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Simple Bible overview of 1 Kings - 2 Kings 17 -- The 19 "kings of the hill," from the split under Jeroboam, to their destruction
The Israelites demanded a king in 1 Samuel. God tried to talk them out of it, but to no avail. God gives in. The experiment in a human king doesn’t go real well. Now, only about 120 years in, the country is in trouble. Split north and south, they have a series of kings that claw their way to power up the hill and do some crazy things to stay there.
Lets look at the North (Israel). The first king who starts the whole mess is Jeroboam. He is the main culprit. Those calves, new festivals, non-Levite priests, and new altar – these leave the country wandering into idolatry. God sends a prophet to tell Jeroboam he is doomed and all his descendants will be wiped out. Dogs will lick up their blood or buzzards will pick there bones clean. God says he can be sure of this as his own son will die when Jeroboam’s wife gets home. That happens.
Nabad takes over. He is killed by Baasha. Baasha kills off all Jeroboam’s line, then Baasha does the same thing! What is he thinking.
Elah takes over, and is assassinated by Zimri. He is only king for a week. He is attacked by Omri. Zimri burns himself to death in a tower.
Zimri is know for two things – building the capital city of Samaria, and fathering a real prize – Ahab. He becomes their worst king, and his lovely wife Jezebel may have been worst. They set up 850 false prophets in the land. God sends a famine and the Arameans to nip away at them. It does not work. They continue to sin. One sin is murdering a neighbor because he won’t sell Ahab a plot of land for his garden. Ahab is shot in battle and his chariot is rinsed out at the place he killed that neighbor.
Ahaziah takes over. He falls through a roof and seeks insight from the god of Ekron! A prophet intercepts him and says he is done.
God mercifully fights on behalf of sinful Israel. It’s like the time of the Judges all over again.
Jehu comes to the throne. He is the best of these evil kings. He kills of Jezebel and all of Ahab’s line, then Ahab’s friends and allies. Then he eradicates the Baal priests and worshippers and turns their main temple into a public toilet. You think maybe revival will come to the land. But Jehu follows after Jeroboam – he addressed the symptoms but didn’t get rid of the disease.
Aram batters Israel again. God pities Israel because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God raises up a real warrior king, Jeroboam II. After Jeroboam, the kings fall like dominoes until they become even worse than the ‘-ites that had been in the land before. They even start sacrificing their children in the fire to Molech.
Finally, God has had enough. Assyria puts Samaria under a siege, then either kills or takes captive the entire northern tribes.
God gives the reason for the destruction in 2 Kings 17 – they broke nearly all God’s commandments – “they sold themselves to evil.” This went on for nearly 200 years. During this time God had sent a number of prophets to warn them and pull them back from the brink – Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea.
Assyria ships in foreign people they have conquered. They intermarry with the few Israelites left there. These are named after the former capital -- Samaria. They are called Samaria-tans. Samaritans.
EPISODE 63 The simple Bible overview of…THE KINGS OF ISRAEL
In First Samuel...
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...he children of Israel demand a King. So they can be like the nations all around them. God tries to talk them out of it, but then gives them their own way they had saw then David then Solomon, each ruled for about 40 years now, 120 years into their monarchy experience. The nation divides into North and South. The North will last for about 200 years. The South, about a hundred years longer before being dragged into captivity by Babylon, during the centuries covered in the books of first and second Kings and elaborated on by first and second Chronicles, we find what looks like a King of the Hill contest on an elementary or middle school playground.
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I remember those well, large piles of snow, plow it up and stacked. They were doomed for this recess activity. Buckle your seat belts. I'm about to give you 19 Kings of the North who clawed their way to the top of the Hill. I don't expect my students to remember hardly any of them. They were quite forgettable other than their increasing levels of disobedience to God and wickedness on each other. But there are three names that stick out the first Jeroboam the second Ahab and the third J who there's the recess bell. Let's go out on the playground and take a look. Jeroboam he's remembered for the guy who started at all the golden calves, the new festivals, ordaining, anyone he felt like for priests, building an altar and making sacrifices on it himself throughout the 19 Kings of Israel, the Northern kingdom, the phrase he walked in, the sins of his father Jeroboam is repeated over and over Jeroboam is the culprit, the fight against God on the playground.
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He started it. We pick up his story. Jeroboam son gets sick. So he sends his wife disguise to the prophet who handed him the 10 pieces of his cloak and said, 10 tribes will be yours. Jeroboam wants to know what will happen with his son. The prophet immediately sees through the disguise welcome wife of Jeroboam. I've got a message for you. Your son is doomed. Matter of fact, all of your family is doomed. Everyone. Those who die in the city will be eaten by wild dogs. Those who die out in the countryside will be picked clean by vultures. And by the way, Israel will lose the land that God had promised to Abraham.
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I mean, how could God do any differently? He'd taken it away from the EITs because of their wretchedness. Now he's going to leave it in the hands of Israel
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When they're equally or even more wretched,
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Even though they have the revelation of God, the prophet said, here's the sign. All of this will come true. When you get home, the moment you come in to the house, your child will die. And sure enough, that's exactly what happened yet. With these stern warnings, the death of his son Jeroboam is unmoved unrepentant, and he dies in his sin. His son takes the Hill. Nadab is just like his dad. He's up there on top for two years. Then he's assassinated by a Bay Usha bearish as the third King of the Hill after killing Nadab. He kills every single descendant of Jeroboam. As the prophet said, the dog's and vultures have a feast as the prophet said, but then they Usha does the exact same sins.
