Learning From Stories of Kings

Hey friends!

This week we learned about the Kingdom Era.  I absolutely loved it!  It’s humbling to admit that I had never learned or fully understood that entire section of the Bible (1 Samuel – 2 Chronicles).  But I am overjoyed to say that this week I have been filled with knowledge on Israel/Judah’s kings and have been blown away by God’s character. We serve a MERCIFUL and sovereign Lord.

What I really wanted to do was regurgitate a summary of every king from the Old Testament in blog form, but we were looking at a 10 page blog if I were to do that.  So, instead, I will give you a summary of the first two king’s lives and what the Lord is teaching me through learning about the Kingdom Era. 

To set the stage: God was leading the nation through judges but in chapter 8 of 1 Samuel the people cry out for a king.  Israel was turning away from God and rejected Him as king.  They wanted to be like everyone else. They don’t realize how special it was for them to be set apart in the Lord. They were designed to be a nation of faith and God had orchestrated a life that required faith for success.  But the people asked the last judge, Samuel, for a king.

King Saul:     

In 1 Samuel 9 Saul is chosen as king. Saul is known as having “no heart for God” in the Kingdom Era.  There are two major events where Saul falls. 

1)  Immediately after he was crowned king the people were attacked by the Philistines and Saul sinned by giving a peace offering, which was the duty of a priest (1 Samuel 13).  He assumed a priestly position which shows us that he was self empowered.  When Samuel confronts Saul about his sin, Saul rationalizes the sin. 

2)  In 1 Sam 15, Samuel gives Saul instructions from the Lord to attack the Amalakites, sparing no one (men, women, children, animal). Saul did not destroy all, demonstrating his incomplete obedience. He tells Samuel “I have followed the commands of the Lord” and when Samuel confronts him, Saul blames others and makes his sin seem virtuous, saying that they kept animals as a sacrifice to God.  Saul tried to weasel out of his disobedience and refused to repent or take responsibility. 

Saul’s Weaknesses:  He changed depending on circumstance.  He always sought others for prayer, but we never see him pray.  Saul consistently sought glory for himself. Saul didn’t listen to wise council of others, nor did he listen to God.  He rationalized his sin and refused to confess and repent.    

In 1 Samuel 16 God directed Samuel to anoint a new King that God would select (David).  The spirit left Saul at this point and Saul tried to kill David.  At the end of his life he was frightened in battle with the Philistines so he disguised himself and sought a medium (which he had previously removed all sorcerers and mediums from the land).  He asked her to rise up Samuel.  Samuel appears and prophesies that tomorrow he and his sons will die.  The next day Saul is struck by an arrow and he and his sons commit suicide. (1 Chronicles 10 tells us that the Lord puts him to death and turned the kingdom over to David because Saul was unfaithful, did not keep the word of the Lord, and sought help from a medium instead of inquiring of God.)

King David:

In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel (while mourning the judgment that was coming to Saul) obeyed God’s instruction to go find a new king (David).  All of Jesse’s sons passed by before Samuel chose small in stature, 15 year old David. God delights in using the weak to do powerful things.  David had great character and is known to have a “whole heart for the Lord”.  Here are 5 good things to note about David:

1.  David Trusted in the Lord: David rose in favor when he killed Goliath. David’s confidence lied in the Lord. He responded in faith instead of responding to mockery or doubt.  He sought the Lord in every decision. Later, in his kingship, we see David going to the Lord for guidance in every battle.  The Lord blessed him and David had confidence in the Lord. God gave the Israelites victory under David’s leadership. 

2.  David waited on the Lord with humility:  David was 15 when anointed but didn’t become king until age 30.  David was elevated by the Lord and grew in popularity after defeating Goliath. Saul felt threatened and tried to kill David (1 Samuel 18).  David fled to the wilderness.  During the years of fleeing from Saul, David was equipped for leadership as he waited on God, wrote Psalms, and learned to lead men. After Saul dies, David mourned his death and became king.

3.  David does not listen to the council of wicked and foolish people: During David’s time fleeing from Saul in the wilderness, he spared Saul’s life twice (1 Samuel 24 - in the caves of En-Gedi and 1 Samuel 26 - the wilderness of Ziph) despite the advice he was given.

