Who was King Abijam? Was he faithful or foolish? Well, he was a little bit of both.
There were times that he courageously put his life on the line because he trusted God’s promise (2 Chronicles 13:6), and at other times, he completely disregarded the Lord (1 Kings 15:3). Although Abijam fought significant wars on the battlefield, the real battle was raging within his own divided heart.
This internal tension was made clear by the writers of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles referring to him by two different names:
The names shape the narrative. “Abijah” means “My father is Yahweh.” That is a strong name that represents faith, trust, and commitment to follow God and lead His people as a humble servant. But while His name said one thing, his life said another.
The author of 1 Kings uses the less honorable (and more morally accurate) name “Abijam,” which removes the nod to God because “his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 15:3).
You may have family names or nicknames that mock your reputation or celebrate your sin. But even if you don’t have two family names, your heart is still divided. The truth is, all of us have parts of our lives that are not “wholly” true to the Lord, no matter how faithful we perceive ourselves to be.
As Christians, our consciences are constantly in conflict. The sinful nature of your flesh and the power of the Holy Spirit wage war over your desires. As Paul said in Romans, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). We’re often taking two steps forward and one step back, walking down the righteous path of David, only to frequently detour down the backway alleys of Rehoboam.
In some sense, we are both Abijah and Abijam—sinner and saint.
“Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem” (1 Kings 15:4).
One thing that we will see in our study of the Kings of Judah is that no king perfectly displays the kind of kingship God wants for His people: a powerful and humble king whose rule and reign bring flourishing to the people.
So, while Abijam was not wholly committed to the Lord, the Lord was wholly committed to His people. In fact, in 2 Chronicles 13, God delivered Judah in dramatic fashion. They were outnumbered, surrounded, and ambushed. And yet God fights for them and delivers them. Why? “Because of the covenant with David” (2 Chronicles 13:5, 18).
In other words, the victory belonged to the Lord long before the battle began. You see, Abijam wins a victory that he does not deserve because of a covenant that he did not earn. God preserves the Davidic line, not because any of the kings were worthy, but because His promise is sure.
As Christians, we too wear a victor's crown from a battle we did not earn. We, too, are kids of the covenant. Not only that, but we have something that no king ever had. We have seen the coming of the True King.
King Jesus lived an undivided life where His life matched His name, for Jesus’ name means “God saves!” His name is the narrative. King Jesus fought the battle we couldn’t fight and gave the victory that we could never earn. God saves!
Want to dive deeper? Check out our sermon series guide on Kings of Judah, or watch the most recent sermon from our Kings of Judah sermon series.
