Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets
Volume I: A Kingdom Divided
Lesson 5 Judah Also Sins Against the LORD
the First Book of the Kings 14:1—15:24
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: Elijah & the Widow of Zarephath
This material coordinates with Lesson 5 on pages 33–38 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34
welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to 
God’s Word 
two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.
open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:
Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.
let’s review—the First Book of the Kings 12:1—13:34
In Lesson 4 Jeroboam Turns from the LORD, Rehoboam assumes that as Solomon’s son he’s entitled to rule all of the descendants of Jacob. Solomon’s death has left a power vacuum, however, and the people decide they want a say in who governs them. It turns out that Rehoboam isn’t very diplomatic, and the 10 northern tribes decide to secede. After Rehoboam’s taskmaster Adoram is stoned to death at Shechem, Rehoboam hightails it back to Jerusalem where his next idea is to engage in war to win back control. The LORD sends the prophet Shemaiah to tell Rehoboam that’s unwise, and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heed the prophet’s words. Meanwhile, Jeroboam decides to solidify his own power base by setting up golden calves as gods in Bethel and Dan in order to keep the people of the northern kingdom from traveling to Jerusalem to worship the LORD. A man of God from Judah announces that at some future date a king named Josiah in the line of David will do away with the altar upon which Jeroboam has been burning incense to false gods. Jeroboam attempts to harm the man of God, but in the process of issuing the order Jeroboam’s hand withers and he instead entreats the man of God to pray that his hand be restored. God responds by healing Jeroboam’s hand. After ignoring the LORD’s instruction not to eat or drink anything in the northern kingdom, the man of God is killed by a lion. The elderly prophet who had lied to the man of God then sees to the man’s proper burial.
map notes—bordering on disaster
This lesson involves two regions that are outside the scope of our map. During the reign of Rehoboam, Egyptians swoop up to Jerusalem from the southwest and carry away many of the treasures in the 
Temple and in the king’s house. Sensing weakness in the southern kingdom, Baasha, the ruler of the northern kingdom, begins building a new capital city at Ramah on the border between the two kingdoms. Asa, ruler of Judah at that time, enlists the aid of the Syrians in Damascus to the northeast of Israel to distract Baasha’s troops. The Syrians accomplish this by conquering a number of cities along the northern border of Israel. These include the city of Dan, one of two worship centers established by Jeroboam to provide alternate locations to the Temple in Jerusalem. Asa’s strategy proves successful, and Baasha is forced to abandon his plans to move his capital to Ramah. Asa then uses the building materials left at Ramah to fortify Judah’s border cities of Geba and Mizpah. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 36 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
Asa is given a long reign in Judah (40:23)
In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps 
points out that although the LORD has decided to cut off the line of Jeroboam in the northern kingdom of Israel, a similar option isn’t available in the southern kingdom of Judah, where God has promised to continue David’s line in perpetuity. Scripture records that Rehoboam and his son Abijam lead the people in the south to do evil in the sight of the LORD. Instead of eliminating David’s line, however, God limits the duration of Abijam’s reign to three years. Abijam’s son and successor to the throne, Asa, does 
right in the eyes of the LORD, and he’s given the longest reign of any king so far—41 years. (Saul, David, and Solomon each reigned for 40 years.) If you’re reading parallel accounts in the Second Book of the Chronicles, Abijam is called Abijah. All proper names that appear in the 
biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided are listed alphabetically in our online glossary.
The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along with the video as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 5, “Judah Also Sins Against the LORD,” on pages 33–38 in the study book.
stability & instability
When the united kingdom first divides, both new kingdoms start on relatively equal footing—but Jeroboam is promised a royal dynasty in Israel in the north only if he honors the LORD’s statutes and decrees. Jeroboam has his own idea about how to rule and about what’s the true source of his power. As a result, the northern kingdom immediately experiences instability. Jeroboam begins ruling in Shechem but then moves his capital city to Tirzah. Baasha then fails in his attempt to move the capital to Ramah and is forced to keep his base of operations at Tirzah. Meanwhile, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah remains firm in Jerusalem, the royal city of David and the location of the Temple.
a man after God’s own heart—you could look it up in our archives
Throughout the First and Second Books of the Kings, rulers of both kingdoms are judged by how closely they resemble David. The key to understanding David’s relationship with God is found in the First Book of Samuel 13:14, which describes David as a “man after [God’s] own heart.” In Lost in Translation, an online column that examines ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps delves into some common misconceptions about the idiom “after God’s own heart.” New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. For more information about 
David being a man after God’s own heart, see Lesson 5 David Is Anointed by Samuel in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.
