Nadab and Brevity

And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

1 Kings 15:25-26

            It has been well documented in the article concerning Jeroboam that his desire to remain relevant lead to many unauthorized practices by the northern kingdom of Israel. Upon his death, Nadab, his son, became king, and we must take notice of some things about his reign. We almost miss Nadab because his reign was brief, as was his father’s, but it was certainly not inconsequential. Joseph de Maistre said, "Every country has the government it deserves." For Israel, this certainly is true. When Jeroboam walked away from Jerusalem and set to establish his own form of pseudo-Judaism, it opened the door to all sorts of chaos continued under Nadab. Let us consider some of the signs shown in Nadab’s reign.

            First, short reigns indicate a lack of structure and a sort of bloodthirsty insurrection that comes with disorder. It did not take long for Baasha to fulfill his conspiracy against Nadab (cf. 1 Kings 15:27). Baasha took his throne and then subsequently executed all the house of Jeroboam to fulfill the prophecy the Lord had spoken through Ahijah to destroy his house (cf. 1 Kings 14:9-11). The disorder in the northern kingdom is found because this is the necessity of men living outside of the authority of Scripture. We will see that in the subsequent reigns that the kings of Israel will serve as the executioners of one another. Baasha was the executioner of the sons of Jeroboam; Zambri was the executioner of the sons of Baasha, and the executioner of Zambri was Omri. How easy is it to devalue human life when it comes to power? How many have devalued the lives of their neighbors, friends, and brethren over godless politicians and policies?

            Next, we must note that Nadab got what was coming to him. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He continued doing what his evil father did, promoting a corrupt priesthood and the further practice of idolatry. He transgressed the Law and judgment was to fall on him. Nadab had the option to turn back but he simply did not. We can relate for some say we can never go back; we can never restore things to how they once were. With the structures of man, this may be true, but certainly not with the Lord.  We can return to the Lord. We can look at the Word and know exactly what He has desired for man. Nadab could have read the Law; he likely knew the Law. Nadab did nothing to right the policies of his father, and he paid for it certainly. If we fail to hold to the ancient paths in the matters of faith, we certainly will set out steps along the path of Jeroboam and Nadab.

            Finally, we see that Nadab caused Israel to sin. This is not to say that the people had no choice in the matter, for all men are free moral agents that are responsible for their choices. In all the cases of previous kings, they have great influence over men. Men follow their leaders. We get the leaders we deserve and often, for better or worse, we emulate them to a certain degree. When an evil king continues in the evil of those before, he will aid in the degeneration of some of the people over whom he rules. How many of us will fall for the lies of Satan in the meantime?

Grace and Peace,

R. D. Beavers