1 Kings 14:1-20
This boy must have lived in a palace for his father was Jeroboam, the king of Israel. He was the man whose coat had been torn by the prophet of God, and all his words had come true. Yet the king did not honor God and had set up gold calves for the people to worship, and he had many prophets who were not true. God had warned him of his sins, but it only made him angry. Once he put out his hand to take the man of God, and, God caused his hand to wither, and he could not move it. He begged the man of God to pray for him, then God healed his hand. Still he kept on his wicked ways (1 Kings 13:4-7).
Yet in this bad king’s home there must have been someone who spoke of the Lord, for one of the king’s sons heard of Him, and, though only a child, yet he believed about the Lord.
One day that little boy became very sick. His father could not help him, even though he was a strong king, and he was afraid his boy would not get well. Did he go to pray to the gold calves to make his boy well? No, he knew they could do no good, but he wanted help from the man of God, the one who had told him he should be king.
But Jeroboam seemed to be ashamed to go to the prophet, because he had not obeyed his words, and he could not send a servant, for he had said all should pray to the gold calves. So he told his wife to go, but not to tell the prophet who she was.
The prophet was old and blind but God told him who was coming to him, and what to tell her. So when the queen came, he told her that God could not bless the king because of his great sins, and that trouble would come to him, but that God would take the little boy out of the evils.
The queen returned to the palace, and just then the child died. But this was not to punish the little boy, but to save him from the dreadful things done in that land of idols, and in the wars where his brothers were killed.
This story shows us that even if those around us do not honor God, He looks into each heart and is pleased if He sees even a child who believes in Him, and watches over that one.
This boy’s name was Abijah. The prophet’s name was Ahijah. They were the same except for one letter.
ML 02/12/1939