Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
How many couples do you know who have been married 50 years or more? These days, that is sadly becoming a rare accomplishment, isn’t that true? WHY? For my wife and me, this week has begun our 52nd year, and we have many friends who’ve been married over 60 years! One of the secrets I often hear from such mature marriages is keeping your eyes on Jesus, with Him as the King of your home and your marriage.
This verse found in Hebrews 12, has been a guiding beacon for many of us attempting to build life long, God honoring marriages: “Since we’re surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Just as long, God honoring marriages provide stability for a family; long reigns of God honoring leadership provide stability for a nation, do you agree? What nations around our world today are a testimony to that truth? Yesterday we watched the funeral of king Asa who had reigned as King over Jerusalem and the ‘southern kingdom’ of Judah for 41 years, 35 of them really good, God honoring years of leadership. Across the border, in the ‘northern kingdom’ of Israel, oh my things were VERY different. That is why there was a steady stream of Israelites leaving their homes in the north, Israel, and bringing their families to relocate south, to live near Jerusalem in the peaceful, God blessed kingdom of Judah. (1 Kings 15:17) 1 Kings 15 & 16 record the sad story of those years. May I give you a quick summary, hold on to your seatbelts, in many ways it’s a picture of what’s happened to families, cities & nations around our world today:
* Nadab, the son of king Jeroboam, who was the first king of the ‘northern kingdom’ Israel, ascended the throne of Israel at the death of his father Jeroboam, but Nadab reigned only two years! “He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” (1 Kings 15:26) And Nadab was actually assassinated by an Israelite from the tribe of Issachar named Baasha.
* As soon as Baasha took the throne he killed every male in the family line of former king Jeroboam, as God’s judgment had predicted by God’s prophet Ahijah. (1 Kings 15:29,30) Baasha reigned 24 years but he too “did evil in the eyes of the LORD, causing Israel to sin.” (1 Kings 15:34)
* Upon the death of king Baasha his son Elah took the throne of Israel (1 Kings 16:8) but he only reigned two years. Do you know the old phrase “what goes around, comes around”? Well king Elah was assassinated by one of his officials named Zimri (1 Kings 16:9,10) and then Zimri killed all the males in Baasha’s family! (1 Kings 16:11,12)
* Zimri only reigned for 7 DAYS, because when the Israelite people heard how he had slaughtered Baasha’s family, they rejected Zimri as their king, and declared Omri, the commander of the Israelite army, to be their King. (1 Kings 16:16) When Zimri heard of this, he set the palace on fire and died in the fire he, himself had set!! (1 Kings 16:18)
This is all a little hard to believe, isn’t it? And this isn’t the story of a cannibalistic tribe in the jungle someplace, nor is it the story of a pagan people who’ve never heard of God. This is the sad story of Israel, God’s people, the descendants of those Hebrew slaves God rescued out of Egyptian slavery! We’re looking at the record because important lessons for Israel today, and for your country and mine, should be learned here! So let’s continue…
* Omri reigned as king over Israel for 12 years and he is the man who bought the hill country of Samaria and built a city there which he named Samaria, and it became the capital of the ‘northern kingdom’ Israel. (1 Kings 16:23,24) Omri’s legacy is summarized in this statement: “Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him… following in the evil ways of king Jeroboam and leading the people of Israel to commit sins which aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel.” (1 Kings 16:25,26)
* When Omri finally died, his son Ahab ascended to the throne of Israel and Ahab reigned for 22 years! Does that name Ahab sound an alarm in your mind, my friends? Did a shiver just go up your spine? Yes, this is the Ahab who married Jezebel, daughter of king Ethbaal, King of the Sidonians. As his name suggests, king Ethbaal was a worshiper of the false god Baal and like many daughters do, princess Jezebel brought her love for her father and his idol god Baal into her marriage with Ahab King of Israel!
Husbands sometimes do amazing but very foolish things to impress their new brides! The record of this historic moment in Israel is shocking: “Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him!” (1 Kings 16:29-33) Now do you feel as though you’ve almost lost your breath in this review of some ugly history in Israel?
By the way an Asherah pole is something like the historic Native American Totem pole. The Asherah pole had various carvings on it, but these carvings usually depicted immoral acts, violent acts and worship took place at these Asherah poles which advocated detestable sexual and violent acts.
Now friends, the reason I gave you this sad litany of short lived, wicked kings in the ‘northern kingdom’ of Israel, is that during much of that long period of turmoil, lasting more than 4 decades, the ‘southern kingdom’ of Judah was being led by one man, king Asa, who for the most part was a God honoring man, leading Judah to be a God honoring nation of people. The CONTRAST between these two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, which used to be one united kingdom of Israel, could not have been greater during those years!
Yes, they were all Israelites, all descendants of their Israelite ancestors who had been with Moses at Mount Sinai when they HEARD the 10 Commandments audibly spoken by God (Ex. 20) and then Moses brought down from Sinai God’s Covenant for His people, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God!! (Exodus 34) Do you remember my friends, the first four Commandments of God?
* You shall have no other gods before Me. (Ex. 20:3)
* You shall not make for yourself an image… you shall not bow down to these images or worship them. (Ex. 20:4-6)
* You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God (Ex. 20:7)
* Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (Ex. 20:8)
We need to pause right here and consider what we’ve seen today. It doesn’t take long, in a family, a city, or a nation, for dysfunction at the top to wreak havoc with the family and the people, am I right? And have you noticed, the path to dysfunction and devastation is ALWAYS a path walking AWAY from God! That’s why it is so very critical, in families and in nations, for the leaders to keep their hearts aligned with the heart of God.
What do you see in your family and in your nation? Sometimes an old song, done with a fresh vitality, calls us to stand up and BE those people who will build long life, God honoring marriages and families and help rebuild nations. Here’s one of those great songs…I wonder what it will stir up in your heart?
Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 15, 16.
Choose below to read or listen.
1 Kings 15, 16 1 Kings 15
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1 Kings 16
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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