Reigns Unravel As Evil Progresses

Transcript

GRS 2-95
1/20/2008
Reigns Unravel As Evil Progresses
1 Kings 15-16
Gil Rugh

We are in First Kings Chapter 15. 20 kings until the northern kingdom goes into captivity in 722 BC, 20 kings in the southern kingdom until the southern kingdom is carried into the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC. The kingdom split under Solomon’s son in 931 BC. So we’re going to have about 350 years of a divided kingdom. The split under Solomon’s son, his son Rehoboam assumed the kingship of the southern kingdom basically Judah aligned with Benjamin and then the northern 10 tribes with Jeroboam. Neither king was a godly king.

Jeroboam without doubt the worst, he instituted a pagan worship system for the northern 10 tribes that will permeate those 10 tribes and endure through the entire time until they are carried into captivity in 722. Rehoboam started out with a few good years, but he too proved to be unfaithful and he led Israel into the worship of pagan gods. In Chapter 14 verse 22, Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord. They provoked the Lord with their sins. Verse 23, they built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, Asherim on every high hill. Male cult prostitutes were in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord had disposed before the sons of Israel.

So a sad, pathetic state for both the northern and southern kingdom. Northern kingdom has set up its own worship system, totally apostate, own priest group not the Levites and so on, but the southern kingdom is not much better, they’ve just adopted the pagan practices of the nations around them. Jeroboam was warned by the prophets that God sent of coming judgment, but he didn’t repent. He didn’t turn from his sin and he’ll reign for 22 years and then he’ll come to his end.

Rehoboam was chasten by the Lord, a pharaoh, Shishak, pharaoh of Egypt came up and started to conquer the region of the southern kingdom to keep him from subjugating Jerusalem and destroying it. Rehoboam took the treasures of the temple particularly the gold shields and gave them as a tribute to pharaoh. And so pharaoh didn’t destroy them in battle, but he subjugated them to slavery if you will. They became him servants who would pay tribute and so on.

At the end, Rehoboam is no different; the testimony in Second Chronicles Chapter 12 is that he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. That’s the summary testimony to each of the end of these kings we, I mean get a summary like that, he who did good or he did evil. And the summary of Rehoboam’s life is he did evil.

All right, we come to Chapter 15. And we have two basic kings here, one for the north, one for the south, the major kings. The main kings in these chapters are Asa, who will rule over the southern kingdom and Baasha who will rule over the northern kingdom. They’re varying degrees in the lengths of the reign as you can imagine. In the two chapters we’ll overview and survey, one king will only last seven days. Asa in Judah is going to reign for 41 years. So there will be men coming and going shorter times, longer times. See what happens to each of them and remember none of the kings of the northern kingdom are godly kings. Every single one of the kings who will reign over the north are godless men.

The southern kingdom will have a mixture and there will be some godly kings. We’ll be looking in Second Chronicles as well which parallels our account in Kings, and Chronicles takes time to elaborate more fully on the reign of Israel’s godly kings. And there we learn a little bit more about those men.

All right, Chapter 15 opens up. Now on the eighteenth year of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. Chapter 14 closed with Rehoboam slept with his fathers. So he died and his son Abijam became king over Judah. Jeroboam is still king over the northern ten tribes. He reigned three years in Jerusalem and his mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God like the heart of his father David. And you know David is a reoccurring standard. But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a Lamp in Jerusalem to raise up his son after him to establish Jerusalem because David did what was right in the sight of the Lord and had not turned aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. And that is a terrible blot on David’s life but that is the only blot. It’s not like the other kings here that have come on the scene now since David who have a pattern of life of rebellion against the Lord. David had a pattern of obedience to Lord with the exception of that one major stumble.

The reign of Abijam, a southern king, king over Judah gets more elaboration in Chronicles not because he’s Godly but because Chronicles does devote more time to the southern kingdom and kings of Judah. Why don’t you turn over there and you may want to go to Second Chronicles Chapter 13 and you might want to leave a marker here, a bulletin or a piece of paper because we’ll come back and forth to look at some of the elaboration here as we go through our passage in Kings.

