1 kings 16

Now his servant Zimri, commander 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. And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.

(1Ki 16:9-11)

And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house down upon himself with fire, and died, because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

(1Ki 16:18-19)

What a crazy end to a crazy life. Zimri lived a violent life, and died a violent death. Our story begins in Tirzah where we find Elah drinking himself drunk in his steward’s house. Zimri sees an opportunity to seize power for himself, and he moves in for the kill. After killing Elah, Zimri takes the throne and kills all of the male friends and family of Elah, leaving no heir.

Zimri did everything he could in his power to achieve greatness. He knew what he wanted, and he would stop at nothing to get it. Mass murder was not out of the question, as long as it resulted in his achieving the power he longed for. Zimri’s victory is short lived though… news travels fast about what Zimri has done, and on the 7^th day of Zimri’s rule, his house is attacked.

This is where things get really crazy; it is almost as if Zimri is saying, “If I can’t have it, then NO ONE CAN!” He goes into the citadel of the king’s house, and he sets the palace on fire, destroying himself and everything in the house. Zimri fought tooth and nail to gain what he thought he wanted, and in the end it destroyed him and a lot of what surrounded him. Zimri went down in a ball of flame.

What about you? Are you coveting something that doesn’t belong to you, scheming about how you can make that thing yours? Be careful! Zimri did everything in his power to make the kingdom his own, and it destroyed him. If you let envy control your life, it WILL ultimately lead to your destruction.