1 Kings 16

“And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them.” 1 Kings 16:7 (NKJV)

“Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” 1 Kings 16:12-13 (NKJV)

“And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house down upon himself with fire, and died, because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.” 1 Kings 16:18-19 (NKJV)

“Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” 1 Kings 16:25-26 (NKJV)

“Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” 1 Kings 16:30

Instability. It is the sign of a nation without a moral compass. If we focus too much on the narrative of each king’s reign, we will conclude that their instability is caused by 1) Choosing the wrong Cabinet Members, 2) Drunken Diversions, 3) Short-Sightedness, 4) the Folly of Trivial Pursuits, 5) the Downside of Diplomatic Alliances.

But the message that God is blaring through His prophetic megaphone is that instability is caused by IDOLATRY. And Idolatry, by the way, is simply stepping away from God’s Word and trusting in another source to provide guidance and establish stability.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Any nation who trusts in the Word of the Lord will find stability, but even nations founded on the Word of the Lord will lose their stability if they depart. So, let’s break it down to the pedestrian level because a nation is the sum of its individual citizens. If we want to see our nation return to stability, we must personally return to the Lord, praying and seeking His Word. And we must plead with others to join us! Revival will not be leveraged from a stage or platform. Revival begins with you and me pursuing the written Word and sharing the Living Word, Jesus. (John 1:1-14)