1st Kings 16 WORSE AND WORSE Even in the worst of times God has those through whom He speaks to His people. Warnings and instructions are often ignored when they do not agree with the accepted practices and desires of those to whom they are given. This is not new by any means. Prophets of old again and again were sent to warn the people but they would not listen. Hanani, the father of Jehu the prophet, was a prophet himself who had been imprisoned for rebuking Asa. Jehu came from Judah to Israel with a warning message to Baasha that because of his evil leadership, his whole family would suffer the consequences just like the family of Jeroboam.
There is a sad, dark pattern of events as each king of the northern tribes, Israel, came into the place of leadership. Because of Jeroboam's grievous sin in making the golden calves and setting up a worship center that was not of God, he died a violent death. His son Nadab sinned in the same way as his father and was soon killed by Baasha. Baasha continued the pattern of evil and his whole family was cut off. His son, Elah, was king for two years when he was killed by Zimri when he was drunk while his army was laying siege against a Philistine city. Zimri, a leader in the army, took over being king and eliminated all the family of Baasha as well as his friends. Zimri died by suicide when he burned the palace with him in it. Omri, "captain of the host" was the one from whom Zimri fled when he committed suicide. He was even worse than the leaders before him. Ahab, his son was even worse than his father.
The downward course of evil does not level off at some acceptable place and time, but historically and practically is not stopped until a nation is no more. Rome is another example to us of what unchecked evil in leadership can do to the population at the time and a nation as a whole. Modern day nations follow the same path, and now this nation is doing the same thing. Families and churches also will disintegrate when those who lead set the wrong example. In a family, a father has about fifteen years to set the course of his children. When they leave home, they will usually practice some of what they have seen modeled in their early years. To that they will add or take away practices of their own.
Shrewd capable leaders can affect the outward practices of those who follow them, but their spiritual condition is seen and taught when they are open and consistent in their own personal testimony of faith in God. All of the learned skills one may have do not change the heart. When a hard-hearted, cut-and-dried leader, guides others, that attitude and the accompanying actions will usually be transmitted to those who take their place.
Ahab went beyond the worship of the golden calves and brought into the "worship of the Lord" the worship of Baal. In an effort to please Jezebel his wife who came from Phoenicia bringing her false religion with her, he elevated the worship of Baal to official status at the beginning of his reign as king over the northern tribes.
Righteous, divine anger was aroused in the Lord God of Israel against those to whom He had been so gracious, longsuffering and kind. For any of the Lord's people of any time and any place to think they can do what they want and God will accept that, they need to learn again that our God does not change. His standards remain, His character and His actions are always consistent with each other. No matter what people may do "in His name," unless it is consistent with God's word and His will, it is evil - and evil will be eventually dealt with by divine authority.
Samaria, the city Omri built to be his capital, gave him some military advantage because it was situated on a hill making it easier to defend. Politically and religiously it gave Omri and Ahab after him advantages, not because they cared about the spiritual condition of the nation, but because it gave them a royal city with which the people could identify. It put the people farther from God's divine order and put more power into the hands of the king. The momentum evil and self-will builds is so great that death is the only way to stop its course. It may start in the leadership but soon the whole nation is affected. Spiritual separation followed by a declining moral order then claims the life of the nation, church or family.
Five hundred years earlier, Joshua pronounced a curse on anyone who rebuilt Jericho into a fortified city. "According to the word of the Lord" this was done in defiance to the Lord, and Hiel's sons died, either in the construction work or as a sacrifice to Baal worship. We may think an edict or promise from God that happened so long ago it is of no importance now. All of God's promises are "Yea and Amen" and must be counted on to take place and be considered when we make decisions.
1Kings 16:30-31. “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it were a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel that daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him..”
IT CAN GET WORSE. We look around at evil and say, “It has gone too far. There is no way things can get worse than they already are.” But even though the hearts of many do evil every day – There are evil thoughts and deeds that go beyond what words can say.
We look back and remember dark days in history, And think there is no way it can be worse than these. For people then burned children to idols, a holy God they scorned, But now in the country where I live, children are killed before they’re born.
We look ahead, and in a sense, fear what the future will bring. And wonder if there is any worse evil from the heart of man to spring. What will really happen when sin becomes a thing so light – That for reading the Bible and praying there comes a fatal fight.
We look within at our own hearts, and find there, treachery And there is also the danger of becoming like what we see. The only hope at all I have is to fix my eyes on Him, Who at the great cost of His own life was my substitute for sin.
We look up to heaven and say, “O Lord, how long Will it be until You come to take us to Your home?” The thought that the Lord could come today, my heart does purify, As I think, that any moment now I will meet Him in the sky.
We look into the Bible and there are lessons there to learn Sin has terrible wages that everyone will earn Who choose to make light of things that are important to God For those who take such a path in life, it was better, if they were never born.
“O Righteous God, the dangers are here now of people making light of thy truth, Thy ways and Thyself. I ask that today and every day, I will be found to be a faithful watchman in the night. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”