Examples Set by Bad Kings in Israel

1 Kings 15:25-34
    25 Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

    27 Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 29 And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.
    31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
    33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

Nadab and Baasha were the next two kings in Israel after Jeroboam reigned over Israel, the Jeroboam who walked away from the LORD and whose descendants were destined for destruction along with the tribes of Israel who followed in the sins of idolatry and disobedience to the word of God (1 Kings 14:15-16).  Nadab only sat on the throne for two years, just one year longer than Abijam in Judah.  Nadab sinned and caused all God’s people of the tribes of Israel to sin with Him by his evil example.  Baasha of the tribe of Issachar was only somewhat better, killing Nadab as the avenger of the LORD, taking the throne and wiping out the remaining members of the descendants and family of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:10-14) as God had promised.  He was used by the LORD to end that line because Jeroboam had done two evil things; he had sinned and led Israel to sin by his leadership example, and he had provoked the LORD God of Israel, necessitating His wrath to be dealt out on them.  In the end, however, Baasha also did evil in God’s eyes and imitated Jeroboam in sin and causing the others to sin.  These were two bad kings in Israel who led by evil example and helped Israel slide further away from the LORD who had chosen and delivered them out of bondage and into the promised land in mercy and great grace.  This is a sobering reminder how the examples we set and leadership we may give to God’s people in Christ has reverberating repercussions.  What we do and how we serve the Lord who bought us at such a great price matters immensely and eternally.  May we imitate what is good (Psalm 34:14, 37:27, 1 Timothy 4:12, 3 John 1:11).  Let us imitate godly men’s examples as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1 as we imitate Christ in living to please and honor our holy Father in heaven, worshiping and serving Him alone above all else.