1 Kings 16:29-34--Ahab Reigns in Israel

1 Kings 16:29-34
English Standard Version

Ahab Reigns in Israel
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

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I've been making a point to tell you that Ahab is one of the most wicked kings we will study.  He came to power in Israel towards the end of King Asa's reign in Judah, and Ahab reigned over Israel for twenty-two years.  As I said last time, even though Ahab's father Omri was more wicked than all those before him, Ahab will be even more wicked than his father, so he too will be known as the most wicked king in the history of Israel (to this point).  The text says that the common wording that has been used to describe the wickedness of the previous kings, that they walked in the sins of Jeroboam, is too light to describe how wicked Ahab was, for he took for himself Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, as his wife, and together they went and served Baal, a pagan god of fire/lightning, and fertility that was thought to bring rain so that the crops would grow, and worshiped him.  They also erected and altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria (their capital city), and Ahab made an Asherah so that the people could worship that fertility goddess.  All manner of sexual sin was considered "worship" to these fertility gods and goddesses that Ahab led the people to worship.  So the LORD was angered with Ahab, just like He had been angered by all the kings of Israel before Ahab, because Ahab led the Israelites into idolatry and all kind of wickedness and did not keep His covenant.

One other note by the author that Ahab is known for.  Back in Joshua 6:26, the LORD prophecied through Joshua that anyone who tried to rebuild Jerhico would be cursed and that he would lose both his firstborn and his youngest sons.

26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.

“At the cost of his firstborn shall he
    lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest son
    shall he set up its gates.”

The people were so wicked under Ahab and so rebellious against the LORD that the thumbed their nose at the LORD by rebuilding Jericho anyways.  Hiel of Bethel was the one who undertook the project, and he lost his firstborn son Abiram as he laid the foundations of the city, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub.  The author reminds us that all this was according to the word of the LORD spoken through Joshua son of Nun in Joshua 6:26 which I included above for your reference.

The rest of the book is going to be the story of how the LORD is going to send the prophet Elijah to speak His words to the king, queen, and people who really aren't interested in hearing anything that the LORD has to say.  His words will be accompanied with many signs and wonders so that his message won't be able to be ignored and Elijah is often seen as the greatest prophet in the Old Testament (maybe with an exception made for Moses for those that count Moses among the prophets, which I think is legitimate).  It is Moses and Elijah that Jesus spoke with on the Mount of Transfiguration and it is Elijah that John the Baptist would be compared with when the prophets said that a harbinger would come with on with the spirit of Elijah crying in the wilderness to repent and make straight the way of the LORD (to walk the straight and narrow road of righteousness).  It will only be the final third of this book that focuses on Elijah, but I think you'll agree by the end that the beginning of the book was simply setting the stage for the need for the LORD to intervene and send someone to fix what was going on, for even though these are the northern ten tribes, they are still the people that the LORD redeemed out of Egypt and He desires to save them, not destroy them