Life can be so unfair, right? Just as I was about to proceed to write about the reign of Asa, I did feel I leave some details out. We have the account of Jeroboam I’s son, Abijah of Israel, who fell sick. It would be interesting to know both Rehoboam and Jeroboam both had a son named Abijah. Abijah of Judah soon rose to succeed the throne but only reigned for three years. Meanwhile, Abijah of Israel got sick and was cut short. There are many times life feels unfair especially when an ungodly king is alive and well while his godly son is sick.
We read of the prophet Ahijah who was commanded to anoint Jeroboam, son of Nebat, king. Later, there was another Jeroboam, the son of Joash of Israel, another wicked king. Jeroboam’s actions led Israel into some form of idolatry by establishing the worship of the calves at both Bethel and Dan. The whole religion was wicked. Yet, we read of the godly Abijah of Israel, who fell sick. Jeroboam even thought he could fool God’s prophet by commanding his wife to disguise herself. The prophecy came out after the condemnation of Jeroboanm’s sins. Jeroboam’s house was going to be destroyed by another wicked man, Baasha. Also, Abijah of Israel, wasn’t going to recover, and that all of the Northern Kingdom was going to bury Abijah of Israel in honor. Meanwhile, every other man in the House of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was going to be destroyed. Interestingly, the KJV uses “pisseth against the wall” which was most likely used to describe the vileness of the men in Jeroboam’s clan, save Abijah of Judah.
According to the Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible, it can be read that Jewish historians had recorded Abijah of Israel’s refusal to participate of the idolatry of his father. It’s a real pain, really, when an ungodly father has a godly son and vice-versa. Jonathan had to deal with his ungodly father Saul. Like Jonathan, Abijah wasn’t to become king. Yet, it seems that death by sickness was going to be the ultimate deliverance. Judgment was hitting Jeroboam’s son. Yet, Abijah of Israel would be buried in honor while the rest who “pisseth against the wall” were going to be destroyed by the ungodly Baasha.
Matthew Henry also states that there’s speedy deliverance. In short, the death of Abijah of Israel was a mercy. Abijah of Israel’s death would be a trip to Heaven. Meanwhile, the rest were getting ready to be set to Hell. Henry also states that there are times God’s sovereignty and grace that some are saved from the worst families. The death of Abijah of Israel, a righteous man, was removed from the wickedness. Abijah of Israel was delivered from a wicked world to a better setting. The Old Testament saints were sent to Abraham’s Bosom until Jesus’ ministry was finished. This was called Hades (which was most likely used after Hades, the Greek god of the afterlife) which was divided into Hell and Abraham’s Bosom. I could imagine the massiveness of Hell right now when unsaved sinners fall down. I believe a good portion of Jeroboam’s family went to Hell while Abijah, who probably had no heir as well, went to Paradise and later, was transferred to Heaven.
An excerpt from Charles H. Spurgeon’s sermon on Abijah of Israel, also mentions the following:
The next thing that we cannot understand is this, that God’s dear little, children who love him should often be called to suffer. We say, “Well, if it was my child I should heal him and ease his sufferings at once.” Yet the Almighty Father allows his dear ones to be afflicted. The godly child of Jeroboam lies sick, and yet his wicked father is not sick, and his mother is not sick; we could almost wish they were, that they might do the less evil. Only one godly one is in the family, and he lies sick! Why was it so? Why is it so in other cases? You shall see a gracious child a cripple, you shall see a heavenly-minded girl a consumptive: you shall often see the heavy hand of God resting where his eternal love has fixed its choice. There is a meaning in all this, and we know somewhat of it; and if we knew nothing we would believe all the same in the goodness of the Lord. Jeroboam’s son was like the fig of I he sycamore tree, which does not ripen till it is bruised: by his sickness he was speedily ripened for glory. Besides, it was for his father’s good and his mother’s good that he was sick; if they had been willing to learn from the sorrow, it might have greatly blessed them. It did drive them to the prophet of God. Oh, that it had driven them to God himself! A sick child has led many a blinded parent to the Saviour, and eyes have thereby been opened.
There is something more remarkable still, and that is that some of God’s dearest children should die while they are yet young. I should have said let Jeroboam die and his wife too, but spare the child. Ay, but the child must go: he is the fittest. His departure was intended to give glory to God’s grace in saving such a child, and making him so soon perfect. It was to be the reward of grace, for the child was taken from the evil to come; he was to die in peace and be buried, whereas the rest of the family would be slain with the sword and given to the jackals and the vultures to tear in pieces. In this child’s case his early death was a proof of grace. If any say that converted children ought not to be taken into the church, I answer, how is it the Lord takes so many of them into heaven? If they are fit for the one, they surely are fit for the other? The Lord, in infinite mercy, often takes children home to himself, and saves them from the trials of long life and temptation; because not only is there grace in them, but there is so much more grace than usual that there is no need for delay, they are ripe already for the harvest. It is wonderful what great grace may dwell in a boy’s heart: child piety is by no means of an inferior kind, it is sometimes ripe for heaven.
Yet, Jeroboam and his wife never repented. Amazingly, it’s hard to see why God even raises up another wicked king to judge a previous wicked king. Later, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, tried to fight the short-lived Abijah of Judah (2nd Chronicles 13). As mentioned, Abijah of Judah was only in his 30s when he died. How Abijah of Judah died may continue to be a mystery. For all we know, Abijah of Judah may have incurred judgment or died of natural causes. I can only speculate how Abijah of Judah died. Later, Nadab the ungodly son of Jeroboam reigned. 1st Kings 15:25-32 tells us of the short reign of Nadab. Nadab, unlike his older brother Abijah of Israel, was an ungodly man who persisted in the ungodly ways. Sadly, Nadab would be in Hell right now as well.
Later, Israel would have a more troublesome reign. Baasha was raised to get rid of Nadab. Yet, we read that Baasha was also ungodly in his 24 years of reign. Baasha would have a son named Elah who’d also reign for two years. Elah was later murdered by Zimri who reigned for only a week. Then we’d have the rise of even greater corruption, the house of Omri. From Omri, we would have three really notorious figures namely Ahab, Jezebel, and Athaliah the Wicked Queen. We would also have Asa of Judah who was a great contrast to Baasha. From Asa also came Jehoshaphat, a revivalist who unfortunately made terrible decisions.
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