WWUTT 469 When Ahab Became King?

During the monarchical period in Israel and Judah, Israel had no righteous kings and Judah only had a few. The ones who were righteous were the ones who worshipped God with all their heart, mind and strength when we understand the text.

This is When We Understand The Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the Word. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we feature New Testament Study, an Old Testament book on Thursday and our Q &A on Friday.

Now here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.

Rehoboam, Abijam, and Asa in Judah

Thank you, Becky. We continue our study of 1st and 2nd Kings. We're in 1st Kings chapter 15 today. In fact, we should be able to polish off two chapters, 15 and 16. To kind of recap where we have come up to this point in the story, if you'll remember, the two kingdoms have split.

Jeroboam has been the ruler of the northern kingdom, the ten tribes which make up Israel, and Rehoboam, who is the son of Solomon, has been reigning in Judah, which also by proxy includes Benjamin. And that's significant.

We'll actually see Benjamin come into the story today. So Jeroboam did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Well, so did Rehoboam, but the prophet said of Jeroboam that he would be utterly wiped out and his kingdom would not reign.

His household would not continue to reign over his kingdom, Israel. And so we're going to see that fulfilled in the story today as we continue in 1st Kings chapter 15. Now in the 18th year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.

Now we've seen Abijam's name already. He was mentioned at the end of chapter 14 as Rehoboam's son, who would assume the throne in his place. The way that chapter 15 begins, it's showing how many years Jeroboam had been king over Israel by the time that Abijam became king over Judah.

So verse 2, Abijam reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Mayaka, the daughter of Abishalom, and he walked in all the sins that his father did before him. And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God as the heart of David, his father.

Now that's interesting the way that father is used in that verse. His father was Rehoboam. David was his great-grandfather, but there's no Hebrew word for grandfather. So sometimes the word father describes whoever his direct father was, or it could describe a grandfather, great-grandfather, etc.

Verse 4, nevertheless, for David's sake, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him. His son in this case would be his great-grandson Abijam, and establishing Jerusalem because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

So David was blameless in all of his ways except for the affair that he had with Bathsheba and then had Bathsheba's husband Uriah the Hittite murdered. Verse 6, now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David.

And Asa his son reigned in his place. Verse 9, in the 20th year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. And he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Mayaka, the daughter of Abishalom.

So in other words, Asa was the brother of Abijam. And after Abijam died, Asa assumed the throne. Now Asa will reign for 41 years. So while Jeroboam was king, he saw a couple of kings rise and fall over Judah.

Asa is going to see five kings rise and fall over Israel during the time of his reign until the notorious Ahab will assume the throne. And we'll see that coming up in chapter 16. So in verse 11, Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done.

He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Remember that Rehoboam had instituted this male cult prostitution. So sex became a part of the religious ritual in Judah.

And Asa did away with all of that. Verse 13, he also removed Mayaka, his mother, from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook of Kidron.

And if you remember from last week, Asherah is the goddess wife of El, who is the chief god. And Asherah is the mother of all of the other gods. And we're actually going to read about another one of those gods who was a son of Asherah coming up here in our reading today.

Verse 14. But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all of his days. And he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his fathers and his own sacred gifts, silver and gold and vessels.

Now when you read in Second Chronicles chapter 14, it mentions that Asa did tear down the high places. But here in First Kings chapter 14, it says that he didn't. Well, it's simply an incomplete tearing down of the high places.

So he tore down some of them but didn't get all of them taken down. Therefore, the worship of God was not exclusive to the temple in Jerusalem. The high places still existed and kings that would rise up after Asa would reinstitute the worship at the high places instead of God being worshipped exclusively at the temple is the way that he said that he was to be worshipped.

God said that worship was to take place only in one place. And that was the place that he designated, the temple there on Mount Moriah that was built by Solomon. So now we continue here after we read about Asa putting his own treasures in the house of the Lord.

So verse 16. And there was war between Asa and Baasha the king of Israel all their days. Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Then Asa took all of the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben Hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hazion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus saying, let there be a covenant between me and you as there was between my father and your father.

Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel that he may withdraw from me. And Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Eshon, Dan, Abel, Beth, Mayaka, and all Chinneroth with all the land of Naphtali.

And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and he lived in Tirzah. And King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt. And they carried away all the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

Now the rest of the acts of Asa and all of his might and all that he did and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in his old age, he was diseased in his feet and Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father, and Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned in his place.

Nadab, Baasha, and the Word Against Jeroboam's House

Now here over the course of the story of King Asa, we have read about another king that has come to rule in Israel that we have not yet read about in the story. Well that's because as first and second kings chronicle the monarchs who reigned in Israel and Judah, they will focus on one king and then move on to another.

So here we've read about Asa and everything that he did during the 41 years that he reigned in Judah. And now we're going to come back in the story to what was happening in Israel and read about the kings that were rising and falling during the time that Asa was ruler in Judah.

So now here in Israel, verse 25, Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa, king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he made Israel to sin.

Beasha, the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him and Beasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. For Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

So Beasha killed him in the third year of Asa, king of Judah, and reigned in his place. And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the to the house of Jeroboam, not one that breathed until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord, that he spoke by his servant, Ahijah, the Shillinite.

