The Legacy Of King Solomon And King Abijah

I also want to talk about King Solomon, and I want to show you how their lives are tied together.

All these names seem a little strange. Speaking of names reminds me about a pregnant woman.

Illus: A pregnant woman from Washington, DC got into a car accident and falls into a deep coma. Asleep for nearly 6 months, when she finally wakes up she sees that she is no longer pregnant and frantically asks the doctor about her baby.

* The doctor replies, "Ma'am you had twins, a boy and a girl. Your brother from Maryland came in and named them."

* The woman thinks to herself, "No, not my brother... he's an idiot!" She asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"

* "Denise."

* "Wow, that's not a bad name, I like it! What's the boy's name?"

* "Denephew.”

Abijah did not come out much better with the name he received. His name does not sound like something we would name our child, but actually he had a good name.

Illus: C.H. Spurgeon said, “His name was a suitable one. A good name may belong to a very bad man...Jehovah was his father. Oh, you who bear good Bible names, see that you do not dishonor them!”

Let’s look a little closer at his life. We first need to look at-

I. THE MAN

Look at 1 Kings 15:1-3, we read, “Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 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.”

These three verses tell us a great deal about this man called Abijah. Notice, the Bible says this about him:

• King Abijah only reigned 3 years as king of Judah.

• Abijah had a total of fourteen wives, twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters. As you can see, he did not have any time to watch television.

• He was the son of Rehoboam.

• His mother was Maacah. Who is she? Look at 2 Chronicles 11:20, we read, "And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith." Absalom was the rebellious son of King David and His daughter was the mother of Abijah.

• He was not one of the good kings. Look at 1 Kings 15:3, we read, “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.”

Though Abijah sounded like a true man of God at times, generally he only called upon God during a time of need.

Illus: He was what I like to call an “Umbrella Christian”. The only time these people turn to the Lord is when they need something from God.

These are selfish people and they only think of themselves.

Illus: The local United Way office realized that it had never received a donation from one of the town's richest citizens, a very successful lawyer. A local volunteer was sent to solicit his donation. The volunteer approached the lawyer, commenting, "Our research shows that even though your annual income is over a million dollars, you have never helped support our organization. Wouldn't it make you feel good to give back to your community through The United Way?"

???The lawyer paused for a moment, then sternly stated, "Did your research show that my mother is dying after a long, painful illness and has huge medical bills far beyond her ability to pay?"

???Surprised, the United Way volunteer mumbled, "Uh, no."

???"Well then, did your research show that my brother is a disabled veteran? That he is blind? That he is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to support his wife and six children?"

???The United Way representative tried to express sympathy, but the lawyer cut him off.

???"Did your research tell you that my sister's husband died in a dreadful traffic accident?" The lawyer's voice was loud and indignant. "Did it tell you that her husband's death left her penniless, with a mortgage and three small children who she can't afford to care for?"

???The United Way representative felt embarrassed to have assumed that the man was selfish, and stammered apologetically, "I had no idea."

???The lawyer sternly concluded, "And they are my family. My flesh and blood. If I don't give any money to any of them, why in the world should I give any to you?"

Abijah occasionally appeared to be a religious man, but the fact is he was a very selfish individual and the only time he turned to God was when he wanted God to help him through a tight spot.