OMRI SUCCESS WITHOUT GOD

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Richard Clark
6 years ago
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1 L E A R N I N G F R O M T H E L E A D E R S Old Testament Portraits of Life OMRI SUCCESS WITHOUT GOD Text: 1 Kings 16:23 28 The freedom to choose is a treasured privilege and a fearful responsibility. What a profound thought it is that God has granted us the opportunity to choose our characters and our destinies! It would be hard to find another concept that is as heavily laden, as packed from beginning to end, with implications about God, man, and life as this truth. When God created us, He put in our hearts the power to shut Him out of our lives forever if we so desire. He gave us the right to say no to Him, the Sovereign God who is the Creator and Ruler of the universe! Free Choice and God The gift of freedom implies that God has chosen to make Himself vulnerable to the thinking, decisions, and whims of man. He wanted children, not mannequins. He wants us to worship Him because of a loving choice we have made about Him, a conscious recognition of who He is, and not because we are forced to worship Him against our wishes. God elected to expose Himself to the risk of being rejected so that we may have the opportunity to serve Him because we have decided it is right and good to do so. This willingness of God to empower man with choice may be called His divine condescension. God gave us minds with which to research, analyze, and choose the excellent, the righteous, and the good. In order to make it possible for us to choose what is right, He had to make it possible for us to choose what is wrong. He allowed the existence of evil so that man would have the ability to will the existence of good. Free Choice and Man The moral freedom of man also points to what man is, the nature and essence of man. He is not a robot or a senseless animal, but a thinking soul made in God s image. He is a being who can think, love, and respect; he is also a being who can hate, despise, and reject. Man s freedom does not come without a price, for he is ultimately responsible to the One who made him for his thoughts and actions. God took a risk to give us this freedom, but we take a risk in having it. If we choose to reject God and truth, we will have to answer for the wrong choices we have made. Privilege requires responsibility. Free Choice and Life God sustains humanity even as He gives us the freedom to choose. Yes, there are parameters to His sustenance, but within them for a time man may do as he pleases. We can live completely in the energy of the flesh, without God and in conflict with His will, if we so decide. We live, breathe, and have our being within the 1

2 sphere of life that God gives us. Even though we are partaking of His goodness every moment that we live, God will not make us walk with Him. For the length of our time on earth, we can choose to live without Him, ignoring the additional help He offers and living only in the human strength we receive from Him. God is active in our lives, eager to show Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9). He walks with the righteous man to strengthen and sustain him, but He pulls back His fellowship from the wicked man (Proverbs 28:9). He turns him over to sheer human energy or, as we sometimes say, to the arm of the flesh. In each person s heart is an emptiness that only God can fill, a God-shaped hole ; but a person may choose to live without ever allowing God to fill that emptiness. God gives special blessings to the obedient man to encourage, empower, and enliven him; but a man may choose to live without ever receiving these special blessings from God s hand of grace and approval. What kind of life can a person actually live without God? What kind of achievements can he attain? Because of the freedom He has given us, God has permitted a man to even excel, to a measure, outside the circle of His will and spiritual family. This permission to live somewhat successfully without Him shows the grace and goodness of God as well as the extent of the free moral agency He has given us. A life of accomplishment without God is illustrated by Omri, the seventh king of Israel, who reigned from 885 to 874 B.C., four or five years during a divided rule and six or seven as the sole king. 1 He was the founder of the third dynasty, which lasted for three generations and four kings. He was certainly the most capable and aggressive king the Northern Kingdom had had thus far. In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned 1 It is said that Omri ruled twelve years, beginning his reign during the thirty-first year of Asa, king of Judah (1 Kings 16:23), but it is also said that Zimri, in the twentyseventh year of Asa, reigned seven days at Tirzah and was killed by Omri as Omri took the throne (1 Kings 16:15). Ahab, it is later said, began to rule during the thirty-eighth year of Asa (1 Kings 16:29). The notice of Omri s beginning to reign in Asa s thirty-first year (1 Kings 16:23) must be in reference to his sole rule after the death of Tibni. twelve years; he reigned six years at Tirzah (16:23). What is especially noticeable and thoughtprovoking about Omri is that he lived his life without God. He achieved amazing success, but he achieved it through the arm of the flesh, not through divine strength. He reminds us of the high accomplishments that one can reach without God due to the freedom of choice endowed upon man by God. Using Omri as an illustration, look at what God s bequeathing of the freedom of choice to man allows a man to do without God. POWERFUL STRENGTH First, Omri, in the flesh, in human energy, acquired great strength. He became a renowned soldier, respected for his skill on the field of battle even beyond Israel. The ability he had and developed is highlighted by two words that the Holy Spirit used: his might. Notice these words as part of the summary of his life in 16:27: Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? (Emphasis mine.) Even in his pagan approach to life, Omri was probably the means of rescuing the nation from destruction. After the death of Tibni, Omri s vigorous leadership brought stability to a desperate nation. Weakened by division, Israel was vulnerable to the rising Aramean and Assyrian kingdoms which had become dominant powers nearby. Had not strong direction been immediately forthcoming in Israel, the nation surely would have been overcome. Omri provided essential guidance. So powerful was Omri s leadership that the Assyrian rulers Adad-nirari, Tiglath-pileser, and Sargon referred to Palestine as the house of Omri a century later long after Omri s dynasty had been overthrown. He was undoubtedly the most capable ruler of Israel thus far. Remember, however, that Omri s strength was not the strength of the Lord but the strength of the flesh. It is erroneous to say, as some do, that any human achievement comes through the strength of the Lord. God allows it, but He does not necessarily provide it. Omri was strong, but not in the Lord. David was strong in the Lord; 2