There’s battles going on going back and forth now between the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and basically if you look on a map just above Judah you have a territory of Benjamin. Now you can get an idea of the problem. And then above Judah and Benjamin you have the northern ten tribes basically the territory of Benjamin becomes a disputed area. The northern ten tribes would like to claim it for itself where as Judah is not willing to, acceded to the northern ten tribes. So that region in between becomes a battleground. So we have that kind of conflict going on.

In Chapter 13, you’ll know in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. Now we talked about you have a little bit of difficulty keeping track of the names of the kings of the north and the south. Now there’s another piece that’s added to that. Sometimes they are called by different names. So we had Abijam as the name of this king in 1 Kings Chapter 15, here he’s called Abijah but we’re talking about the same individual. And he reigned three years the same background material in the first two verses then there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

Abijah began the battle with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men. While Jeroboam drew up battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men valiant warriors. He’s going to be outnumbered but he demonstrates something of a character that you wouldn’t expect when you read the summary of his reign that he did evil in the sight of the Lord because he gives a great speech here.

He stands up and he declares to Jeroboam and all Israel "Listen to me Jeroboam and all Israel "in the end of verse 4. "Do you not know that the Lord, God of Israel gave the rule over Israel for ever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?” Salt being preservative indicated in enduring ongoing, endless agreement here. The Davidic Covenant from Second Samuel 7, so that’s true. The kingdom was given to David and David’s family. Yet "Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon, the son of David rose up and rebelled against his master. Worthless men gathered around him, scoundrels who proved too strong for Rehoboam the son of Solomon when he was young and timid and could not hold his own against them. So now you intend to resist the kingdom of the Lord through the son’s of David being a great multitude and having with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for God’s for you. Have you not driven out the priest of the Lord the sons of Aaron and the Levites made for yourselves priest like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with the young bull seven rams even he may become a priest of what are no gods." This really a slamming rebuke. Anybody can make himself a priest. Now they are priest of no gods because the gods you’ve made are nothing.

But as for us the Lord is our God we have not forsaken him, the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priest, the Levites attend their work every morning and evening, they burn the burnt offerings, of fragrant incense and so on. At the end of verse 11 "For we keep the charge of the Lord our God but you have forsaken him." Now behold God is with us and our head. His priests with the signal trumpets the sound, the alarm against you, O sons of Israel do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers for you will not succeed."

That’s a great speech and there’s a lot of theological truth in it. Jeroboam doesn’t listen and the end result Abijah has looked to the Lord for victory, he’s outnumbered two to one but he wins. Jeroboam has him #. He’s got his army in front of him but he has also worked part of his around behind him. So the army of Judah now is # from the front end the rear but verse 14 says that they were attacked from both the front end and the rear, they cry to the Lord the priest blew the trumpet verse 15 then the men of Judah raised the war cry and when the men of Judah raised the war cry then it was that God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

And that emphasis on God that’s part of the emphasis in Chronicles and why you have attention more on these southern kings because Chronicles gives more attention to the faithfulness of God to his covenant. But remember Kings account gives more attention to the unfaithfulness of Israel toward God. So Abijah, at the end of verse 16 God gave them in to their hand, Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter so that five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fells fleeing. I mean that’s an overwhelming victory. Four hundred thousand entered battle against eight hundred thousand want to stun five hundred of the eight hundred thousand have become casualties.

Verse 18 the sons of Israel where subdued at that time. The sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the Lord the God of their fathers. Tremendous testimony here. Now this does not mean that Abijah and Judah now re-asserted the rule of the throne of David overall twelve tribes. This man delivered a devastating defeat to Jeroboam and pushed them back so that Judah could control more completely the territory of Benjamin but it is its devastating defeat.

And verse 20 tells Jeroboam did not recover strength in the days of Abijah and the Lord struck him and he died but Abijah became powerful, and he had fourteen wives has twenty two sons sixteen daughters and then you have the end of the record of Abijah. In the summary form that we’re have this death record then in Chapter 14 more of his actions were recorded in the treaties of the Prophet Iddo, but we don’t have, that wasn’t preserved for us so we can’t read what the Prophet Iddo wrote, so an overview of his life.

