The Rapid Descent of Israel (1 Kings 15:25 – 16:34)
1 Kings 15:25-16:34 (16:31-34)
In March of 1887 a controversy started in England known as
“The Downgrade Controversy”
Charles Spurgeon published the first of two articles called
“The Downgrade”
Due to neglect and disrespect of the Word of God,
Spurgeon assessed that the Churches in England
Had began to slide away from Truth and into error.
In reference to the downgrade, John MacArthur wrote:
“Biblical truth is like the pinnacle of a steep, slippery mountain, Spurgeon suggested. One step away, and you find yourself on the down-grade. Once a church or individual Christian gets on the down-grade, Spurgeon said, momentum takes over. Recover is unusual and occurs only when Christians get on the “up-line” through spiritual revival.”
(MacArthur, John “Ashamed of the Gospel” [Crossway Books, Wheaton, Ill; 1993] pg. 21-22)
The idea is simple to understand.
It is always easier to follow the way of the world, than the way of God.
When a person makes a decision to drift away from God,
He is very likely drift further than expected.
We have seen that Spurgeon’s warning to England was warranted.
Their evangelical churches traveled down the slippery slope and to this day have not recovered.
MacArthur sited the controversy to warn the American church
As he has seen worldliness and pragmatism chip away at the gospel.
This morning, I REMIND YOU of the down-grade,
Because that is what we see taking place in the nation of Israel.
The decent began in the latter years of the reign of Solomon.
Solomon had been given a solid Kingdom by David,
And for many years Solomon carried on in the tradition of David.
But toward the end, he took a slight step onto the down-grade.
1 Kings 11:7-8 “Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”
ONCE THE BALL STARTED ROLING, IT NEVER STOPPED
• Rehoboam split the Kingdom
• And then Jeroboam built the golden calves
1 Kings 12:28-30 “So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.”
What Spurgeon said is about to come true.
Gravity is about to take over, and by the time we are finished today,
You will see that Israel is a nation running out of control.
With each new King, their dissent will merely pick up speed,
And their apostasy will become that much more incredible.
We pick up today with the death of Jeroboam and cover the next 36 years in the nation of Israel. A span that will see 7 different kings.
1 KINGS 15:25-26
There you learn that Jeroboam’s son became king,
And he was chip off of the old block.
He just kept right on traveling the path that was marked out before him.
You will also notice that his reign only lasted “two years”
1 KINGS 15:27
God had promised he would sweep Jeroboam off the face of the earth,
And Baasha was the man God used to do it.
NOW BAASHA WILL BE KING
1 KINGS 15:33-34
His kingdom did last longer, but the results were still the same.
Even though he knew of God’s judgment on Jeroboam and Nadab,
Baasha didn’t change a thing.
Because of Baasha’s rebellion, God sent a prophet to rebuke him
And to reveal that Baasha’s fate would be just like Jeroboam’s.
And then Baasha died.
THEN BAASHA’S SON – NADAB
1 KINGS 16:8-13
Baasha was Jeroboam’s servant,
And he killed Jeroboam’s son, in order to reign in his place.
“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap”
Now Baasha’s servant kills his son, and reigns in his place.
Elah reigned only two years, but he also followed in the sin of Jeroboam,
Only now it is called by a different name.
(13) “provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.”
What Jeroboam started has begun to spread.
NOW ZIMRI BEGINS TO REIGN
1 KINGS 16:15-19
So Zimri gets to reign 7 days, but even in that brief time (19) “he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which h did, making Israel sin.”
THEN WE SEE JOCKEYING FOR THE THRONE
1 KINGS 16:21-22
NOW WE GET TO THE 7TH KING, AND IT IS OMRI
• Omri is popular outside of Israel’s history.
• Assyria called Israel – “The Land of Omri”
In a political sense, he was quite successful, but as far as the down-grade is concerned, he only followed suit.
In fact, he took the dissent to a whole new level.
1 KINGS 16:23-26
Omri led the people even further away from the LORD.
