1 Kings 15-17: Who's in Charge

After the deaths of Jeroboam in Israel, and Rehoboam in Judah an even more tempestuous time for God's people begins.  When they follow God, they prosper and when they do not they falter.

In Judah, Abijah succeeds his father, Rehoboam, but sins just as his father had done.  He only lasts three years,  Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.  For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD's commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. - 1 Kings 15:4-5 NIV

He is succeeded by his son Asa who was godly.  He got rid of the idols, the shrine prostitutes, the Asherah poles and was fully committed to the Lord.  His reign lasted for forty-one years. 

Meanwhile in Israel, Nadab succeeds his father Jeroboam.  He was evil just like his father, so Baasha kills Nadab and Jeroboam's entire family as God had promised, through the prophet Ahijah.  Baasha reigned twenty-four years, although he was no better than Nadab.  The prophet Jehu told Baasha that his descendants would not lead Israel because of his sins.  As God promised, when Baasha died, his son Elah lived only two years before he and all of his family were killed by Zimri, one of his officials.  Zimri was no different from his predecessors and his reign lasted seven days before he was killed by Omri, the commander of the army.  Omri sinned even more than the other kings before him and reigned seven years.  When he died his son Ahab became king and things in Israel went from bad to worse. 

During Ahab's reign the prophecy, of what would happen if Jericho was ever rebuilt, came to pass.  In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.- 1 Kings 16:34

What God promises, he does.  He rewards good for good and evil for evil.  It may not be in the time frame we expect, but God's word is true.
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? - Numbers 23:19 KJV