Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / July 7, 2021 | Chronological Bible Study with Patty Diliberto - Session 18: The Divided Kingdom

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July 7, 2021 | Chronological Bible Study with Patty Diliberto - Session 18: The Divided Kingdom · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

0:00
SPEAKER_00: What began as the magical kingdom under David became the tragic kingdom under David's successors.
0:09
SPEAKER_00: What started out as Camelot under Solomon deteriorated into chaos after Solomon's death.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: The unity that had been enjoyed for 100 years was shattered by civil war.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Historians tell us that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: How true is that statement?
0:38
SPEAKER_00: We are going to see today the factors that contributed to the downfall of Israel.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: And I'm pretty sure that we're going to be able to see some practical application to our own lives through this.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: So pray with me.
0:53
SPEAKER_00: Father God, thank you so much for the things that we are going to see, and the things that your spirit is going to impress upon us that we need to think about, that we need to look at in our own lives.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: And so we thank you so much for that work that your spirit does.
1:13
SPEAKER_00: And we give you this time in Jesus' name.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: The United Kingdom takes place under the kings, of course, of Saul, David, and Solomon.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Then in 931 BC, um, sorry, let me go back.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: Then in 931 BC, the kingdom split.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: And you you've already read this, but we're going to look at it again to see why it is so significant.
1:43
SPEAKER_00: It's a pivot point for Israel's history.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: And the divided kingdom, then in the northern kingdom, it's called Israel, and the southern kingdom is called Judah.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: There were 19 kings in the northern kingdom, all of them were bad.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: There were 20 kings in the southern kingdom, eight of them were good.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: So 12 of them were bad.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: There were 19 bad kings in the north, 20 kings in the south, and only eight of them were good.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: The divided kingdom is explained in the books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles.
2:26
SPEAKER_00: It parallels with Chronicles.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: This is important to understand here.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: These books are complicated because they trace the two kingdoms and often without clearly delineating what they are being referred to.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: They're just referring to the kings of that kingdom.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: And so it's left to us to figure out now which kingdom is it talking about.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: And it's always very confusing.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: To make things even more confusing, the ministries of the prophets to those specific kingdoms is also mixed in in 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles.
3:06
SPEAKER_00: And that makes it really difficult to get your mind around.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: I hope that makes sense.
3:13
SPEAKER_00: And maybe you just needed somebody to admit that these are really confusing books to go through because that's surely been my experience.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: It's nice that the chronological Bible puts them together.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: The important thing to keep in mind here, excuse me, the important thing to keep in mind is that when you are reading about Israel, you are reading about the northern kingdom.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: And you are going to know that there are no good God, no good kings.
3:55
SPEAKER_00: When you are reading about Judah, you're reading about the southern kingdom, which had eight good kings.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: Teaching the heart of the Old Testament says there is a formula that follows for almost every one of the kings from the north or south, and it goes like this.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: Each king is introduced by stating the length of his reign.
4:16
SPEAKER_00: His reign is then synchronized with the reign of the corresponding king in the other kingdom, and each king is compared to his immediate predecessor as either being better or worse.
4:29
SPEAKER_00: And all of the kings are evaluated against the benchmark king David as either being good or evil in comparison to him.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: So here is an example of this very thing.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: Joram, king of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehosaphat, king of Judah, and he reigned 12 years.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: Perfect example of what we're talking about.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: We tend to evaluate greatness by a leader's achievements, but God evaluates greatness by a person's character.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: In the life of every one of the kings of Israel and Judah, a simple and divine evaluation is given.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: He either says he was good or he was evil.
5:29
SPEAKER_00: Of the 20 kings of Israel, the nor in the northern kingdom, the eighteen kings of Israel, the northern kingdom, all of them did evil in God's eyes.
5:42
SPEAKER_00: Only eight of the kings of Judah, the southern kingdom, did good.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: But at least there were eight good ones, as opposed to all bad ones.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: So let's review the kings for just a moment.
5:54
SPEAKER_00: The United Kingdom lasted the length of the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon.
6:02
SPEAKER_00: And of course, each of them reigned for 40 years, like we said before.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: Saul, Israel's first king, was a Benjamite who failed to obey God.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: And we saw when we looked at Saul that he failed in three ways, and it was like three strikes, and you are done.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: After the death of Saul, his and his after the death of Saul and his sons at the hands of the Philistines, David was anointed king of Israel, and he reigns for 40 years.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: And Solomon becomes king after that and reigns for 40 years.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: Solomon was the last of the kings of the United Kingdom.
