Kings 15:25-34 - Overthrowing Evil with Evil

1 Kings 15:25-34

Nadab Reigns in Israel

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.

Baasha Reigns in Israel

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 ruled Israel for just two years, and his reign of evil ended by a conspiracy leading to murder.  The one who killed him, Baasha the son of Ahijah (brother of Jehovah), took over the throne and killed the rest of the lineage of the evil Jeroboam, wiping them out to the last man (1 Kings 14:10) as foretold by the LORD to keep the idolatrous cancer from spreading among God’s people.  This act of wiping out an evil bloodline was to hold the sinful ruler accountable for his own sins and for those he caused the nation to commit.  As a ruler, he was held doubly to account for provoking the LORD with this heinous rebellion that brought down the wrath of God (Romans 6:23) on his sins.  This Baasha then ruled Israel for twenty-four years but ended up doing evil himself like Jeroboam before him and imitated his evil ways over the nation as well.  Replacing one evil ruler does no good if the replacement ends up doing the same kinds of evil causes the people to sin again with him.  Overthrowing an evil ruler is then just a self-serving power grab and not a righteous act.  May we not answer evil with evil (Romans 12:21), but with good to honor the Lord instead.