1 Kings 16:1-34

God’s lessons from history

1 Kings

Philip Smith

Chapter 16

v1 Then the *Lord spoke to Jehu the son of Hanani. He gave him this message for Baasha. v2 ‘You were not an important person, but I made you leader of my people *Israel. You have *sinned as Jeroboam did. And you have led my people into *sin. Their *sins made me very angry. v3 I will kill you and your family as I did to Jeroboam and his family. v4 Dogs will eat the members of your family who die in the city. The birds of the air will eat those who die in the country.’

v5 You can read about everything else that Baasha achieved. It is in the book of the History of the Kings of *Israel. v6 Baasha died and they buried him in Tirzah. Elah his son became king after him.

v7 God spoke these words by the *prophet Jehu to Baasha and his family. This was because of all the wicked things that he had done against the *Lord. He made God very angry because of all the wicked things that he did. They were like the things that Jeroboam did. God was also angry because Baasha killed all Jeroboam’s family.

God warned Baasha about what would happen because of his *sin. Jehu was a *prophet for a long time. 40 years later, he spoke to King Jehoshaphat. He wrote a history of his rule (2 Chronicles 19:2; 2 Chronicles 20:34). Jehu reminded Baasha about the good things that God had done for him. But Baasha had made God angry. He made the people *worship *idols as Jeroboam had done. Jehu told Baasha what would happen to his family. They would die as Jeroboam’s family had died. In other words, they would suffer the same punishment as Jeroboam’s family suffered.

There are different ideas about the meaning of the last sentence in this passage. One ancient translation says, ‘God was also angry because Baasha killed Jehu.’ But probably, this sentence is about the murder of Jeroboam’s family. God said that this would happen. But it seems that Baasha was a cruel man. He did not care what God wanted. Baasha killed Jeroboam’s family because of his own ambitions.

God often gives power to bad men. They still carry out his purposes, although not in a good way. For example, Nebuchadnezzar took the *Israelites away from their country. God allowed this to happen in order to punish his people. However, Nebuchadnezzar did this in a very cruel way. (See 2 Kings Chapter s 24 and 25.)

Elah’s rule as king of *Israel

v8 Elah son of Baasha became king of *Israel. This happened in the 26th year of Asa king of *Judah. He ruled in Tirzah for two years.

v9 Zimri, one of his officials, was in command of half of his *chariots. He plotted against Elah. At that time, Elah was in Tirzah. He had too much to drink. He was in the home of Arza who was in command of the palace. v10 Zimri came in and killed him. Then he became king after him. This happened in the 27th year of the rule of King Asa of *Judah.

v11 As soon as Zimri became king, he killed all the members of Baasha’s family. He killed every male relative and friend. v12 So Zimri killed all the family of Baasha. The *Lord had said by the *prophet Jehu that this would happen. v13 Baasha and Elah had made the *Lord the God of *Israel very angry. This was because of their *sins, their *idols and the way that they made *Israel to *sin.

v14 You can read about Elah’s other acts in the History of the Kings of *Israel.

Elah ruled for two years. Then one of his soldiers, Zimri, killed him. Elah’s father, Baasha, had killed Nadab during a battle. Zimri killed Elah after Elah had been drinking alcohol. He also killed all of Baasha’s family.

That was the end of the second family that ruled the northern *tribes of *Israel. Everyone in those families died. They died because of their *sin. They made the people in *Israel *worship *idols. They refused to obey the real God. And they became very wicked. Those were the reasons for their defeat.

Zimri’s brief rule as king of *Israel

v15 Zimri ruled in Tirzah for 7 days. This was in the 27th year of the rule of King Asa of *Judah. The *Israelite army was attacking Gibbethon, a town in the country called Philistia. v16 The *Israelites heard that Zimri had murdered the king. So they immediately appointed Omri, who was in command of their army, as king of *Israel. v17 Omri and his army left Gibbethon and they attacked Tirzah. v18 Zimri saw that they had *captured the city. So he went into the royal palace. Then he made it on fire and he died in the flames. v19 This happened because of his *sins. He did not obey the *Lord. He behaved like Jeroboam. He *sinned against the *Lord and he made *Israel to *sin as well.

v20 You can read about everything else that Zimri did and his *rebellion. It is in the ‘History of the Kings of *Israel’.

Zimri’s rule was very short. When the *Israelite army heard about his actions they chose Omri as their king. He was in command of their army. Tirzah was an easy city to *capture. Zimri could not defend the palace so he made it on fire. He died in the flames. God punished Zimri for his *sins.

Omri’s rule as king of *Israel

v21 The *Israelites divided into two groups. Half of them wanted Tibni son of Ginath to be king. The other half of them supported Omri. v22 The supporters of Omri were stronger than the supporters of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

v23 Omri became king of *Israel in Asa’s 31st year. Omri ruled for 12 years. He ruled in Tirzah for 6 years. v24 He bought the hill in Samaria from Shemer for 150 pounds (70 kilos) of silver. He built a city on the hill and called it Samaria. He named it after Shemer, who used to own the hill.

v25 However, Omri *sinned against the *Lord more than all the previous kings. v26 He *sinned like Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He made God very angry. This was because he led the people into *sin. And he caused the people in *Israel to *worship *idols.

v27 The History of the Kings of *Israel tells us about all the other acts of Omri. It records what he achieved. And it records all the other events during his rule. v28 Omri died and they buried him in Samaria. Then his son Ahab became king.