6:38
SPEAKER_00: His sin was the reason for the division of the United Kingdom.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: And we read about that in 1 Kings 11, 9 through 13.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who appeared to him twice.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command.
7:03
SPEAKER_00: So the Lord said to Solomon, Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my commandment, my covenant, and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.
7:18
SPEAKER_00: Nevertheless, for the sake of David, my your father, I will not do it during your lifetime.
7:24
SPEAKER_00: I will tear it out of the hands of your son.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David, my servant, and the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: So the kingdom splits in 931 BC.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: Why does the kingdom split?
7:42
SPEAKER_00: We've just seen some evidence of because of Solomon's sin, but to understand why the kingdom splits, we have to look at Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: I think it's crazy that their names are so similar, but God must have a sense of humor.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: So we have to keep them straight.
8:02
SPEAKER_00: Jeroboam was from Shechem and he grew up under King Solomon.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: Jeroboam's father died when he was young, so he was raised by his mother.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: He was mature for his age and he stood out from his peers.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: Everyone looked up to him.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: He was a leader.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: He was ambitious, he was hardworking.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: He was eventually put in charge of all of the building projects in the kingdom.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: One time, as Jeroboam was heading home to Shechem, Ahijah the prophet came to Jeroboam with a message from God.
8:39
SPEAKER_00: Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he had been wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.
8:45
SPEAKER_00: Then he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will have one tribe.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: He will have one tribe.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: I will do this because, because, here's the point, they have forsaken me and worship Ashtaroth, the goddess of the Sidonians, Shemash, the god of the Moabites, and Moloch, the god of the Ammonites.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: And they have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: These gods are abhorrent to God Almighty.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: They are abhorrent to him.
9:46
SPEAKER_00: He is serious about the worship of these gods as much now as he was then when he was speaking these words.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: Because the worship of these gods is still going on today.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: We know that.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps more than ever, the worship of these gods is happening.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: Ahijah, the prophet goes on to tell Jeroboam what God wants to do through him.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: Now listen to this.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: However, as for you, I will take you and you will rule over all your heart desires.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: You will be king over Israel.
10:30
SPEAKER_00: If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes, by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you.
10:44
SPEAKER_00: I will build you a dynasty, as enduring as the one I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: Was that a conditional promise or an unconditional promise?
11:02
SPEAKER_00: It is conditional.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: The key word there is if, if, if you will do this, then I will be obligated to do that.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: What an amazing thing God is offering him.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: Excuse me.
11:27
SPEAKER_00: Interestingly, Solomon heard about what Ahijah had said to Jeroboam, and he tries, of course, to kill him.
11:36
SPEAKER_00: But Jeroboam flees to Shishak, the king of Egypt, and he stayed there until after Solomon's death.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: When they are about to crown Solomon's son Rehboam, king, Jeroboam shows up again from Egypt.
11:53
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam, Solomon's son, went to Shechem, where Jeroboam is from, Shechem, for all the tribes have gone there to make him king.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: When Jeroboam, son of Nabat, heard this, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: He returned from Egypt.
12:11
SPEAKER_00: So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him, Your father put a heavy yoke on us.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: But now lighten the harsh labor and heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.
12:29
SPEAKER_00: All of that is important to understand, and it took place right before the division.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: This is all part of the division.
12:37
SPEAKER_00: Ahijah the prophet tells him that he will have ten tribes, tells Jeroboam he will have ten tribes.
12:44
SPEAKER_00: Solomon tries to kill him and he flees to Egypt.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: We're going to come back to Jeroboam, but now let's look at Rehobam.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam was Solomon's son, and it seems that no one disputed the fact that he was going to be the next king.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: Jim Congden, Dr.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: Jim Congden says, Rehoboam was the original silver spoon baby, the favorite son of the world famous billionaire King Solomon.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: His royal parents had the highest of hopes for him, which is why they named him Enlarger of the People.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: But they pampered their boy prince and he became a spoiled brat and a spineless bully.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam could have easily continued with the United Kingdom had his pride not gotten in the way of that.
13:38
SPEAKER_00: All Israel gathered at Shechem to make Rehobam their next king.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: We saw a minute ago that he went up to Shechem to be crowned king, and why is that unusual?
