Your Spiritual Life Can Overrule Your Physical Life

There are a troubling few verses in 1 Kings 15 that took me a while to truly comprehend. Two successive kings in Judah are mentioned. One is evil (the Father) and one is righteous, seeking the Lord (the Son). And here's the worst part: They both have the same mother.

1 Kings 15:1–3 (ESV) Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

1 Kings 15:9–11 (ESV) In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done.

It would seem incest was prevalent in the reign of Abijam. He was so wicked he impregnated his mother (ewww). The resulting child would be named Asa and instead of becoming something that measured up to the conditions of his conception, the scripture says, "Asa did what was RIGHT int he eyes of the Lord."

Asa had every reason to be wicked. His father was, his mother was. His life was the result of their wickedness which had been passed on from his grandfather (Rehoboam). YET against all the odds, Asa serves God's purposes for years. 

Asa is proof that you are NEVER ultimately defined by your genealogy or biology. God can make you what HE wants you to be and use you in wonderful ways in spite of the conditions that led to your arrival on this planet. NEVER forget that.

The scripture provides us an interesting fact about why Asa was righteous during the short explanation of Abijah's wickedness.

1 Kings 15:4–5 (ESV) Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

You see, as wicked as Asa's father and grandfather may have been, he still had David in his lineage and claimed THAT as his heritage. This is a physical representation of a spiritual reality for Christians. We have the True Son of David in our spiritual lineage and we can claim His righteousness for our lineage. When the world hands you every reason to be wicked, rise up in the strength of Christ and walk in the fear of God.

The heritage of David was strong in Asa's life. He was able not only to reform the nation, tearing down what his father built (cult shrines) but also what was built by his mother:

1 Kings 15:13 (ESV) He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.

His spiritual heritage overcame his physical heritage. And the same can be true for you, dear Christian. For even in the name you bear is the Name "Christ". You are His friend if you do what He commands and He gives you the Spirit so that you can do it.