Year 1, Week 49, Day 4 Bible Reading Observations

Year 1, Week 49, Day 4

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of 1 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 17.

Today’s reading traces a line of kings in the Northern Kingdom of Israel and introduces us to Jehoshaphat, a good King of Judah. 1 Kings 16 records a quick succession of kings in the Northern Kingdom with a focus on the Omri Dynasty and the reign of Ahab: "In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years” (1 Kings 16:29). Tragically, Ahab was first in his class: “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him…And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30,33). Much of this historical accounting from in 1 Kings, concerning the Northern Kings, will not be recorded by the Chronicler, and what will be recorded will only be insofar as the actions of the kings in the Northern Kingdom have bearing on the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17 begins the account of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. Jehoshaphat was one of the kings that we could label good: “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel” (2 Chronicles 17:3-4). The parallel focus on Jehoshaphat in Kings will not be picked up until 1 Kings 22, as the writer of Kings will give focused attention to what was unfolding with the kings in the Northern Kingdom during this time period. 

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was the common thread of wicked kings who ruled in the Northern Kingdom, and the judgment that came upon them: “And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam…I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:1-3). The wickedness of the Northern Kings and the LORD’s anger against such wickedness resulted in profound instability in the Northern Kingdom: “because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands” (1 Kings 16:7). There was multiple changes in the families that emerged as the dynastic rulers over the Northern Kingdom. The house of Jeroboam was brought to an end when Baasha struck down Nadab, the son of Jeroboam. But soon, Baasha and his family dynasty would end: “Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him…Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place” (1 Kings 16:8-10).

Elah was struck down by Zimri, his own commander. It seems that this was no great loss as far as the functionality of the Kingdom was concerned, for Elah was, “drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza” (1 Kings 16:9). With a kingdom to lead, Elah was a slobbering drunk, who may have never felt being struck down: “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it” (Proverbs 23:35). But Zimri had a short stint as king: “In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah…because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:15,19). With Zimri dead, there was a political struggle over who would be the next king: “Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri” (2 Kings 16:21). We are not told many details, but Tibni dies and Omri becomes king: “But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king” (1 Kings 16:22). Omri set a new level of evil: “Omri did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols” (1 Kings 16:25-26). Omri was followed by his son, Ahab, who as mentioned earlier, will take the Northern Kingdom to new levels of evil.

Meanwhile, back at what were the remains of Jericho, it was thought that it should be rebuilt: “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun” (1 Kings 16:34). The tragic costs of rebuilding Jericho simply revealed a negative outcome of not knowing what God had previously said: “Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates” (Joshua 6:26).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe