1 Kings 15:1

1 Kings 15:1 says, Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.  Abijam ruled in Judah during Jeroboam's eighteenth year of ruling over Israel, since Rehoboam had only lived to rule seventeen years.  The people were going by the right of earthly succession, even though Jeroboam had not come to power that way but had been anointed king by God to replace Rehoboam.  We can never just go by the right of earthly succession in the church but must always look to God to call people to be leaders in the church.  Of course, Jeroboam then failed to follow God.  Those that God calls I believe are always the right people for the position as long as they follow His leadership, but at times they do not.  Verse two adds, Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. and his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.  Abijam ruled for only three years.  He was the son of Maachah, and she was the daughter of Abishalom, who was David's son also, so she would have been his cousin.  We are to marry other Christians, but that doesn't mean that they are to be blood relatives.  Verse three continues, 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.  Abijam followed in the sins of his father and his heart was not perfect before God as David's had been.  David, we know had not been perfect, but his faith in God remained so. We are never going to be perfect before God, but our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and lord must remain so.  Of course, sometimes it is easier to just follow the sins of our fathers.  Verse four states, 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:  For the sake of David and God's promise to him, God provided an heir to succeed Abijam to rule over Judah and establish the throne in Jerusalem.  We today have the eternal King, Jesus Christ, Who was the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise to David, to rule over us forever if we accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse five adds, 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 followed God's leadership in all matters related to the kingdom of Israel, except for the matter of having Uriah the Hittite killed after he committed adultery with his wife and got her pregnant.  Of course, I would add that on a personal note David did not follow God's law on marriage, and this led to many problems.  I believe that we should always attempt to follow God's law in everything we do.  Verse six continues, And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.  The war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued during all of the reign Rehoboam.  Matthew Henry says this wasn't all out war but was continual skirmishes.  We as Christians cannot afford to be constantly fighting against other Christians.  Verse seven says, 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.  The question was again asked was not all that Abijam did written in the book of the chronicles of the kings.  What we do may not be noted by the people of the world, but it will be remembered by God.  Verse eight adds, And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.  When Abijam died after ruling for three years only, Asa his son, still a descendant of David began to rule over Judah.  When we as Christians die, we need to pray that our children will continue to do God's work faithfully, even if we haven't always.  Rehoboam and Abijam had not done so but were only left in power because of God's promise to David.  We of course cannot be saved by the faith of our parents or grandparents.