1 Kings 16
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning Baasha: 2 “I lifted you up from the dust and appointed you ruler over my people Israel, but you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to arouse my anger by their sins. 3 So I am about to wipe out Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.”
As we can see in this opening verse, God is using the next king to wipe out the lineage of Baasha just as He has used Baasha to end the rule of Jeroboam. God works this way throughout scripture. Babylon ultimately becomes an implement of justice against Judah just and the Assyrians are used to blight Israel. We could look at this and say God is cruel, but every ruler has an opportunity to follow God or to follow their own rules. When a ruler chooses the path against God, then the ruler is lining up for judgment. In Baasha’s case, he was not part of Jeroboam’s lineage but followed him in a spiritual sense. In the same way God promised Jeroboam’s legacy would be cursed (dogs eating remains signifies a lack of proper burial), and Baasha will receive this same fate.
5 As for the other events of Baasha’s reign, what he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 6 Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. And Elah his son succeeded him as king.
7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger by the things he did, becoming like the house of Jeroboam—and also because he destroyed it.
1 Kings 16:2 says that Baasha was “lifted” or exalted out of dust to become the next ruler over Israel. This sacred appointment by God was thrown away by Baasha and God’s patience and mercy were tested. Because “all of the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord,” the house of Baasha aroused God’s anger.
God’s patience is longstanding. In the story of the kings, it takes over 200 years for God to render a final judgment on Israel. Longer for Judah. This is a component of God’s mercy. Even through the eons God wants the people to collectively come to Him. But there always comes time when God says “that’s enough” and renders His judgment. Baasha’s main problem was that he became much like Jeroboam.
Elah King of Israel
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
9 Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the palace administrator at Tirzah. 10 Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.
11 As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha’s whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. 12 So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu— 13 because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.
14 As for the other events of Elah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Many of the kings of Israel’s reigns are listed inside Asa’s rule in Judah mainly because Asa had such a long reign (41 years) and those kings in Israel had much shorter reigns. During Asa’s rule 5 kings came and went, the last being Ahab, the worst of them all. As we can see, Elah has only a 2 year reign before he is murdered by Zimri. Although we don’t know exactly why Zimri was gunning for Elah, we do know that he was laser-focused on destroying the current king and wiping out the entire family of Baasha, the previous king. This fulfilled the 1 Kings 16:3-4 prophecy.
Zimri King of Israel
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. 16 When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, 19 because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
20 As for the other events of Zimri’s reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Zimri, the man who had masterminded the killing of Baasha’s entire family, lasts but 7 days in power before he is discarded. Once it was discovered that he plotted against the king, the people rose up, selected a new leader and moved to depose this king. In this time period it was common for incoming kings to kill the king in power and his entire family in order to secure there would not be another successor in the bloodline. But Zimri instead retreats to the citadel and he killed himself by setting fire to it. David instead fought to appreciate the king until his time was done. Zimri, however, sensing no way out, instead goes to the citadel and stays there until it implodes.
Omri King of Israel
21 Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. 22 But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.
25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26 He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.
27 As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.
Omri is the fourth king of Israel during Asa’s rule in Judah. When he came into power it was not fully-accepted. The kingdom is divided by civil unrest. So for the first five years Omri had power over part of the kingdom, but after subduing Tibni, he claimed power over all of Israel for 7 years. Although not much is said about Omri, he made the very substantial move to found Samaria. Samaria would be the capital of Israel going forward, a stronghold on top of a hill that would last for hundreds of years.
But even though Omri was tactically brilliant, he lacked spiritual depth. He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam. This is a clue to how Israel became so corrupt over time: the leaders all took their cues from the original defier of God and built on that foundation. Omri is no different. And his achievements give way to the king who is called the worst of all of them.
Ahab Becomes King of Israel
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
34 In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
Toward the end of Asa’s reign (he is still in power for three years when Ahab comes on the scene), Omri’s son Ahab gains power. It is noted that Ahab was even worse than Omri or any of the others that came before. Why? First, he believed that Jeroboam’s assaults on God’s law were trivial.
Ahab, building on Jeroboam’s foundation, discovers new levels of chaos and disobedience. He marries a Sidonian princess named Jezebel. Jezebel is credited with bringing Baal worship back into Israel and later hunts down the prophets of God. Ahab also builds a new temple dedicated to Baal in the capital and mandates Baal worship as the preeminent religion of the land. Furthermore he begins the worship of Asherah, the fertility god of the Canaanites.
Lastly, in verse 34, we learn that Ahab rebuilt Jericho. This in itself doesn’t seem like a problem, but according to Joshua 6:26, God forbade the rebuilding of Jericho:
At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
“At the cost of his firstborn son
he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
he will set up its gates.”
The verse also tells the story of the builder Hiel and how he “laid the foundations at the cost of his sons…” In the Canaanite tradition, a sacrifice to the gods was necessary to “bless” the land. The result of the sacrifice was the burying of the bones at the foundation. Ahab’s command to rebuild Jericho is against God’s wishes and done so by a child-sacrifice, also against God’s heart.
