Today we are continuing our conversation and processing through the book of 1 Kings. A lot has happened already, and we haven’t even gotten to meet Elijah yet!
We’ve seen David give Solomon some final words before he died, and then Solomon became king (though that was a bit of a rocky process). Solomon humbly asked God for wisdom, which God granted, and Solomon became the marvel of the world with wisdom, wealth, blessing, and power. He built the temple and his palace, and God’s presence rested in the Holy of Holies in the temple. They did it! They had achieved things they’d been working toward for generations. In 1 Kings chapter 10, we see the pinnacle.
But in chapter 11, we turn a corner at the fold in the story. Solomon disobeys God and turns to other gods. And everything slides from the expected utopia to a kingdom divided in two. By the end of chapter 12, Solomon is dead and the northern kingdom—Israel—is ruled by Jeroboam while the southern kingdom—Judah—is ruled by Rehoboam.
This is where we’re picking up the story today. And maybe things will bounce back and be good again? Nope. Get ready—we’re looking at 1 Kings 13-16 and the downward spiral seems to whirl out of control. Over and over, the kings come and go, and the common element is “they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and especially Ahab: they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
In a minute, I will ask you this question: What helps someone stay healthy when the world feels chaotic and unstable? But first, I want to talk about what “healthy” means. It’s a complicated word. I would say this: Healthy is a state of being where the fruit of the Spirit are prominent in a person’s life.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
So “healthy” is when these things are evident internally and externally in a person: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
But before we get there, I want us to feel the chaos and the failures that are happening in 1 Kings 13-16. As you remember, the theme we’re seeing in this study is there is hope amidst failure. And here we are, in the crescendo of the failures. Let’s take a moment to look at the text.
We pick it up at Solomon, who spiraled, as we saw in 1 Kings 11. And he died having wandered from relationship with God, turning to the gods of his many wives. Then his son Rehoboam became king and ruled harshly, as we saw last week. Then the kingdom divided in two, with the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah. As we come to chapters 13-16, there is an account of several kings. Let’s look at the Kingdom of Israel first.
Jeroboam led Israel away from true worship (1 Kings 12:28–30; 13:33–34). He acted out of insecurity about losing the kingdom (1 Kings 12:26–27), and he refused to change, ignoring warnings and bringing ruin on his line (1 Kings 13:1–6; 14:7–11). It didn’t go so well. Jeroboam was not a good king because he led Israel into idolatry and set a pattern of sin that lasted for generations. But the throne did stay in the family.
Nadab followed his father’s bad example, continuing in Jeroboam’s sin (1 Kings 15:25–26). He did evil and caused Israel to sin (1 Kings 15:26). His rule was short and unstable; he reigned briefly and was assassinated by Baasha (1 Kings 15:27–28). It didn’t go so well, and ended with assassination. Nadab was not a good king because he continued his father’s sinful ways and ruled briefly without reform. So the throne passed to a different family.
Baasha seized the throne by violence, killing Nadab and ending Jeroboam’s dynasty (1 Kings 15:27–28). He did evil in the sight of the Lord like Jeroboam (1 Kings 15:34) and was prophetically condemned—God announced the destruction of his family for his actions (1 Kings 16:1–4). It didn’t go so well. Baasha was not a good king because he seized power violently and continued Israel’s cycle of sin. But the throne stayed in the family as it went to Elah.
Elah continued Baasha’s evil, doing evil in the sight of the Lord and following his father’s ways (1 Kings 16:8–9). He had a short and unstable reign, ruling only two years over Israel (1 Kings 16:8). Elah was assassinated, ending his family line; he was killed by Zimri, who then became king (1 Kings 16:10–14). It didn’t go so well. Elah was not a good king because he followed his father Baasha’s evil ways and was quickly assassinated. So the family line ended and a new family came to leadership through Zimri.
Zimri seized the throne violently, killing Elah to become king (1 Kings 16:9–10). His rule lasted only seven days before being challenged (1 Kings 16:15). He died by suicide under siege, taking his own life when Omri’s forces approached (1 Kings 16:18). It didn’t go so well. Zimri was not a good king because he seized the throne by murder and reigned only a week before dying in chaos. And again there was a new king from a new family as Omri became king.
