1 Kings 16:29

1 Kings 16:29 says, And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.  The next king of Israel, Ahab, was an exception to the rule of bad kings being short as Matthew Henry had stated.  We do know that some very bad people are in power for long periods of time today.  Verse thirty adds, And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.  We are told that Ahab was even more evil than all the kings before him.  I believe that we can say that no matter how bad a ruler may be in the sight of God, there is always a possibility of someone even worse coming to power.  As a matter of fact, just before the return of Jesus Christ we are told the worst ruler ever will come to power.  Verse thirty-one continues, And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.  Ahab considered it a thing of unimportance to follow the ways of Jeroboam and serve Baal.  He also married Jezebel, who was not an Israelite but the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidonia.  Matthew Henry says Ahab married her because she worshipped Baal more than in spite of the fact that she did.  I know that some Christians marry non-Christians but hope that they do so praying for them to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord as well, and not because they intend to turn away from God themselves.   Of course, I also believe that if a person is truly a Christian that that person can never completely reject Jesus Christ.  By our faith in Jesus Christ, God seals us to Himself.  Verse thirty-two states, And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.  Ahab built a temple, or house, to Baal and put an altar to Baal in Samaria, the capital of Israel at that time.  He was openly defying God, as do the rulers of many countries today.  Verse thirty-three adds, And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.  By his worshipping of false gods and creating altars to them, Ahab did more to provoke God's anger than all the kings of Israel before him.  That is not something anyone should ever want to be known for.  Though God is a God of love, we can provoke His anger when we reject His gift of salvation and follow other gods, but I believe His anger will always be at the sin and not the sinner.  He provided salvation for everyone if they will only accept it, but He will never accept sin in His kingdom.  Verse thirty-four continues, In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.  During the reign of Ahab, Jericho was built in spite of God's prophecy by Joshua to not do so.  Matthew Henry says Hiel's oldest son died when he began building, which should have warned him to stop, but he didn't, and his youngest son died when he finished building Jerico.  Matthew Henry also says that all of Hiel's sons died.  I do know that some people will continue to defy God's word, no matter how much it may cost them in their life.