? What stands in the way of Jeroboam having a heart like God’s own?
? What things stand in the way of a present-day Christian having a heart that resembles God’s heart?
? Consider what’s the most surprising characteristic of God’s heart?
? What characteristics might David have that cause him to be described as being a man after God’s own heart”?
God doesn’t care about material stuff
After describing ways in which the people of the southern kingdom of Judah do evil by worshiping false gods, the biblical text records that while Judah is under Rehoboam’s rule, Egypt ransacks the city and carries away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house. These things clearly don’t matter to God. Consider what the LORD values more than material goods.
WHAT’S THE BIBLICAL TEXT telling us about God?
Much like the prophet Nathan, who was sent by God to David to deliver both good news and bad, what the prophet Ahijah announces concerning Jeroboam stretches from one extreme to another. In the First Book of the Kings 11:30–39, Ahijah told Jeroboam that he was about to rule over 10 of the tribes of Jacob. Now in the First Book of the Kings 14:14, the LORD has Ahijah announce that instead of establishing a royal dynasty for Jeroboam, God is about to wipe out Jeroboam’s entire line.
? Under what conditions would the LORD have established the house of Jeroboam as a sure house, like the one God built for David? If necessary, refer to the First Book of the Kings 11:38.
? In telling Jeroboam what the LORD expects, the prophet Ahijah acts as Jeroboam’s conscience, pointing Jeroboam toward righteous behavior. What might explain why Jeroboam ignores Ahijah?
? Consider whether Jeroboam has been displaying typical human behavior.
? What has Jeroboam done to so displease God?
? Consider why the LORD isn’t offering Jeroboam an unlimited opportunity to change.
? Why might the biblical text fail to record Jeroboam’s reaction to the death of his child or his reaction to news that his line is to be destroyed?
? In the First Book of the Kings 14:14, Ahijah promises: “Moreover the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today.” How does this promise to raise up a king differ from God’s previous promises to raise up a prophet, a priest, and a king? If necessary, refer to the book of Deuteronomy 18:15–18, the First Book of Samuel 2:35, and the Second Book of Samuel 7:12–13.
? What can present-day Christians learn about God from the way in which the LORD interacts with Jeroboam?
? Consider how this knowledge might change an individual’s relationship with God?
ex libris—a framework for understanding the kings of Israel & Judah
God’s Word to Israel endorses the widely accepted idea that the First and Second Books of the Kings are part of a larger Deuteronomistic history of salvation compiled after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. 
In providing an introductory overview of the Old Testament, this college textbook by Joseph Jensen, O.S.B., who formerly taught at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., looks at the framework for biblical descriptions of the kings of Israel and Judah. The opening formula for the kings of Judah includes when a king began to reign, his age, the length of his reign, and the name of his mother. This is followed by an assessment of his reign. The closing formula provides notice of the king’s death and burial and the name of his successor. The formula for the kings of Israel is similar but omits the king’s age when he begins to rule and the name of his mother. The biblical authors of the First and Second Books of the Kings primarily are concerned with the impact that each king had on religious practices in his kingdom. At ex libris—main bookshelf, read an excerpt and learn more about God’s Word to Israel and other works related to Bible study.
why are the mothers of the kings of Judah so important?
Including the names of the mothers of the kings of the south strongly suggests that the First and Second Books of the Kings were written after God’s people had returned to Jerusalem following the Babylonian Captivity. The tenth chapter in the Book of Ezra describes the exiles agreeing to send away their foreign wives. The issue isn’t so much that the women were foreign as that they worshiped foreign gods and led their husbands to do the same. It was at this time that the law-based religion of Judaism developed, and a person’s Jewishness began to be determined by whether his or her mother followed the religious practices of Judaism. While Judaism didn’t yet exist at the time of the divided kingdom, it appears to have very much influenced the authors who compiled the First and Second Books of the Kings. It’s significant that generally only the mothers of the kings of Judah are mentioned by name. Jezebel will be a notable exception in the northern kingdom of Israel. The second volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, 
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, examines the importance of Ezra’s role in the return of God’s people to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile.
