Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Gift of God's History-Shaping Word (1 Kings) | Bruce Waltke
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to Reformed Thinking, the show that helps you grasp
- 0:03grand ideas and alley them to life.
- 0:06I'm your host. Ready to dive into a new topic
- 0:08today? And I'm here to help us distill
- 0:10insights from our sources. Today we're embarking on a deep
- 0:13dive into the truly captivating world of the Books of 1 and 2
- 0:17Kings. We've gathered some wide-ranging
- 0:20sources that clearly lay out how this ancient text unfolds and,
- 0:24well, what it truly aims to get across.
- 0:26Right. Our aim for this deep dive is to
- 0:28unpack the central truth of kings, how God's history shaping
- 0:31words spoken through his prophets reveals itself to be
- 0:34well greater than any King's physical strength.
- 0:37We'll examine how this fundamental truth shaped the
- 0:39destiny of a nation and what it reveals about I Am's consistent
- 0:42rule. We will look at how the kings
- 0:44were assessed, the vivid confrontations they had with
- 0:47prophets, and the results of disobedience, all while keeping
- 0:50a firm grip on the covenants. I am made with his people.
- 0:53You're about to uncover how these ancient stories offer
- 0:56lasting insights for us today. One the big picture, I Am's rule
- 1:01over earthly kings. OK, let's start with the grand
- 1:05truth our sources highlight in the books of 1 and 2 Kings.
- 1:08It really turns on its head our common way of viewing history.
- 1:11We often assume that rulers, their armies, political
- 1:14maneuvering, that's what shapes events.
- 1:16But Kings offers a very different perspective.
- 1:18It certainly does. The main message resonates
- 1:21throughout. The prophetic word holds more
- 1:23sway than the King's sword. This idea grounds the whole
- 1:26narrative, showing that while kings possessed, you know,
- 1:28temporal might, they frequently used it against I AM and his
- 1:31covenants. They mistakenly believed that
- 1:34their own strength, not faith in IMM, was the guiding truth for
- 1:37their nation. They commanded armies, build
- 1:39fortifications, devised strategies.
- 1:41Yet the text consistently argues that these visible displays of
- 1:44human authority were secondary to a deeper, unseen force.
- 1:47So if I'm hearing this right, the prophets who had, like you
- 1:50said, only words in their rows, not swords in their hands, They
- 1:53were the actual guiding force. That sounds incredibly
- 1:56counterintuitive to how we typically imagine governments
- 1:59and nations working. It really is I am maintained his
- 2:02rule through these friends who were spiritually charged and
- 2:05served as Israel's conscience. They, far more than the kings,
- 2:09truly stand out in the narratives.
- 2:11In the book. You'll notice the narrative it
- 2:14slows down considerably, giving extensive space to their actions
- 2:17and pronouncements. This brings home the point that
- 2:20I Am Alone rules and Israel's eventual exile wasn't some
- 2:24random misfortune, it was the just outcome of their persistent
- 2:27disregard for divine counsel. Their history wasn't accidental,
- 2:31it was orchestrated according to IMS declared intentions.
- 2:35And the author of Kings, often described as an implied prophet
- 2:38historian, doesn't just tell a story, they craft it with a very
- 2:41specific outlook. How does their particular way of
- 2:44writing, their chosen method of presentation, communicate this
- 2:47unique truth? It's not simply what they say,
- 2:49but how they structure the narrative.
- 2:51Well, this author, very likely the Deuteronomous, makes very
- 2:54deliberate choices about the narrative pacing.
- 2:56For many kings, their reigns are summarized briefly with
- 2:59inconsistent governmental patterns, often just a few
- 3:02verses outlining their reign, their age, a quick evaluation.
- 3:06However, when figures like Elijah and Elijah appear, the
- 3:10narrative slows right down dramatically.
- 3:12You'll find entire chapters, sometimes multiple chapters,
- 3:15dedicated to their miracles, their messages, their direct
- 3:17confrontations with the kings. And this deliberate slowing down
- 3:21the spotlight, it's meant to draw our gaze to the prophets
- 3:24and what they accomplish. It's a clear signal from the
- 3:27author about where the actual significance lies.
