Ladies Wednesday Night Bible Study Lesson One

Abijah 

 Many times when we read Scripture we may not get the full context of an event or account because we don’t read the full account, which may be in several different parts of Scripture.  This is true for the story of Abi.  We know little about her, but we can gain much understanding of what she went through, her life, and her children by what we can gain from Scripture about her dad, husband, and sons.

Her dad was Zechariah

“He (King Uzziah) continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding^[a]through the vision of God; and ^[b]as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.” 2 Chronicles 26:5

“And ^[a]I (Isaiah) will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”  Isaiah 8:2

We know that Zechariah was a man of understanding through the vision of God.  We don’t know much about Zechariah, but we do know that He loved God and had a good testimony.   We also know that he named his daughter Abijah which means – My Father is Yaweh.  This was a unisex name.  Names were very important in the Bible and much thought went into a name to give great meaning.  If you weren’t a devout follower of God you would not name your child Abijah.  We don’t know much about how King Jotham and Zechariah planned for their children to marry, but they were married at a young age and had 2 children…that we know of. 

Husband was Prince Ahaz (who became King)

To know what type of husband Abi would have lived with 2 Chronicles 28, and 2 Kings 16 records his record as King.  Here are specific verses that describe who he was.  2 Chronicles 28:1, 21-27, 2 Kings 16:2-3,

Write down as much as you can to gain understanding into her married life.  Describe her life as you imagine it to be.  There is going to have to be some speculation here as we don’t know too much.  Put yourself in her shoes and do some thinking.  Don't go beyond what you think Scripture allows, but write down any thoughts that you have about this situation.  

Son was Hezekiah

Read 2 kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29:1-4,

Now that we have thought through her life as a wife, it may seem like she was crushed in every way because of her husband.  Now read about her son.  What is the difference?  What made this difference?  Think through the term legacy here and how important it would be to look to the future.  What all was at stake here for future generations?  Why was it so important to remain faithful to God and not give up?

How can this account of Abi be used to help us in our walk?  How are we alike, how are we different?   What is God asking me to do as a result?