13:53
SPEAKER_00: He lives in Jerusalem, the temple is in Jerusalem, the palace and the throne is in Jerusalem.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: So why go north to Shechem to be made king?
14:08
SPEAKER_00: There was most likely already a lot of tension between the south and the north, and we've already heard that.
14:16
SPEAKER_00: So he probably went up there to be made king to soothe the tensions between the north and the south.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: Whatever the reason is, it makes it easier for Jeroboam and all the northern tribes to confront him on their turf, and they do.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: Now this is where it gets dicey because Jeroboam of all and all of Israel go to Rehoboam after he's crowned, and they ask him to lighten the load that Solomon and lighten the yoke that Solomon had put on them.
14:50
SPEAKER_00: This is the same terminology that Moses used when he went to Pharaoh and asked him to lighten the heavy yoke that Pharaoh had put on and let my people go.
15:02
SPEAKER_00: Same exact terminology.
15:05
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam, who's been crowned king, has the presence of mind to ask for three days.
15:12
SPEAKER_00: He promised to meet with the people and convey his decision after those three days.
15:16
SPEAKER_00: So he first talks to the elders who had served his father Solomon.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: What was their advice?
15:25
SPEAKER_00: They said, If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: Great advice.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: These were the wisest men in the land.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: They were Solomon's advisors, and they had given Rehoboam excellent advice.
15:43
SPEAKER_00: But Rehoboam rejects their advice.
15:46
SPEAKER_00: He consults the young men who he had grown up with.
15:50
SPEAKER_00: And what was their advice?
15:53
SPEAKER_00: Tell these people who have made who have said to you, Your father put a heavy yoke on us, make our make our yoke lighter.
16:01
SPEAKER_00: Tell them, my little finger is thicker than my father's waist.
16:04
SPEAKER_00: My father laid on you a heavy yoke.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: I will make it even heavier.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: My father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: How immature is that response?
16:15
SPEAKER_00: Which is why I put a Lego picture up here.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: He sounds like the bully on the block.
16:22
SPEAKER_00: It's so immature.
16:26
SPEAKER_00: And he's trying to impress the people and his peers.
16:30
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam and his friends had become accustomed to their lifestyle, and they didn't want to jeopardize losing their status.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: But listen to this 1 Kings 12, 15.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: For this turn of events was from the Lord to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam, son of Nebat, through Ahijah, who is ultimately in control of the nations, of every nation, of every ruler, of every uprising or revolt.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: Our Lord, our God, is in control.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: People and rulers may think that they are the ones who are making the choices, but they are not.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: So the tribes, the Israelites, went home.
18:01
SPEAKER_00: That quickly the nation divided.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: It was God's will that the kingdom be divided.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: And the heart of Rehoboam had been hardened to accomplish that.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: That's what we are seeing.
18:19
SPEAKER_00: They would have no more of Rehobam's heavy-handedness, just like they had had with Solomon's heavy-handedness.
18:26
SPEAKER_00: And what did he do in response?
18:29
SPEAKER_00: 1 Kings 12.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the whole house of the tribe of Judah, the tribe of and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men to make war against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehobam, son of Solomon.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: But this word of God came to Shemiah, the man of God.
18:52
SPEAKER_00: Say to Rehobam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, This is what the Lord says.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.
19:11
SPEAKER_00: So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again as the Lord ordered.
19:17
SPEAKER_00: The affairs of man are ultimately controlled by the Lord, and that should bring us comfort and confidence.
19:29
SPEAKER_00: Things have been out of control for over a year now.
19:33
SPEAKER_00: In our world, in our in our on our planet.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of division and a lot of foolishness that is taking place right now, and it is frustrating to watch, to observe, to live through.
19:48
SPEAKER_00: I believe that all of these things we are seeing are from God for his purposes.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: We don't yet know what those purposes are, but they are from God.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: And we may, we won't be able to see those purposes, but we have the opportunity to trust in God and his control.
20:10
SPEAKER_00: That's what we are seeing here in this division.
20:14
SPEAKER_00: It is under God's control, his design.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: It's at this point that Jeroboam begins to play a significant role in the division.
20:24
SPEAKER_00: And he doesn't appear to assert himself.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: Rather, the people gather around him and they elevate him to make him king.
20:32
SPEAKER_00: Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remain loyal to the house of David.
20:37
SPEAKER_00: And now things go from bad to worse.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam, the 41-year-old son of Solomon, reigns in Judah for 17 years in Jerusalem.
