Kings Introduction
Kingdom, Come • Sermon • Submitted
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Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 2:1-4
I’ve Been Thinking for Several Weeks…
On What I would Preach About After the Bible Simplified Series
We’ve Been in the NT for Quite a While
I Think it’s Time to Study From the OT Again
I Did a Series a Few Years Ago Called “The Anointed”…
Where We Studied Through 1 & 2 Samuel
My Plan was to Eventually Cover 1 & 2 Kings as Well
So, I’ve Decided that’s What We’re Going to Do
I’ve Titled this Series: “Kingdom, Come”
For this First Lesson, We’re Just Going to Do a Quick Introduction to Kings
Kings Introduction
Kings Introduction
1 & 2 Kings in Our English Bibles was Just “Kings” in the Hebrew Scriptures…
Because it was Originally a Single Literary Work
Kings Covers Around 410 Years of Israel’s Tragic History After the Death of David
It Tells the Story of the Division of Northern & Southern Israel…
Into 2 Separate Kingdoms
It Tells Us that God’s People Disregarded His Law…
And were Punished with Exile in Foreign Nations
It’s Very Similar to the Story of Adam and Eve
The People were Living in Paradise…
But Because of Their Disobedience…
They were Driven Out to the East
2 Similar Stories Illustrate this Degradation/Deterioration of Israel into Disobedience
In 1 Kings 3, Two Mothers are Fighting for Custody of a Child
There was a Child Who Died and a Child Who was Alive
Each Mother Claimed the Living Child was Her Own
Solomon, in His God-Given Wisdom, Resolved the Issue…
And the True Mother Regained Custody of Her Child
But in 2 Kings 6, During Assyria’s Siege on Samaria…
The King was Expected to Resolve a Similar Issue
It Involved 2 Mothers and Their 2 Children; One Alive, One Dead
The 2 Women were Fighting Over the Child that was Alive
But this Time, They weren’t Fighting for Custody of the Child
The Reason the First Child was Dead was Because They Boiled and Ate it
And Now the Mother of the Living Child…
Isn’t Giving Up Her Child to Be Eaten
The Deterioration of Israel into Sin and Wickedness is Obvious:
In the Beginning, 2 Mothers Want a Living Child
In the End, 2 Mothers Want to Eat a Child
In the Beginning, Silver was as Common as Stone in Jerusalem
In the End, Jerusalem is on Fire and Her People are Captives and Slaves
In the Beginning, Solomon Builds a Beautiful, Magnificent Temple
In the End, the Temple is Utterly Destroyed and Burned
In the Beginning, People Traveled From Distant Lands to See the Glory of Israel and Her King
In the End, Israel was Mocked and Ridiculed By the Surrounding Nations
All of this Came About Because Israel:
Trusted in Other Gods
Trusted in Their Alliances with Other Nations
Trusted in Their Wealth
Trusted in Their Military Strength
They could have had Everything They’d Ever Needed if They’d Only:
Trusted in God
We Don’t Know Who Wrote Kings, or When They Wrote it
But We Do Know this:
It wasn’t Written as a Mere Historical Record
It was Written to Remind the Israelite People…
Of How/Why Everything Went Wrong
They Needed to Remember the Horrors that Disobedience Brings
And We Need this Constant Reminder, Ourselves
Moses Told the People After Giving Them the Law in Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 30:15–20 (NIV)
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Moses Warned Israel Before They Entered the Promised Land:
Obedience will Bring Life and Prosperity
Disobedience will Bring Death and Destruction
They’ve Experienced this Already (Judges)
And, Unfortunately, They’re Going to Experience it Again
Kings Picks Up Where Samuel Left Off
Samuel Ends with David as an Old Man
He is Still on the Throne…
But His Life is Now Riddled with Heart-Ache and Regret
He’s Done Some Wonderful Things
But He’s Also Done Some Terrible Things
He was One of the Best Kings in Israelite History
But He was Far From Perfect
In Kings, We See His Death and Succession By His Son Solomon
Then After Solomon Comes a Long Line of Kings From His Lineage
Some are Good, Most are Bad
This Leads to Babylonian Exile…
Where it Seems Like All Hope is Lost
In the Midst of the Darkness, Daniel Arrives
And He Tells Us that God is Going to Re-Establish His Kingdom…
With a Descendant of David Ruling on the Throne Forever
As We Follow the Kings of Judah and Israel in this Book…
We’re Going to See God’s Efforts…
To Bring Israel Back to Covenant Faithfulness to Him…
Through His Prophets
And We’re Going to Keep Our Minds on the King that is to Come…
And We’re Long with the Israelites for that Kingdom to Come
Application
Application
We Live in What We Call the “Messianic Age”
The Age of the Anointed King
The Descendant of David has Already Come
He’s Already Taken His Throne
He’s Already Ruling Over God’s People
But We’re Still Waiting for the Fullness of His Kingdom/Rule/Reign to Come
We’re Waiting for the Fulfillment of All Things
We’re Waiting for the Destruction of the Wicked
We’re Waiting for the Reward of the Righteous
We’re Waiting for the Restoration of All Things
Just as Moses Did with the Israelites…
King Jesus has Set Before Us 2 Paths:
A Path that Leads to Life and Blessings
And a Path that Leads to Death and Curses
Matthew 7:13–14 (NASB95)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:24–27 (NIV)
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
He has Set Before Us Life and Death
He Offers Life Freely to Those Who will Surrender Their Will to His
He Died so We can Live
Choose Life