What other biblical leaders failed by following sinful examples? Nadab’s starting point 1 Kings 15:26: “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.” Jeroboam’s pattern became Nadab’s pattern—and that pattern kept repeating. How the northern throne kept copying Jeroboam The chronic phrase “he walked in the way of Jeroboam” flows through Israel’s history like a sad refrain. Here are the main echoes: • Baasha – 1 Kings 15:34 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.” • Elah – 1 Kings 16:13 (judgment falls “for all the sins of Baasha and of his son Elah, which they committed and caused Israel to commit”). • Omri – 1 Kings 16:25-26 “Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD… For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat.” • Ahab – 1 Kings 16:30-31 “Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him… He also walked in the sins of Jeroboam.” • Ahaziah – 1 Kings 22:52 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and mother and in the way of Jeroboam.” • Joram – 2 Kings 3:2-3 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father or mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal…but he clung to the sins of Jeroboam.” • Jehu – 2 Kings 10:29-31 He removed Baal worship, “yet Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam.” • Jehoahaz – 2 Kings 13:2 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam.” • Jehoash, Jeroboam II, Zechariah, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and finally Hoshea (2 Kings 13:11; 14:24; 15:9,18,24,28; 17:2) each repeat the same verdict. The kingdom collapses in 2 Kings 17 because no one broke the chain. Judah copies Israel—when kings follow wrong models • Jehoram – 2 Chronicles 21:6 “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done.” • Ahaziah – 2 Chronicles 22:3-4 “His mother encouraged him in wickedness. He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab.” • Ahaz – 2 Kings 16:3 “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, even sacrificing his son in the fire.” • Manasseh – 2 Kings 21:2, 11 “He did evil…according to the abominations of the nations… He has acted more wickedly than the Amorites.” (He learned idolatry from surrounding cultures and plunged Judah into it.) • Amon – 2 Kings 21:20-21 “He walked in all the ways his father had walked; he served and worshiped the idols his father had served.” • Jehoiakim – 2 Kings 23:37 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his fathers had done.” • Zedekiah – 2 Chronicles 36:12 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet.” The southern kingdom’s exile (2 Chronicles 36:14-20) mirrors Israel’s because its rulers embraced the same corrupt examples. Priestly and civic leaders who repeated earlier sins • Hophni and Phinehas – 1 Samuel 2:12-17 Sons of Eli, they copied and amplified the loose worship culture they grew up in, “treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.” • The sons of Samuel – 1 Samuel 8:3 “They turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice,” shadowing Hophni and Phinehas more than their own godly father. • Shebna – Isaiah 22:15-19 A court official whose pride echoed earlier arrogant leaders; God replaced him with Eliakim. New-Testament echoes of the same principle • Herod Antipas – Mark 6:17-27 He walks in the murderous footsteps of his father, Herod the Great. • Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5:1-10 They imitate the hypocrisy of religious pretenders rather than the Spirit-filled generosity around them. • Demas – 2 Timothy 4:10 “Because he loved this present world, he has deserted me,” following the world’s example instead of Paul’s. Key take-aways • Sinful patterns are contagious; Scripture records them so we can recognize and resist them (Romans 15:4). • A leader’s example—good or bad—rarely ends with that leader; it shapes families, nations, even future generations (Exodus 20:5-6). • God judges each person individually (Ezekiel 18:20), yet He also deals with communities that stubbornly recycle the same rebellion. • Breaking the chain begins when someone chooses a different model: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). |
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