Observation: The kingship of Omri is ominous and immediately different from the other kings of Israel. It begins with this rapid military coup ... Zimri kills Elah and every single male of the king's entire household, but is king only seven days before Omri arrives. Then the people of Israel actually support Tibni as the next king, but during a four-year fight Omri wins.
Omri is declared to be just as bad as the preceding kings, however the Lord doesn't curse him because Omri is just the precursor, setting the stage for the real terror. First, Omri purchases land and builds a new capital - Samaria - which will become the name of the entire land, eventually becoming the name of the quasi-Jewish people group that occupy the place a millennia later. However, more than that, Omri will be the father of Ahab, the king that deep-dives into baal worship and requiring Elijah to be raised up to confront him.
To summarize ... Omri takes the throne by military coup and civil war, rebrands the entire nation into a model that will become synonymous with questionable faith and worship practices, and raises one of the most evil men in history to succeed him.
We have now seen several kings of the northern kingdom who are declared to be taking Israel into sin and thus a prophet is sent to curse them ... they will have their entire line cut off and killed, and their sons will not hold the throne. Omri does exactly as they have done - even worse (v16:25) - and does NOT get this curse because his son WILL become king. The Lord has seen where Israel is going, and instead of continuing the same warnings and action to reverse them, he will now allow them to go 'all the way' into the pit of sin. It will be a pit from which the northern kingdom never returns.
Application: Obviously, what happens to Israel is not because the Lord "gives up" on them or decides he doesn't love them. Instead, he just decides to allow them - as his beloved humans - to exercise their free will, just as he always does. There will be many who remain loyal to the Lord throughout this. In the next chapters Elijah, Obadiah, and the 100 hidden prophets are all given as examples, and certainly there are thousands more. However, Israel as a nation is going down.
I hate to belabor this and dwell on this, for it is not probably healthy for my heart and mind, but I am just waiting for the obvious signs that this is what the Lord is doing with the Pacific Northwest. I feel it, but I'm not complete sure ... that he has just had enough and is giving us over to our collective free will, to go down to the pit, never to return. And there are thousands of us here holding onto the Lord for sure. We aren't yet hiding, but our loud-and-proud moments are drowned out and attacked both individually and collectively. We don't even have a prophet telling the local 'kings' how messed up they are, pointing out that the plagues of this area (rampant homelessness, emergency-level drug use, deteriorating infrastructure) are curses upon the land.
So no, our modern-day Ahab isn't yet here, but maybe ... maybe ... the stage is being set right now.
Prayer: Lord, clearly this is on my mind and my heart these last few days. I do continue to pray for our town, our city, and our region. May we find a way back from the sinful direction we are headed, and may revival break out miraculously across this entire area. However, if that is not to be, and if you are now preparing this place for the real downfall, please care for your faithful here. May the ravens aid us. May we find safety. And may we be strong enough to declare your word even in the face of danger. Amen.
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