AND THEY DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“… Evil in the sight of The Lord …”  1 Kings 16:2, 16:7, 16:19, 16:25, and 16:30 (KJV)

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The human author is unknown although some Bible scholars attribute this book to the prophet Jeremiah.  In chapter sixteen Jeremiah briefly recounts activities of the five kings of Israel from Baasha, the assassin and son of Ahijah the prophet, who assassinated Nadab son of Jeroboam, to Ahab the son of Omri.  The word of The Lord came to Jehu, son of Hanani, and he spoke against Baasha saying you have made My people Israel sin and provoked Me to anger.  Therefore I will take away the prosperity of your house and destroy it like I did the house of Jeroboam. (1 Kings 16:1-4)  Baasha had assassinated Nadab and then proceeded to wipe out all of the entire Jeroboam family. (1 Kings 15:27-30)  Baasha did evil in the sight of The Lord.  When he died his son Elah reigned after him for two years. (1 Kings 16:4-8)  Zimri, captain of the chariots, plotted against Elah and killed him.  Zimri’s first act as king was to kill all of the house of Baasha and Elah’s family.  Elah, like his father Baasha, had done evil in the sight of The Lord. (1 Kings 16:9-13)  Zimri walked in the ways of Jeroboam and did evil in the sight of The Lord.  However, Zimri only reigned over Israel for seven days before the people heard what he had done to Elah and led an uprising against him.  They made Omri, the captain of the army, their new king.  Seeing this, Zimri went to the king’s house and set it on fire with him inside of it and killed himself. (1 Kings 16:15-19)  Omri reigned for twelve years but he also did evil in the sight of The Lord. (1 Kings 16:21-26) When Omri died his son Ahab reigned in his stead for twenty-two years.  Ahab did more to provoke The Lord than all of the other kings before him. (1 Kings 16:28-33)

APPLICATION

We all have sinned and come short of the glory of The Lord. (Romans 3:23)  However, here the phrase “evil in the sight of The Lord” usually refers to the worship of idol gods.  It included but was not limited to everything from building altars and burning incense to sacrificing animals or children to idols.  Moses recorded in the ten commandments that The Lord God wanted the people to have no other gods before Him. (Exodus 20:3)  God does not like any sin but some sins will incur His wrath.  We should put God before everything else (Matthew 6:33) and we should worship nothing or no one else but The Lord our God.