sTORY OF ELAH

ELAH, king of northern israel

In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasa to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him; now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah; and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead


.King Elah indulging his fleshly desires, drinking himself drunk! His steward Arza contributing to his master’s delinquency! All this while the people were encamped against the Philistine city of Gibbethon! No wonder one of his top military officers takes advantage of this to assassinate him! Wrong as this was and ever is, we tend to sympathize with Zimri rather than with drunken Elah. Nor can we forget that the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder He will restrain (Ps. 76:10). Thus God’s judgment overtook the house of Baasha..



.Self-indulgence is a vice common to man. Whether we look at the long list of works of the flesh in Galatians 5 or the depravity characterizing men in the difficult times of the last days in 2 Timothy 3 — times in which we live — self-indulgence is plainly evident and is accompanied by many a kindred sin.

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