L E A R N I N G F R O M T H E L E A D E R S Old Testament Portraits of Life ZIMRI THE LAW OF THE HARVEST Text: 1 Kings 16:8–20 king’s house over him with fire, and died, because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Zimri: Have you heard of him? We remem- Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making ber Joseph for his purity, Abraham for his faith, Israel sin (16:15–19). Saul for his looks, David for his heart—but what comes to your mind when you think of Zimri? Zimri was a follower of the ways of Jeroboam. Probably nothing. The reason we draw a blank He usurped the throne and tried to reign over when the name Zimri comes up is that he does Israel, but his attempt was a dismal failure, last- not stay around long in the Scriptures. His rule ing only seven days. At the time of the usurpa- lasted only the blink of an eye, one week in 885 tion, the military forces of Israel were engaged in B.C., the shortest rule of any Northern king. It the siege of Gibbethon, in an effort to recover could even be convincingly claimed that he was that “thorn-in-the-side” city from the Philis- not really a king; he was only a “would-be” king, tines. Israel’s army was led by Omri, who was just a momentary usurper, and should not be especially popular with the people. When the dignified with his inclusion in the list of the people heard that Zimri had killed Elah, they Northern kings. made Omri king of “all Israel.” Zimri apparent- His divine biography, consisting of only six ly had a small following who supported his verses, is a short, pathetic story: anointing as king, so the first thing that Omri had to do was to deal with Zimri. He immedi- In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of ately marched to Tirzah and surrounded the Judah, Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah. city. Zimri saw his predicament and, realizing Now the people were camped against Gib- bethon, which belonged to the Philistines. And that he was doomed, simply gave up. He shut the people who were camped heard it said, himself in the palace, set it afire, and burned it “Zimri has conspired and has also struck down down, taking his own life. Instead of going out in the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that a blaze of glory, he went out in a puff of smoke day in the camp. Then Omri and all Israel with and humiliation. him went up from Gibbethon, and they be- Thus Zimri came to the throne by usurpation sieged Tirzah. And it came about, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into and was taken from the throne by usurpation. the citadel of the king’s house and burned the What he had done to Elah, Omri did to him. He 1 experienced the golden rule in reverse: “As you We like to talk about how life is unfair. We have done to others, it will be done to you.” A especially express this thought when some- “would be” monarch became a suicide victim thing has gone wrong in life. For example, a when he saw that he was going to be killed. The loved one of ours who has lived a good life gets event of his death was described by the Holy sick, and we say, “That’s just not fair!” Yes, I Spirit as God’s judgment sentence upon him: know there are times when life does not seem to be fair; but for most people life is remarkably Because of his sins which he sinned, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of just. Usually, it gives back to us what we have Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making given. The general rule of life, a rule that we can Israel sin (16:19). never get far away from, is that we reap what we sow. Plato saw this truth regarding evil, as Zimri’s short attempt to rule should make us is revealed in his affirmation that ”evil and think about the law of life that every person must its due reward are riveted together.” All men face sooner or later: the law of reaping. Zimri everywhere, in all ages, recognize this truth faced this law, as all must, and was broken by it. when they deal soberly with the testimony of Whether this law of reaping “makes” or“ breaks” life’s experiences. You may have heard the old us will depend upon the approach we take to- saying “As among a thousand cows a calf will ward it. We would be wise to consider the find its own mother, so the deed comes home to different aspects of this law against the back- the doer.” ground of Zimri’s brief rule. Someone may argue, “But I’ve seen ex- THE HARVEST: ceptions! I know a wicked man who seems to be doing fairly well.” This would not be the first REAPING WHAT WE SOW time that argument has been made, for years The first truth that Zimri discovered about ago the psalmist made the same one (Psalm 73). this law is that we reap what we have sown. The He saw the wicked seemingly prospering and harvest was determined by the sowing that he the righteous being persecuted. The falsity in had done. He had sown violence and murder, this contention, as the psalmist observed, is that living by the belief that might makes right, and some reaping is going on even though the physi- soon he reaped the results that his living pro- cal eye cannot see it. We must realize that we duced. Jesus said, “. for all those who take up will not do all the reaping in this life. Some of the the sword shall perish by the sword” (Matthew reaping is done here, but most of it will be done 26:52). Once sown, the seed cannot be changed in eternity. and the harvest cannot be changed. The harvest The basic rule for living in this world is that will grow out of the sowing as night follows you will reap what you sow—friendly people day. Paul assured us of this fact: have more friends, diligent people receive the Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for rewards, honest people receive the trust, etc. whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Apparent exceptions occur here and there. We For the one who sows to his own flesh shall have all seen them, but even those who appear to from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap be exceptions will eventually come to a harvest eternal life (Galatians 6:7, 8). time—if not in this life, in eternity. Whether Zimri did not know about the law Every human being upon this earth is sow- of the harvest or whether he knew about it and ing seeds of thoughts, words, and actions that just ignored it, that law worked in his life: It will mature later, with some results coming in repaid him with a coin from the money he had this life and some in eternity. Here are three of invested in life. He got the same treatment he life’s inescapables: had given to others. That law will do the same with you and me. Pleading ignorance of the law WE CANNOT keep from sowing. will not avail. Ignoring the law will not excuse WE CANNOT escape reaping. us. The only way to handle the law is by recog- WE CANNOT avoid reaping what we sow. nizing it and sowing the positive seed of godly living, something Zimri did not do. 2 THE HARVEST: REAPING MUCH massive calamity that resulted in the bone- MORE THAN WE SOW chilling choice of either public execution or pri- A second truth that Zimri learned about the vate suicide. Overwhelmed by his defeat and law of the harvest is that the harvest is larger powerless to do anything about it, Zimri chose to than the seeds sown and the harvest time much take his own life and exit this world as a disaster. longer than the time of sowing. Seeds are small Withdrawing into seclusion, hidden from the in size, but they produce a harvest many times view of others in an inside room of the palace, their size. One seed makes a stalk, and a stalk he took his own life and thereby added another makes a sack of grain. We can count the seeds in black mark to his name. The harvest he had to an apple, but we cannot count the apples in a reap was too much for him. seed. The harvest is always greater than the Unknown to him, Zimri was living in the sowing. If this were not true, there would not be glass house of God’s Word. Through the lens of much use in farming. divine, inspired history, the whole world would We do not know when Zimri started sowing watch and study what Zimri chose to do about the seeds that led to this awful harvest. Did he the law of the harvest.