Evangelicia

Alicia's Bible Blog

 

 

1 Kings 15:29-30. Baasha killed Nadab in Nadab's second year as king of Israel and took the throne. As soon as he killed Nadab, Baasha killed the entire house of Jeroboam (Nabad's kin). Not one was left alive "according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Ahijah the Shilonite." This was because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned and by which he caused Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord.

 

Jeroboam, Nabad, and Baasha were all bad men. This killing and infighting is what happens when Israel's leaders are not following God and are leading the people astray. Previously, God had told Jeroboam's wife, through the prophet Ahijah, that the Lord would raise up a king "who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam" (1 Kings 14:14), and now those words have come true. But just because God said it was going to happen, and just because he allowed Baasha to do it, does not mean that God made any of this happen, God does not do evil things. Consequences are what are actually happening.

 

In God's prophecy to Ahijah, He is describing what will happen to Jeroboam and his house, and indicating that He will allow that to happen for His purposes - to punish the house of Jeroboam for their transgressions. But Jeroboam brought this onto himself and his kin. Jeroboam never repented of his wickedness during his lifetime, and God saw that his people would continue to go astray due to Jeroboam's sins, and God would no longer suffer that evil.

 

We don't know when the consequences of our sinfulness will catch up with us, but if we do not repent, we can be sure they will. We can see this as just punishment, because it is, but we should not blame God. These consequences are things we bring on ourselves, as horrendous as they may be.