20:49
SPEAKER_00: 1 Kings 14.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: Judah, the southern kingdom, did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: By the sins they committed, they stirred up his jealous anger more than their fathers had done.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
21:06
SPEAKER_00: What did they do that stirred up his anger?
21:10
SPEAKER_00: Graciously, he tells us.
21:13
SPEAKER_00: They set up for themselves high places, sacred stones, and ashtraff poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: This wasn't just a little sin, this was grievous sin.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land, the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
21:41
SPEAKER_00: In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: He carried off all the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: This Shishak, king of Pharaoh.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: In Egypt is the one that Jeroboam had run to for refuge.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: He was very powerful, very powerful, and this invasion diminished the glory of the temple in Jerusalem.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: The division under the United United Kingdom is a very significant turning point in the history of the nation of Israel.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: If we didn't know the end of the story, we might conclude that all that this is it's all over for Israel.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: The promised blessings of God that He had given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to all the 12 tribes, the 12 tribes, we would assume would be over.
22:48
SPEAKER_00: The promised Messiah, who was going to sit on the throne of David, at this point the kingdom is divided into two nations with two kings.
22:57
SPEAKER_00: Worse yet, these two kings are frequently in conflict with one another.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: And how can God's promises to the patriarchs possibly be fulfilled now with this division?
23:11
SPEAKER_00: If you were living in Israel at that time, that's exactly what you would be asking.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what you would be pondering.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: It looked hopeless.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: And like God had forsaken all of them.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: Like he had just washed his hands of them and said, enough already.
23:28
SPEAKER_00: Had God forsaken them?
23:31
SPEAKER_00: No.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: Were these turns of events out of his control?
23:38
SPEAKER_00: Never.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: Not once.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: Were his promises to Israel still true?
23:44
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
23:46
SPEAKER_00: It is a situation that only God can resolve and he will resolve it.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: But it will be many, many years until that happens.
23:56
SPEAKER_00: But his promises are true, and he will do what he says he will do for his chosen people Israel.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: And that is true still today.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: The once united and powerful kingdom of Israel is now greatly weakened by division.
24:16
SPEAKER_00: Both the northern and southern kingdoms will be more vulnerable to foreign powers, just like we saw Shishak coming in attacking.
24:26
SPEAKER_00: Both will be tempted to make an alliance with Gentile nations, and they do.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: Both will be exposed to the idolatry of heathen religions, and they are.
25:47
SPEAKER_00: He viewed mercy and kindness and humility as weakness.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: People who want power will stop at nothing to get it.
25:56
SPEAKER_00: And that's what we see with Rehoboam.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: The third element was not heeding godly counsel.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam flatly refused the counsel of his father's counselors.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: Instead, he listened to his peers.
26:08
SPEAKER_00: And then leadership.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam abused his position of leadership.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: He viewed his position as an opportunity to force others to serve him rather than an opportunity to serve others.
26:23
SPEAKER_00: Humility and servanthood would have gone a long, long way to save his kingdom.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: And the fifth element is time.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: There was a window of opportunity for healing and reconciliation.
26:37
SPEAKER_00: And Rehoboam doesn't seize it.
26:40
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't seize that time.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: And the longer the division lasted, the more intense it became.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: All of these elements contributed to the division of the kingdom.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: Pride, power, arrogance, and abuse will always, always lead to irreconcilable differences, won't they?
27:02
SPEAKER_00: These are some of the things that we have to be careful of in our world, especially right now, in the church and in relationships.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: And if we are not careful, they will contribute to divisions even today.
27:19
SPEAKER_00: Pride, power, arrogance are contributing greatly to division.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: From a totally human viewpoint, we can see how it happened, and yet we have to remember what was spoken in 1 Kings 12:15.
27:35
SPEAKER_00: This turn of events was from the Lord to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam.
27:42
SPEAKER_00: The division was ultimately God's will.
27:45
SPEAKER_00: The king refused to listen to the people because the Lord was instigating this turn of events.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: So this is a sovereignty of God issue as well as a human responsibility issue.
28:02
SPEAKER_00: We once again see the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: And from one perspective, the division of the kingdom was the result of arrogance and foolishness of Rehoboam.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: But from the other perspective, this was all God.org explains this.
28:27
SPEAKER_00: He says, the major problem that most people face in dealing with the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is that they assume it must be all one way or the other.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: They assume that if God is sovereign, then man must not be free to make choices.