3 Omri was strong in the flesh. Be sure to note the difference. Looking around today, we can see worlddominating empires, successful organizations, and mighty movements that have been built by human foresight, energy, and endless toil. They did not come from God; they came from the strength of man. The fact that someone leads an army to win a battle, leads a team to victory, or leads a group to build a legend is not proof that God is with them. All of these things can be done without making God a part of it. God has given people brains, energy, and freedom to achieve without Him if we so choose. A few years ago an outstanding athlete achieved worldwide acclaim. His name became a household word. When he played, he always won. He was labeled the best ever. His competitors feared him. It was as if the hand of God was upon him, and he could not lose. As the years passed, the way he had lived during his glory days became public knowledge. He was notorious for his sin, selfishness, and inhumanity to others. He had experienced success through natural ability, preparation, and human wisdom that is, the arm of flesh. He did it without the fellowship and special guidance of God. So it was with Omri. He achieved in the strength of the flesh even though his spirit or heart was in disobedience to God. People may have looked at him and said, There is a man truly blessed of God! but in reality, he was outside the companionship of God. He was the recipient of natural talent and ability, but we have the testimony of the Scriptures to declare that he was wicked and in continual violation of God s will. PRACTICAL VISION Another way Omri excelled in the energy of the flesh was in his use of practical wisdom and vision. As he contemplated the leading of the nation, he decided that a new capital was needed, one that would be easily defended and one that would be more appropriate for the nation. He chose Samaria to be the new site. Shechem, Penuel, and Tirzah had been used as capitals from the days of Jeroboam to Omri, but Omri recognized that they had been inadequate. After weighing the possibilities, he chose a hill that was owned by one named Shemer. He called the hill Samaria, probably meaning fortified hill. And he bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill (16:24). The hill of Samaria was located seven miles northwest of Shechem. It stood three hundred feet high and was ringed by other mountains which would force attackers to charge uphill from any side. Also, it was strategically located, since it commanded north-south trade routes. History has confirmed the vision and wisdom regarding Omri s selecting this site for a capital. Samaria continued as the prized capital of the nation until the end of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. Saints do not have a corner on wisdom. A pagan oftentimes uses his head and makes a decent decision that affects the good of the society and the nation. His making solid decisions, however, does not mean, in and of itself, that God is with him. It may just mean that he is using the good sense God gave him to make a good decision. When good decisions are made, good results usually come. I have known parents who were pagans but were making fairly good choices about rearing their children. They were choosing to spend time with their children, choosing to protect their health, and choosing to provide for their futures; yet they were living their lives without God. A show on TV one year pictured a family s Thanksgiving meal together. Their typical, upper class home conveyed love, coziness, acceptance, peace, and togetherness. It seemed to have everything anyone could want in a home. As they prepared to eat their meal, the father asked each one to mention something for which he or she was grateful. They went around the table expressing their gratitude. One idea was missing, though: God was not mentioned. This family gave no thanks to God. That should break your heart. This picture is seen too often. Everything is in place house, family, food, fun, and warmth but it is a life without God! Omri was apparently an intelligent man. He had foresight for the nation. He made some good decisions. Nevertheless, he had a terrible blind spot: He was living totally without God. Sup- 3