BUT OMRI WOULD DIE, AND HIS SON WOULD BECOME KING.
And his son holds a unique description.
His son would be the absolute most wicked king
To ever rule on the throne of Israel.
HIS NAME WAS AHAB.
1 KINGS 16:29-30
Ahab did more evil than even his father Omri had done.
In fact, at the end of his life, this summary is given:
1 Kings 21:25-26 “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.”
By the time Ahab would finish his reign,
Israel would be considered just as immoral
As the godless nations that were driven out of the promised land
By Joshua over 500 years prior.
Solomon took the first step, and it snowballed.
They hit the down grade, and with each King, the picked up speed.
(And in a period of 57 years, Israel no longer resembled God’s people)
It is the danger of the down-grade.
• It happened in Israel…
• It happened in England…
• It can most certainly happen in America…
AND IT CAN HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE
So this morning, we are going to look at Scripture
To see what the indicators of being on the down-grade are.
• If we are taking the wrong step, what does it look like?
• If we are in danger of sliding, what are the symptoms?
That is precisely what I want you to see this morning.
I want you to see the 3 symptoms of life on the down-grade.
And at the end, if this is you, I will show you how to fix it.
You can know you are on the down-grade:
#1 WHEN SIN BECOMES TRIVIAL
1 Kings 16:31a “It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat,”
“trivial” translates in the Hebrew QALAL
It means “insignificant”
Ezekiel 8:16-17 “Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun. He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose.”
That is precisely how Ahab and Israel looked at the sin of Jeroboam.
• Sure he had made two golden calves…
• Sure he had proclaimed a feast to them in the eight month…
• Sure he had run the Levites out of the land, and made his own priests…
IT’S NO BIG DEAL
That was the attitude in Israel.
And anywhere you see that attitude involving sin,
You can be certain you are seeing someone on the down-grade.
Paul spoke of them in Romans 1.
Romans 1:32 “and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
When sin becomes trivial in your life,
You are most certainly on the down-grade.
WHY?
If there is anything that marks a person walking close to God,
It is both an awareness of sin, and a hatred for it.
Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
Paul
Romans 7:14-15 “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”
Was Paul aware of his sin? – absolutely
Did he see it as trivial? – absolutely not
He would go on to say:
Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
Those who are walking close to the Lord,
Both have a heightened awareness of sin, and they truly hate it.
They rightly see sin as the destructive force that it is.
James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
And they know it must be removed, not tolerated.
Matthew 5:29-30 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW IF YOU ARE ON THE DOWN-GRADE?
– How do you view sin?
Is sin no big deal?
• Sure I cuss a little…
• Sure I drink a little…
• Sure I tell an occasional dirty joke…
BUT IT’S NO BIG DEAL
Then let me introduce you to the down-grade.
It is not that those who walk with God never sin,
But they hate it when they do,
And immediately go to God to get it corrected.
One of my favorite verses in this regard is found in:
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I continually remind God of this wonderful verse.
Not because of the “forgive us” part. (although I desperately want forgiveness)
I remind God of this verse because of where John says that God will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Yes I want to be forgiven,
But what I really want is to be cleansed so the sin never surfaces again.
Anything less than that puts me on the down-grade.
You can know you are on the down-grade when: Sin becomes Trivial
#2 WHEN GOD IS REPLACED
1 Kings 16:31b-33
Replacing God is precisely what Ahab did.
First, he married a woman of the Sidonians named Jezebel.
Her father’s name was Ethbaal which means, “Baal Lives”
Most likely it was Omri (Ahab’s dad) who arranged this marriage,
But let us not forget that it was Solomon who formed an alliance
With the Sidonians for timber to build the temple.
THE RESULT: Ahab “went to serve Baal and worship him.”
Idolatry in any form is totally unacceptable,
But Ahab goes even farther than that.
(32) “So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria.”
Remember, his dad Omri built Samaria.
It is on a hill surrounded by mountains, very similar to Jerusalem.
So Ahab built his own temple, for his own god, in his own capital city.
