Elah Reigns in Israel

 

 

June 29, 2021

 

1 Kings 16:8-14

 

Elah Reigns in Israel

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.   But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah, Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends.   Thus, Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.   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?

 

No surprise, God spoke through His prophet Jehu to Baasha, and he dismissed all that the prophet said. Have you given thought to the truth that God now speaks to us through His written Word and when we ignore its direction and teaching, we are in rebellion?  One example is God’s command to assemble ourselves together for worship, many today are not doing so and are setting themselves up for heartache.  Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  I have a good friend who has quit coming to worship, and when asked why his answer was; "I’m getting everything I need on Sundays sitting at home watching the sermon."  This man was a deacon, a greeter at the door, and an encouragement to me and many others.  When he left his place in this army of Christ, he left a hole in the line.

 

Is the Church so slow to grasp, that we cannot have body life if we do not meet together to encourage one another?  Body Life is the Christian Army coming together for instruction, correction, encouragement, and to pray for one another.  If you can do that sitting at home in your PJ and drinking coffee and eating breakfast, please tell me how that works.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice