NOTES for Ki1 15:1-34
Contrary to the common saying that the apple does not fall far from the tree, after Abijah’s wicked reign the throne of Judah was inherited by Asa, who loved God. It might seem that, after the measures he took to eradicate paganism, worship of the Lord should once again have prevailed in the kingdom of Judah. But this did not happen. Pagan evil had taken such deep root in the Promised Land that even Asa’s many years of devout rule were not enough to rid the land of it.
For a long period, the history of Judah becomes like a pendulum swinging back and forth between monotheism and paganism. Kings who are now faithful to the Lord, now renounce Him, now good, now evil, come from one and the same family. This is one of the bitter but necessary lessons: the boundary between good and evil does not run between peoples, families, and tribes, and belonging to a family with an established reputation does not automatically make a person bad or good. The choice is made in the heart of each one of us, and even if we are unable to rid the world around us of evil, it is within our power to turn toward the good and its Source.