History is filled with evil, bad people, and murderers. The protagonist of our story today, Baasha, fits the description for all of these three. Although he is overall a bad guy in history, it is important to understand and correctly process all stories of people like him. In order to prevent other atrocities from occurring.
The Bible is important for Christians everywhere mainly because it “teleports” us to a time when Jesus was walking the Earth. And it teaches us about the history of religion. We also get to see history unfold from the comfort of our own homes. Which is always a benefit, given how dangerous living in those times was.
In the Bible, he is shown as a severely flawed person. Also known as the 3rd king of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the country split. His reign lasted almost 24 years, from 909 to 885 BC. He is important in the Bible because, in contrast to King Asa, who was ruling Judah at the same time, Baasha is known as the “evil king.”
While King Asa “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (1 Kings 15:11), the protagonist of our story did not. Instead, he chose chaos and eventually was overcome by rage. As a result, he became evil and completely destroyed his chances of living an eternal life next to God.
Why Do We Talk About Baasha Nowadays?
Even though Christians practice love and they never want to dwell on the bad or praise evil in any way, shape, or form, the bad and the evil need to be talked about so that younger generations understand the lessons that they teach.
Baasha is a subject of discussion nowadays because his story represents a good lesson on why turning your back on God never ends well. He followed idolatrous practices throughout his life. He sinned constantly and refused to be anything but a tyrant. Tooking the throne when he assassinated the previous king and disposed of his entire family.
The Bible basically best describes the 3rd king of the northern Kingdom of Israel as one who “did evil in the sight of the Lord. And also walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.” (1 Kings 15:34)
Baasha was not loved by his people at all. In fact, after his death, two years after his son, Elah ascended the throne, Zimri, who was one of the commanders in the northern Kingdom of Israel. He killed him and his entire line, making sure his seed never spread and overall ending the spread of his family.
It is said that God Himself mentioned this king years later when conversing with another evil king named Ahab. God promised Ahab an end fit for his wickedness. Just like the one Baasha and Jeroboam had. “I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin” (1 Kings 21:22).
How Are We Learning Anything from the Evil Kings?
Learning about history and how other people from history reacted to certain conversations or events throughout time is crucial. First of all, it is important as a Christian to understand that nobody can run from the Lord, the Savior of the world. The evil kings thought they could evade Him and succeed.
However, the Bible shows us that their endings are, most of the time, sudden and tragic. Certain events appear in the Bible as a precaution for future generations. Sadly, Israel’s kings rarely reflected on their predecessors’ mistakes. And whenever the mistakes were repeated, they all suffered God’s wrath.
Second of all, the Bible is trying to show people that God is never your enemy unless you constantly try to hurt Him and His High Kingdom and, overall, the world that He greatly loves. God loves all of His children and will always want to see you do good.
Even if you forget about Him, He is always there, cheering for you and protecting you. All that He asks in return is that you accept Him into your life. The story of Saint Dismas shows us that even after a life of evil and sins, if you ask the Lord for forgiveness, He will never turn His back on you.
We have to learn the stories of the evil kings to understand these lessons. God always tries to help. If you study the Bible closely, you can observe that whenever a king decided to cause harm, they were rewarded with harm. Whenever one chose the sword, he died by the sword.
Whenever one decided to ascend by using violence and creating chaos, God gave them that. The bottom line in these stories is that you can’t escape God’s plan.
What Can You Do to Not Become An “Evil King”?
If you want to live your life as a devout Christian and you only seek to do good, also study the bad and the evil. Do not ever be afraid of the bad and the evil because God always protects you. And even if you find yourself steering away from Him, remember God finds numerous ways to send people into your life to bring you back on the path.
Whatever happens in your life is because He wants it that way. His plan is much bigger than anything people can ever imagine, and nobody can ever change it or alter it in any way.
If you want to make sure you never become an “evil king,” learn from the past. Don’t become like the previous ones. Even if logic would suggest violence, lies, evil, or any other type of sin in order for you to achieve success, go the other way, always. Choose well; choose loyalty, love, and peace.
No matter how other people treat you, trust in God and put your faith in His hands. He is the only one who can judge you or help you succeed.
