Baasha King of Israel

2022-10-26

Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar was a beginning of a new dynasty of the northern kingdom. The family of Jeroboam was condemned to gruesome deaths with their carcasses eaten by dogs and birds because of their idolatry. Baasha was a fulfillment of that prophecy, where he killed Nadab the son of Jeroboam. Baasha slew his master Nadab while fighting the Philistines.

Even though he was a fulfillment of prophecy, on his part, he was a traitorous person. He would not be a man of integrity and would not be trustworthy considering his actions.

King Asa of Judah was at war with Baasha his entire reign. He was known for being a mighty man (1 Kings 16:5). Baasha built Ramah as a blockade to enclose Judah in. Asa successfully hired Benhadad of Syria to break their confederacy and drive Israel away.

Baasha learned nothing about his former master, doing the same evil as he. Jehu the prophet pronounced the same condemnation on Baasha as Jeroboam received.

The king had every opportunity to learn from history, but he refused to do so. The fate of his family was the same as Jeroboam’s family. Baasha’s sin caused many others to sin:

Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (1 Kings 16:2-3)

This is a part of the Kings of Israel series. To go back to the table of contents, proceed here.