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The House of Omri
House of Omri
The story of Omri is told by the writer of Kings in 7 verses (1Kings 16:21-28). He entered a civil war following the death of Zimri the king. He quickly overthrew his opponent Tibni and became king over all of northern tribes. He then ruled for 12 years, from 885-874.
The only remarkable things mentioned were the purchase of the hill of Samaria and the building of the city which became the capital of the Northern kingdom. The usual summary was then given: "…he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols" (1 Kings 16:26).
This was the inspired telling of this king's life. From a worldly view point, Omri was in fact a great king. He began a dynasty that lasted over 100 years. This was the longest dynasty of all the kings of Israel. The building of the capital in Samaria was a major building project as he leveled the top of the hill of Samaria and built a palace on it. He then built a 33-foot thick wall around the summit of the hill. This city of Samaria would last until it was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722.
In 1868 there was the discovery of the Moabite Stone (see picture below). On this stone the king of Moab writes that Omri conquered Moab. This was a huge success to have taken place so early in the reign of a new king. His reputation and legacy in the secular world is also seen in that the Assyrian records continued to speak of Israel as 'the land of Omri'. In many ways he was one of the greatest kings of the northern kingdom.
I find this differing view of the importance of his life rather interesting. How do we appraise the life of a king? From a worldly view one would conclude that Omri and his dynasty were a huge success. From God's view it was a disaster that warranted only 7 verses.
If God were still writing the eulogies of 'great men', would they read like Omri's? Probably. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? To spend all your time and energies on being the greatest king that ever lived and die out of sorts with God is to fail at life.
The only successful life is one that pleases God.
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