14. OMRI
OMRI
"The people that followed Omri overcame the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath; and Tibni died, and Omri reigned.He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and built on the hill, and called the name of the city that he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria."
Omri was Elah’s commanding general. Upon Elah’s assassination by Zimri he left off fighting against the Philistines at Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah, the capital. Did it get destroyed along with the palace? Zimri was soon defeated, but now the people were divided in their loyalties between Omri and a rival, Tibni. The civil war that ensued seems to have lasted at least four years before Tibni was dead and Omri secure on Israel’s throne. Omri, a powerful and ambitious man, purchased a hill and built a new capital city upon it, Samaria. This city figures largely in the subsequent history of the northern tribe kingdom, and in the prophets the northern kingdom is often called Samaria. Omri must have made quite an impression on neighboring nations, for in the records of the enemy Assyrians after this time Israel is called the house of Omri even after his dynasty was gone from power.
How tragic to see Israelites fighting their fellow Israelites! The warfare against the Philistines, the real enemies of God’s people, was now suspended while the people of Israel followed leaders they chose for themselves. No mention is made of any efforts to ascertain the will of God in the matter. Sad to say, don’t we often see similar things among God’s people today? The highly gifted Corinthians were choosing sides among those whom God was using in that day. "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ," were their battle cries (1Co 1:12). Our real battle is abandoned while we fight one another!