1 Kings 15:33-16:7--Baasha Reigns in Israel

1 Kings 15:33-16:7
English Standard Version

Baasha Reigns in Israel
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.

16 And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Since I exalted you out of 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 to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall 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 at Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that 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 also because he destroyed it.

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We started to talk about Baasha a bit last time.  Now is his official introduction as king of Israel (the Northern Kingdom).  He began his reign in the third year of King Asa, king of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), and he ruled from the city of Tirzah in Israel for 24 years.  Like all kings of the northern kingdom of Israel before and after him, he too did what was evil in the sight of the LORD by walking in the way of Jeroboam (idolatry) and the sin by which he [Jeroboam, and Baasha like him] caused all of the northern kingdom of Israel to sin.

Now the word of the LORD came to the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani to speak against Baasha with these words, "Since I exalted you out of 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 to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.  Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat."  (This was the same curse the LORD had made against Jeroboam).  The one who the LORD had used to judge Jeroboam will now be judged in the exact same way for walking the same path.

Like with the other kings we've read about, we are encouraged to look to the Book of Chronicles for more details about the reign of King Baasha.  Baasha died and was buried in Tirzah with his family, and Elah his son reigned in his place.  We are reminded as part of the telling of his death that the LORD had pronounced judgment on the house of Baasha through the prophet Jehu because of all the wickedness that Baasha had done, how he had angered the LORD, and how his house was like the house of Jeroboam which he had destroed.