Recently I’ve been working on preparing a couple messages I will be preaching soon that focus on a couple of the kings of Judah. Pretty much all of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel were bad, and most of the kings of Judah were bad. Of the 20 kings in Judah, perhaps eight were good, and five of the eight were godly “revival” kings: Asa – Jehoshaphat – Joash – Hezekiah – Josiah. Yet even these five fell short of the mark God set for a godly king.

To view old testament survey chart click here.

Leaders in this world come in a variety of sorts and types. Some are great and do great things and bless many, and others are tyrants and leave a wake of suffering and death. But in one way or another, each will ultimately fall short, no matter how good a leader they may be. Who are the greatest leaders today? For economic and military power, perhaps some would say Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping are great leaders, yet in other ways many do not respect them. Others might say the world’s greatest leaders have been Julius Caesar, Muhammad, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, Nelson Mandela, Mao Zedong. Who would you put in that list? But each ended up falling short of enduring transformative leadership, most in significant ways.

The four kings of the united kingdom of Israel were good in some ways, but in other ways again they fell woefully short.

1. Saul – Saul started off well (humble, heart after God, Spirit upon him). But power went to his head and he began acting against God’s commands using his own rationale rather than following God (1 Sam.13:8-15; 15:11). He worked to hold onto his authority rather than trust in God’s authority (1 Sam.18-31, from Goliath onward.)
2. David – We learn many lessons from David, perhaps the best of Israel’s kings. He had a passion for the Lord (e.g. Psalms) and a heart committed to the Lord (1 Sam.13:14). He was a foretaste of King to come. Even though fully devoted to God, this greatest king didn’t measure up to God’s perfect standard.
3. Solomon – Even when blessed with unparalleled wisdom, understanding, riches and fame, yet man always falls short of God’s glory as Solomon was enticed by the lure of the world.
4. Rehoboam – God’s judgement on Israel is fulfilled through this foolish man as the kingdom of Israel is split from his poor decisions.

For my sermons, I’ll focus on Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah, to great kings in Judah. What was the author’s purpose in sharing these accounts, with Israel and applicable us today? Beyond recounting the history of Israel, I believe God wants us to see that although we learn important lessons from earthly leaders, our ultimate hope rests in Christ. In 1 Tim.6:13-16; Rev.17:14; and Rev.19:16, Jesus is called the “King of kings.” He is the ONE leader who never fell short of God’s righteous standards. While we can learn helpful lessons from many leaders throughout history, the One we follow is Jesus Christ above all others.

Israel sinned in seeking a king instead of following God through the prophets. They moved from a theocracy to a monarchy, and were warned of the problems that would happen as a result.

1. Israel warned against seeking king. 1Sa 8:9-18.
2. Sin of Israel in seeking a king. 1Sa 12:17-20.
3. Israel in seeking a king rejected God as their king. 1Sa 8:7; 10:19.
4. Israel asked for a king, that they might be like the nations. 1Sa 8:5,19,20.

Samuel’s final address to Israel in 1 Sam. 12:14-25 unveils the root problems in Israel. May our hearts be devoted to the Lord above all others, and while we certainly are called to submit to governing authorities (Rom.13:1), our ultimate allegiance and loyalty rests with Christ.

Pressing on with my King, Eric