First Kings 16 is the account of the absolute dumpster fire that is the throne of Israel. All of these wicked kings of Israel come and go during Asa’s reign in Judah. The contrast between them couldn’t be more striking.

Judah has “Good King Asa” who leads the southern kingdom in loyalty to Yahweh and outlaws pagan worship. They have peace and prosperity.

Israel’s throne (the northern kingdom) is a revolving door of power-grabbing killers.

BAASHA

He starts by assassinating King Nadab, the son of Jeroboam after he had only ruled for two years.

We really don’t get much about his reign except that it lasted 24 years and he continued leading Israel further down the path of idol worship.

The LORD allowed Baasha to serve as a tool to bring about judgment on the house of Jeroboam, but he ended up having the exact same judgment leveled upon himself.

“behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The unique judgment of Jeroboam, and now Baasha, is that all his heirs and family will die horribly violent deaths. I point this out because this judgment is going to be leveled on a few of Israel’s kings.

The prophet who delivers this news to Baasha is called Jehu son of Hanani. We don’t know if his father (Hanani) is the same Prophet Hanani that delivers the message to King Asa in 2 Chron. 16:7. Perhaps both father & son were prophets. That would be cool. Or- maybe they’re just two men named Hanani.

Also- we can’t confuse this Prophet Jehu with other guys named Jehu.

At any rate, Baasha’s 24-year reign came to an end and his son, Elah took the throne.

ELAH

He reigned for two years and his chariot commander assassinated him while he was in a drunken stupor.

ZIMRI

Zimri was the chariot commander who killed Elah. He has the distinction of the shortest reign of any king of Israel; 1 week. In that brief time, he murders the entire family of Elah and Baasha. Wipes out every male relative. Then when he finds out an army is headed his way to dethrone him, he burns the palace down over himself. He’s the only king of Israel to die by suicide.

It was quite a week.

OMRI

After Zimri killed himself, the nation split into two camps:

• Team Tibni
• Team Omri

Team Omri won the election battle.

Up to this point we’ve read about the kings of Israel being located in a place called Tirzah.

Approximate location where Tirzah was believed to be; not far from Shechem. Remember that Shechem is super ancient. It’s where Jacob’s Well was. It’s the land that Jacob deeded to Joseph. The 2 mountains- Ebal and Gerizim- were where Joshua read out the curses & blessings of the Law when Israel first came into Canaan.

So… the palace in Tirzah is now a smoldering heap thanks to Zimri, but Omri takes over the throne anyway. He rules for 6 years from Tirzah while building a new palace and a new capital in Samaria. And the government of Israel just seized 445 acres of land where it sits. Or rather, where it’s buried. And the Palestinians aren’t very happy about it. Israel wants to develop the site and protect the antiquities still unearthed there. Click here to watch a 10-min video from CBN News on it.

Somehow Omri manages to be more evil than the guys before him. He leads Israel even further into idolatry. It’s as if each king pushes the envelope just a bit further.

AHAB

Ahab was the son of King Omri, but he is mostly known for being the husband of Jezebel and the most wicked king in Israel’s history.

Ugh… Dubious honor.

No kidding.

Ahab and Jezebel were two peas in a pod. And since we are going to spend the rest of this week with them, I think we’ll just introduce them and move over to 2nd Chronicles to see what’s happening in the southern kingdom of Judah…

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JEHOSHAPHAT

Besides having a very fun-to-say name, King Jehoshaphat, son of King Asa, was memorable for being one of Judah’s best and most powerful kings. His army was over a million men strong. And the surrounding nations feared Judah and did not going to war with him.

Like his father, he kept the witchcraft and idolatry out of the land. But Jehoshaphat went a step further. He didn’t just get rid of the bad, he actively developed the good.

He sent a team of 5 royal officials, 9 Levites, and 2 priests from the family of Aaron to teach the Law of God to the people. They went throughout the land, teaching in all the cities of Judah, and they carried a copy of the “Book of the Law” with them.

This has NEVER been done before. The people of Israel have not been taught the Law of God on this scale since Moses.

I think Jehoshaphat should serve as an example for us – personally, and in our families, communities, churches, and governments. It’s not enough to just get the evil out. We need to actively develop the good by bringing the Word of God into our land.

Can you imagine how people’s heads would explode if a national leader today did what Jehoshaphat did, and sent a team of government officials and theologians and ministers around the country to give mandatory instruction on the Bible?

If his name didn’t sound so funny to English ears, I think more people would name their sons after Jehoshaphat. His name means “Jehovah Judged.” But it’s not limited to the concept of “the final judgment.” It also carries the idea of governing and defending; like when Gideon was a “Judge” of Israel.

In the next several posts we’re going to be off in the northern kingdom with Ahab and Jezebel. But don’t forget about Jehoshaphat. We’ll see him again. And it’s in one of the wildest narratives in the whole Bible – a sneak peek into God’s Divine Counsel.