Come back now leave the marker there and come back to Kings. Now remember in spite of that great speech, in spite of turning to the Lord, the summary given of Abijah or Abijam as he is identified in Chapter 15 of 1 Kings verse 3 he walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him. His heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God like his father David. So we have that time in his life where you think wow, what potential but the general character of his life is marked out as one who did not live in obedience to the Lord.
Verse 8 Abijam dies and Asa his son became king in his place. So this is the third king now of the divided kingdom. Rehoboam, Abijam, and now Asa. Asa will reign for 41 years in Judah and he is one of Israel’s better kings.

The first 10 years of reign will be peaceful see that in a moment that gives him opportunity to clean house in Judah and get rid of the Idolatry and so on. Verse 10, he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem, his mother’s name was Maacah and she becomes an important person for her corrupting influence in the nation. Verse 13 tells us he removed Maacah his mother, she really is grandmother but it’s like you could call the father in the Old Testament you’re aware sometimes I refer to the father that he’s really the grandfather or the great grandfather. So she is the mother but it’s the grandmother of Asa. He removed Maacah his grandmother from being queen mother because she had made horrid image as an Asherah. He cut down the horrid image and burnt it in the brook Kidron. So you see there was an influence.

In Chapter 15 verse 2, in Abijam life he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah. So you see here Maacah’s called the mother of Asa’s father. Obviously he’s not the mother of the Asa’s father and also the mother Asa, it’s grandmother of Asa. But her influence just weekend Abijah more that does not excuse Abijam, he’s accountable for his own sin. But you see there was a godless influence in the home there in close relationship with the queen in that setting. Asa’s at queen’s house here.

If you want to flip over leave a marker in Kings and come over to Second Chronicles Chapter 14 in the summary of Asa’s reign is the same in Kings and here recorded in Chronicles I read it in Chronicles since we’re here. 14:2 Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign alters, high places tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, God of their fathers and observe the law and the commandment. He removed the high places; the incense alters from all the cities of Jerusalem. The kingdom was undisturbed and it is the time of peace. We’re told at the end of Chapter 14 verse 1 the land was undisturbed for 10 years during his days.

So there’s first 10 years of his reign are great. There’s not war going on with the northern kingdom, he has enough tranquility and enough power to do spiritual house cleaning in Judah. The testimony toward him, he used that time wisely and he is characterized over all in his reign as a good king who did right in the sight of the Lord his God. You know in spite of having an ungodly father, in spite of having a very ungodly grandmother who could be a powerful influence. Asa becomes one of Israel, southern Israel Judah’s most Godly kings and he’s blessed with a long reign.

While you are in Chapter 14, we will look at what happens during Asa’s reign, this 10 year of tranquility that’s only the first quarter of his reign. Then we find verse 8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand, we’re still in Second Chronicles 14 Three hundred thousand from Judah, and two hundred eighty thousand from Benjamin. Now Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. So now again it’s an overwhelming force against him. His army of roughly six hundred thousand going up against an army of a million.

Verse 11 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said "Lord, there is no one beside you to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength. So help us O Lord our God for we trust in you and in your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God let no man prevail against you." Interesting how he calls the Lord to their defense. Your, our God we’re your people. This attack is against you our God. So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa, before Judah and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the people are with him pursued them as far as Gerar. So many Ethiopians fell, they could not recover. They were shattered before the Lord and before his army. And so Asa’s army can take plunder and so on. So a high point in Asa’s life a godly man and throughout here and look at an army that was so imposing and call on the Lord and have the full trust that the Lord would bring victory and it is a testimony to Asa.

Chapter 15 saying in Chronicles here, and then we’ll come back to Kings and you’ll see which get a very condensed form in Kings. The Chronicles gives us the elaboration. Now the spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded and he went out to meet Asa and said to him "Listen to me Asa and all Judah and Benjamin the Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him he will let you find him, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For many days Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest and without Law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, they sought him and he let them find him." You see the way God has to deal with Israel when they turned from him he stepped back from them and they then come into distress which will be the pattern for coming tribulation remember for Israel. The tribulation the God will bring upon this earth and upon the nation Israel to in their distress they will call upon the Lord. So this is been the pattern all the way back and the beginning.

