Elah King of Israel

2022-10-30

Elah the son of Baasha became king of Israel for two years. There is little we know about him. There is more discussion of his downfall than anything else. His servant Zimri slew him while he was getting drunk in Tirzah. Because of the words of the prophet Jehu, Elah was the last of his dynasty to rule, and this treason against him was of the Lord.

Elah did as his father did, corrupting the ways of his people: “For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities” (1 Kings 16:13).

Elah king of Israel lost control of his kingdom because of drunkenness. “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich” (Proverbs 21:17). He also did not learn from Jehu’s preaching; he continued in the sins of his father. If he had turned to the Lord, his life and reign would have been very different.

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