1 KINGS 16
The southern kingdom of Judah was in a period of stability. Their king, Asa, was a good king, he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (15:11). Asa was descended from David and we see that David is used as a kind of yardstick for kings. How did they measure up to David? They were never as good as David, but we saw that Asa did as his ancestor had done and dealt with false worship and idolatry in his land.
Meanwhile, in the northern kingdom of Israel, things were going to pot very quickly. We get reports of another five kings: Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and Ahab. Every single one of them did evil in the eyes of the Lord culminating in Ahab who did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him (16:29) and egged on by his wife Jezebel, a foreigner, he set up temples for and worshipped foreign gods. The northern kingdom had from the very outset, with Jeroboam and his made up religion of convenience, turned away from the Lord their God and saviour, and with each successive king moved further and further away from him.
If you were to read a secular history of the nation of Israel you would discover that Omri was regarded as a successful king. The Bible has come under some criticism for underplaying his achievements. Under Omri, the northern kingdom of Israel became economically prosperous. The country extended its borders further than they had ever been before. And Omri established favourable diplomatic relationships with the surrounding nations. Was he a good and successful king? Not in the eyes of the writer of 1 Kings – and the reason is to be found in v25, “Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him . . . and caused Israel to commit [the same sins]”. Not only did he sin against the Lord but he led his people to commit the same sin of idolatry and to turn away from the Lord.
The world operates to a different standard to God. People look at the surface and see success. God looks at the heart. Secular historians say that Omri was a successful king because of his human achievements. The biblical historian sees that Omri turned away from God and led his people away from God as well. For the Bible, the relationship with God is more important than any human achievements.
And the same applies in our world today. What our society regards as important are things like wealth and fame and power. People who have such things are considered to be successful. God still looks at the heart and through the ministry of Jesus and particularly in his death, resurrection and ascension, he shows us the right way to live; he gives us the right perspective on life, the right values.