Those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the land. Nation was crushed by nation, city by city for God troubled them with every kind of distress but you be strong, do not lose courage for there is reward for your work. So Asa is encouraged to continue his reforms. He had 10 years of peace and he brought about spiritual reaffirmation to the southern kingdom and he cleaned out the pagan worship. Now he’s been opposed by an overwhelming enemy and God is given him great victory and now the prophet comes to encourage him. Don’t let up, there is reward for you. God will bless as you continue to obey and honor him.

So verse 8, When Asa heard these words and the prophesy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable Idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin. From the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim, he restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord. He gathered all Judah and Benjamin in those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who resided with them for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord is God was with him. And it just get little bit of insight in passing almost what was going on. Some from these other tribes in the north had come and aligned themselves in support of Asa. I mean he’s Godly reforms as they saw the hand of God with him. They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

They sacrificed to the Lord that day seven hundred oxen, seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought. They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul. Whoever would not seek the Lord, God of Israel should be put to death whether small or great man or women. Moreover they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, shouting and trumpets with horns and there’s rejoicing. And then we’re told also reminded he removed verse 16 Maacah, the mother of the king Asa from the position of Queen mother because she had made that horrid image. But not all the high places were removed. So don’t get the idea this is a complete absolute spiritual reformation here.

So we’re told the high place were not removed from Israel nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days. Now that doesn’t mean he was perfect and he’s going to stumble significantly at the end. Another one of those sad cases where he didn’t finish well but here you see high points in his life and testimonies to his godly character and the reminder to us as we walked with the Lord be careful that we don’t stumble and what is before us.

Come back to, you can read something in Chronicles again, and flip back to Kings. In verse 14 a similar summary as we just read in Chronicles of First Kings 15, 14 the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to Lord all his days even though not all the places have been removed. Now verse 16 there was war between Asa and Baasha king of the Israel all of their days. Baasha has become king over the northern kingdom and so this battle now is re-engaged. Remember Jeroboam had experienced a crushing enough defeat that during the rest of his reign there was quite. Then Nadab who is briefly is the successor to Jeroboam is followed by Baasha and now we have more conflict between Judah and Israel.

Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to the king of Israel. Ramah was only four miles north of Jerusalem. So you see what’s happened now Baasha has again pushed his horses down in the territory that would have been Benjamins. They’ve been driven back and under the rest of Jeroboams reign they weren’t strong enough to reassure but now under Baasha they come down they’re only four miles away, I mean that’s not far. Some of you live more than four miles from church, many of you do it’s not a long way. So naturally this is a major threat to Jerusalem and now you controls access coming from the north into Jerusalem and the trade route there. So Jerusalem is in danger of being bottled up here. What to do? Now remember what Asa did when he had to confront and army of a million, he called on the Lord; said, Lord we’re your people, you’re our God, you have to deliver us. Well, it’s not the quite the way it happens.

Verse 18 then Asa took all the sovereign the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord, from what had been given to Shishak the pharaoh when he came up there’s still some treasures left obviously and the treasures of the kings house he delivered them into the hands of his servants and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad who is centered in Damascus. So definitely Ben-hadad is a title like pharaoh, I say that because you’ll see Ben-hadad’s name come up and you say why’s that man he couldn’t live that long. How many people did they name Ben-hadad but it’s a title, I mean of son of Hadad who’s the God of Aram, the Arameans. So Ben-hadad is a title that each of the rulers in this region carried on just like the pharaoh of Egypt, now which pharaoh well we have to get a name or like our President. So it’s a title used and Ben-Hadad is the son of Hadad in other words acknowledging in his using that title that Hadad is their God.

