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SERIES L --- THE NATION DIVIDES --- LESSON 21

NOT ONE GOOD KING

THE MANY KINGS OF ISRAEL

From 1 Kings 14:20; 15:26-34; 16:1-28; 2 Chronicles 16:1-10

While all this was happening with King Asa in Judah, the kingdom was changing in the northern ten tribes of Israel, During the second year of the reign of King Asa, Israel’s King Jeroboam died and his son Nadab ruled in his place. He, like his father Jeroboam, was an evil king who led his people into sin. While Nadab was with his army, laying siege to the Philistine city of Gibbethon, a man named Baasha assassinated him. Baasha was the son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar. Thus, the reign of Nadab quickly came to an end after two years. The rest of his deeds are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. As soon as Baasha became king he quickly killed all of Jeroboam’s descendants, fulfilling the prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh. Adonai had spoken through him and said that all of Jeroboam’s descendants would be killed instead of dying of old age and that they would not reign forever because Jeroboam had sinned and led his nation into sin. Jeroboam’s evil had angered Adonai and caused Him to send this severe punishment. By the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, Baasha set up his kingdom, with his capital city at Tirzah. He reigned for twenty-four years, but all that he did was evil, just as it had been with Jeroboam. He, like Jeroboam, led his people into sin. As long as Baasha reigned in Israel and Asa reigned in Judah, there was war between them. In an effort to cut the supply line of Judah, Baasha built a fortress at Ramah. Asa responded by taking all the gold and silver treasures from the temple and the palace and sending them through his officials to King Ben-Hadad of Syria to buy his help against Baasha. [Your father and mine had a peace treaty between them, so you and I should also have one, he said. [I am sending this silver and gold so that you will cancel your treaty with Baasha of Israel and join me. That will force Baasha to abandon his plans to defeat me.] Ben-Hadad accepted Asa’s offer and sent his army to Israel, where he captured Jon, Dan, Abel-Beth-niaachah and all Cinneroth [Chinneroth] and the territory of Naphtali with its supply centres. Baasha saw what happened and retreated quickly to Tirzah, leaving his fortress uncompleted at Ramah. King Asa quickly drafted all the men of Judah to go to Ramah and remove the stone and lumber which Baasha had brought to build his fortress. With these building materials, King Asa strengthened the cities of Geba in Benjamin, and Mizpah. Then the prophet Hanani went to see King Asa. [Don’t you remember how you trusted Adonai to help you conquer the Ethiopians and Libyans with their enormous army and hundreds of chariots and horsemen? When you asked Adonai, He delivered those people to you and gave you a great victory. Adonai is always searching the earth for people who please Him so that He can help them with His great power. But you have placed your confidence in the king of Syria instead of in Adonai. You can never be master over Syria’s army, as you were over the army of Ethiopia. You have been very foolish; your action will only lead to more war.] King Asa was so angry when he heard what Hanani the prophet said that he threw him into prison. He was also very harsh with some other people at that time. During the thirty-ninth year of King Asa’s reign, his feet became diseased. As time passed his condition grew worse, but instead of seeking Adonai’s help, he depended on his doctors completely. In the forty-first year of his reign, he died and was buried in the City of David section of Jerusalem, in a vault his workmen had chiselled from stone. He was laid on a bed filled with sweet spices and ointments, prepared by skilled perfumers. To honour him, the people made a great fire. Meanwhile, in the northern kingdom of Israel, another prophet named Jehu the son of Hanani went to King Baasha to warn him, for Baasha was ruling with an evil hand, which greatly angered Adonai. When Hanani went to Baasha with a message from Adonai, this is what he said, [I raised you from the dust to lead My people Israel, but instead of following Me, you have followed the evil ways of King Jeroboam, leading the people of Israel into sin. I am angry because of this and therefore I will destroy the household of Baasha, bringing it to ruin even as I did the household of Jeroboam. Dogs shall eat your family members who die in the city and birds shall eat those who die in the country.] When Baasha died, he was buried with his ancestors at Tirzah. The rest of the biography of Baasha is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Baasha’s son Elah came to the throne of Israel and he also ruled from Tirzah, though he ruled only for two years. One day while King Elah was drinking in Tirzah at the home of Arza, his palace overseer, he became drunk. Zimri, who was in charge of half of the king’s chariots came into the house and murdered Elah. Then Zimri became king and occupied the throne of Israel. This happened during the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, the rest of Elah’s biography is also written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. As soon as Zimri became king, he murdered all of the family of Baasha so there would be no more heirs. Not one of them was left. This fulfilled the prophecy which Jehu the prophet had given to Baasha, when he told how Adonai was angry because of the sins of Baasha. However, when Elah’s army, which was besieging the Philistine city of Gibbethon, heard what had happened, they made Omri, their commander, king of Israel that same day in their camp. Omri and his army returned to Tirzah, the capital city, and captured it, when Zimri saw what had happened, he went into the palace and burned it to the ground while remaining inside to die. Zimri’s reign lasted only seven days. He was thus punished for his own sins and for causing his people in Israel to sin. His further biography is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Then the people of Israel were divided. Half of them accepted Omri as king and half accepted Tibni the son of Ginath as their king. The people who followed Omri won out and Tibni was executed, permitting Omri to rule without further opposition. Omri began to rule during the thirty-first year of King Asa’s rule in Judah. Altogether he reigned twelve years, the first six of them in Tirzah. After the six years at Tirzah, Omri bought a hill from its owner Shemer. He paid about four thousand dollars in silver for the hill. There he built a city which he named Samaria in honour of Shemer. Omri was more wicked than all the Israelite kings who preceded him. He followed the way of Jeroboam, doing the things in Israel which had caused Adonai to be angry. After his twelve-year reign, he died and was buried in Samaria. The rest of his story is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Omri was succeeded by his son Ahab, who became king of Israel in his place.

