1 Kings 16:21 – 34 “Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.
But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.
As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that 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.
In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.”
AHAB AND JEZEBEL! “Jezebel” means “Baal exalts.” Other sources claim it means “not exalted in Hebrew.” “Ahab” means “uncle,” or “father’s brother,” a fairly neutral meaning. But ever since Ahab ascended the throne in Israel and married Jezebel, Jezebel’s name has come to be used as a description of an evil scheming woman.
Had Ahab paid attention to the Law of Moses, he would never have married Jezebel in the first place. Kings of the Israelites were only supposed to marry other Israelites. Jezebel was a Sidonian and her father might even have been a priest of Baal in addition to being a king. But Ahab knew little or nothing of the Law of Moses and Jezebel was undoubtedly lovely and seductive. Little wonder then, that Ahab married her. Lacking any spiritual foundation, Ahab was easily led into ever increasing evil, doing “more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.”
There is no evidence to suggest that Ahab was ever a strong personality, and he rapidly came under the domination of Jezebel, who had the personality of a bull dozer. Were Ahab and Jezebel a Hollywood couple today, they might be described as “Ahabel” or perhaps “Jezehab.” The two personalities became so entwined that they were impossible to separate.
What’s the reason for mentioning the rebuilding of Jericho? Jericho was the first Canaanite city Joshua conquered, and it was to be an offering to the Lord. In Joshua 6:26 Joshua pronounces the curses, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gate.” While some sources simply believe that these sons would die of some illness, it might also be true that this curse refers to a man so bent on rebuilding Jericho that he would be willing to kill his firstborn son and bury him in the foundation and kill his youngest son and bury him under a gate post. Even though the Israelites have been caught up in evil, until now there has been no man so horrible that he has been willing to sacrifice two sons for his ambitions. Whether a man would deliberately kill his sons with his own hands or merely leave them open for sickness to attack them, this curse describes unspeakable evil.
APPLICATION: At this point, the spiritual covering of Israel is becoming very thin indeed. A succession of increasingly evil rulers has left Israel open to spiritual attack. Asherah poles, altars of all kinds, and groves on the high places now dot the landscape. The land that God intended to be holy has been perverted into a cesspool of idol worship, including offering live children as sacrifices to Molech. Burial jars containing children and infant bones have been found in foundations in several locations, most notably in Gezer. (How was the curse on Jericho Fulfilled? http://www.journals.uchicago.edu>doi>pdf )
For those living in the Northern Kingdom, morality is sliding downhill rapidly and things are about to get a great deal worse.
Why doesn’t God simply send in the Babylonians or the Assyrians or someone else to clean up the Northern Kingdom right away? Amazingly, God’s plan is to give Ahab and Jezebel the opportunity to repent. Eventually Ahab does repent half – way. Jezebel never repents and suffers a terrible fate. But God is so loving that He wants all those people under the sway of Ahab and Jezebel to have the chance to return to Him and to truly worship Him.
2 Peter 3:9 – 10 tells us, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.”
God gives people lots of chances to turn and to worship Him; however, God does not wait forever. As we study the careers of Ahab and Jezebel, keep in mind that God loved both of these people from the day they were conceived, and that it was God’s perfect will for them to turn away from evil and degradation and worship Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we lift up world leaders, particularly those who appear to have no interest in You. Bring each one of them to repentance. We ask this in the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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