In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. (1 Kings 15:1-3)

A Loyal Heart

After the death of Solomon, Israel was divided into the ten northern tribes (Israel) and the two southern tribes (Judah). All of the kings of the north were evil. Only about eight of the nineteen kings of Judah were considered good kings. Abijam was a king who did good things but was not noted as being a good king. He was the grandson of Solomon but lived under the influence of his father, Rehoboam, who ruled for forty-one years and did evil in the sight of the Lord. The son of Abijam, Asa, would be a good king, ruling the people for forty-one years. What made Asa different from his father, Abijam, was how they prepared their hearts before the Lord.

Abijam was not loyal in his heart to God, as was his great-grandfather, David. Asa was loyal to the Lord in his heart all his days. The heart is where the difference came in the lives of the kings. David had warned Solomon to walk before the Lord with all his heart and to be loyal to the Lord God. When Solomon was old, his many wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not loyal to the Lord. Hezekiah was considered a good king because his heart was loyal to the Lord.

A loyal heart requires a willing mind. The eyes of the Lord search the hearts of men to see what is in their hearts. In the days of Noah, the intent of the hearts of men was only evil. God destroyed them. When Saul was rejected as king of Israel, he had turned his heart away from doing the will of God. Samuel sought a man after God’s heart, and David was that man. Paul would speak about David as a man after God’s own heart. Loyal hearts seek the will of the Lord. A willing mind is someone who will obey the word of the Lord by faith without understanding God’s reason and purpose.

Abraham expressed a loyal heart when the Lord told him to leave his country to go to a place he would show him. Later, God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, and Abraham had a loyal heart to obey the word of the Lord to the fullest. Moses had a loyal heart to the Lord, choosing to suffer affliction with his people rather than enjoy the passing pleasures of the world. Daniel and his three friends faced persecution and hardship in bondage, but they kept their hearts loyal to the will of God. Three thousand souls expressed a loyal heart to God when they heard the apostles preach on the Day of Pentecost and were baptized for the remission of their sins. Men like the Ethiopian eunuch, the Philippian jailer, and Saul of Tarsus had loyal hearts to obey the word of the Lord. Women like Lydia, Priscilla, and Dorcas had loyal hearts to the Lord.

Abijam, King of Israel, did some good things, but his heart was not loyal to the Lord. It is possible to be a Christian, go through the right motions, and do the right things without a heart loyal to the love of Christ. Loyalty to God requires loving Him with all the heart, soul, mind, and body. Jesus was loyal to His Father completely. If we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we can do no less. It takes faith and courage to make our hearts loyal to the Father. Through a knowledge of the word of God, we can find the paths that will lead us to the throne of God. Make your heart loyal to God, or you will be loyal to the devil. No man can serve two masters. Be loyal to God.