As much as I hate to admit it, I have always struggled through the Old Testament. The Lord did not bless me with a love of history and therefore I have difficulty reflecting on the past. But over the past couple of weeks the Lord has really worked on my heart and has begun to teach me how much I can learn from the past. This week we focused on the Kingdom era.
In 1 Samuel 8:5 we see the people of Israel have gathered together and are asking for a king to lead them (just as most other nations have). Later in 1 Samuel 8:22 we see that the Lord answers by telling Samuel to give the people a king. After 3 kings (120 years total) the kingdom splits into a southern kingdom (Judah) and the northern kingdom (Israel). Between these two kingdoms there were 42 kings and of them, no more than ten kings were considered “good” or pleasing to the Lord. And not one good king came from the northern kingdom.
We learned that during this era the Lord did not tolerate evil. All of the kings that were predominantly evil were destroyed during this time. And the northern kingdom was captured by Assyria and they were scattered until there was no longer a kingdom (2 Kings 17:5-6). When an evil king was ruling the southern kingdom they also experienced many trials and tribulations (2 Kings 8).
In my opinion, David is the most well known king from the Bible. What I love most about him is that despite having made some poor decisions, he was a man after God’s own heart. David loved the Lord and relied heavily on Him for direction. Even when Saul drove David into the wilderness in 1 Samuel 24 & 26, David let God be in control- even though David had the ability to handle the matter himself. Not only did David let God control the steps and details of his personal life, but he also gave God control when the Philistines attacked. He knew God’s plans were better and completely gave Him the glory. Despite the fact that David loved the Lord, he was a man just like us and sinned. Not only did he have many wives (2 Samuel 5:13) but he also committed adultery and murder. David saw Bathsheba and wanted to have physical relations with her… even though she was married. Later when he found out that she was pregnant he had her husband killed. Stories such as this are such a wonderful reminder of God’s grace and forgiveness. David still found favor in the Lord’s eyes.
During the divided kingdom Asa was king of Judah (the southern kingdom). According to 1 Kings 15:11 Asa also did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He was the king who removed all of the prostitutes. Asa is also the king who had all of the idols that had been made before his time removed. It was under Asa’s rule that Judah learned to serve the Lord and to follow His commandments again. But like David, Asa had sin in his life. In 1 Kings 15:14 we learn that Asa did have the idols removed, he did not remove the high places.
Ultimately I learned that I cannot and should not be king of my own life. As much as I want to be in control and make my own decisions God is God for a reason. Coming to the Institute I have realized that I have spent majority of my life with Jesus as my Savior and myself as God. I was not letting Him make the decisions not did I let Him lead me. This is so embarrassing to admit but I am overwhelmed with thanks that the Lord revealed this sin to me. While studying the kingdom era I have also come to realize that I have idols in my life. God should be the priority and the focus of my mind. I need to delight in the law of the Lord day and night (Psalm 1:2). When the kings or people worshipped or focused on idols they experienced trials. I do not want the same thing in my life. I need to remember God is King.
