1 Kings 16 Devotional

Thrones That Do Not Last

Chapter 16 moves quickly, and nearly all of it is grim. The LORD sends the prophet Jehu to Baasha. God had lifted him from the dust and made him ruler, but he walked in Jeroboam's ways, so his house will fall as Jeroboam's did (16:1-3). His son Elah is killed while getting drunk (16:9-10). Zimri reigns seven days and dies in a burning palace (16:15-18). Omri does more evil than all before him, and then his son Ahab outdoes him, marrying Jezebel and building a temple for Baal (16:21-33).

Through all this turmoil one thing holds steady: the word of the LORD. Zimri wipes out Baasha's household just as Jehu had said (16:12). At the end, Hiel rebuilds Jericho at the cost of his oldest and youngest sons, fulfilling what Joshua had spoken long before (16:34; Joshua 6:26). Rulers rise and vanish within a few verses, but God's word outlasts them all. Isaiah contrasts fading grass with the word of God, which endures (Isaiah 40:8). When your world feels unstable, there is still solid ground.

To think about: What feels unstable in your life right now, and how could you anchor yourself in a word from God that does not change?