1 Kings 16:8-20 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:8-20. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Kings 16:8-14 (NIV)
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
9 Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the man in charge of the palace at Tirzah.
10 Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.
11 As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha’s whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend.
12 So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu–
13 because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols.
14 As for the other events of Elah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
On verses 8-14: Elah son of Baasha takes over his father’s throne and becomes king of Israel. However, Elah’s reign comes to an end when Elah gets drunk in his administrator’s house and is killed by Zimri, one of Elah’s officials. Zimri goes on to destroy Elah’s entire family, fulfilling Jehu’s prophecy earlier about what would happen to the house of Baasha (1 Kings 16:1-4).
What can we learn from this? Notice that drunkenness opened the door for Elah to be attacked. “Don’t get drunk on wine,” Paul says in Ephesians 5:18,”but be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Too much alcohol dulls one’s senses, clouds one’s judgment, and makes you vulnerable to attack, not to mention making you a danger to others. In contrast, being filled with the Holy Spirit sharpens your senses, improves your judgment, and equips you to defend yourself against attack.
1 Kings 16:15-20 (NIV)
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town.
16 When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp.
17 Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah.
18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died,
19 because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.
20 As for the other events of Zimri’s reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
On verses 15-20: After murdering Elah, Zimri takes over as king of Israel. However, his reign is very short-lived, lasting only 7 days. When the Israelite army learns that Zimri had plotted against Elah and murdered him, they choose Omri, Zimri’s army commander, to be their new king. Omri orders the Israelite army to lay siege to Tirzah, the city where Zimri lives. When Zimri sees that Omri has taken control of the city, Zimri commits suicide by setting fire to his own palace while still inside.
What can we learn from this? Whenever you hear of someone trying to rebel against God-given authority through deceptive and destructive acts and trying to get others to do the same, think twice before following in their footsteps. Any kingdom that is built on sedition will not last.
Father, thank You for the practical lessons we can learn from Your Word. May I not get drunk on wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. And may I not a seditious person, but someone who is known for integrity, loyalty and trustworthiness. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
