DEVOTION
1ST KINGS
LIFE OR PERISH
1 Kings 16:1-7
16:1 Then the word of the LORD
came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha: 2 "I lifted you up from the
dust and made you leader of my people Israel, but you walked in the ways of
Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to provoke me to anger by their
sins. 3 So I am about to consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your
house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 Dogs will eat those belonging to
Baasha who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die
in the country." 5 As for the other events of Baasha's reign, what he did
and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the
kings of Israel? 6 Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. And
Elah his son succeeded him as king. 7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came
through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all
the evil he had done in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger by the
things he did, and becoming like the house of Jeroboam — and also because he
destroyed it.
NIV
We have already been told that
Baasha did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he caused Israel to sin. He receives
a visit from a prophet with a word from the LORD, and the message is not
positive, although the word of the LORD positively comes true. It is bad enough
that he is told his reign is over, but his life and everyone in his family, or
those belonging to Baasha, will be consumed either by the dogs or the birds. Their
bones will be picked clean, and there will be no evidence of who they were.
This is truly what it means to perish. What a horrible thing to be subject to
the anger of the LORD. We think the way the world is today must provoke the
Lord to anger, yet we are told God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. What about those who do not believe in Jesus? According to
the word of the Lord, they will perish. That means there will be no evidence of
their existence; it will be as if either the dogs or the birds picked their bones
clean. We know that if Baasha had done right in the eyes of the LORD, this
perishing of all those who belonged to him would not have occurred, but they
would have received their just reward. Praise the Lord because we do not have
to worry about perishing, as we have everlasting life as our just reward. However,
it is not because we have done all the right things in the Lord's eyes. It is not
because of how many good things we have done. It is not about how spiritual we
are or think we are. It's not even that we still struggle and yield to
temptations. It is all about believing in Jesus, accepting him as our Lord and
Savior, and experiencing being born again, or born from above. This is what gives
us life everlasting. We are not saved by works because if we were, then we
could boast, but we are saved by faith in Jesus. Without Jesus, or apart from
Him, we can do nothing; we would be lost forever, perished. If we remain in
Jesus, He will remain in us, and we will be gathered to our Father’s house to
live with Him forevermore.
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