“So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu—”
~ 1 Kings 16:12
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you know any bad dudes? Do you know what makes a guy a bad dude? Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and Ahab were all bad dudes. The Kings Books historian – in 1 Kings 16, profiles the lives of these five bad dudes. Do you know any good dudes? Do you know what makes a guy a good dude? Jehu was the good dude who had the job of staying in the face of Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and Ahab. Jehu was God’s prophet spokesmen to His specially chosen guys and gals who had settled in the northern land area of Israel – the land area that God had given to His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . God – through His prophet spokesman Jehu, told Baasha that because he had emulated one of the original bad dude kings – who was Jeroboam, that He was going to have dogs eat the bodies of his family who died in the city and have birds peck away on the bodies of his family who died in the country. When Baasha died, Elah replaced his dad as king over the guys and gals who lived in the northern area of Israel. Two years later – when Elah should have been fighting with his army troops, he was getting drunk instead in the home of Arza – who was the guy in charge of his palace in Tirzah. Elah would have Zimri murder him. Zimri did not know it when he eradicated all of Baasha’s extended family that he was doing exactly what God was wanting him to do. Verse 12 says, “So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu—” God – as God the Father or as LORD, was not a happy camper on how Baasha and his kid – Elah, had influenced His specially chosen guys and gals when they introduced worthless manmade idols to them for them to worship. Zimri would be king for seven days over the guys and gals who lived in the northern land area of Israel. After just a week of being king over the guys and gals who lived in the northern land area of Israel, Omri – who was the army commander over the Israelite people group guys in the northern land area of Israel, was empowered by God’s specially guys and gals who lived in the northern land area of Israel to kill Zimri because of his dastardly behavior against Elah when he killed Elah and every guy, gal and kid in his extended family. When Zimri realized that . . ., Zimri burned himself to death by setting the royal palace’s citadel on fire while he was inside it. Omri was an even worse dude than his predecessors. After six years of sharing a leadership role with Tibni – who did not do enough good or bad things to get any hype at all other than just getting his name mentioned by the Kings Books historian, Omri got another six years to be the top dude over the guys and gals who lived in the northern land area of Israel. Omri’s big contribution to the history of Israel’s northern kingdom’s land area was his purchase of a piece of property that would become the central site for future Israelite people group kings who ruled over the guys and gals who lived in the northern land area of Israel. The property that Omri purchased was called Samaria. When Omri died, his kid – who was Ahab, replaced him. Ahab would lower the bad dude bar to a much lower level.
Are you bad kids? Do you know any bad kids? Why do you think that there are bad kids? What do you think should happen to a bad kid? Why do you think that there are good kids? What do you think makes a kid a good kid? What would be something that a kid does that makes him or her a bad kid? What would be something that a kid does that makes him or her a good kid? Jehu was mandated by God to confront bad dude kings who were reigning over the guys and gals who lived in Israel’s northern kingdom land area with messages that were sent through him by God – as God the Father. God – as God the Father, expects always to be worshipped. God – as God the Father, becomes really jealous when manmade idols that are handmade from wood, clay, stone and metal are worshipped instead of only Him. A bad kid invariably thinks only of himself or herself. A good kid will consistently think of how he or she can come alongside and help other kids – and guys and gals. God has very little patience or tolerance with self-centered, disobedient guys, gals and kids. God – as God the Father, through what He had different guys scribe as He – as God the Spirit, breathed on them to scribe, is very, very clear what He expects guys, gals and kids to do to live lives that will bring honor and glory to His name. God – as God the Father, also through what He had different guys scribe in missives as He – as God the Spirit, breathed on them to scribe, is very, very clear what He will do to any guy, gal or kid who decides to defy His expectations by trying to personally edify his or her own name through whatever earthly means.
Your grandpaa was just in Las Juntas, Costa Rica. Las Juntas has nine preaching points. None of the preaching points purportedly has over forty guys, gals and kids regularly attending a scheduled meeting. There are reportedly around 9000 guys, gals and kids living in Las Juntas and its barrios. Your grandpaa spent eight days in Las Juntas with a high energy short term gang of thirteen college age guys and gals and the gang’s sparkplug leader and her rather spontaneous husband. When your grandpaa told the recently appointed pastor of the primary Christ-follower fellowship in Las Juntas that he sensed that there was a spirit of skepticism against Christ-followers in Las Juntas, Roberto told your grandpaa that there is a history of moral failures among Las Juntas Christ-follower leaders. Good dudes will at times do bad dude things which . . . what have you been doing to live good kids’ lives for God’s sake?
1 Kings 16 (846)