Read: 1
Kings 16
Sin, left unchecked, always escalates. This is
clearly displayed in Israel’s history. 1 Kings 16 follows the decline of the
Northern Kingdom. Baasha has recently destroyed Jeroboam’s line and taken over
the throne. The word of the Lord comes to the prophet Jehu. Baasha’s fate will
be the same as the fate of those he killed. His family will all be killed
because of their sins (v 4, 7). After Baasha dies, his son Elah takes the
throne. Elah’s reign lasts two years. Zimri, Elah’s servant, kills Elah and
takes over his throne. Once Zimri is king over Israel, he destroys Baasha’a
family, just as Baasha had done to the household of Jeroboam (v 12).
Zimri’s reign is short. Seven days after he assumed
the throne, news travels throughout Israel. The army is camped against Gibbethon.
The people of Israel decide Omri, the army commander, should be king instead of
Zimri. When Zimri is dethroned he commits suicide. Zimri’s death is followed by
a power struggle in Israel. Some follow Omri and others follow Tibni. In the
end, Omri’s followers prevail and he becomes king.
Omri purchased land and built his new capital,
naming it Samaria (v 24). The Northern Kingdom now has its own capital to rival
Jerusalem of the Southern Kingdom. We don’t know many details about Omri’s
reign. We do know that he was an evil king, acting even “more wickedly than all
who were before him” (v 25). Omri’s wickedness was passed on to his son, Ahab
(v 29-30).
Not to be outdone by his father, Ahab sinned even more wickedly, setting an even lower
standard of morality for Israel. Omri married Jezebel, daughter of the Sidonian
king Ethbaal. This marriage signified official approval of Baal worship in
Israel. It allowed the Baal-worshipping Sidonians to influence the culture of
Israel. Satan’s work is often an evil reverse-image of God’s work. Solomon
built a temple to Yahweh in Jerusalem. Now Ahab builds an altar to Baal in his
capital, Samaria (v 32). He also made Asherah, wooden figures of the Caananite
goddess who was a consort of Baal (v 33). This official institution of
Baal-worship as the state religion, officially replacing the true worship of
Yahweh, provokes God’s anger like no king previously had (v 33). Israel has
forgotten their God. An example of how this affects the lives of its citizens
is found in Hiel the Bethelite. When Jericho was destroyed, God put a curse on
it. “Cursed before the Lord by the man who rises up and rebuilds this city,
Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the
cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates” (Joshua 6:26). The curse
plays out exactly as promised, with Hiel losing his first-born, Abiram, and his
youngest son, Segub (v 34).
Prayer and
Journaling
1. There is no true God but Yahweh. Spend time in
worship today. Praise God for who He is and what He has done. If you can, play
some worship music and praise God through song. Declaring His goodness brings
an incredible joy!
2. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the
servant of God may be thoroughly quipped for every good work” (2 Timothy
3:16-17).Thank God for the gift of Scripture. In His mercy, He has given us a
history of Israel so we may be warned away from their sins. Reflect on the many
wonderful purposes of Scripture today and thank God for His Word.
3. While God’s anger is provoked by the worship of
false gods, He still desires to save people trapped in false religions. We are
seeing this unfold today in the Muslim world, where countless people are meeting
Jesus. He regularly meets people in dreams and visions, changing their lives
for eternity. Pray that God would
provide Bibles and training to His followers in Muslim countries. Pray that
their influence would be multiplied by the power of the Holy Spirit, leading
many people to become disciples of Jesus. Pray that God would open the eyes of
Muslims to the oppression found in their religion and the freedom found in
Christ.
