1 Kings 16:1-34
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,
2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;
3 Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
4 Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.
7 And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for 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 him.
8 In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.
9 And his servant Zimri, captain 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 smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.
11 And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
12 Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha bya Jehu the prophet,
13 For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.
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?
15 In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
16 And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.
17 And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.
18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,
19 For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.
20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
21 Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.
22 But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.
23 In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.
24 And he bought the hill Samariab of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.
25 But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.
26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.
27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.
30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.
31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.
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.