28:47
SPEAKER_00: The only other option for many is that men are free agents, causing God not to be in complete control of human history.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: How, they reason, can God hold any man accountable for choices that he was predestined to make?
29:03
SPEAKER_00: The fact is that God gives men the freedom to make choices, but he is always in complete control of human history.
29:14
SPEAKER_00: He goes on to say, when I seek to control my children, I must do so by restricting their freedoms and by limiting their choices.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: I cannot let them out of my sight or I lose control.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: God's sovereignty is far greater in nature and scope.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: God is so great that He can give men the freedom to make choices, yet these free choices can never contradict, hinder, nor thwart God's purposes or promises.
29:48
SPEAKER_00: The relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is never an either-or issue.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: It is a both and matter.
30:01
SPEAKER_00: We see this clearly in the division of the nation of Israel.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: I love those concepts.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: With this division, we can see unintended consequences.
30:14
SPEAKER_00: Rehoboam did not set out to divide the kingdom, but that's the path and the disaster that happened.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: But the fact is that that this foolish this foolish decision of his did have consequences, but it was all part of God's plan.
30:31
SPEAKER_00: What we are seeing today in our country is very similar.
30:35
SPEAKER_00: We know that in the last days, godlessness will increase, rebellion will become the normal, good will be called evil, and evil will be called good.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: As we watch the dysfunction of our world right now, we have to wonder, is God in control of this mess?
31:01
SPEAKER_00: And the answer is yes.
31:03
SPEAKER_00: Because it is inconceivable that he would not be in control.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: It's not even a possibility.
31:14
SPEAKER_00: We have to assume then that he is allowing this chaos, this dysfunction.
31:19
SPEAKER_00: I think the real question that we need to ask is why?
31:23
SPEAKER_00: Why is he allowing all of this to happen?
31:26
SPEAKER_00: Because it wouldn't be happening unless he was allowing it.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: And I firmly believe the reason he is allowing all of this is because it plays into the end times prophecies that will happen in the end times.
31:40
SPEAKER_00: This has to happen.
31:42
SPEAKER_00: It has to happen in order for the other end time events to come to fruition.
31:51
SPEAKER_00: Do we have to let the anarchists destroy our property and our lives?
31:55
SPEAKER_00: No.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely not.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: And we shouldn't.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: Satan, who is the author of this confusion and anarchy, somehow believes he is winning, and it will certainly seem like he's winning in the future.
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SPEAKER_00: It will absolutely seem like he is.
32:15
SPEAKER_00: But we know what his end is.
32:20
SPEAKER_00: God is the sovereign of the universe.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: He is.
32:26
SPEAKER_00: He always has been, and he always will be.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: If the sovereignty of God is still a concept that you want more insight on, I really encourage you to go to the website that is on your handout and read this excellent, excellent article by Ken Boa.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: It's just one of the best things that I have ever read about the sovereignty of God and human responsibility.
32:53
SPEAKER_00: Here's one quote from that article.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: God's complete control over his creation is based on his omniscience and his omnipotence.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: Omniscience is his all-knowingness and omnipotence is his all-powerfulness.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: Since God has knowledge of all things, actual and possible, his eternal plan is not based upon blind choice.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: Instead, God has wisely chosen a plan in which all the details will finally work together to bring about the greatest good, the glorification of God.
33:33
SPEAKER_00: Since God is the absolute of truth, goodness, and love, his plan is a reflection of his own being and nature.
33:43
SPEAKER_00: Not only has God chosen the best possible plan, he also has the power and the authority to bring it about, his omnipotence.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: When God promises to do something, there is no question that it will be done.
33:58
SPEAKER_00: This is why every biblical prophecy will be perfectly fulfilled.
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SPEAKER_00: Isn't that great?
34:07
SPEAKER_00: This division between Israel and Judah is his plan.
34:11
SPEAKER_00: While this is happening in the southern kingdom, similar things are happening in the northern kingdom.
34:17
SPEAKER_00: Human responsibility is at play again.
34:20
SPEAKER_00: Jeroboam, the king of the north of the northern kingdom, has built two temples to worship God in instead of going down to Jerusalem to worship to the temple in Jerusalem.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: He puts golden bulls at both of the temples and the people worship there.
34:42
SPEAKER_00: Jeroboam did this because he was afraid that the people would leave the north and be draw, be drawn back down to the south.
