1 Kings 16:19
For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.
The verse records the end of Zimri, the captain who slew Elah and destroyed his house to take his throne, and who reigned only seven days before Omri defeated him, when he burned the palace over himself and perished in the flames. He was one of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel after the division from Judah, reigning after Nadab, Baasha, and Elah and before Omri and Ahab, in the kingdom begun by Jeroboam who led the revolt of the ten tribes. His evil was walking in the idolatrous way of Jeroboam, who set up altars against the altar of God and led Israel to sin, following in the steps of the wicked kings before him and going from bad to worse until events came to a climax under Ahab. That way means turning away from the God-given worship which pointed to Christ and revealed salvation, and forsaking all that was pure and true for the degrading worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, the worship of the creature instead of the Creator. His evil deeds in doing evil in the sight of the Lord and making Israel to sin brought judgment upon him as the reason for his downfall, showing the apostasy of Israel under failing leaders when the people also fail, yet God kept a faithful remnant that answered his prophet.
Zimri's Short Reign
1 Kings 16:19 records the end of Zimri, the captain who slew Elah and destroyed his house to seize his throne. He reigned only seven days before Omri defeated him. When the army made Omri king and came in force to the capital, Zimri saw their meaning, burned the palace over himself, and perished in the flames. He is reckoned to have been slain by Omri.
Zimri was one of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel of ten tribes after the division from Judah. He reigned after Nadab, Baasha, and Elah and before Omri and Ahab. This was the kingdom begun by Jeroboam, who led the revolt of the ten tribes under Rehoboam. Elah's drunken reign lasted two years and ended the house of Baasha. That followed Nadab's two-year reign that ended the house of Jeroboam and Baasha's twenty-four-year reign. Zimri's death came fifty years after the division of the kingdom, while the one good reign of Asa king of Judah spanned all these wicked reigns of Israel, Asa having come to the throne two years before Jeroboam died.
Omri, captain of Israel's host, rose up against the traitor Zimri and slew him and became the strongest influence among the ten tribes. He met opposition for a little time that was soon crushed out. From him sprang the wicked Ahab. Leaving Shechem the royal seat of the kingdom because of its associations and to add luster and strength to his own reign, he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. It was a natural stronghold six miles north of Shechem almost on the eastern border of the great plain of Sharon stretching westward to the Mediterranean Sea. There he built the city of Samaria for the royal capital of the kingdom of Israel. There he reigned wickedly for twelve years while the city ever increased in grandeur and beauty, and that greatness has proved ephemeral, for Samaria now stands in ruins of broken walls and few solitary decaying dwellings with dreariness beyond, speaking of blasted hopes, unfulfilled dreams, and blighted prospects.
Way of Jeroboam Explained
This verse belongs to the continuing history of the separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel after the division, a sad historical record of moral decline marked by idolatry during the extraordinary ministry of Elijah. Zimri's evil was walking in the idolatrous way of Jeroboam, who led the revolt of the ten tribes under Rehoboam and made Israel to sin. That way was Jeroboam's great mistake of setting up altars against the altar of God and leading Israel to revolt and sin.
Walking in the way of Jeroboam means following in the steps of the wicked kings who came before, treating their sins as a light thing and then going beyond them. It was a gradual going from bad to worse from Jeroboam through Nadab, Baasha, Elah, and Zimri to Omri, all following the same evil way, until events came to a climax under Ahab, who did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all before him. The one good reign of Asa king of Judah spanned all these wicked reigns of Israel, Asa having come to the throne two years before Jeroboam died.
It means turning away from the God-given plan of worship which pointed to Christ and revealed the way of salvation from sin. It means forsaking all that was pure and true and uplifting for the impure, untrue, and degrading worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, the worship of the creature instead of the Creator. Under Ahab and Jezebel that enforced heathen worship corrupted the nation through Baal worship and led the people to transgress God's commandments, for Ahab wickedly gave himself to the worship of heathen gods and enforced that worship on his people.
Zimri's evil deeds in doing evil in the sight of the Lord in walking in the way of Jeroboam and making Israel to sin brought judgment upon him and were the reason reckoned for his downfall and death. The verse shows the apostasy of Israel led by her kings to forsake the worship of the living God and turn to the worship of idols. It shows the responsibility of leaders, that when they fail to lead in God's ways the people also fail. It belongs to a great apostasy in the days of Elijah when Israel turned from God, but God found a faithful remnant that responded to the call of his prophet.