Today’s Message: God’s Judgment is Imminent

Topic: God’s Judgment

Text: 1st Kings chapter 16: verses 1-14.

The sins of the kings and God’s judgments did not prevent their successors from doing worse things. It follows that even when one sees a head cut off for an offence, it does not prevent him from committing a similar offence. What he does, is the expression of his nature of sin, which everyone inherited from Adam’s fall.

We would have thought that King Baasha needed to tread with caution, but this is not for the fallen man. God had judged the house of Jeroboam, but King Baasha became blind to the warning therefrom. and will also fall a victim. His choice was the resemblance of Jeroboam, to suffer his fate.

The wisdom of God teaches us to learn from the experiences of others. The avoidance of God’s judgment is only through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. No amount of carefulness, self righteousness or works can meet God’s required standard for man’s salvation. The salvation of the soul of man is the exclusive work of God. .

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast ” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God still called Israel, His people, though wretchedly corrupt in idolatry. He would not waste anybody, but will give all the opportunity to return to Him. Whoever does not make good use of this opportunity, will have himself to blame.

The judgment of God to the deserving cannot be escaped. Those who think that they have escaped it in this life would open their eyes after death to meet with it.

Ingratitude was God’s first charge against King Baasha (vs 2). It is a simple thing for God to raise a man and also simpler for man to forget the God that raised him. It remains a challenge for ” the successful ” to remain loyal to God. Even those who see themselves to have a close work with God may turn arrogant. Let him who stand take heed. Since it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), where then does our pride come from?

When we do not recognize God and the favours received from Him, we resort to think wrongly that our hard work has earned us some benefit. We must not forget that blessings flow from God as their source. For those who receive anything from the evil one will now or later pay dearly for them.

Elah took over to reign as king in Israel. The misery of wine got rid of him by the hands of Zimri, his captain and became king. We rate Elah as an irresponsible leader for allowing wine to mock him (Proverbs 20:1). Which sin have you come into its bondage? Jesus can set you totally free.

King Zimri was used to execute judgment on the house of King Baasha (vs 11-12), for his sins. It is becoming clearer that all who sinned were rightly judged by God. They all reaped what they sowed, like everyone will.

Judgment was not only in their death, but in the wiping out of their posterity, which was the full weight of their iniquity. No person’s case will be treated differently by a just God. Run to Jesus to escape God’s imminent judgment.