The opening lines of chapter 15 indicate that time will now largely be measured by kings and their reigns. Abijah’s (also called Abijam) accession occurs in Jeroboam’s eighteenth year (15:1–8), and he quickly builds up a sinful résumé. Rather than being disqualified, however, his line is preserved because of God’s commitment to the line of David, with whom Abijah is unfavorably compared. Verse 5 is startling; in rhetorical terms, it has to be in the same category as David’s…