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning Baasha: 2 “I lifted you up from the dust and appointed you ruler over my people Israel, but you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to arouse my anger by their sins. 3 So I am about to wipe out Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.”
As we can see in this opening verse, God is using the next king to wipe out the lineage of Baasha just as He has used Baasha to end the rule of Jeroboam. God works this way throughout scripture. Babylon ultimately becomes an implement of justice against Judah just and the Assyrians are used to blight Israel. We could look at this and say God is cruel, but every ruler has an opportunity to follow God or to follow their own rules. When a ruler chooses the path against God, then the ruler is lining up for judgment. In Baasha’s case, he was not part of Jeroboam’s lineage but followed him in a spiritual sense. In the same way God promised Jeroboam’s legacy would be cursed (dogs eating remains signifies a lack of proper burial), and Baasha will receive this same fate.
5 As for the other events of Baasha’s reign, what he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 6 Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. And Elah his son succeeded him as king.
7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger by the things he did, becoming like the house of Jeroboam—and also because he destroyed it.
1 Kings 16:2 says that Baasha was “lifted” or exalted out of dust to become the next ruler over Israel. This sacred appointment by God was thrown away by Baasha and God’s patience and mercy were tested. Because “all of the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord,” the house of Baasha aroused God’s anger.
God’s patience is longstanding. In the story of the kings, it takes over 200 years for God to render a final judgment on Israel. Longer for Judah. This is a component of God’s mercy. Even through the eons God wants the people to collectively come to Him. But there always comes time when God says “that’s enough” and renders His judgment. Baasha’s main problem was that he became much like Jeroboam.
Elah King of Israel
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
9 Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the palace administrator at Tirzah. 10 Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.
11 As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha’s whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. 12 So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu— 13 because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.
14 As for the other events of Elah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Many of the kings of Israel’s reigns are listed inside Asa’s rule in Judah mainly because Asa had such a long reign (41 years) and those kings in Israel had much shorter reigns. During Asa’s rule 5 kings came and went, the last being Ahab, the worst of them all. As we can see, Elah has only a 2 year reign before he is murdered by Zimri. Although we don’t know exactly why Zimri was gunning for Elah, we do know that he was laser-focused on destroying the current king and wiping out the entire family of Baasha, the previous king. This fulfilled the 1 Kings 16:3-4 prophecy.
Zimri King of Israel
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. 16 When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, 19 because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
20 As for the other events of Zimri’s reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Zimri, the man who had masterminded the killing of Baasha’s entire family, lasts but 7 days in power before he is discarded. Once it was discovered that he plotted against the king, the people rose up, selected a new leader and moved to depose this king. In this time period it was common for incoming kings to kill the king in power and his entire family in order to secure there would not be another successor in the bloodline. But Zimri instead retreats to the citadel and he killed himself by setting fire to it. David instead fought to appreciate the king until his time was done. Zimri, however, sensing no way out, instead goes to the citadel and stays there until it implodes.
Omri King of Israel
21 Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. 22 But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.
25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26 He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.
27 As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.
Omri is the fourth king of Israel during Asa’s rule in Judah. When he came into power it was not fully-accepted. The kingdom is divided by civil unrest. So for the first five years Omri had power over part of the kingdom, but after subduing Tibni, he claimed power over all of Israel for 7 years. Although not much is said about Omri, he made the very substantial move to found Samaria. Samaria would be the capital of Israel going forward, a stronghold on top of a hill that would last for hundreds of years.
But even though Omri was tactically brilliant, he lacked spiritual depth. He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam. This is a clue to how Israel became so corrupt over time: the leaders all took their cues from the original defier of God and built on that foundation. Omri is no different. And his achievements give way to the king who is called the worst of all of them.
Ahab Becomes King of Israel
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
34 In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
Toward the end of Asa’s reign (he is still in power for three years when Ahab comes on the scene), Omri’s son Ahab gains power. It is noted that Ahab was even worse than Omri or any of the others that came before. Why? First, he believed that Jeroboam’s assaults on God’s law were trivial.
Ahab, building on Jeroboam’s foundation, discovers new levels of chaos and disobedience. He marries a Sidonian princess named Jezebel. Jezebel is credited with bringing Baal worship back into Israel and later hunts down the prophets of God. Ahab also builds a new temple dedicated to Baal in the capital and mandates Baal worship as the preeminent religion of the land. Furthermore he begins the worship of Asherah, the fertility god of the Canaanites.
Lastly, in verse 34, we learn that Ahab rebuilt Jericho. This in itself doesn’t seem like a problem, but according to Joshua 6:26, God forbade the rebuilding of Jericho:
At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
“At the cost of his firstborn son
he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
he will set up its gates.”
The verse also tells the story of the builder Hiel and how he “laid the foundations at the cost of his sons…” In the Canaanite tradition, a sacrifice to the gods was necessary to “bless” the land. The result of the sacrifice was the burying of the bones at the foundation. Ahab’s command to rebuild Jericho is against God’s wishes and done so by a child-sacrifice, also against God’s heart.