Podcast: The children of Israel wanted a king to rule over them. But often the kings did evil works and God brought destruction upon them by their king.

 

 

 

God had set up HIS judges to rule over HIS people, but the time came when the people demanded that they have a king to rule.  God gave them kings but HE had the prophet Samuel protest.  Still they wanted a king.

God first gave them Saul to reign.  But Saul would not fully obey God so the kingdom was removed from Saul and given to David who was a man after God's own heart.

David died and God gave them Solomon, David's son.  When Solomon asked God to give him wisdom to know how to reign, God gave Solomon wisdom.  But Solomon sinned against God by setting up places where his strange wives could worship their Gods and when Solomon grew old, his "strange wives" (wives who were not of the nation of Israel but of other nations) turned Solomon's heart away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Because of this disobedience, God pronounced a judgment upon Solomon and the children of Israel:  There would be a divided Kingdom:  Judah and Israel

This meant there would be a king over Judah and another king over Israel.

Most of the kings were evil, setting up idols for the people to worship.  And God would tolerate this for a season and warn them by HIS prophets, and then God would bring an adversary against them and their enemies would reign over the Nations of Judah and Israel for an appointed number of years and they would go into bondage.

This is described for us in Psalm 107,

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and HE delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And HE led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for HIS goodness, and for HIS wonderful works to the children of men!

9 For HE satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

(But they went in the right way for a season and then they began again to worship the idols of the people of other nations.  This brought a penalty from God.)

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore HE brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and HE saved them out of their distresses.

14 HE brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

(And the pattern repeats itself:  They returned to the evil way and God would raise up an adversary against them and they would go back into the bondage of the nations of men.)

The apostle Paul says:

I Corinthians 10

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10 Neither murmur (complain) ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

The people of this present world delight in worshipping other humans and they set these humans up as idols:  sports figures, rich men, men who achieve greatness one way or another.

But we who are of God should not join this world in worshipping man and in exalting other men.

At all times we worship and exalt God, praising Him who created heaven and earth and man.

Romans 1

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified HIM not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, WHO is blessed for ever. Amen.

They see a mountain and worship the mountain.

We see a mountain and worship God WHO created that mountain.

We who belong to God must worship God the Creator rather than worshipping man and things who were created by God.

Hebrews 11

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing HIM who is invisible.

We must continually see "HIM" who is invisible!

We worship the Creator rather than the created.

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