- 3:30That's it. This structural choice makes it
- 3:33clear that these mighty prophets represent true strength and the
- 3:36Kingdom that lasts. The very structure of the book
- 3:39acts as a theological assessment, making a plain that
- 3:42I Am upholds His covenants and that Israel truly has no excuse
- 3:45for not recognizing His universal rule.
- 3:48The book reinforces Deuteronomic theology, showing the very
- 3:50nature and conditions of God's active Kingdom here on earth.
- 3:54It's a carefully constructed argument that history isn't
- 3:56arbitrary, but guided by divine will and covenant faithfulness.
- 4:002 The structural framework, covenants and evaluations.
- 4:04OK, one pattern we see throughout Kings is the
- 4:07governmental patterns. These are standard, repetitive
- 4:09ways the author introduces and concludes the reign of each
- 4:11king. What are these exactly, and why
- 4:14are they so central to the author's overall message?
- 4:16They seem like much more than just historical notes.
- 4:19Oh, they are far more than mere notes.
- 4:21These patterns provide a consistent chronological
- 4:24arrangement for each King's reign, bringing a sense of order
- 4:27across, you know, 4 centuries of complex history.
- 4:30They include factual details like when a king took the
- 4:33throne, how the reign synchronized with the king of
- 4:35the opposing Kingdom during the divided monarchy period, their
- 4:38age at a session, how long they reigned or capital city, and for
- 4:42Judah, the name of the Queen Mother.
- 4:45After their reign, there are death notices, references to
- 4:48source documents, details about their successor.
- 4:50It's a remarkably consistent formula, repeated for almost
- 4:53every single monarch. So it's not just a dry
- 4:56historical record, it's a consistent way to assess the
- 4:59kings, A built in system of theological review if you will.
- 5:02Absolutely. These entry and exit points for
- 5:05each king allow the prophet historian to evaluate them from
- 5:08a spiritual viewpoint, whether they did what is right or evil
- 5:11in the eyes of I AM. This evaluation wasn't based on
- 5:14their political achievements or military triumphs.
- 5:16It centered entirely on their spiritual stance of fidelity to
- 5:19I AM. And what was the clear standard
- 5:21for right or evil? How did the author measure their
- 5:26conduct? It was the Mosaic covenant.
- 5:28Adherence to it brought covenant blessings, while disobedience
- 5:31brought curses. The primary spiritual check was
- 5:35adherence to the very first specific instruction of
- 5:37Deuteronomy to have only one central sanctuary for I Am's
- 5:41worship. More than one sanctuary
- 5:43suggested the worship of more than one God and amounted to
- 5:46idolatry. This single point, which can
- 5:48sometimes be overlooked in our modern reading, was utterly
- 5:51central to their faithfulness. Right.
- 5:52This makes it clear that for the writer, history and theology are
- 5:55completely woven together. You simply can't understand one
- 5:57without the other. Precisely.
- 5:59The spiritual principles rooted in IA M's covenants determine
- 6:03the course of history, The consistent repetition of these
- 6:06governmental patterns. It's sort of shouts the message
- 6:09aloud. I am not.
- 6:11The king rules Israel in harmony with his covenants.
- 6:14He remains faithful to both his unconditional Abrahamic and
- 6:17Davidic covenants, for example, by ensuring A lineage for David
- 6:20even amidst disobedience, while also bringing about the
- 6:23blessings and curses of the conditional Mosaic covenant.
- 6:26It's a grand demonstration of his unchanging nature and his
- 6:29active hand in human affairs. Beyond these individual
- 6:33governmental patterns, the entire Book of Kings has a
- 6:36larger chaotic structure. This is a literary pattern that
- 6:39folds back on itself like a a grand architectural design for
- 6:43the whole narrative. How does this overarching
- 6:46structure help us grasp the book's central message?
- 6:49Well, the chiasm, which you can visualize as an ABCXCBA pattern,
- 6:53places the Amrit dynasty at its very center.
- 6:56This structure visibly strengthens the book's spiritual
- 6:58teachings. It's a deliberate choice by the
- 7:01author to guide the reader through the narrative spiritual
- 7:03argument, drawing attention to what matters most.
