1 Kings

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1 Kings 15 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on 1 Kings 15 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.

2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

Who was the maternal grandmother of Abajam?

Abishalom is the same as Absalom, see 2 Chr. 11:21. It is most likely that Abishalom had a second name, Uriel, as having two names is fairly common in the Bible.
Absalom may be the son of David as Josephus claims and Maachah the daughter of Tamar.

3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

"And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father." See 1 Sam.18:27, 27:9, 2 Sam.4:12, 5:8 13, and 11:2-17 for examples of what a man whose heart is "perfect with the Lord" can do. It was fortunate that Jeroboam's heart was not so perfect.

If the reader follows the links, he will find that in most of these cases David defended Israel and his men against the enemies. The author of the SAB seems to assert that defense is not allowed.
The case of Uriah is different, and deeply lamented by David.

4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:

5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

David never sinned, "save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." But didn't David sin by numbering the people? (2 Sam.24:10)
Did David sin?

Although David laments his sins many times, his sins with regard of Uriah were exceptional in that the sole cause arose in his own heart, and he laboured for quite a while to keep his sins hidden. Only after Nathan explained it was he who had sinned, did he realise the full extent of what he had done.

6 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

(15:11-12) Asa "did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD" by expelling homosexuals (or "sodomites", as the good book calls them).

As the Lord had commanded Israel to do in Deut. 23:17.

13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

14 But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.

Did Asa remove the high places?
Was Asa perfect?

As the author of the SAB does not read for “The high places were not removed”: “All hills and mountains were removed” he already attaches an interpretation to high places: not simply every high place, but every high places where they sacrificed to the idols. But even this interpretation is too broad. The Israelites used the high places to sacrifice to the Lord as well, see chapter 3:2. When the temple was built, they should no longer have sacrificed anywhere else, but they still did. So when we read in 2 Chr. 14:5 that the high places were removed it is the high places where they sacrificed to the idols. If we compare the texts they are subtly different. This text just says high places. The text in 2 Chr. 14:5 says “The high places and the images” clearly indicating that he removed the high places where there were idols.
Some have claimed that only the high places in Judah were removed, not the high places in Israel. But as Joe E. Holman points out, that's not a very good defense as Asa reigned over Judah, not over Israel. That is true, but not completely, Asa took some cities in Israel, 2 Chr. 15:8, but even that verse says that he removed the idols from those places as well.
That the high places were not only used to sacrifice to idols, but that high places were also used by the Israelites to sacrifice to the Lord, is clear from other verses where high places were used to sacrifice. For example God commanded Gideon to sacrifice at a high place, Jg. 6:26. We read about it in 1 Sam. 9:12. That it was an accepted practice till the building of the temple is clear from chapter 3:2, but Solomon is criticised for it chapter 3:3. We see the same with Asa's son Josafat. He walked in the way of his father, but also didn't take away the high places where the Jews sacrificed to the Lord, chapter 22:43. The same thing happened with Joas, 2 Kg. 12:3, Amazia, 2 Kg. 14:4, Azaria 2 Kg. 15:4 and Jotham, 2 Kg. 15:35. The reason that the writer of 1 and 2 Kings keeps mentioning that the high places were not removed, becomes clear when the reign of Hizkia is described. He finally removed these high places , 2 Kg. 18:4, and the author of Kings can say of him, 2 Kg. 18:5

after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him

That Hizkia removed the high places where the Israelites sacrificed to the Lord in order that they should sacrifice at the temple only is made perfectly clear from the speech of Rabsake, 2 Kg. 18:22.
The link the SAB author supplies here isn't perfect, but I suppose the SAB author wants you to look here. John Gill explains the meaning of Asa's “perfect heart” as follows:

He was sincere in the worship of God, and did everything to the best of his knowledge and capacity for restoring true religion, and destroying idolatry.

It is the sincerity of heart that is meant here, although his life after this was not unblemished.

15 And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

17 And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

19 There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

20 So Ben- hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

22 Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23 The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.

26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.

28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.

29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:

Baasha kills "all of the house of Jeroboam" leaving none "to breath." This slaughter was done "according to the word of the Lord."

With the words “saying of the Lord” is not meant that God had commanded this to be done, but had prophesied that it would be done this way. When this was prophesied (1 Kg. 14:11), it was a warning to the house of Jeroboam, which they unfortunately didn't heed.

30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years.

34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.