1 Kings 16:9

1 Kings 16:9 adds, And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.  While Elah was getting drunk, Zimri the captain of half of his chariots conspired against him.  Elah was evidently not very concerned about the kingdom but was more interested in doing what brought him pleasure, though I'm not sure that getting drunk really brings real pleasure.  Often in countries around the world today, military people still conspire and take over governments.  Verse ten adds, And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.  Zimri not only conspired against Elah.  He killed him and took over the kingdom to reign as king himself.  He was neither divinely appointed nor appointed by the people of Israel.  There are still rulers in the world today who put themselves above God and the will of the people.  This happened in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa, who was still king of Judah.  Verse eleven continues, And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.  The first thing Zimri did as king was to have all the men of Baasha's family killed.  This was a fulfillment of God's prophesy concerning Baasha, but I don't believe that Zimri was acting under God's guidance.  I don't believe that God caused him to do this, but that He simply knew what Zimri would do.  Though some would disagree. I don't believe that God causes everything that happens in the world, but He does allow people to act under their own free will, which He knows will lead to problems.  Verse twelve states, Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet.  As just stated, this was the fulfillment of God's prophesy through Jehu.  Once more, I don't believe that Zimri was acting under God's direction, but he was fulfilling a prophesy of God while exercising his own free will.  The lost people of the world today may cause God's prophecy to be fulfilled, but that doesn't mean that God caused them to take whatever action they took to cause this.  If everything is done according to God's will, then those who refuse to acknowledge Him and to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord would not be responsible for their actions, but God would.  To be condemned in this case would be the act of a capricious God.  Verse thirteen adds, For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.  We are told that this happened because of the sins of Baasha and Elah, and we can be certain that one day we will be held accountable for our sins.  Still, we will only be responsible for our own sins and not for the sins of others.  Of course, God sees things from the eternal perspective, so no one will ever be separated from Him because of the sins of others.  Verse fourteen continues, Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  Once more, we are told that the rest of the acts of Elah are written in the chronicles of the kings.  The only acts that we need to be concerned with being recorded are those recorded by God.  We may or may not be remembered in this world, but that is unimportant.  What God says about us and our relationship to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord is all that will ever really matter.