- 7:05OK. So the outer sections, A&A, they
- 7:08refer to Solomon and the Kingdom of Judah.
- 7:11That's both the beginning and the end of Judah's main story in
- 7:14this account. That's right, Solomon's divided
- 7:16spiritual affections, his compromises ultimately lead to
- 7:20the kingdom's fracturing. Later, Judah, even with some
- 7:23good kings like Hezekiah and Josiah, still faces exile
- 7:27because of kings like Manasseh and Josiah's sons.
- 7:30The parallel between Solomon's initial compromise and Judah's
- 7:33final downfall is made abundantly clear by this
- 7:36carefully crafted structure. And the B&B sections relate to
- 7:39the separation and eventual fall of the Northern Kingdom.
- 7:42What's the thread that ties those parts together?
- 7:44No Northern king truly followed I Am's ways.
- 7:47They consistently adopted the false worship established by
- 7:50Jeroboam, son of Nebak. This led to constant turning
- 7:53away from I AM, which guarantee their eventual captivity.
- 7:56The chiasm highlights this unbroken line of disobedience in
- 7:59the North, leading inevitably to their predetermined end.
- 8:02The center, the X is the Omrid dynasty.
- 8:04Why this family in particular? Why is it the pivot point of the
- 8:07whole structure? The Omrid dynasty, especially
- 8:10King Ahab through his marriage to Jezebel, installed bail
- 8:13worship as the recognized state religion in Israel.
- 8:16This was a direct wholesale rejection of I am escalating
- 8:19their turning away from him beyond anything seen before.
- 8:22It is in this truly dire crisis that I am.
- 8:25Strength overrides temporal might through his swift
- 8:28appearing prophets Elijah and Elijah.
- 8:30The central attention on the Amrez makes it clear that the
- 8:33prophetic word truly holds more sway than the King's sword.
- 8:36It represents the height of the King's wickedness, and thus the
- 8:38peak of Imms decisive action 3 Solomon's reign, the seat of
- 8:43division. Solomon's reign begins with such
- 8:46incredible promise, almost like a golden era, a high watermark
- 8:49for Israel. Yet it concludes in tragedy and
- 8:51division. What was the central spiritual
- 8:53issue that set this decline in motion?
- 8:55Well, the narrator immediately highlights Solomon's spiritual
- 8:58double mindedness. While he initially displayed his
- 9:02devotion to I AM by walking in David's ways and humbly asking
- 9:05for wisdom, his marriage to Pharaoh's daughter was an early
- 9:08indication of disloyalty. This wasn't just a political
- 9:11alliance, it was a subtle breach of IMS commands against
- 9:14intermarrying with foreign nations, a quiet signal of a
- 9:17heart that wasn't completely devoted.
- 9:20And this early compromise seemed to delay the building of the
- 9:22temple and allowed people to continue worshipping at high
- 9:25places despite I am clearly stated desire for one central
- 9:29sanctuary. It seems like a small misstep,
- 9:31but it led to very large consequences.
- 9:33Yes, this early relaxation of I Am's law foreshadowed his later
- 9:39complete turning away from I Am. The wisest man before Jesus
- 9:43Christ ultimately dies as one who made foolish choices because
- 9:45he stopped listening to divine instruction.
- 9:48His wisdom, initially a gift for Iams Kingdom, became
- 9:51increasingly directed towards his own splendor rather than
- 9:54Iams renown. For example, he amassed immense
- 9:57wealth, gold so plentiful it made silver seem common.
- 10:01He built a vast array of Chariots and horses. 1400
- 10:04Chariots, 12,000 horsemen. Direct defiance of Deuteronomy
- 10:0717, which warned kings against multiplying horses and of
- 10:10course, multiplying wives. 700 princesses, 300 concubines.
- 10:14Another clear violation. These weren't just practical
- 10:17choices, they were spiritual breaches.
- 10:19The narrative gives us a striking detail when it talks
- 10:21about Solomon's building projects.
- 10:23His palace was considerably larger than the temple.
- 10:26This isn't just an architectural fact, is it?
- 10:27What's the deeper meaning here? The prophet historian with
- 10:30deliberate design, interrupts the account of the temple
- 10:33building to describe Solomon's palace complex.
