What happens to a country when its rulers set themselves above the law? That was, after all, what Jeroboam had done. He had been made king of the northern tribes of Israel after they had revolted against Rehoboam and the dynasty of David that was based in Jerusalem (I Kings 12:20). But at the same time, God had clearly said that He wanted to be worshipped in only one place (Deuteronomy 12:5-7, 11-14), the Temple that Rehoboam’s father had built (I Kings 9:3). But if the people of Jeroboam’s kingdom kept going into the Kingdom of Judah to worship in Jerusalem, they would be taking their offerings to a foreign land, and might one day transfer their political allegiance back there.

So, it was the practical thing, the commonsense thing for Jeroboam to build some new Temples within the bounds of the Northern Kingdom (I Kings 12:28-29). But by doing so, he broke God’s law in order to preserve and enhance his own power.

Of course, it made just as much sense to Baasha to conspire against Jeroboam’s son and take the throne from him (I Kings 15:27). After all, since Jeroboam had asserted royal power over religion, there wasn’t any higher authority remaining in Israel except brute force – so why shouldn’t Baasha try to seize the kingdom?

But denying the authority of God’s Word and asserting secular control over God’s worship ensured that the king’s palace had a revolving door on it. King after king followed Baasha’s example, overthrowing their predecessors and claiming ultimate authority. Baasha’s son Elah only reigned for 2 years before being overthrown by Zimri, who remained in charge for only a week before Omri supplanted him (I Kings 16:8-18).

But Asa remained king of Judah throughout all of their reigns. And why? Because just as God promised the dynasty of David would last forever (I Kings 15:4-5), God promised that Jeroboam’s house would be destroyed (I Kings 14:10), and that the house of Baasha would be destroyed (I Kings 16:3-4). In other words, no matter how much the Israelite kings pretended that they could regulate or alter the worship of God to fit their fancies, God remained in ultimate control, setting them up and then removing them from their thrones because of their faithlessness.

And who knows? Maybe human rulers still need to learn that lesson. Maybe we all need not only to respect the laws men have made, but also to remember Who is really in charge – and to worship Him in the way He wants.

I Kings 16:1-23 (NASB)

Now the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,
2 “Inasmuch as I exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins,
3 behold, I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
4 “Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.”
5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
6 And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place.
7 Moreover, the word of the LORD through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came against Baasha and his household, both because of all the evil which he did in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck it.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah, and reigned two years.
9 And his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household at Tirzah.
10 Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place.
11 And it came about, when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.
12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet,
13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.
14 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?
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. Now the people were camped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
16 And the people who were camped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.
17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah.
18 And it came about, 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 over him with fire, and died,
19 because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin.
20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other half followed Omri.
22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years; he reigned six years at Tirzah.