At any rate, Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad, Damascus and said verse 19 "Let’s have treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold I have sent you a present of sovereign gold. Go break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that you withdraw from me." In other words it’s just highest bidders going to Ben-Hadad’s legions. He was supporting Baasha but now Asa will pay him better. Sure I don’t have any legions any particular concern to Baasha, so here I’ll join you and I’ll crush Baasha. So Ben-Hadad listened to king Asa and sent the commanders of his army against the cities of Israel and conquered a number of them. When Baasha heard of it, he seized fortifying Ramah remained in Tirzah verse 21. Obviously now you’ve got forces coming down on him and some of his northern territory has been conquered. He just can’t continue this strife in the south so he withdraws.

And so King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt they come and carry away the stones that were being used to fortify and build up Ramah and he built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. And the rest of the acts of Asa all his might already did the city which he build are they not written in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet and Asa slept with his fathers and buried with his father’s in the City of David his father. Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place. And just see here we just have a summary end without any real details. We have to come back over to Chronicles.

And in Second Chronicles Chapter 16 you have the same account we just read in Kings opening up where in verse 2 Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord because Baasha was fortifying Ramah and he hires Ben-Hadad and so on.

Then come to verse 7. At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, King of Judah and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. Obviously the son of Hadad, the God of the Arameans is not a friend of the God of Israel. So it was God’s intention who give Ben-Hadad into the hands of Asa evidently because he says the King of Aram has escaped out of your hand we’re not the Ethiopians and Libyans an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen yet, because you relied on the Lord he delivered them into your hands. I mean just what’s the problem here Asa, what did I do for you with that overwhelming army? I delivered you when you turned to me.

For the eyes of the Lord moved to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed from now on you will surely have wars. You see he had a clever plan to get peace, God says the very thing you’re looking now will elude you. Instead of having peace you’re going to have continual warfare.

Well Asa, sometimes even a very godly person will stumble and we are confronted with our sin it antagonizes us doesn’t it? And we don’t like it. Now Asa is king, he had a position of power. Asa was angry with the seer, here’s a man who has heard from the prophets before and responded but now he has sinned and he has rebuked and instead of repenting and acknowledging his sin before the Lord he takes it out on the prophet. He put him in prison. I don’t like what he says which he is really what, I don’t like, I am not willing to accept what God has to say. You’re going to prison for telling me what God says. There are no rationality and there’s only solution to sin is that repent and get it right. And now we’re going to pursue it only gets worse.

Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. You just can’t confine sin, so now his attitude towards other of his people is changing. The acts of Asa from first to last they’re written in the Book of the Kings of Judah in Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet and we saw that summary, Kings said nothing more about it. His disease was severe. Now here’s a man who’s king who can’t walk. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord but the physicians. You see the terrible thing that happens when we turn away from the Lord and depends upon him, one human devices followed by another. And now here even with severe bodily affliction it doesn’t cross his mind could turn to the Lord the great physician the healer of Israel and ask for his intervention have mercy at my life. I go to the physicians just like I’ll go to Ben-Hadad. Once you turn from going to the Lord what happens, pretty you have a pattern, and looking for, so he dies in this condition.

Asa slept with his father’s having died in forty-first year of his reign. They buried in his own tomb in the City of David and on they go. A godly king, the overall testimony of God for his life was he was a godly king; a good king and he sought the Lord. But sad the closing period of his life, he didn’t finish well.

Come back to Kings. And see what happens we’re just getting the overview in Kings but you go over Chronicles and fill in the details particularly on some of these kings of Judah because they’re in the line of David there the kings that matter if you will. It only mean that all Israel belongs to God and in that sense as the nation he is chosen all twelve tribes the northern kings of course have place to play, but they are not in the Davidic Covenant. So who sits on the throne of David out of which will come the Messiah are the ones that really matter.

All right, back in First Kings Chapter 15 verse 25 we had referred to Baasha who followed Nadab who followed Jeroboam but now we have to pick up with verse 25. Verse 23 and 24 records the deaths of Asa. Verse 25 tells us now Nadab the son Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah. He reigned over Israel two years. So we’ve gone through, we’ve looked ahead and saw all of Asa’s reign and now we’re going to jump to the northern kingdom. And here’s a man who reigns for just two years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, walked in the way of his father Jeroboam in the sin, his sin which he made Israel to sin which was the calf worship centered at Bethel in Dan.

