Good Morning Friends,
In the northern kingdom of Israel they went
from one bad king to another. Each successive king seemed to be worse than the
ones who had gone before him.
Nadab became king and “he did evil in the eyes
of the Lord.” (1 Kings 15:26) Rebellion followed, as Baasha led a revolt and
took the throne from Nadab. Baasha “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (1 Kings
15:34) Then came Baasha’s son, Elah, who reigned only two years and was killed
by Zimri, one of his officials, as he lay drunk in the home of a friend. (1
Kings 16:8-9) Zimri became king and because of the sins he had committed he was
killed in a rebellion led by Omri after reigning only seven days. (1 Kings
16:15-19) Omri became king and he “did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned
more than all those before him.” (1 Kings 16:25) He was followed on the throne
by Ahab, who “did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before
him.” (1 Kings 16:30)
What struck me as I read of the stories of the
kings of Israel as they went from one bad king to another is that intermingled
with the stories of the kings are the accounts of the prophets God sent to
them.
In the days of Baasha, God sent a prophet named
Jehu to carry the word of the Lord to the king. (1 Kings 16:1) In the days of
Ahab, God sent the prophet Elijah to speak God’s word to the king. (1 Kings
17:1)
These were bad kings and the people of Israel
followed them into sin. Despite the sins of the kings and despite the sins of
the people, God did not go silent. He continued to speak and continued to warn
and continued to call them back to Him. The kings and the people of Israel ignored
God’s message, but God didn’t stop speaking.
God gives chance after chance for people to
hear His word and to respond to His message. He keeps speaking even when His
word is ignored. That is patience … and that is grace … and that is God.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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