4 porting him were only the hands of flesh, not the everlasting arms of God. PERMANENT NOTORIETY Still another accomplishment of Omri without God was notoriety. He had a popularity that few people ever achieve. Not only was Omri s name revered in Israel, but it was also respected outside of Israel for years to come. He is the first Jewish king whose name is alluded to in the Assyrian inscriptions, being mentioned twice by name on the Moabite Stone. On August 19, 1868, a German missionary was encamped near the ruins of the ancient Moabite town of Dibon. A sheik told him that within a ten-minute walk from his tent there lay an inscribed stone. Arriving at the spot, he found lying on its back a slab of black basalt, three feet ten inches high, two feet broad, and 10 1 /2 inches thick, rounded at the top in nearly a semicircle. The inscription on it was later found to be thirty-four lines long. 2 After much labor and intrigue, through squeezes made of the stone, translations eventually were made. In lines five and seven Omri is referred to by name. Written by Mesha, king of Moab, the lines on the stone say of Omri: Omri was king of Israel, and he afflicted Moab many days, Now Omri had taken possession of all the land of Medeba, and dwelt in it during his days and half the days of his sons [or his son], forty years;... 3 Mesha, the Moabite king who wrote the inscription for the stone, is referred to in 2 Kings 3:4: Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. On the stone, Mesha was bragging. His father had been defeated by Omri, but Mesha had been able to recover the land his father had lost. Mesha gloried in the fact that he had been able to take back the territory. The stone was inscribed late in Mesha s reign, which would have been after the death of Ahab. The stone shows how 2 John D. Davis, Moabite Stone, Davis Dictionary of the Bible, rev. ed. (n.p.: Trustees of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work, 1898; reprint, Nashville, Tenn.: The Varsity Company, 1973), Ibid. strong Omri was during his reign. It testifies that Omri was capable of raising a sufficient army from his country, so recently weakened by insurrection, to defeat a land with Moab s status. This means that he was an able person not only in maintaining but also in enlarging the land he had. Mesha s bragging the way he did would be somewhat like saying, You know the man who is the greatest? I got back the land that he had taken. That means I am really great, greater than the greatest! Yes, Omri achieved notoriety among Israel and among other nations, but he did it outside the fellowship of God. The Bible does not waste words in telling about his spiritual condition. It says that he was more wicked than all who were before him. And Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their idols (16:25, 26). He arranged the marriage of his son Ahab to Jezebel, probably to confirm an agreement between his nation and Tyre, a match that would afflict Israel for years to come. Of Ahab, it is said: And it came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him (16:31). Omri walked without God, and his son was influenced by his conduct. CONCLUSION Omri was one of the greatest kings of Israel. He provided unity for the nation, an effective standing army, and international publicity. He had strength, vision, and notoriety. His success, however, was fleshly, physical, and human. The dynasty he founded surpassed all that had gone before him in wickedness, so that the statutes of Omri became a byword for a course of life opposed to the law of Jehovah. Later, in Micah s day, to reprimand someone because of his conduct, one would say, You are living by the statutes of Omri. Micah 6:16 says, The statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab are observed; and in their devices 4

5 you walk.... Today we might say, Your conduct is so disgusting that it is as if you have taken a page out of Omri s rulebook on how to live. Omri left his throne to his son in the thirtyeighth year of Asa, king of Judah. Not much else can be said of him. When it comes to someone s death, we would like to say that he went to be with God or something similar, but nothing like this could be said of Omri. What can be said about one who has lived without God? Just three things: He died; he was buried; and his son became king in his place. So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place (16:28). Omri s life and death stand as silent witnesses to the truth that any success achieved in life without God is empty, hollow, and, in the end, hopeless. Because of the freedom God has given each of us, we may choose to live without Him, thinking, doing, and saying whatever we wish. If we choose to live without God, however, we will experience an emptiness that only God could have filled. We will miss a covering of God s providence that only God s children receive. Above all, our lives will be marked Failure! when we come to the day of reckoning before the final Judge, regardless of the success we have had in life. We can know a measure of success in this world without God, but we cannot live as He intended without His fellowship. If we walk without Him in this life, we will have a long walk without Him in eternity. Lesson To Be Learned: One can have a measure of success without God, but it is vain and fruitless. Copyright, 1997, 1998 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 5

1 Kings 15:33 16:34 Ahab, The Worst

1 Kings 15:33 16:34 Ahab, The Worst The next verses are all for the purpose of recording in Biblical history that a life of rebellion against the Lord always ends up a ruin. Baasha was a terrible King