Then Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, Baasha struck him down. So verse 28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. It came about as soon as he was king he struck down all the household of Jeroboam, he did not leave the Jeroboam any persons alive until he had destroyed them according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite because of the sins of the Jeroboam which he sinned which he had made Israel to sin because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger and then Nadab dies.

First Kings Chapter 14 verses 9 to 16. The prophet had told Jeroboam of the judgment that would come on his family. So this is the end of the line of Jeroboam because of his sin. Interesting to note this sins of Jeroboam they provoke the Lord, he steer him up to anger. There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all of their days. You know back and forth a little bit here because even though we’ve recorded the death of Asa in verse 24 we have Baasha on the throne and of course his reign takes place within the time period of the reign of Asa because Asa reigns so long that there will be several kings in the northern kingdom during the time that he reigns. So we’re reminded of the warfare between Baasha and Asa.

And Baasha reigns 24 years verse 33 tell us and he did evil and he continues to follow in the sins of Jeroboam. Isn’t interesting he’s the instrument that God uses to bring judgment on the family line of Jeroboam but he learns nothing from it. You think he might say I don’t never wanted to do what Jeroboam did and end u like his family, what happened to him is just with the prophet said, another thing he continues in the same sins.

So what would you expect, now the word of the Lord Chapter 16 opens up and it’s going to carry us from Baasha to Ahab and everybody knows Ahab for the most godless couple in all of scripture are Ahab and Jezebel. Now we have to get there from Baasha. Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani against Baasha saying "In as much as I exalted you from the dust and made you leader over my people Israel and you walked in the way of Jeroboam and made my people Israel sin provoking me to angry with their sins. Behold I will consume Baasha in his house. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat, anyone who dies in the field, the birds of the heavens will eat." I mean Baasha have to take note of this because he was the instrument who brought this devastating judgment on the household of Jeroboam. And now the punishment on him be even worse. Any of your family that dies in the city well your bodies will be left there and the dogs will eat you. And any of your family that dies in the field, the birds will come and feed on. Nobody is going to have a decent burial. You will be totally disgraced.

The rest of the acts of Baasha were recorded in the books of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel. And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. Elah, Baasha’s son reigns briefly for two years and then he’ll get killed by Zimri. And Zimri will fulfill the prophesy of the total destruction of Baasha’s house and he only has seven days to do it. Because the total instead his reign will be seven days then he’s going to be killed. Comes on just long enough to be the instrument that God uses to fulfill his word.

Verse 7 moreover, the word of the Lord through the Prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came against Baasha and his house so because the evil which he’d done provoking the Lord in being like the house of Jeroboam. In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah. His servant Zimri commander of half his chariots conspired against him, he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk, and Zimri went in and killed him. Put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. And he became the king.

Came about when he became king as soon as he sat on his throne that he killed all the household of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. Complete house cleaned because he wants to start his own dynasty if you will the dynasty of Zimri. Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha according to the word of the Lord which he spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son which they sin, which they made Israel to sin provoking the lord to anger with their idols The rest of the acts of Elah and so on they are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.

In the 27 year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah and the people there are I mean the Israelites are gathered there the people who are camped verse 16 heard said Zimri has conspired and struck down the king. Therefore all Israel well made Omri the commander of the army king over Israel that day in the camp. Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and siege Tirzah. When Zimri saw the city was taken he went to Citadel of the kings house set the house on fire and committed suicide died in the destruction of the house. So he goes into the house sets it on fire and sits there and waits for the house to collapse on him and he is dead, seven-day reign.

And verse 19 it wasn’t long enough. Because of his sins which he sinned doing evil in the sight of the Lord walking the way of the Jeroboam I mean there are no break here. You know you have prophets coming and going. Different prophets name and remember prophets in Israel are always a sign of decadence and decay, they come to proclaim judgment one of the reasons we have a difficult time often in staying with the study in the prophets is what, so much judgment. So much condemnation of sin that’s not all they do but much of their message is devoted toward condemning the sin particularly of God’s people.