- 10:36This interruption, which isn't necessarily chronological,
- 10:40subtly suggests the division within Solomon's heart.
- 10:43It's a narrative choice to draw our attention to this internal
- 10:47shift in loyalty. So this architectural choice
- 10:50stands as a visual clue, a powerful way to convey his shift
- 10:54in affections. His priorities were literally
- 10:56built into the landscape around him.
- 10:58Absolutely. It indicates that as his
- 11:00devotion became increasingly split, his wisdom also became
- 11:04more and more directed toward his own grandeur.
- 11:06Not IA M's glory, his vast accumulation of riches, his
- 11:10impressive display of Chariots and horsemen, and his demanding
- 11:14labor practices for some of his people further illustrate the
- 11:17self indulgence. Our sources call these decisions
- 11:20time bombs ticking away in his Kingdom.
- 11:22These choices, while appearing to be signs of strength and
- 11:25success, were actually symptoms of a deeper spiritual ailment.
- 11:28What was the ultimate failure that solidified Solomon's
- 11:31decline and led to the tearing apart of his Kingdom?
- 11:33What was the final breaking point?
- 11:35His increasing fixation on foreign women from nations with
- 11:38whom he was explicitly forbidden to intermarry ultimately turned
- 11:42his heart completely away from I Am.
- 11:44He started worshipping detestable gods at their
- 11:46shrines, literally polluting the land and defiling the very
- 11:50sanctity of the temple he had built for I Am.
- 11:53Unlike his father David, he did not repent when confronted with
- 11:56his wrongdoing. This was a complete and utter
- 11:59abandonment of the foundational covenant with IMM.
- 12:02And Iams response was decisive. It wasn't a slow erosion of
- 12:06favor, but a direct announced judgement.
- 12:08In anger, I am foretold that he would tear away a substantial
- 12:12part of the Kingdom from David's dynasty.
- 12:15This action was fully in harmony with the conditional aspect of
- 12:18the Davidic covenant. While Iams promise to David for
- 12:21an everlasting dynasty was unconditional, the enjoyment of
- 12:23its privileges within the land was directly connected to
- 12:26obedience. I am even raised up adversaries
- 12:29like a dad of Edom and Rizon of Damascus to destabilize
- 12:32Solomon's Kingdom from within and without showing his guiding
- 12:35hand even in human opposition and turmoil.
- 12:37And this is where the prophets reappear, directly influencing
- 12:40the succession. This demonstrates their true
- 12:43spiritual force. It does.
- 12:45The prophet Ahijah of Shiloh then openly announces Jeroboam's
- 12:48kingship and the division of the Kingdom, demonstrating how I am
- 12:52O rules Israel through spiritual speech that goes beyond mere
- 12:56human political maneuvering. It wasn't Solomon's final
- 12:59decision or Rehoboam's poor judgment, but I am his word
- 13:02through his prophet that truly charted the course of events for
- 13:07the sin of Jeroboam sitting a pattern of apostasy.
- 13:10Following the kingdom's division, Jeroboam becomes the
- 13:12first king of the Northern Kingdom.
- 13:14He had a unique opportunity to lead, to set a new course, but
- 13:17he chose a path of his own creation.
- 13:19What drove him to create his own worship system rather than
- 13:22staying with what I am had clearly established?
- 13:24Well, Jeroboam's primary motivation was personal ambition
- 13:28for his dynasty and a noticeable lack of reliance on I Am's word.
- 13:32He feared that if the people continue to travel to Jerusalem,
- 13:35which was the divinely appointed worship center in the Southern
- 13:37Kingdom, they would eventually return their loyalty to
- 13:40Rehoboam, the King of Judah, and ultimately remove him from the
- 13:43throne. So he feared the people and the
- 13:46instability of his reign more than he feared I am AM.
- 13:49And he listened to advisors who lacked spiritual guidance.
- 13:53His actions were rooted in human fear and a desire for self
- 13:55preservation, not in divine direction.
- 13:58So in essence, he fundamentally violated the Mosaic covenants
- 14:01instruction for one central sanctuary.