Although the report of Omri’s life is brief, Omri was the most important king of *Israel. He was a great political leader. He established a strong capital for *Israel. And he was a powerful leader of the army. But the Bible does not praise Omri for his many skills. It was Omri’s behaviour that mattered to God. And Omri’s behaviour was even worse than the kings who ruled *Israel before him. All these kings had refused to obey God’s law. They did not love God, as David had done. Instead, they loved ambition and power. And now, the family that ruled *Israel was even more wicked.

Omri bought the hill called Samaria and he made it into a great city. It became the capital of the country. He made some very fine buildings there. The city would be very difficult for enemies to *capture. During the first 4 years of Omri’s rule, he fought against Tibni. We do not know how Tibni died. Perhaps he died in a battle.

Omri was worse than Jeroboam in his attitude to religion. He made an agreement with Ethbaal king of Tyre and Sidon. His son, Ahab married Ethbaal’s daughter Jezebel. The result of this was the *worship of *Baal in the northern *kingdom.

Ahab begins his rule as king of *Israel

v29 Ahab son of Omri became king of *Israel. This was in the 38th year of the rule of Asa king of *Judah. Ahab ruled over *Israel in Samaria for 22 years. v30 Ahab son of Omri *sinned against the *Lord more than all the previous kings. v31 It was not enough for him to *sin like King Jeroboam, who was the son of Nebat. Ahab also married Jezebel, who was the daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Also, Ahab *worshipped the god *Baal. v32 He built an *altar for *Baal in the *temple that he built in Samaria. v33 He also put up an image of the female god Asherah. He did more to make the *Lord angry than all the previous kings of *Israel.

v34 During Ahab’s rule, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. When he laid the foundations (strong base), his oldest son Abiram died. When he put up the gates, his youngest son Segub died. So the *prophecy of Joshua, the son of Nun came true.

There is more about Ahab in the Bible than any other king of *Israel. During his rule, the *worship of God and the *worship of *Baal opposed each other. Ahab built a *temple in Samaria and he put an *altar to *Baal in it. He married Jezebel who was a very wicked queen. She was also a very loyal *worshipper of *Baal. She persuaded Ahab to *worship *Baal more and more.

Hiel is another example of someone who did not obey God. He built Jericho city again. The reconstruction of Jericho was an act to oppose God. God told the *Israelites to destroy Jericho completely when they first entered the country called Canaan. That action was the start of God’s punishment against the people in Canaan. God was punishing them for their wicked behaviour and because they *worshipped false gods.

During Ahab’s rule, the *Israelites were *worshipping the same false gods as the people from Canaan had *worshipped. And they were guilty of the same wicked behaviour too. That is why Hiel wanted to rebuild Jericho. The result of his actions was awful. You can read Joshua’s *prophecy in Joshua 6:26. Hiel’s oldest son died as he began to build. His youngest son died as he finished.

But Ahab learned nothing from these events. His wicked behaviour became even worse. And he continued to *worship *Baal.

At about this time, God sent an extraordinary *prophet to *Israel. His name was Elijah.

Lord ~ the name of God. It can translate either of two words in Hebrew, which is the original language of this book. The word ‘Yahweh’ is God’s most holy name, and means ‘God always’. The word ‘Adonai’ means ‘master’.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.'sin/sinful ~ an action that is wrong or wicked. It is against a religious or moral law.
religious ~ about religion.
prophet ~ a person who prophesies.
prophesy ~ to speak God’s word; or, to say what will happen in the future.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God; to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
idol ~ the image of a god to whom people give honour.
Israelite ~ someone who lives in Israel; or, a descendant of Jacob.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
Judah ~ one of the tribes of Israel. The southern part of the *Jewish kingdom after it divided.
tribe ~ a group of people; a family or people that have the same ancestors; family from one man. Israel came from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or a queen rules.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or mother have come.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
chariot ~ a cart with two wheels that soldiers used. Horses pulled it.
tribe ~ a group of people; a family or people that have the same ancestors; family from one man. Israel came from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families formed the 12 tribes of Israel.
ancestor ~ any person from the past from whom the families of your father or mother have come.
Israel ~ the country or nation of people who are descendants of Jacob; the northern part of that country after it divided.
descendants ~ people in your family who live after you.
captured ~ a description of someone who becomes a prisoner during a battle.'rebellion/rebel ~ fight against authority; someone who does this.
capture ~ to take someone or something and keep it. Not to allow freedom.
Baal ~ a false god.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or a queen rules.
altar ~ a table on which people offer or burn gifts or sacrifices to a god.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that people offered to a god.
temple ~ the central place of worship that Solomon built in Jerusalem; or, a place where people worship a false god.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God; to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
prophecy ~ what people say when they prophesy.
prophesy ~ to speak God’s word; or, to say what will happen in the future.