I Kings 16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.
Precedents
Who was the most influential king in Israel’s history? A good place to look for an answer to that question is to read the book of Kings which tells about the kings of both Israel and Judah, both sides of a divided nation. I Kings 16 tells us about a king named Ahab. The Bible says, “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.” Later it says, “And Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.”
Here is a king in a long line of really poor, evil kings who stood out as an extraordinarily evil king. So was Ahab the most influential king in Israel’s history? Ahab was the most wicked king to that point, but he wasn’t the most influential king. What about Saul? He was the first king. What about David? He was the greatest king. What about Solomon? He was the wisest king. These are all important kings, but I am asking about the most influential king was.
The Bible says of Ahab what it says about many other kings in this book, that he walked “in the sins of Jeroboam.” I Kings 16:25-26 indicates that Omri “walked in all the way of Jeroboam.” I Kings 16:18-19 says that Zimri walked “in the way of Jeroboam.” I Kings 15:33-34 says that Baasha “walked in the way of Jeroboam.” I Kings 15:25-26 indicates that Nadab also walked in the way of Jeroboam. Now Ahab may have been the most wicked king, but Jeroboam may well have been the man who set the precedent for Ahab.
There are three kinds of people: precedent-makers, precedent-takers, and precedent-breakers. By “precedent” we mean something that comes before or precedes, or an action that sets the tone for others who will follow. So is it best to make, take, or break a precedent? Well, that depends on the precedent in question.
There are a couple of questions you should ask yourself in this new year. First, what are my precedents, both the precedents I’ve received from family and the ones I’ve received from the last year? What are the assumptions that govern the way I make decisions today?
Secondly, what precedents will I accept? Some of us need to break precedents that we have been given. Some might say, “Well, my great grandad always said….” Well you should honor your elders and ancestors, but you don’t have to accept a bad precedent. Just because you grandpa did something wrong doesn’t mean that you are forced to do the same.
Thirdly, what will I create and perpetuate? Most of us don’t set out to start a precedent. We just start out to live our lives, but with time we find that we have indeed made a precedent. We need courage and wisdom in this new year to make, to take, and to break the right precedents by God’s grace.