- 14:03This wasn't just a minor deviation, but a core breach of
- 14:06the covenant. Right.
- 14:07Precisely, He set up alternative to sanctuaries and created his
- 14:10own liturgies in the Northern Kingdom, specifically at Bethel
- 14:13and Dan. And most egregiously, he
- 14:16reimagined the invisible I Am as golden grass eating calves.
- 14:20This is a chilling echo of Israel's earlier sin during the
- 14:22Exodus, when Aaron made the golden calf and it dangerously
- 14:26connected I Am with Pagan fertility cults.
- 14:29He created what our sources call a liturgy of the King's own
- 14:31imagination, effectively turning himself from a leader like
- 14:34Moses, who faithfully presented Iams commands, to 1 like Aaron,
- 14:38who succumbed to the people's demands for calf worship.
- 14:41What were the immediate and then the much longer term
- 14:43consequences of this sin of Jeroboam?
- 14:46It seems this a single act had ripple effects for centuries.
- 14:49His actions, described as outright idolatry and
- 14:51disobedience, resulted in severe judgement against him, against
- 14:55his family line, and against the land itself.
- 14:57Prophets, including a Hygiev Shiloh, who had originally
- 15:00announced his kingship, later prophesied his downfall in the
- 15:02cursed end of his dynasty. This shows a startling
- 15:05consistency in Iams word. What is spoken will indeed come
- 15:08to pass, often through unexpected means.
- 15:11And there's a truly notable prophecy about King Josiah in
- 15:14Judah centuries later that shows the distant reach of Iams word.
- 15:19Yes, another prophet from Judah appeared directly before
- 15:22Jeroboam, condemning his false liturgy and predicting its
- 15:25destruction by King Josiah. Centuries.
- 15:29This long range prophecy was given credibility by an
- 15:31immediate sign. The altar of Bethel was
- 15:33destroyed on the spot, and Jeroboam's hand, which he
- 15:36stretched out in anger, withered and was then supernaturally
- 15:39restored. This provided undeniable proof
- 15:42of IMS control over history, confirming that the distant
- 15:45prophecy would also certainly be fulfilled.
- 15:48And this sin of Jeroboam became the defining characteristic of
- 15:51the Northern Kingdom, setting it on a path that led to its
- 15:54ultimate downfall. It was a pattern that repeated
- 15:56itself with almost every king who followed.
- 15:58That's it. With the solitary exception of
- 16:00Ahab, every subsequent northern king adopted the sin of
- 16:04Jeroboam, son of A. By this unending turning away
- 16:08from I Am was the primary reason leading to the Northern
- 16:11Kingdom's exile from the land, a fate foretold centuries earlier
- 16:15by Moses and I Am prophets. This clearly demonstrates how I
- 16:19Am's covenant principles consistently guide the course of
- 16:21history, even across many generations of kings. 5 The
- 16:25Omred dynasty. Unprecedented evil and prophetic
- 16:28confrontation. OK, our source is called the
- 16:31Omred Dynasty. The worst.
- 16:32That's a very strong label, especially when we consider all
- 16:34the kings who did evil. What did they do that was so
- 16:37uniquely terrible, even beyond Jeroboam's foundational sin?
- 16:40Well, the House of Omri, particularly King Ahab, cemented
- 16:43their status as the worst through his marriage to Jezebel.
- 16:46This alliance led to the installation of Baal worship as
- 16:49the official state religion in Israel.
- 16:51This was a direct wholesale rejection of Imm, escalating the
- 16:55nation's turning away from him beyond anything previously
- 16:58witnessed. While Jeroboam at least
- 17:00attempted to worship, I am, albeit in a corrupted form with
- 17:03the Cavs. The Amrids actively brought in a
- 17:05foreign deity to be the national God, persecuting IMS prophets
- 17:09and dismantling his altars. Wow.
- 17:11And this abandonment of I am also led to a shocking
- 17:14abandonment of Mosaic ethics, which we see so vividly in the
- 17:17Naboth's Vineyard incident. It shows how spiritual deviation
- 17:20has terrible moral ripple effects.