Verse 21 then the people of Israel were divided into two parts half the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath to make him king, the other half followed Omri. So Omri opposes and puts down the rebellion of Zimri declare himself king but there are still an opposing faction. But soon Tibni dies and Omri becomes king. So in the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, he reigned twelve years. Six years of those at Tirzah then he will move his capital to Samaria.

So you see we now are measuring each of these kings who were comes up in the reign of Asa his forty-one year reign over Judah. Well, it was in this year of his reign, it was in this of his reign because these men are coming and going off the scene rather quickly. Omri reigns for twelve years.

Verse 24 one of the significant thing he does is he bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two thousand silver, build on the hill and name the city which he built Samaria after the name of Shemer from whom he had bought it, who own the hill and Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, acted more wickedly than those who were before him. He walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their idols. I mean these are Jews, this is Israel. These are the twelve tribes. They are totally oblivious, totally closed, totally consumed with their sin. The hand of God at work among them even when the prophets come to speak, it changes nothing. And Omri did more evil than those who were before him. There is a progression here; it’s getting worse as sin always does.

Verse 27 look in verse 28 Omri dies. And verse 29. This becomes the key figure now well known to all of us. Now Ahab the son of Omri became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Samaria will become the capital now and the main centre of the northern kingdom. It will be the equivalent of Jerusalem for the southern kingdom. That becomes the focal point. He reigns for twenty-two years. Ahab, the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. So you know it almost it becomes a pattern who can outdo the predecessor. Oh he was bad but you haven’t seen anything yet. And Ahab is the worse.

It came about as though it had been trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the sons of Nebat that he married Jezebel. Was it bad enough to follow in the worship that Jeroboam had set up he’d even did worse, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Sidonians and went to serve Baal or Baal and worshiped him. So erected an altar for Baal and the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah, thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

Remarkable and now you have an alliance of the mostly godly king of the north to this point joined to the infamous Jezebel and what a pair joined in twenty-two year reign of godless wickedness. You know what, we come to Chapter 17 and the rest of the Book of First Kings is taken up with the ministry of Elijah the prophet. And what a great prophet of God, Elijah comes on the scene in this awful time. And so the rest of First Kings is going to be concerned with the ministry of Elijah and the backdrop of that as you’re aware is the reign of Ahab and Jezebel in Israel and the contest going on as Elijah represents the Lord and brings the word of the Lord. And you know people in their sin don’t want to hear the word of the Lord.

Even when Elijah cannot turn the heart of an Ahab or the heart of Jezebel. And the mighty miracles he does and the word of the Lord he brings will be rejected. Let me just give few summary points here. I have nine but I have summarized some of it out of these two chapters.

And the first just to note knowledge of biblical truth does not assure godly character. You know sometimes you amazingly knew so much about the word of God but that doesn’t mean you will, that will result in godly character. Abijam was a sinful man we saw in First Kings Chapter 15 verse 3 that’s the summary of his reign. But in Second Chronicles Chapter13 verses 4 to 12 we saw that speech he gave to Jeroboam and it’s filled with biblical contempt. He’s fully aware of the provisions of the Davidic Covenant but God’s characteristic of his life is he walked in all the sins of his father which he committed before him. His heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord. So don’t mistake knowledge of the scripture with godly character.

Secondly, the recognition of sin in others doesn’t guarantee our own godly character. You know we sometimes think we promote our godly character by pointing out someone else’s sins but again in that same section that we looked at in Second Chronicles Chapter 13 Abijam pointed out the sins of the northern kingdom, the sins of Jeroboam rebuked them for him but We that didn’t mean he had godly character. It didn’t mean what he said was not true; it was true because he shared with him with the word of what God said but it often comes to be like Balaam the false prophet. He spoke a lot of truth. But none of it took hold in his own heart and life.