He is replacing God with Baal.
Not only that.
(33) “Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
Ahab had replaced God in Israel with Baal.
Ahab saw God as generic, and One who could easily be replaced.
Those who walk close to God, see exactly the opposite.
They see God as vitally important to every aspect of their lives,
And One who could never be replaced.
Asaph said:
Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
Isaiah said:
Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”
With such men, it was always about God.
He was seen as exclusive, as irreplaceable,
And as absolutely necessary for every walk of life.
They are those who would sing:
“I need Thee every hour, Most precious Lord; no tender voice like Thine can peace afford. I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee. O bless me now my Savior, I come to Thee.”
But if you don’t need God every hour,
Watch out, you are probably on the down-grade.
MANY ARE THERE.
God is replaced in their lives with some sort of man-made substitute.
(We talked about BAILOUT last week)
• Maybe the government is their provision…
• Maybe their doctor is their healer…
• Maybe their big-screen TV is their source of joy…
Their lives are geared and engineered in such a fashion
To where they don’t have to depend on God ever.
You are on the down-grade: When Sin becomes Trivial When God is replaced
#3 WHEN JUDGMENT IS IGNORED
1 Kings 16:34
“In his days”
The writer is giving you insight as to exactly how Israel lived in this day.
“Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”
As Joshua destroyed Jericho, he pronounced this curse:
Joshua 6:26 “Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.”
But Hiel wasn’t afraid.
• Apparently he thought those old prophecies were just a bunch of non-sense.
• Apparently he didn’t think God would really do it.
• Obviously he was hard-headed, for most would have stopped the building after losing their first-born while setting the foundations.
BUT YOU SEE THE POINT.
Those on the down-grade
Think judgment is a joke and hell is a myth,
And this belief is proved by their actions against the Lord.
But those close to God see it just the opposite.
They are motivated by the judgment of God.
1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Those who truly believe God, know that He is holy,
And that there is a day when all of their deeds will be recompensed.
Romans 14:12 “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
But those on the down-grade live like God is only kidding.
• They continue in their sin,
• They continue in their worldliness,
• They do it all like they will never get caught.
THAT IS THE DOWN-GRADE.
And that is precisely where Israel was.
Sin had become trivial
God had been replaced
Judgment was being ignored
But as Paul told us about the Old Testament participants:
1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”
WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LEARN FROM THEM.
FIRST: AM I ON THE DOWN-GRADE?
• Do I treat sin in my life as trivial?
• Is there any area in my life where I replace God?
• Do I live like God will judge my disobedience?
If you honestly admit that this is you,
I told you I would tell you how to fix the problem.
Spurgeon said you had to get on the “up-line of revival.”
That is precisely what God is about to do in Israel.
In fact, if you look at the first four words of chapter 17,
You see a new hero being introduced.
“Now Elijah the Tishbite”
God was about to send a prophet to Israel to cause them to see
The effects of their sin,
Their need for God,
The certainty of judgment.
Elijah was about to confront Israel with the word of God.
They had forgotten God, and they needed to remember.
That is the secret for you as well.
• Recognize the danger of sin.
• Confess that you need God.
• Live your life motivated by God’s righteous judgment.
We call it revival.
We see a small part of this here this morning,
As we partake of the Lord’s Supper.
It’s just juice – It’s just a cracker
There are no redeeming qualities here whatsoever.
Rather, these serve as a symbol to help us to refocus.
Jesus said: “do this in remembrance of Me”
Perhaps this morning,
You aren’t walking as close to Jesus as you need to be.
This morning, return to the cross of Jesus.
Remember that SIN is so serious it cost Jesus His life…
Remember that His sacrifice is absolutely IRREPLACEABLE…
Remember that HELL is so real, that Jesus died to keep you out…
Remember Jesus,
Charge back up the hill,
Determine to live wholly devoted to Him.
As always, we are about to have a time of preparation.
1 Corinthians 11:27-29 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.”
We are going to have a time of preparation,
Then afterwards we will approach the table of the Lord.
Pray