mothers & fathers
The authors of Scripture have a habit of referring to people as children of whichever of their ancestors has had the most clout. In a male-dominated culture, it’s far more common to focus on fathers than mothers. In the New Testament, especially in the Gospel According to John, Jesus’ lineage is of great concern to the Jewish religious leaders, who describe themselves as children of Abraham yet keep asking about Jesus’ father. The First Book of the Kings 15:2 and 15:10 appear to suggest that both Abijam and Asa are sons of Maacah, but the First Book of the Kings 14:31 and 15:8 clearly states that Asa is Abijam’s son. The Hebrew word translated as “mother” in these passages is used to refer to any female ancestor. Most scholars think that Maacah probably was Asa’s grandmother. The Turning to 
God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth contains more information about how Jesus’ lineage is addressed in the Fourth Gospel.
WHAT DO YOU THINK is going on with Asa?
The fourteenth through sixteenth chapters in the Second Book of the Chronicles present additional information that gives a slightly different picture of Asa’s reign in the southern kingdom of Judah than that recorded in the fifteenth chapter in the First Book of the Kings.
? What might explain why the information about Asa in the Second Book of the Chronicles wasn’t included in the First Book of the Kings?
? How might the Ethiopian booty described in the fourteenth chapter in the Second Book of the Chronicles have been put to use to solve a potential problem in the fifteenth chapter in the First Book of the Kings?
? Consider whether knowing the prophecy of Azariah recorded in the fifteenth chapter in the Second Book of the Chronicles clarifies or complicates understanding about what kind of ruler Asa was.
? The sixteenth chapter in the Second Book of the Chronicles records another prophet (called a seer) giving Asa a message from God. How does Asa react to this prophecy?
? Consider whether it’s likely that Asa’s response to Hanani’s prophecy is based on the information about Asa presented in the First Book of the Kings.
? What detail about Asa’s reaction to his diseased feet is left out of the account in the fifteenth chapter of the First Book of the Kings?
? What might be important about this detail?
biblical vocabulary—votive gifts
The First Book of the Kings 15:15 records that Asa, ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah, provided expensive votive gifts for the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. A votive gift is given in conjunction with a vow made out of generosity to the LORD or is a gift made in thanksgiving. Such votive gifts are considered sanctified or set apart for God.
was it a good idea for Asa to ask for outside aid?
During Rehoboam’s reign, Egypt carried much of Solomon’s wealth away from Jerusalem. When Baasha begins ruling in the north, he starts building a new capital at Ramah near the border with Judah. Asa, then king in Judah, uses what valuable resources still are available to him to obtain military support from Damascus, forcing Baasha to abandon plans to move Israel’s capital. The biblical text brushes over whether Judah’s affiliation with Syria is a good idea. While the Syrians are helpful in preventing Baasha from closing the border between the north and the south, the door now has opened for neighboring nations to begin involving themselves in the affairs of Israel and Judah. From this point on, God’s people will be caught up in ever-shifting alliances with their pagan neighbors as well as with each other.
don’t let the term ‘chronicles’ mislead you
The First Book of the Kings 14:19 mentions “the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.” The First and Second Books of the Kings frequently mention this book and “the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.” Because the First and Second Books of the Chronicles in the Old Testament describe the same period of salvation history that’s covered in the First and Second Books of the Kings, it’s easy to assume that “the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” refers to these biblical accounts. Scholars have determined that both “the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” and “the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah” instead refer to records that were kept in royal archives at the time of these two kingdoms and that these particular records—or “chronicles”—no longer exist.
what’s happening when & where
Click on the timeline for Lesson 5 to expand it. It also appears on page 37 in the study book. (Abijam is referred to as Abijah in the Second Book of the Chronicles.)
t
he best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the First Book of the Kings 14:1—15:24.
ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant 
cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.
ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf
wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
the First Book of the Kings 14:1—15:24 (NIV)
close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical text.
O God, you work throughout history
to lead humanity into right relationship with you.
Grant that we may see your love for us in all aspects of our lives
and freely return that love through our actions toward you and toward others.
We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus,
who never wavered in doing your will in order
to bring about the possibility of eternal life for all men and women. Amen.
Lesson 6 Elijah & the Widow of Zarephath—the First Book of the Kings 15:25—17:24
Lesson 4 Jeroboam Turns from the LORD—the First Book of the Kings 12:1—13:34
you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.
start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided
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Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer
*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?
Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.
The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.
Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.
You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.