1 Kings 15:3 And he walked in all the sons of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.
This verse sums up the career of Abijam, king of Judah, and it becomes a refrain used for many of the succeeding kings. The refrain: “he walked in all the sins of his father, and his heart was not perfect with God as the heart of David.”
The kings’ faith and life is always compared to David. He was a man after God’s heart. We all know he was also a great sinner and we know his famous sins, but his heart drew him back to God in sincere and heartfelt repentance and in the assurance of forgiveness. He did not continue to walk (live his life) in sins for he believed God in his heart.
We also are sinners, but our heart is with God, toward God, and from God. Since Jesus lives in the heart we do not want to grieve Him or offend Him. But we do, and when we do we turn to him in repentance and faith for forgiveness and restoration of our relationship with God. We are perfect with God because we are identified with Jesus by faith. It is true that we are sinners, but it is equally true that in Christ we are perfect with God. Because He is our Lord and King we live in God’s eternal kingdom, which is not like the earthly kingdoms that perish because of sin.