34:51
SPEAKER_00: He was afraid that he would lose his popularity.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: And so his solution was you can worship God anywhere with anything.
35:03
SPEAKER_00: To continue to lead Israel astray, he selected priests that were not Benjamites to be in these temples.
35:09
SPEAKER_00: It was a bad, bad, bad situation.
35:12
SPEAKER_00: And he led the people into greater idolatry.
35:15
SPEAKER_00: He became one of the most infamous kings in Jewish history.
35:19
SPEAKER_00: 1 Kings 14, go tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.
35:33
SPEAKER_00: But you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.
35:42
SPEAKER_00: You have done more evil than all who lived before you.
35:46
SPEAKER_00: You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal.
35:51
SPEAKER_00: You have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back.
35:55
SPEAKER_00: How horrible to have that pronounced over you.
35:59
SPEAKER_00: Those are the consequences of going your own way.
36:03
SPEAKER_00: God had offered him a great, great future.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: But Jeroboam didn't choose God.
36:13
SPEAKER_00: He chose the gods of the other nations.
36:17
SPEAKER_00: So let's recap, and I will make it as concise as possible.
36:24
SPEAKER_00: The northern kingdom consists of ten tribes and was known as the kingdom of Israel.
36:29
SPEAKER_00: The first king was Jeroboam, and their capital was Samaria.
36:34
SPEAKER_00: Israel had a total of 19 kings reign over them, and all of them were wicked and spiritually depraved.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: There was not one strong spiritual leader among them.
36:44
SPEAKER_00: And because of this spiritual leadership vacuum, idolatry was rampant.
36:50
SPEAKER_00: God in his mercy, I just wish we could camp on that statement for a moment, because God in his mercy sent many prophets to warn Israel, the northern kingdom, of pending judgment.
37:05
SPEAKER_00: Judgment is coming, judgment is coming.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: Two of the most notable prophets to Israel are Elijah and Elisha.
37:13
SPEAKER_00: They were mighty men of God who performed many miraculous works, and all of their prophecies were fulfilled in their lifetime.
37:22
SPEAKER_00: But the people refused to repent of their evil, and the judgment of God came.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: Israel's kingdom fell, and they were taken away captive by Assyria in 721 BC.
37:35
SPEAKER_00: The southern kingdom consisted of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, and was known as the kingdom of Judah.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: The first king of Judah was, of course, Rehoboam, and the capital city was Jerusalem.
37:48
SPEAKER_00: Judah had 19 kings and one queen who reigned over her, and unlike the kingdom of Israel, Judah did have some good kings, although many were idolatrous and evil.
38:00
SPEAKER_00: Judah received her prophets from God as well.
38:04
SPEAKER_00: They warned of the judgment of God that was coming and his and and God's wrath that was going to surely come upon them unless they repented.
38:14
SPEAKER_00: Such men of God as Isaiah and Jeremiah were sent to Judah with a message of impending judgment.
38:21
SPEAKER_00: Judah refused to repent, and in 606 BC was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
38:32
SPEAKER_00: This captivity would last for 70 years.
38:36
SPEAKER_00: Only eight rulers of the southern kingdom walked with God, while in Babylon, the Spirit of God moved on such men as Daniel and Ezekiel.
38:49
SPEAKER_00: And those wonderful books, because God is faithful.
38:56
SPEAKER_00: God is faithful to give them these men.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: That is the lesson, and I pray that we take away from this that our God is in control.
39:08
SPEAKER_00: Everything is working to the conformity of his will, and he is faithful to the very, very end.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
39:21
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Jesus.
39:22
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Father God, thank you, Holy Spirit, for your faithfulness to men, for your faithfulness to the house of Israel, to the people of Israel, and your faithfulness to those of us who call Jesus Messiah.
39:45
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
39:47
SPEAKER_00: We give you praise for your faithfulness.
39:52
SPEAKER_00: We thank you that in the midst of human responsibility, your sovereignty is still being carried out because you are omnipotent and you are omniscient.
40:04
SPEAKER_00: And we praise and thank you that we can have confidence and comfort in that reality.
40:12
SPEAKER_00: I pray that you continue to bless as my sisters and brothers read your word.
40:21
SPEAKER_00: And we give you all praise and honor and glory.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: Amen and amen.
40:27
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
40:27
SPEAKER_00: I will see you next time.