             

            4.   David is quick to confess and mourns over his sin: 

~ David had the Ark of the Covenant returned to Jerusalem (it was taken by the philistines so 20 years later David decides to bring it back).  They made a new cart but did it improperly and not according to the law (numbers 4). Uzah dies when he touches it.  David (1 Chronicles 15) admitted sin and they prepared to carry the ark the right way. 

~  David also sinned by murdering Uziah to have an affair with Bathsheeba.  David was tempted by Satan to sin; he leaned on his own strength. David suffered consequences and effects of his sin. He agonizes over his sin as you can see in his prayer in response to this particular sin in Psalm 51. David responds in prayer and humility, making a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah. 

5.  David has a heart of worship:  David was overcome with joy and was seen jumping and dancing after the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem.  He also appointed Asaph to lead them in giving thanks and praise to the Lord, remembering His deeds (including judgment because God is faithful and consistent). 

What I learn from Saul and David: 

From Saul I’m learning that God is so merciful to continually call us to repentance.  Instead of rationalizing my sin like Saul, I want to be like David, quick to mournfully confess my sin to God and others.  I’m learning that it is important to listen to wise council and seek the Lord in all decisions like David did.  I want to have faith like David, trusting God and following hard after Him. As David waited for God to elevate him as king, I also need to follow hard after God as I wait for Him to reveal the next steps in life.       

What Happens Next… (briefly):

After David’s reign as king, his son Solomon takes the throne.  He has “half a heart for the Lord”.  He falls when he is distracted by having many wives and concubines.  Solomon’s son, Rehoboam becomes king next.  He listens to advice from foolish friends instead of the elders and rules harsh towards the people. Jeroboam leads revolt against Rehoboam and the kingdom splits in two.  Jeroboam becomes king of northern kingdom and Rehoboam is king of the southern kingdom.  The northern kingdom proceeds to have 19 kings, all evil in the sight of the Lord.  The southern kingdom has 20 kings, in which 8 are good in the sight of the Lord. 

Character of God:

Romans 15:4 says: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” The stories of the Old Testament were written for our benefit and happened in order to be examples for us.  These lessons are not coincidences.  God was actively working with His people with sensitivity towards later people who would need this guidance.  From these stories I am struck by the consistency of God’s character! 

God is faithful, merciful and continual pursuit of us. I mentioned this a bit when we were talking about Saul, but I just love how God continues to pursue and plead for Saul’s repentance even up to the time of his death.  We see this not only in Saul’s life but consistently throughout scripture.  The most wicked king of the south, Ahab who married the infamous Jezebel, was shown mercy.  Elijah prophesies judgment (1 kings 21:20 -27) and though we consider Ahab unredeemable, in v 27 he tears his clothes and fasts, humbling himself and repenting. God tells Elijah that He will not bring disaster on Ahab’s day but on the days of his son.  God is incredibly merciful to call even the most wicked to repentance.  That’s me; all of us are full of wickedness in our flesh.  His grace is sufficient (2 Colossians 12:9)!  God is for us (Romans 8:31)!  He does not relent in pursuing his beloved creation. 

God is sovereign.  I am amazed by the way God aligns the kings in the southern kingdom to preserve the line of Jesus.  How awesome is it that everything connects?!  The Old Testament is truly an anticipation of Jesus coming as King!  I also love seeing God’s sovereignty as He uses wicked people to bring justice, at the same time judging them for their own wickedness.  I love the lessons that I learned about legacy through studying the kingdom era.  We can clearly see how sins of evil kings affect future generations. But it is clear that God judges individually.  Everyone is personally responsible for his/her own deeds. There are a few good kings in the south that break the legacy of their fathers and seek the Lord.  And there are also sons of good kings who become evil.  God deals with us on an individual level. 

God is good, consistently, faithfully, extravagantly good. 

Haha!  I think these blogs keep getting longer!  Thank you for hearing my heart and being excited with me about all there is to absorb from the Word!  Have a blessed day!

Joyfully His,

Mal