- 17:22It does. Ahab's actions concerning
- 17:24Naboth's vineyard showcased a complete disregard for I Am's
- 17:27laws and justice. Naboth owned a vineyard that
- 17:30Ahab coveted. When Naboth refused to sell it,
- 17:33citing ancestral inheritance law from I AM, Ahab sulked like a
- 17:37child. Jezebel, however, took matters
- 17:39into her own hands. She orchestrated a false
- 17:42accusation of blasphemy against Naboth, using corrupt elders and
- 17:45false witnesses. Naboth was then stoned to death
- 17:48and Ahab simply took possession of the vineyard.
- 17:50This chilling episode displayed A worldview where might is
- 17:54right, where human rulers felt entitled to disregard I Am's law
- 17:57for their own desire. In direct response to this
- 18:00extreme disobedience, I am raised up his powerful prophets,
- 18:03Elijah and Elijah, to directly confront these kings.
- 18:07This was a crisis that called for dramatic spiritual
- 18:09intervention. Elijah bursts onto the scene
- 18:11like a comet, appearing abruptly and confronting Ahab directly.
- 18:15His very first action is to announce a severe drought, which
- 18:18seems like an unbelievably bold move against the king.
- 18:20This declaration of drought was a direct challenge to Baal, the
- 18:24Canaanite storm God who is believed to control rain and
- 18:26fertility. It powerfully demonstrated that
- 18:29I am alone, is God and controls creation, and that His profits
- 18:33shape history by their spiritually energized words, not
- 18:37by political muscle. Amidst the drought, I am
- 18:40miraculously provided for Elijah through Ravens bringing him food
- 18:44and later through a Canaanite widow whose small supply of
- 18:46flour and oil never ran out. He even restored her son to
- 18:49life, showing I am his complete provision and life giving
- 18:51authority even in times of severe scarcity.
- 18:54And then, of course, there's the unforgettable confrontation on
- 18:57Mount Carmel. It's one of the most famous
- 18:58stories in Kings. This dramatic contest decisively
- 19:01affirmed Elijah's understanding standing of I Am's covenant
- 19:04against Bale's false claims. It proved I Am's sole strength
- 19:08and led to the execution of the false prophets of Bale,
- 19:11effectively purging the land of that terrible idolatry.
- 19:14Elijah's physical dominance over Ahab, even outrunning Ahab's
- 19:17chariot back to Jezreel after the rain came, further showed
- 19:20that the king was as helpless as the God he worshipped.
- 19:23It was a public, undeniable display of divine authority over
- 19:26false worship. Elijah's experience at Mount
- 19:28Horeb is also very telling. He expects I am in grand,
- 19:31destructive displays of force, but instead he finds him in a
- 19:34gentle whisper. What do you make of that
- 19:36distinction? Will the destructive wind,
- 19:38earthquake, and fire that preceded the whisper symbolize
- 19:42Imms universal judgement and the coming retribution, which would
- 19:45indeed arrive through agents like Hazal, Jehu, and Elisha
- 19:49against the Amra dynasty? But the gentle whisper
- 19:51represents I am as unique presence within his particular
- 19:54Kingdom, the faithful remnant of 7000 Israelites who had not
- 19:58bowed to bail. This reveals I am preserving and
- 20:01protective care even amidst widespread turning away from
- 20:04him, showing a deeper, quieter aspect of his rule that sustains
- 20:07his chosen people even when the majority goes astray.
- 20:11Elijah, knowing his time is drawing to a close, prepares
- 20:13Elijah to continue his prophetic ministry.
- 20:16How does Elijah contribute to this ongoing confrontation with
- 20:18the Amred dynasty and their legacy?
- 20:20Elijah takes up Elijah's mantle, literally, and continues his
- 20:23work, performing amazing miracles and delivering IM's
- 20:26messages. He plays a key part in the
- 20:28fulfillment of IM's judgment against the Amred dynasty, with
- 20:32agents like Hazel, the King of Arum, and Jehu, an Israelite
- 20:35commander, carrying out the purge that destroys Ahab's line.
- 20:39Elisha's many miracles, ranging from healing Naman's leprosy to
- 20:42making an axe head float, serve to further confirm the absolute
- 20:45authority of I Am's word in Israel, demonstrating that I AM
- 20:48was still actively involved with his people.