Omri seized the throne after civil strife, becoming king after Zimri’s death and a power struggle (1 Kings 16:21–22). He built a strong political base and established Samaria as the capital, strengthening Israel’s kingdom (1 Kings 16:23–24). Omri continued Israel’s sin, doing evil in the sight of the Lord like his predecessors (1 Kings 16:25). You guessed it—not so great. Omri was not a good king because, though politically strong, he continued Israel’s pattern of evil in the sight of the Lord. But the throne did stay in his family as it came to Ahab.
Ahab followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam (1 Kings 16:30–33). He married Jezebel, promoting Baal worship, and he introduced widespread idolatry and conflict with prophets (1 Kings 16:31–33). He faced prophetic opposition and was confronted by Elijah over his sins and idolatry (1 Kings 17:1; 18:17–18). Ahab was maybe the bottom of this pattern. Ahab was not a good king because he promoted idolatry, married Jezebel, and led Israel further into sin.
So Israel clearly had issues, from Jeroboam to Ahab. But Judah wasn’t immune from the struggle. Let’s look at the kings of the southern kingdom.
Rehoboam succeeded Solomon as king (1 Kings 12:1–2). He rejected wise counsel and listened to young advisers, leading to harsh policies and national division (1 Kings 12:6–15). Ten northern tribes rebelled, forming Israel under Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:16–20). Not a good beginning. Rehoboam was not a good king because he ignored wise counsel, ruled harshly, and caused the kingdom to split. The throne was passed to his son Abijah.
Abijah succeeded Rehoboam as king of Judah, continuing the Davidic line (1 Kings 15:1–2). He walked in sin but sometimes defended Judah against Israel (1 Kings 15:3–4). When he faced war with Jeroboam, he relied partially on God for victory (1 Kings 15:6–7). But again and again, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Abijah was not a good king because he followed the sinful ways of his ancestors despite occasional victories over Israel. When he died, his son Asa became king
Asa ruled after his father and strengthened Judah (1 Kings 15:8–9). He followed God’s ways, removing idols and leading Judah toward covenant faithfulness (1 Kings 15:11–12). Asa defended Judah from Israel; he fought Baasha king of Israel and relied on God for victory (1 Kings 15:16–20).
Wait, wait, wait! Asa was a good king because he removed idols, followed God’s ways, and strengthened Judah both spiritually and militarily. Wow!
So many kings, and apart from Asa, there is a pattern: not going so well!
It’s time for the question I told you I would ask. And it might be relevant not only to this period of history that we’ve just reviewed, but also to our lives today. Remember that we’ve defined “healthy” as a state of being where the fruit of the Spirit are prominent in a person’s life:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
What helps someone stay healthy when the world feels chaotic and unstable?
Let’s turn for a minute to a moment in Jesus’ life. In Matthew 16, the Pharisees and the Sadducees came together to confront Jesus and demand to see a sign to prove that He was blessed or from God. Now, having these two groups come together was a rare moment, because they didn’t tend to get along.
The Pharisees lived according to the smallest points of the oral and scribal law. The Sadducees received only the written words of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The Pharisees believed in angels and the resurrection. The Sadducees did not (Paul used this division in Acts 23:6-10).
The Pharisees were not a political party and were prepared to live under any government that would leave them alone to practice their religion the way they wanted to. The Sadducees were aristocrats and collaborated with the Romans to keep their wealth and power.
The Pharisees looked for and longed for the Messiah. The Sadducees did not believe in a coming Messiah.
Because of their continual tension on these things, it stood out as being strange that the Pharisees and the Sadducees would come together, but the fear of and hate for Jesus pulled them together.
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. (Matthew 16:1)
Now prior to this point in Matthew 16 we do see Jesus do some miracles—in fact, there are 24 recorded miracles, including turning water into wine, healing many people and casting out demons, feeding thousands, and even raising people from the dead. Sure, they were not all seen by the Pharisees and the Sadducees, but there is definitely a tone here in Matthew 16 of “one more and then we will accept you, Jesus—but not until we see one more!”
