Focus passages: 1 Kings 1-11, 2 Chron. 1-9
Strong and weak presidents have changed the course of our nation’s history. Washington would be one of the great presidents in almost anyone’s book. Buchanan is often rated as one of the worst presidents. He sat and watched the country fall apart in the years before the civil war. As we look presidents and other leaders, we can see how they are instrumental in the shape of a country or a company. The same is true of the kings of the Jews. Solomon got the people started on the wrong path and his successors made things even worse. Yet the constant in the time of the kings was the Lord. He had made promises that the nation would continue and He worked to keep Israel as a nation. He brought the people through this time so that the Messiah could be born among them and could change the world.
The kingdom is divided 1 kings 12:15 Rehoboam is the forty one year old Son of Solomon who takes the throne from his father. The people rebel over the high taxes and forced labor that Solomon had imposed on them to support his wealth. Instead of listening to his father’s older and wiser counselors, he tells the people that they will have to put up with the taxes. There are consequences when a nation forgets God and thinks that all the wealth and power that they have is of their own making.
Jeroboam takes them from God 1 Kings 12:28 God had given the Northern kingdom to a man named Jeroboam. He was an administrator of Solomon’s who had fled from his wrath. Yet, Jereboam feared that people returning to Jerusalem to worship God would have allegiance to Judah and not to his kingdom. He decided to create false gods so that the people would have allegiance to him and to the new nation. A leader can take people away from God completely. He can deny the true God or deny God’s truths.
Rehoboam waters down the faith 1 Kings 14:23 Rehoboam, the grandson of David, walked for three years with the Lord like his grandfather David did. Yet, when he felt secure, he began to water down worship like his father Solomon. The temple was there, but he also allowed and participated in the worship of idols. Leaders can water down the faith by adding activities and promoting things that are contrary to God. Expect that the nation will face consequences for its sinful behavior.
God still keeps His promises 1 Kings 15:4 God was still faithful to David and to the promises that God made to David. The Northern kingdom would have 9 dynasties rule as kings were overthrown. David’s family would rule for 350 years. Most of the kings of Judah were evil, but God kept a remnant that would remain to the time of Jesus Christ. Even when the church began to forget its God, God would not let it be destroyed. He continued to help his people.
What do we learn as we read about this era? First we learn to pray for our leaders. Pray for good and bad leaders that the Lord might protect the nation. Ask God to send His spirit upon our leaders so that they govern wisely and that they learn His will. The path of the nation depends on it. Second, we learn that God is dependable even when man is not. The God who sacrificed His son on a cross will not abandon His people, but will seek to find ways to bring revival and renewal to the nation. You can either walk with God or against him. Think of one of those moving sidewalks at the airport. If you walk on it the wrong way, you will find yourself constantly struggling. If you walk with it, life becomes easier and you get to your destination. The time of the kings was a time when many walked against God. It was a time of fools who destroyed themselves.
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