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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Kings 16:1 - 16:14
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The Rule of Baasha and Elah in Israel
v. 1. Then, when it was evident that Baasha was guilty of the same wickedness as Jeroboam, the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying,
v. 2. Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, from a very low position among the people to that of commander in the army and finally to that of king, and made thee prince over My people Israel, for be could not have carried out his ambitious plans if they had been contrary to the purposes of Jehovah, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made My people Israel to sin, by fostering idolatry in their midst, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, for the jealous God; being the only true God, cannot bear a rival beside Him,
v. 3. behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, by cutting off and exterminating his family, and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, of whose family not one member survived.
v. 4. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat, and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat. It was the same terrible curse which had been pronounced upon Jeroboam, 1Ki_14:11.
v. 5. Now, the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, the extent of his military resources, are they not written In the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
v. 6. So Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, which he also had made his residence; and Elah, his son, reigned In his stead.
v. 7. And also, a thought being added here to prevent a misunderstanding, by the hand of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hananl, came the word of the Lord against Baasha and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, as noted above, v. 2, in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, guilty of the same idolatrous practices, and because he killed him, for the extermination of Jeroboam's family by Baasha had not been done by divine command or for the purpose of eradicating idolatry, but was an arbitrary, selfish act on the part of Baasha.
v. 8. 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; he reigned one full year and a fraction of the second.
v. 9. And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, an important and mighty officer in his army, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah, who probably was in the conspiracy and had purposely arranged this banquet and drinking-bout.
v. 10. And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa, king of Judah, this being all the easier since the army apparently was in the field against the Philistines, and reigned in his stead, he proclaimed himself king.
v. 11. And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, for he lost no time in carrying out his wicked designs, that he slew all the house of Baasha, down to the very last man; he left him not one that pisseth against the wall, neither of his kinsfolks nor of his friends; in order to secure himself against any possible revengers of blood, no man was left alive.
v. 12. Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord which He spake against Baasha by Jehu, the prophet, his act being done not by God's command, but in accordance with His threat, which was thereby fulfilled,
v. 13. for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah, his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities, with their worship of the golden calves erected by Jeroboam.
v. 14. Now, the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? This story shows with what jealous seriousness God watches over His honor. All the threats which God has uttered against the godless, all the promises which He has spoken concerning His children, will surely be fulfilled.