the prophets and kings of the divided kingdom

Our Series is brought to a close by looking at the final King of each Kingdom: King Zedekiah (Judah) and King Hoshea (Israel). Though they reigned around 140 years apart there are many similarities between their characters and the times in which they lived. Their lives are mirrored. We look at some of the history of the period, including inter-state relations. We are reminded how important the Prophets are at this time. There is hope when we submit to God even when judgement is forecast. We need to repent and turn to Him. Both Zedekiah and Hoshea looked for help in other places to what God indicated. The picture of King Jehu bowing to Shalmaneser III on the Black Obelisk sums up what is often happening in these two books. Yahweh was meant to be the true King of Israel and Judah. However, most kings trusted in foreign powers rather than God. Failure, tragedy and despair mark most of the reigns in the books of Kings and Chronicles.Christ is our Lord and King. Jesus is King of all the nations.Looking at the slides on our website will really help you to get more out of this Talk.

Looking in 2 Kings 22, 23 and 2 Chronicles 34, 35 we find a king that makes us smile. Two key words of his reign are Renewal and Revival.Some kings had a good start in life yet ruled Judah in an evil way. Josiah’s brilliant reign is a miracle because of the poor inheritance he gained from his dad and grandad. At the start of his reign the Temple in Jerusalem and worship in general was in a terrible state. Josiah didn’t make a casual or pathetic change – he really went for it as he realised the holiness of God was important. Finding the Book of Deuteronomy in the Temple was a major turning point in his reign. The ‘Bible’ is a compass for Israel, but they neglected it under many kings. Revival happens when we realise how sinful we are and how holy God is. Josiah doesn’t just repent personally, but encouraged all of Judah to repent as well.How can we suggest to people that the Bible is still relevant for them and their lives? People are not aware of this, so we need to lead them to understanding how important it is.God can use any of us – it doesn’t matter how old we are, our family background or the state of the society around us. We don’t need to let any obstacle to get in the way of us doing what is right. We can all lead a Revival with God’s help. Are there any promises that are buried? We are encouraged to go and uncover them again. Listen carefully as God whispers important things to you. May He be glorified through us!

In this Talk we hear about King Manasseh, his life and legacy, as well as the background to his reign. He set up high places in Judah and can be seen as an evil king for much of his reign. Are there high places in our own lives? We can’t be the best disciple of Jesus if we live dual lives –tolerating our own sins (like a plank) but getting annoyed by others’ sins (their speck). There is a battle going on, but God is with us and for us. Chronicles describes how Manasseh repented, just like Paul of Tarsus did. We are encouraged to turn our default setting down so that we hate sin too. “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould” (Romans 12:2). We also watched a video by Justin Welby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m9h3FoeXNA

Hezekiah was a good King of Judah. He sought God through reading the Scriptures that existed then, listening to Isaiah and praying. However we learn that he was also proud on occasions.

We look further into the background of the Kings and Prophets of the Divided Kingdom. Why are some of the Kings mentioned only in the Books of Kings and some in both Kings and Chronicles? Who wrote these books and why?Jehu’s story is mostly told in 2 Kings 9 and 10. He was certainly appointed by God and was perhaps the best King that the northern Kingdom had. However, he didn’t follow through totally with the things that God had asked him to do. He let idolatrous worship continue. He tolerated evil.“Because” and “but” are words God uses to partly describe different Kings. Jehu might have started off his reign in a good way, but it didn’t continue. Doing well in the past can strengthen us today, but we still need to decide to follow and obey God wholeheartedly today. What steps of faith will I take today? How can I help and encourage others in their next step? Neil Armstrong didn’t make that famous step in 1969 on his own. He needed a great deal of help from others. True discipleship needs deep relationships. We need to invest our lives in other people as God leads us. Transformation for the town and our church will necessitate change in us personally.As God speaks to us, so we all need to make a response to Him. Using the Notes on our website in conjunction with this Audio will help you as you will be able to see all the slides that were used.

Another good King is focussed on. Jehoshaphat's heart was for God. Does anything obscure our view of Christ? Does our life revolve around Him? Let's align ourselves fully with God. "...Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

We look at the background to why Jeroboam became King, which primarily involves King Solomon. Jeroboam could have been a very good King indeed but turned out badly. He is the “What If?” King. He can be compared to King David in many ways. The way they worshipped and encouraged others to worship is what separates them.Do we involve God in the major decisions of our lives? Do we worship God the way He desires to be worshipped within our personalities? Do we allow the circumstances of our lives to dictate the way we relate to Jesus or do we allow Jesus to direct and shape our circumstances? It’s more important to think about how we end our life rather than how we began it. Let’s decide to be like David and not follow Jeroboam’s example.Using the Notes on our website in conjunction with this Audio will help you as you will be able to see all the slides that were used.