Baasha , Omri I Kings 16

I Kings 16:2 "Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins. v3 Behold I will take away the posterity of Baasha..."

We see a line of kings who refused the ways of God. We also see the patience of God with the people. He clearly tells us that the king led the people to sin. Although the people are not innocent, they were led by a bad king and could have been led in a different direction had the king done right.

Baasha is king over the ten tribes of Israel. Asa is king in Judah.

v8 "In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years."

The practice of taking the kingship by killing the king is still going strong. Zimri was captain of half the chariots of the king. He decided he could do a better job and so killed the king. Zimri's first act is to kill the kings family.

Zimri ruled seven days and when Israel rebelled against him, he set his own house on fire and killed himself.

Even Israel was divided besides the division between them and Judah.

v21 "Then were the peopleof Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri."

Omri prevailed to reign. It was he who brought the name Samaria into our Bible language.

v24 "And he brought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver and built on the hill and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria."

But Omri followed the ways of Jeroboam and died.

Then we come to a story we all remember, the story of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab becomes king and he is the son of Omri. He was very bold in his sin.

v32 "And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria."

Well, we will get to know the family and about the prophet Elijah.

Psalm 2:1 "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

Keywords: Old Old Story, Old Testament, Bible Study, Kings. Evil kings of Israel leading up to Ahab and Jezebel.