COMMENTARY

ASHURNASIRPAL; PORTRAIT OF AN ASSYRIAN KING

Following the reign of Tiglath-pileser I, a dozen kings ruled over Assyria. One succeeded the other in rapid order until Ashurnasirpal II took the throne as a young man in 883 B.C. He immediately displayed the fierce temperament that had earned him notoriety as the cruellest conqueror in Assyria’s history. Without provocation he attacked the lands east of Assyria before leading his army northward. His reputation preceded him, striking terror in the hearts of the Mesopotamians. They met him with rich gifts and oaths of allegiance; subjection to Assyria was preferable to a horrible death at the hand of a vengeful Ashurnasirpal. In the course of many wars, Ashurnasirpal collected vast treasuries of wealth that he spent on enormous building projects. He chose the ruined city of Calah as the site of his new capital on the banks of the Tigris River. Thousands of workmen levelled the land and erected a massive city wall. A ziggurat dedicated to Ninurta, the Assyrian war YHVH, crowned the capital. Close to the ziggurat’s base, Ashurnasirpal’s palace stretched over more than six acres. The intricate maze of chambers and banquet halls was adorned with fine examples of Assyrian artistry. At the dedication of his new capital, Ashurnasirpal proclaimed a great feast. For ten days he entertained the entire city of Calah, in addition to many foreign dignitaries. But gold for the king’s treasury was not the only booty Ashurnasirpal carried away from his victories at war. He brought back to Assyria a variety of trees and seeds for his gardens. Exotic animals unknown to Assyria were also carried back to Calah. During the peaceful intervals between his military campaigns. Ashurnasirpal enjoyed the dangerous sport of lion-hunting. The walls of his palace are lined with reliefs illustrating his skill with the bow and arrow. For more than twenty-five years Ashurnasirpal reigned over Assyria, dominating the surrounding nations with the threat of his vengeance. After his death he was buried in Ashur, the city of his origin. His son, Shalmaneser III, succeeded him to the throne and continued to expand the borders of his father’s empire.

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