Ah, so remember that now, which we read last week when Ahijah had prophesied about the house of Jeroboam, that all of them would be struck down and none of them would continue to reign over Israel. Well, then we saw Jeroboam's son come to reign.

So it's kind of like, well, what's happening here? Because Ahijah said that none would reign. Well, his son did until he was taken out by Beasha coming to fruition. Everything that was prophesied by Ahijah.

So here we've seen that element of the story here in chapter 15, verse 30. It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and he made Israel to sin. And because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And there was war between Asa and Beasha, the king of Israel, all their days.

In the third year of Asa, king of Judah, Beasha, the son of Ahijah, began to reign over all Israel in Terzah and he reigned 24 years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he made Israel to sin.

And the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani against Beasha 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 and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, behold, I will utterly sweep away Beasha and his house.

And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat. Anyone belonging to Beasha 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.

This is the same prophecy that was made of the house of Jeroboam. Verse five. Now the rest of the acts of Beasha and what he did in his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And Beasha slept with his fathers and was buried at Terzah and Elah, his son, reigned in his place. Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani against Beasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands in being like the house of Jeroboam and also because he destroyed it.

So even though Beasha did the work of the Lord in the sense that he brought the house of Jeroboam to ruin, just as was prophesied would happen. That doesn't mean that the blood that was on the hands of Beasha was righteous and he was going to have to answer for the evil that he had done against the house of Jeroboam and therefore had caused the rest of Israel to sin with the sins of Jeroboam.

And so the Lord struck down Beasha just the same as he had stricken down the house of Jeroboam. So now we come to verse eight. When Elah is reigning in Israel in the 26th year of Asa, king of Judah, Elah, the son of Beasha, began to reign over Israel in Tirzah and he reigned two years.

But his his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arzah, who was over the household of Tirzah, Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him in the 27th year of Asa, the king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Beasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Beasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Beasha by Jehu, the prophet, for all the sins of Beasha and the sins of Elah, his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.

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? So now, verse 15, in the 27th year of Asa, king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah.

Zimri, Omri, and the Division of Israel

Now the troops were encamped against Gibeathon, which belonged to the Philistines. And the troops who were encamped heard it said, Zimri has conspired and he has killed the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

So Omri went up from Gibeathon and all Israel with him and they besieged Tirzah. And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him with fire and died because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam and for his sin, which he committed, making Israel to sin.

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So things are getting a little wonky here in Israel and a little bit confusing too.

And as a matter of fact, it causes kind of a temporary split in Israel. So we had the split of the empire into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom is Israel, southern kingdom is Judah.

And here we have even a split that will take place in Israel into three different reigns. We'll have two kings in Israel and another in Judah. So here in verse 21, then the people of Israel were divided into two parts.

Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Gennath to make him king and half followed Omri. But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Gennath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

In the 31st year of Asa, the king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel and he reigned for 12 years. Six years he reigned in Terzah. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemar for two talents of silver and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria after the name of Shemar, the owner of the hill.

And that's the beginning of the territory of Samaria that would eventually become the Samaria that we know during the time of Christ and the Samaritans that live there, which the Jews hated. Samaritans would become a hodgepodge of different nationalities and the ethnic identity that the northern ten tribes of Israel were known for would disappear.

So that that would come later on after the exile. It would not be during the time of the monarchy. So verse 25 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 of 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. Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Ahab, Jezebel, Baal, and the Curse on Jericho

And Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria and the notorious Ahab reigned in his place. In the 38th 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 22 years and Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.

And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and went and served Baal and worshipped him.

He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria 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.

In his days, Haiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of Abiram, his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son, Seagub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

So you see just how depraved Israel had become. They're trying to rebuild Jericho. Joshua had said if anyone tried to do that or would build on that site, they would be cursed. And you see the curse playing out over the house of Haiel.

When he laid its foundation, it was at the cost of his son, Abiram. And then when he set up its gates, it was at the cost of his youngest son, Seagub. So this is the curse of God coming upon the house of Haiel for trying to rebuild Jericho.

The writers of First Kings are considering that curse that Joshua made in the book of Joshua as a prophecy, which has happened now to Haiel. So Ahab has instituted Baal worship in Israel. He's married a pagan woman, Jezebel, and the worship of her gods has now come into Israel.

Baal is considered the son of El, the chief god, and his wife, Asherah. And Baal is not actually his proper name. It would have been Baal Hadad. Lord Hadad is how that would be translated, because Baal means Lord.

So Baal is kind of a generic term. But Baal, as we read about him in the rest of First Kings, is the thunder god. He is the or the storm god. He is the god over the fertility of the land. The Israelites would pray to Baal, thinking that he would bring rain and flourishing to their land, that their crops would flourish and also their livestock.

And so in this way, Baal is also considered a fertility god. Through Baal worship will have set up the priests of Baal and opposed to the priests of Baal is a certain prophet of God, Elijah, whom we will be reading about next week.

Pastor Gabe keeps a regular blog, sharing personal thoughts, alerting readers to false teachers, and offering commentary on the church and social issues. You can find a link to the blog through our website, www .utt .com.

Thank you for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue our study in God's Word when we understand the text.