1 Kings 15:33-14 slowly and repeatedly.
The main content of the text: Baasha and his son Eli, kings of Israel, ascended to the throne, but they did evil in the sight of the Lord. He followed the path of Jeroboam, who led Israel to sin.
16:1-4 God judges Baasha, who was an instrument of judgment. Baasha, who had executed the judgment on Jeroboam’s house through the prophet Jehu, received the same judgment as Jeroboam’s family and was completely destroyed. The bodies of the men in the household will be left to be eaten by dogs in the city and by birds in the fields. Although he ascended from the dust to the throne of the king, he took down the proud king’s house, which had forgotten grace and took lightly the word of God, and brought it down to a place so miserable that it could not even be buried in the tomb. Do I remember, ask, and live by God’s will in the ‘position’ he has given me?
What lesson does God give me?
Verses 33,34 Baasha, who came from a humble background (“raised from the dust”), rebelled against Nadab and became ruler and was used as God’s instrument to judge the evil king, but Nadab himself was judged so cruelly. He didn’t take a single step off the path of Nadab. Just because I am in a position to criticize and judge someone’s mistakes does not automatically make me a right person.
16:5-7 Baasha ruled Israel for 24 years and achieved many achievements (“power”), but the details of his accomplishments are not recorded at all. It is not much different from the record of Nadab, who ruled for two years (15:25). This is because his human achievements without God will not be remembered at all in the kingdom of God. How are the experiences I have prepared and accumulated being used for God’s work?
Verses 16:8-14 Just as the Jeroboam dynasty ended after two years of the reign of Jeroboam’s son Nadab, the Baasha dynasty also ends after two years of the reign of Baasha’s son Elah. Elah followed his father’s path, ignoring the warning given to him by Baasha, and ignored the word of God, even though he knew of the judgment of the Jeroboam dynasty that was implemented through his father. Although he reigned as the king of a nation, his life was so meaningless in the kingdom of God that the Bible even omits the theological evaluation of Ella. What does my current life mean to the kingdom of God?
Community Prayer – Lord, help me to lay down the foolishness and stubbornness that prevent me from learning from the past and realizing my sins through the Word of God.
Prayer for the Nations – Six Libyans who converted to Christianity are on trial and face up to the death penalty. Let us pray that fair trials and law enforcement take place and that they experience God’s special protection. Let us also continue to pray for the war between Hamas and Israel.