Ironworks

  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 . 1 Kings 16:8-9 Remember Baasha? The Word of the Lord came to the prophet Jehu son of Hanani who declared, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat (1 Kings 16:3). God’s prophecy would come true. It is not surprising though that Elah was not doing himself any favors with his choice in entertainment. He was not a righteous king by any means but consider the opportunity that Elah gave for Zimri. Elah was said to be drinking himself drunk. What could go wrong? When one partakes in alcohol, he opens himself up to all sorts of folly. Proverbs 23:20-21 reads , Be not among winebibbers; among...

And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the  Lord , as did David his father.   And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.   But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the  Lord  all his days. 1 Kings 15:11-14 Finally, a good king! It has been a lot of bad so far, and that is to be expected because the good are rare when it comes to kings of Judah and nonexistent in Israel. So what makes Asa a good king? Let’s consult the Word above. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. The Lord is the standard. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7). When we look at all rulers, we compare them first t...

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 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. 1 Kings 16:2-4             There is an old saying amongst the brethren: you cannot live wrong and die right. We often say this to get the point across that a life of sin, while it may seem fun and entertaining, will end with eternal damnation. Yet many live a life of self-gratification, and when they pass we are faced with the question, “Where will so-and-so spend eternity?” The answer is obvious if we will only look at the Word of God.  ...

  And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.   And he did evil in the sight of the  Lord , and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin . 1 Kings 15:25-26             It has been well documented in the article concerning Jeroboam that his desire to remain relevant lead to many unauthorized practices by the northern kingdom of Israel. Upon his death, Nadab, his son, became king, and we must take notice of some things about his reign. We almost miss Nadab because his reign was brief, as was his father’s, but it was certainly not inconsequential. Joseph de Maistre said, "Every country has the government it deserves." For Israel, this certainly is true. When Jeroboam walked away from Jerusalem and set to establish his own form of pseudo-Judaism, it opened the door to all sorts of chaos continu...

  Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam (also Abijah) over Judah.Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. 1 Kings 15:1-3        Do you ever wonder how someone who gets things mostly right can still be so wrong? It is mind-boggling if we do not consider that God judges man in totality. From our text above, it is hard to see anything good that can be said about Abijam (Abijah) son of Rehoboam. After all, it is evident that he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.      So where do we learn the details? 2 Chronicles 13:1-22 gives us further evidence of Abijah’s issues. We know he i...