Their attitude stands in contrast to the attitudes of the people we see in Matthew 15, just before this moment:
The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:31)
Jesus did not show them a sign, and as Pharisees and Sadducees departed from Jesus, He turned to His disciples:
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6)
Now the disciples thought Jesus was bringing this up because they forgot bread. Jesus had a bit of an eye-roll moment: Did you forget the feeding of the 5000 or the 4000? This is not about the need for bread!
Jesus had shared a parable earlier in the book of Matthew (chapter 13) using the picture of yeast and how the kingdom of God is like yeast, where just a little will permeate the dough and have impact. And now He is using that picture again to illustrate that the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees could permeate into their lives and have negative impact, so be on guard!
Today as we process 1 Kings 13-16, there is a growing sense that everything is messed up. But we will see as we turn the pages that a remnant of faithful did remain, even when it felt like everything and everyone was a wreck.
Earlier we talked about what helps someone stay healthy. Now let’s look at it from a different direction. The author of Hebrews says this:
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
So we are to train ourselves to distinguish good from evil. I will give you time to process this in all of its complexities.
What helps someone not be permeated and consumed by the “bad” things that surround them? (What are “bad” things? Can the same things be “bad” for one person and “not bad” for another?)
1 Kings 13–16 shows what happens when warnings are ignored, sin becomes system, leadership collapses, and drift accelerates into destruction. As we come to the end of this section, we meet Ahab.
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. (1 Kings 16:29-33)
The spiral comes to Ahab (the worst). He promoted the worship of other gods, even though God had commanded Israel to worship Him alone.
“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Ahab married into and embraced pagan (foreign) gods, even though Israel had been warned not to intermarry in ways that would turn hearts from God.
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4)
Ahab led the nation into covenant unfaithfulness, even though kings were meant to lead people in obedience.
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18–20)
In the chapters to come, Ahab will promote idol worship at a national level, oppose and persecute God’s prophets, repeatedly ignore God’s warnings, and abuse his power and justice. It all gets summed up this way in 1 Kings 21:
There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel. (1 Kings 21:25-26)
Wow, the spiral is out of control! The repetitive theme in 1 Kings 13-16 is things are getting worse. Life has trajectory. And here, a whole nation or kingdom has trajectory. The trajectory was set when Solomon was king and turned away from God. And now it is being walked out generations later and its impact is profound. It didn’t happen overnight. It was built and refined over and over and over again.
What helps a person consistently make positive course corrections instead of negative ones?
We’ve covered a lot of ground. We talked about the spiral of 1 Kings 13-16 and about the warning Jesus gave His disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We discussed these questions: What helps someone stay healthy when the world feels chaotic and unstable? What helps someone not be permeated and consumed by the “bad” things that surround them? And what helps a person consistently make positive course corrections instead of negative ones?
Today I want to end with two profound realities. As the world feels unstable or chaotic, as there are things that can pull us down, and as the impact of trajectory is so powerful, these are two things to hold close: grace and intentionality.
GRACE
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)
Through relationship with Jesus, there is a grace that is beyond our deserving and explanation. It is so beautiful.
INTENTIONALITY
I know they were before the time of Jesus, but what if the kings in 1 Kings 13-16 would have taken these words to heart?
Therefore, since we are 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 pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him [Jesus] who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
How could (or do) these words in Hebrews impact your trajectory?
Take It Deeper Questions
Read Hebrews 12:1-3.
What are some things you have done in life that required extra or a lot of effort?
What kinds of things inspire you to put in extra effort?
What extra effort do you feel the author of Hebrews calling you to do?
What impact could it have if you put a little extra effort into throwing off everything that hinders you, running with perseverance, fixing your eyes on Jesus, and/or not growing weary or losing heart?
How does this text challenge you, focus you, encourage you, and/or confuse you?
Bible Reading Plan
Hebrews 11 • Faith Hall of Fame
Philippians 3 • Pressing Toward the Goal
Isaiah 40 • Renewed Strength
Psalms 27 • Do Not Lose Heart
James 1 • Perseverance in Trials
Romans 5 • Hope in Suffering
1 Corinthians 9 • Run to Win