LESSON IX.

THE REBUKES TO ASA AND BAASHA.

B.C. 940.-I KINGS xv. 16-21; 2 CHRON. xvi. 7—10.

And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hands of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth,* with all the land of Naphtali.

And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his

*The land about the Sea of Gennesareth.

house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

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.

So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.

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.

And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah.

And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.

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,

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.

COMMENT.-After Asa's ten years of peace, Baasha of Israel began a war that lasted between the two kings for the rest of their lives. His aggression seems to have been the fortifying Ramah, Samuel's city, a priestly town only five miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps he meant it as a fortress whence to annoy the pilgrims to Jerusalem, as we find was done later by the wicked kings of Israel. This time Asa failed. He did not turn away to idols, but he had lost his heart-whole trust in the Lord, and looked to man instead. He sent messengers, and a present collected from the treasury of the Temple, to the power which had arisen in the rich city of Damascus since its revolt from Solomon-Ben-hadad (Son of the Sun), king of Syria-begging him for his alliance and assistance against Baasha. Accordingly, Ben-hadad invaded Israel to the north, took the northern Dan, where the golden calf was, and overcame the lands of Naphtali, round about the Lake of Gennesareth, while Asa himself attacked Baasha, forced him to leave off building Ramah, and carried off the materials to construct two forts of his own at Geba and Mizpeh (the watch-tower), thus guarding the approach to Jerusalem.

But schismatic and rebellious as the Israelites were, they were the brethren of Judah, and it was ill done to call in a heathen foe

on them. Asa had not trusted in God, and the prophet Hanani sternly rebuked him for his want of faith, bidding him remember his deliverance before, and assuring him that God's eyes were ever ready to mark and relieve the needs of the faithful. Had he left Ben-hadad to continue in league with Baasha, he would have been allowed to gain another great victory, but by buying him off he had left a powerful enemy, who would become a scourge to Israel and Judah. Alas! Asa, elated by the apparent success of his policy, threw the prophet into prison, and in his latter years disappointed the high promise of his youth by becoming a severe and oppressive ruler, though still no idolater.

Meantime, Baasha was likewise rebuked, apparently by the son of the very prophet whom Asa was imprisoning. He had been raised up by God, but not to continue the calf-worship nor to be a cruel murderer, and so his family was to share the same doom as Jeroboam, and so it did, almost exactly. Like Jeroboam, he had a long reign-it lasted twenty-four years; then he died, leaving a feeble son, and, as he had done himself, a successful captain in the army rose against the new king while half the army was away besieging Gibbethon, and, as the king was drinking himself drunk, fell on him and made a great slaughter of all his family and friends. All that was good in Israel was drawn to Jerusalem, and anarchy and fearful wickedness prevailed.

LESSON X.

RISE OF THE HOUSE OF OMRI IN ISRAEL.

In the twenty and

seven days in Tirzah.

B.C. 929.—1 Kings xvi. 15—34.

seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign And the people were encamped against Gibbethon,

which belonged to the Philistines.

And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.

And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him, with fire, and died,

For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.

But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.

And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.

For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

COMMENT.-Seven days had sufficed to destroy the family of Baasha. When the tidings of Elah's murder reached the army that lay before Gibbethon, the soldiers chose their captain Omri as

their king, and marched upon Tirzah, the royal city. When Zimri found that they had burst into the city, and that all hope was over for him, he shut himself up in the palace, set fire to it, and perished in the flames. At first, another pretender to the crown arose, named Tibni, but Omri succeeded in putting him down, and in founding the most powerful house that reigned over the ten tribes, but also the wickedest. The Israelites had thoroughly obtained their wish of having kings like the nations, for the difference between them and the heathen was growing less and less.

Since Tirzah had been burnt, Omri resolved on forming a new royal city, close to Shechem and Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, so as to be a rival to Jerusalem. He therefore bought the round, smooth hill of Shemer, and built on it a city which has been called from it Samaria, and ere long gave its name to the whole kingdom of the ten tribes. He must have been an able man, who sinned with a high hand, since he did worse than all the kings before him, and he made such an impression on the surrounding nations. that they long called all kings of Israel sons of Omri. He and his son Ahab made alliances, especially with their rich Phoenician neighbours, the merchant princes; and Ahab married a princess from Zidon, the daughter of Ithobal, or Ethbaal, a king of great wealth and splendour. The women of Zidon were beautiful, able, fierce, and determined, and Jezebel brought with her the worship of the Phoenician god Baal. Hitherto the calves had been used only as emblems of JEHOVAH. It was disobedient worship that was paid to them, but still it was meant for the true God. It broke the second commandment, but the first was broken by the introducing an absolute rival god in opposition to the LORD. This was the special step in wickedness made by Ahab, a weak man under the dominion of his wife. It was at this godless time that Jericho, the accursed city, was rebuilt, and the prophecy of Joshua (Book III. Lesson VII. Josh. vi. 20) was fulfilled; for Hiel, the profane founder, lost his eldest son as he laid the foundation, and his youngest as he set up the gates.