited the throne proved himself to be a jerk, by starting out his reign with nasty threats to his people. 

So Jeroboam, who returns from his exile in Egypt, heads a rebellion and splits off 10 of the 12 tribes and starts his own kingdom.  And to make things worse, he starts his own religion by making a couple of golden calves for his people to worship.  Quickly, far too quickly, the little Israelite children are taught that this golden calf idol-god had rescued their ancestors from Egypt.  And the true Jehovah, Yahweh God was forgotten. 

Now Jeroboam has a little son named Abijah who became very ill.  Jeroboam wanted to hear from the real God about the future of this sickness, so he has his wife disguise herself and go see an old blind man, Ahijah, perhaps the only remaining faithful prophet of the true God.  He greets her by name before she can ring the doorbell.  And his message from God is not good news. 

In effect God is saying, “The entire family of Jeroboam is condemned and doomed, all except one.  I see a pure heart in this little guy, Abijah.  He is the only decent son in this family… so before he can get messed up by the rest of you guys, I am taking him to my home.  The moment you arrive home, he will die!”  

A.  Okay, what is this story saying to me?   It is saying that one evil man at the helm of a chosen nation can turn the ship toward total disaster.  And it is saying that a loving God in heaven may sometimes snatch His innocent little ones from an ungodly mess to avoid their future contamination.   

Abijah and Ahijah:  On the internet I find this statement about this little boy’s name: ‘Abijah is a Biblical Hebrew unisex name that means "my Father is Yahweh".’  Apparently before he was born, not knowing if he would be a boy or girl, some godly person named him after the true and living God.  Wow!

The old blind prophet’s name, Ahijah, means “Brother of the Lord.”  The prophet, living in a wicked pagan-infested land, maintained his DNA.  He was part of the family of God!  Even a wicked Jeroboam knew where to find truth!

P.  Lord, I live in a pagan-infested land.  If some wicked ‘Jeroboam’ of this age, should seek out a word of genuine truth, may I be Your ‘Ahijah,’ the man of God that comes to mind.  As this new age of political correctness attempts to gobble up every remaining doctrine and practice of Christianity, may I maintain my DNA… my  integrity and be forever identified as a member of Your family.  Amen.

Ralph