- 20:50And other prophets like Makaya bin Imla also stood against
- 20:53Ahab. What do these additional
- 20:55prophetic voices teach us about I Am's workings?
- 20:58Makaya directly predicted Ahem's death in battle, standing in
- 21:01stark contrast to 400 false prophets who merely flattered
- 21:05Ahab, telling him what he wanted to hear.
- 21:07Makaya's prophecy, chillingly fulfilled fulfilled by a random
- 21:10arrow that struck AAP, showed that true prophecy, not false,
- 21:13is what truly shapes Israel's history.
- 21:16These multiple prophetic witnesses serve to illustrate
- 21:19that IAM's judgment against Ahab in Israel was just and fully
- 21:22declared, proving that all prophecy is under Iams rule and
- 21:26consistent with His covenant 6 validating I am Prophets signs
- 21:30of his rule. For the people of Israel living
- 21:33through these times, or for us reading these stories today, how
- 21:35could one distinguish a true prophet of I AM from a false one
- 21:38in the Book of Kings? What were the clear indicators
- 21:40they should look for? Well, the most compelling
- 21:42confirmation was the precise fulfilment of their prophecies
- 21:45through historical events, often ironically carried out by those
- 21:49who actively opposed I AM, for instance, the deaths of Kings
- 21:52Nadab and Basha. 2 Early northern kings fulfilled the
- 21:56earlier prophecy given through a hija concerning the destruction
- 21:59of Jeroboam's house. Events that might have seemed
- 22:01like mere human ambition or unfortunate accidents were in
- 22:04fact the working out of a prior divine word.
- 22:07This consistent fulfillment over time gave credibility to the
- 22:10prophets. And even older, more remote
- 22:12prophecies like Joshua's concerning the rebuilding of
- 22:15Jericho are meticulously fulfilled in Kings.
- 22:18This truly demonstrates the long term consistency of IMS word.
- 22:21Yes, centuries after Joshua's curse on anyone who would
- 22:25rebuild Jericho, Heil of Bethel rebuilt it during Ahab's reign
- 22:28and it cost him his first born son Abraham and his youngest son
- 22:32Segub, fulfilling Joshua's ancient word precisely and
- 22:36immediate prophetic signs like the Judahite Prophets altar
- 22:39being destroyed on the spot before Jeroboam served to
- 22:42confirm more remote prophecies such as Josiah's future
- 22:45desecration of Jeroboam's altar centuries later.
- 22:48This layered fulfillment provides solid evidence that I
- 22:52am actively shapes and rules history according to his
- 22:54covenants from beginning to end. So the precise fulfillment of
- 22:58predictions about royal succession, dynastic downfalls,
- 23:01and even architectural curses all serve to prove the
- 23:04authenticity of the prophetic word.
- 23:06It wasn't just good guesswork, it was foretelling.
- 23:08That's right, that's exactly it. Beyond foretelling the future,
- 23:11prophets also performed truly incredible miracles.
- 23:14What was the purpose of these signs?
- 23:15They weren't just, you know, parlor tricks for entertainment.
- 23:18No, not at all. Prophets wielded awesome signs
- 23:21and wonders that truly magnified I am and concerned the validity
- 23:24of the Mosaic Covenant. Elijah's declaration initiating
- 23:27a drought on Ahab's realm, as we discussed, displayed that I am
- 23:31alone is God and that His prophets shape history by their
- 23:34spiritually energized words. These acts were not just
- 23:37displays, they were direct statements about who held
- 23:39ultimate authority over creation and human affairs.
- 23:42Miracles like the widow's unending flower and oil and the
- 23:45resurrection of her son further confirmed Elijah's promises and
- 23:49Iams divine care. They showed both his sustaining
- 23:52provision and his amazing authority over life and death
- 23:55itself. Calling a fire down from heaven
- 23:57on Mount Carmel decisively confirmed Elijah's covenant
- 24:00centered worldview against Baal, showing I AM strength over all
- 24:03elements and false deities. Even Elijah calling fire down on
- 24:06ISI as messengers show that I Am's prophets are greater than
- 24:10satanic influences and are instruments in shaping Israel's
- 24:13destiny. These were undeniable
- 24:14demonstrations of I Am's true spiritual might breaking into
- 24:18the world. What was the consistent?
