1 Kings 16
Pastor Mark Hudson
Chapter 16 of I Kings continues the narrative that begins in 15:25. Nadab, son of Jeroboam reigns for two years until Baasha, the son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar kills him. Then Baasha kills all the house of Jeroboam and I mean all the house. Baasha fulfills a prophecy but that does not mean what he did was praiseworthy. He reigned for 24 years in the city of Tirzah.
As we come to chapter 16, the prophet Jehu utters a bleak prophecy to Baasha which is fulfilled in v. 11. Elah reigned for 2 years but was murdered while drunk. Zimri reigned for only 7 days, dying in a fire in the king’s house. Omri is remembered, in addition to his terrible sin against God, for buying the hill of Samaria from Shemer. He called it Samaria after Shemer. So Omri moved the capital of the north from Tirzah to Samaria. Soon the north will be referred to as Samaria even into the New Testament era.
Omri’s son Ahab continued their sin against God especially in marrying Jezebel a Sidonian who is well-known and deserves her wretched reputation. She was truly evil as chapters 19 and following document. As you read these accounts, you should be appalled that a nation called by God has descended so low in sin and rebellion. You will also understand why God endured years of heartache and had to remove them from the land.
You may have already observed the disappointment God expressed to these kings. In verse 2 notice where God says, ‘I exalted you out of the dust . . . [you] have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger.’ God raised these kings up. He did that ‘out of the dust’ emphasizing their utter dependence on God. Yet, these kings despise God. They ignore His law casting it behind their backs. But God holds them accountable. He does this year upon year only to see His people act just like the nations they displaced. So, in the end they are treated like those Canaanites and are also removed from the land.
God always raises up someone to speak for Him. Jehu is that man in I Kings. Jehu grew up in a godly home. His father, Hanani, in II Chr. 16:7-10, rebuked King Asa because he sided with the King of Syria. King Asa was so mad at Hanani, he put him in stocks. This is Jehu’s father, a godly, courageous, truthteller who suffered for his faithfulness. What a home that must have been. Jehu saw the early glories of the gospel and the joy of serving a holy God in his father’s face.
Jehu was given a tough word to proclaim to the King. Did he talk to his father beforehand? Did he wonder what would happen to him after his prophecy? We don’t know if he did, but we know that He considered obedience to his heavenly Father of supreme importance compared to any momentary affliction or even death. He must have loved God so much to serve Him in this way. In 2 Chr 19:2-3, Jehu also rebuke Jehoshaphat.
It is a mercy of God that you have someone or many who challenge, correct, encourage, and love you enough to tell you the truth. That may not approach you with, “Thus saith the Lord,” but if you have people in your life to help you, take it to heart. To anyone who hears a rebuke like that, you have to be humble enough to listen and not defend yourself. Do you want to improve? If you do, you will listen by dropping your defensive posture and listen.
Take sports for example. If a player comes off the court in basketball, the coach is right there to talk to him and point out how to get better. After football players finish a game, you will hear them say something like, “Well, first I need to watch the tape and see what happened.” They are trying to learn how to correct a few mistakes before the next game.
Wouldn’t that be interesting if we could do the same? If you could throw a replay flag and view when and how you went wrong. What if you had your parents, your spouse, a friend to help you? If we want to grow and get better and improve, we will want that. Unfortunately, some of us resist. Imagine if a football player, after a loss, said, “We lost but we will do better. But I am NOT watching any tape. I don’t want to see my mistakes.” Or if the player coming off the court would not listen to his coach’s correction. And how juvenile we look resisting the Holy Spirit Who only wants us to experience more joy.
Remember, sometimes the Holy Spirit uses family members or friends to speak to you. If you do have people in your life who are correcting you, listen carefully. Is this a besetting sin? Is this something everyone else sees but you? Maybe you hear something more than a parent’s correction. Maybe you hear a plea from Someone who loves you warning you of a sin you know is wrong. Far better to humble yourself now in private than let that sin fester and become a public event.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your Holy Spirit Who corrects, loves, encourages, rebukes, and reminds us of the joy of obedience. Soften our hearts and our stiff necks. We can be rigid and resist those who have leadership in our lives. When we act poorly, help us to resolve to repent. If the sin was public to repent publicly but if private to repent but honestly and genuinely to repent and lean into the gospel of Christ. In His majestic name. Amen.