Rather than have
a Summary page, you are invited to go again to the Statistics page of
these studies where an overview is given of all the kings and what took
place.
The
following are the things that stand out:
Counterfeit
Religion
As we come to the end of this set of studies, there is
one thing that must surely stand out above all else – that of the ongoing
godlessness of these kings of Israel. As we have already commented,
every single one of them was condemned for the ongoing sin of Jeroboam
– of setting up, sustaining and tolerating the counterfeit, substitute
religion of the northern kingdom. This in itself led on to further idolatry.
These people, originally at least, knew that they were a special, called-out
people of God, the covenant people of God. One man led them away from
that and no other king had the courage to take them back to it. At least
with the kings of Judah there were kings who restored the people to
their covenant relationship when they realised that they had strayed
from it, but that was never so with Israel.
God's
Activity
We might have expected to find the Lord coming to bring
judgment much earlier than He did. How could He have tolerated these
kings who, one after another, perpetuated this breakdown in relationship
with the Lord? But it's far more than merely tolerating it! He actively
spoke into it. Elijah and Elisha are arguably the greatest signs and
wonders prophets of the Old Testament and they lived and ministered
in a period that was possibly the worst in terms of organised idolatry.
So
Why?
Why did the Lord allow all this? Why did the
Lord divide the kingdom knowing as He must, that these things would
come about? The answer has got to be because although God knows that
an outcome will be bad, He nevertheless gives mankind the opportunity
to make good. It was purely the wilful choices of a series of kings
that opened the doors to, and encouraged, idolatry. They could have
called the people back to God. They knew in history of a godly king,
David. They knew of a king, Solomon, who was blessed by God so that
prosperity and affluence was greater in Israel than anywhere else in
the land. They had heard the stories but refused to respond to them.
But they had had the opportunity to change.
Israel, the northern kingdom, are an
example of a people who have been shown the way, but are then put into
circumstances where they have to CHOOSE to follow that way, despite
the difficulties. Without Jerusalem, without the Temple, without the
visible reminder of the presence of the Lord in their midst, they fall
away. Such is the work of Sin. On the Statistics page we have noted
the times when the Lord spoke through His prophets. Whether the Lord
actually brought about some of the changes or opened the way for sinful
men to naturally respond in their sin to bring them about is never clear.
However what is clear is that the plan and purpose and will of God are
worked out. He declares it and it does happen!
Whatever the kings were doing,
one thing is clear: the Lord was there, speaking and moving and holding
them accountable. It was never a case of the Lord sitting back and merely
letting it all happen. These may have been ungodly kings, but that did
not stop the Lord speaking to them and moving in their circumstances.
Thus these chapters of history record some of the most remarkable moving
of God in the history of Israel. Not, obviously so great as the Exodus,
but clearly the sovereign will of God being worked out in the midst
of ungodliness. Amazing!