- 24:20Truth that these true prophets always spoke.
- 24:22What was their core message that they never strayed from true
- 24:26prophets consistently? Presented and upheld I Am's
- 24:28historic covenants, particularly the conditional Mosaic Covenant.
- 24:31They functioned as Israel's conscience, ensuring I AM
- 24:34maintained His rule and harmony with His covenants.
- 24:37They were the clear voice of divine instruction and warning.
- 24:40They truly served. As the decisive factor for a
- 24:43King's obedience, especially regarding the critical
- 24:45instruction for one central sanctuary for worship, they held
- 24:49kings to account on this specific foundational issue,
- 24:52right, They spoke I. Am's word without fear or
- 24:54favoritism, directly confronting kings for their disobedience in
- 24:58stark contrast to those who feared people more than God.
- 25:01The severe consequences for even to prophets own disobedience,
- 25:05like the Judahite prophet killed by a lion because he disobeyed a
- 25:08simple instruction from I AM confirm the absolute authority
- 25:11of I Am's commands delivered through his prophets.
- 25:14It showed that true prophets are not above God's word, but are
- 25:16completely subject to it, serving as His messengers, not
- 25:19their own. 7 concluding reflections the lasting truth,
- 25:24so it becomes. Abundantly clear throughout
- 25:26Kings that Israel's tragic decline from Solomon's initial
- 25:30golden era to the bitter exile was not just random history or
- 25:33bad luck. It was a direct outcome of the
- 25:36King's widespread disobedience to I Am's covenants.
- 25:39Indeed. The book consistently
- 25:41demonstrates that I Am's prophetic word is ultimately
- 25:45greater than any King's political might.
- 25:47Kings often believe that their strength, not faith in I and M,
- 25:51was the real path forward, but I am prove them wrong time and
- 25:55again. Their temporal authorities
- 25:56simply could not override divine will or divert his declared
- 26:00purposes from Solomon's initial. Spiritual divided loyalty which
- 26:04truly fractured the covenant to Jeroboam's establishment of
- 26:06outright turning away from I Am in the North and Ahab's
- 26:09unprecedented institution of Baal worship as the state
- 26:12religion. Each stage of disobedience led
- 26:15to precise, foretold consequences.
- 26:17There's a clear cause and effect relationship established by the
- 26:20Deuteronomist author. It's exactly the.
- 26:22Division of the Kingdom, dynastic instability and
- 26:24destruction, and covenant curses like famine, war, and exile.
- 26:28We're all direct fulfillments of Imms declared intentions.
- 26:32I am even used human foolishness, such as Riebom's
- 26:35bad advice to his people to brought about his history
- 26:38shaping word demonstrating his complete rule over Israel.
- 26:42No human action, whether wise or foolish, could ultimately thwart
- 26:46his sovereign purpose. So the persistent.
- 26:48Truth running through kings is Imms consistent faithfulness to
- 26:51His covenants, even amidst widespread rebellion and turning
- 26:55away from Him. His word, spoken by his
- 26:57prophets, truly shakes history and brings about His will in
- 27:01every generation. Maybe a final?
- 27:03Thought for you listening, if I Am's word so precisely determine
- 27:07the rise and fall of kings, and guided the destiny of an entire
- 27:10nation as vividly revealed in First Kings.
- 27:13What does this understanding reveal about the ultimate force
- 27:15at work in the world around you today?
- 27:17What does this mean for your perspective on history, current
- 27:19events, and even the unfolding narrative of your own life?
- 27:21What do you believe is truly shaping destiny?
- 27:24Is it human might or something far greater?
- 27:26And that concludes. Our deep dive into the Book of
- 27:29Kings. We trust this discussion has
- 27:31offered you valuable insights into the authority of IMM's word
- 27:35over all earthly strength. Thank you for joining us on The
- 27:37Deep. Dive until next time.
- 27:39We hope you've enjoyed this. Deepdiveyoucanfindmoreofourdeepdives@reformedthinking.com.