Another point to note, ungodly parents may have godly children. So we can’t blame our parents. Asa’s father was an Abijam gave his life and reigned. His character is not being godly. Asa’s grandmother is Maacah a godless person who promoted pagan worship in Israel. But Asa’s one of Israel’s most godly king the southern kingdom of Israel and Judah most godly king. And with that ungodly parents are not to an excuse for the children’s ungodly character Asa of course. And then you note in each of these kings they are how it accountable for their own actions. Because they have ungodly parents doesn’t mean that they are excused. Well, I was raised in that environment. Look at the father I have, look at the grandmother I had I mean, I’ve got a past at least partly not so, God hold each of us accountable. But, we also ought to note parents are setting an example and a pattern that’s often followed the generation to come. You know the repeated the statement and we won’t go back and read them individually. And he walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him. What a terrible pattern do have established, isn’t it. They will say, oh he walked in the sins of his father, which his father committed before him.

So that’s never an excuse and I can’t blame my parents, but also reminds me we want to set the pattern of godliness. Trust in the Lord we’ll use that in the lives of our children in his grace. God does give victory to those who trust him. You know we get all caught up on what’s going and somewhere Asa lost his perspective. He could call upon the Lord when confronted by an army of a million plus and experienced the great victory the Lord gives him and yet when Baasha the king of the north becomes an opponent and he feels the pressure instead of going to the Lord he goes to Ben-Hadad. One whose very name identifies him as the worshiper of a pagan God, the son of Hadad instead of going to the Lord.

You know in that context we have to be careful of pragmatism. Victory won in an unbiblical way because you know Asa won, Baasha withdraws and now Asa can go in and dismantle Ramah which was built as a fortress against him and use the materials to him not to fortify his own cities. Look like that was a good trade-off costs me some of the treasury but we’d been released from the situation we were trapped in. It was at the expense of God’s blessing and so it was a great loss. You need to be careful when you look and see well, I don’t know maybe we didn’t do it Biblically but look what happened. But if we didn’t do Biblically look what happened we offended the Lord. We didn’t win something Asa didn’t win a battle there he brought the chastening of the Lord upon him.

You know when you are in sin one of the things to note people who bring the word of God to you become an irritation. When the prophet comes to tell Asa what he did was wrong and offensive to God what did Asa do, he puts the prophet in prison. And all of us need to be aware of that. You know nothing can irritate us more than when we sin and then somebody comes and points it out to us or brings the word of God to us even in if it’s most kindly loving way somehow we are irritated by it.

And last thing I wanted to be around when I have sinned is the word of God anyway right. The last thing I want to be around when I sin is this godly people. So pretty soon I want to pull back and I don’t want to hear it. They’re not so perfect themselves anyway and I could point out lot of things in their lives that aren’t right either. And all of the sudden we’ve established a pattern that we are going to continue and say the saying. Thank you Lord for sending someone who cared. Thank you Lord for someone who would come and confront me because Lord you know and I know and I want to acknowledge before you. And Asa didn’t do that. So he ends sitting there with his deceased feet that won’t enable him to go anywhere anymore but he won’t turn to the Lord.

Sin has that hardening affect on our hearts and minds. And even in the time of dire need you think you’ll bow with painful diseased feet that I can’t get help from the physician that will cause to me say Lord in my pain I had, I think so you’ll go to his grave. A man whose general tenure of life was as a godly man, but in the end he allowed himself to become hardened by the deceased from his sin.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your grace. Thank you again for the history of your people. Lord at time it is a discouraging history. It’s sad to read the ongoing pattern of rebellion, disobedience, sin. Lord in at all your graciousness is evident. Your promises to David hold true. Your promises the covenant you’ve established with Israel you don’t abandon them but the judgment is severe. Lord may we learn for our own life the things that are recorded so that we might be encouraged and reminded the walking godliness. And Lord may we be careful to appreciate all the blessings that we’ve experienced as you worked in our lives and be careful not to turn from you, but to have a pattern with the desire to finish well. To finish to the last moment of the last day as those who have been obedient, who have honored you with their lives, may that be the testimony of our lives even in the days that you gave us and the week ahead. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.