Baasha had been the instrument to wipe out the house of Jeroboam. It should thus have been particularly clear to him what a terrible fate was in store for himself if he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps. Repentance might have averted in a measure the terrible doom. God’s messages of judgment are frequently warnings of the irrevocable fate that will befall the transgressor if he persists in his course. God desires to save, not destroy.