1 Kings 16:1-20 - Falling like Royal Dominoes

1 Kings 16:1-20

1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying: 2 “Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, 3 surely I will take away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.”

5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6 So Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place.

7 And also the word of the LORD came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them.

Elah Reigns in Israel

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah. 9 Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11 Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.

14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Zimri Reigns in Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri had reigned in Tirzah seven days. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 Now the people who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house down upon himself with fire, and died, 19 because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

The rulers of Israel seemed to fall like royal dominos as many turned from the LORD and His word to continue unrepentant in doing evil and rejecting the good.  Baasha, the successor to Jeroboam’s son Nadab, had been overthrown by Baasha by conspiracy and an apparent attempt to destroy the evil of Nadab but now he also walked in the way of Jeroboam to lead  Israel to sin as well.  The LORD ended Baasha and his family and his evil son Elah briefly took over the throne.  His commander Zimri then conspired against him and killed him, taking his place on Israel’s throne.  He immediately killed all the heirs of Baasha for all his sins as prophetically promised by God to hold them accountable to Him.  But then he was accused of treason and another conspired against him, namely Omri, the commander of the army.  This time the evil king was not killed, for he heard the hoofbeats of judgment coming for him and burned down the king’s house on top of himself in an act of suicide.  Like a line of royal dominoes of evil around the throne of Israel, all these fell by God’s hand of judgment against their unrepentant sins of idolatry and disobedience to all of the LORD commandments.  This is the curse of sin which the Messiah of the Seed of David came as promised to cleanse and atone for eternally by His work and person as the true and righteous King of kings.  We are called to follow His rule in obedience and holiness (Ephesians 4:24, 1 Peter 1:15) and not conspire agitation the righteous one whose rule cannot be usurped.