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What are you thinking if you were God, what would you say to bathe Russia? If you said you'll have the same fate as Jeroboam, you'd be right bashes at the top of the Hill for 24 years as King. And then he falls, the next King of the Hill is ILA. He's up there two years. Then one day getting drunk in the palace. He's assassinated by Zimri Zimri takes the Hill he's King, get this for a week. But even though King for a week, it says he followed in the steps of Jeroboam his father. Can you imagine it didn't even take a week to show he's made, have the same stuff. Next Henri general of the army gathered his troops and attacks.
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The Capitol city Zimri goes into a tower and lights it on fire on himself. I guess that would be falling off the Hill. Omri rules the Hill for 12 years. During that time he builds Samarria and he follows after Jeroboam perhaps his most sinister legacy is a son. He has a Hab he's the second King on the Hill of the North. We want you to remember the first King spends a lot of time on Ahab and behind him, his lovely wife, Jezza bell daughter, the King of Sidon. When's the last time you've met someone who's named their daughter Jezza bell. And for good reason, she likely was more wicked than Ahab.
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He might've been the head of the nation, but she clearly was the, the evil neck that turned that head. We'll find out. In our next episode, God raises up a playground attendant, a prophet just for this dude, Ahab and Jezebel set up 450 bail prophets in the nation and 400 prophets of Asherah Mrs. Bale. God tried to get their attention with a severe famine. He bullied them by the Aramaeans. They nipped away at Israel over and over. And even still, God is merciful. He gives victory to Israel to stave off air, but even here, Ahab won't obey God. He spares their King.
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It's just plain nuts. Then they have been, Jessebelle go to the well, one too many times we're told Ahab had his eye on a small piece of land for a garden. It belonged to someone else and that someone else wouldn't sell it to him. When he starts to pout Jezza bell, here's the story and says, does a woman have to always handle these tough jobs? She breaks commandment number nine, false testimony, and has the property owner stoned soon after a habeas shot in battle. Read the story. He's disguised as a common soldier and an enemy soldier randomly lets an arrow fly and it fifth ribs in the crowd. Jezza Bell's fate will be settled soon.
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The next King on the Hill is ASI. He's up there for two years in his college yearbook, he would have written the top three people who have influenced me Jeroboam and my mom and dad, a Hab ingestible, nice ASI falls through a lattice, a roof. He wants to know if he's going to be okay. So he sends his emissaries to the God of Ektron to see if he'll recover. They're intercepted by a prophet. Go back to your master. I can answer that one. You're done. The next King on the Hill is Joe Horsham or George Tim. He's another of Ahab sons. It said he was not as bad as his dad, but he's still really bad. At least he tears down one of the bale pillars that his dad set up, but he continues in the sins of Jeroboam.
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Meanwhile, Moab is stirred up. I mean their mat is Hornets and Israel is in trouble. But again, God mercifully fights on behalf of sinful Israel then Aram returns to Israel's capital Samarria. They put them under siege and there's a terrible famine. Again, God fights for Israel in a miraculous way. And the enemies flee without a shot being fired. Then we get to our third King. You should remember J who J who reign for 28 years. If the nation of Israel had cancer. Jay, who was the chemo anointed by Alicia as Israel's King, he gets to work.
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He kills King George from and the Southern King. Who's affiliated with them ASI. Then he goes after Jezza bell, he has the pure evil woman thrown out of a tower. Then he personally tramples her with his horse. Next. He kills a Hab 70 sons, every one of them. He then Kilz all of a Habs, friends and allies, all of them next. He invites all bale worshipers in the entire nation of Israel to a Whopper worship service for bail. He makes them think he is going to be the head worshiper of bail. He dresses them all in special clothing. Then he tells anyone who believes in the God of Israel to get out after a pause for their exit.
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He then commands his soldiers to kill every single bale, worshiper and priest to execute them all. When that's finished, he turns the bail temple into an outhouse. Wow, pretty incredible King on the Northern Hill. Now could this be a revival worship of the true God? One would wish the answer is no, he didn't obey the law of God with his whole heart. And he didn't turn away from the sins of Jeroboam those calves and festivals and false priests. You could say he deeply addressed the symptoms, but he didn't get rid of the disease. The next King Jehovah has reign for 17 years on the Hill.
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He was like, Jeroboam Aram comes in, batters Israel again and again. And they cry for help. Now it feels like the time of the judges. They cry for help. God raises up a deliverer. Then God gives them peace and safety until they sin again, by the end of Jehovah has rain. There were only 50 in their cavalry, 10 chariots and 10,000 soldiers on foot. The next King of the Hill is Jehoahaz Ash. He was up there 16 years. He was the Jeroboam song. Just the different verse we're told yet God pitied Israel because of the covenant he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The next King was Jeroboam too.
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Maybe you want to remember him as well. Jeroboam the second he rained up there for 41 years. He still walked in the sins of Jeroboam one, but he was a warrior. He put the fear of God in the Israelites, not have the true God. Mind you think of that big sixth grade farm boy at the top of the snowbank that nobody really wants to mess with next up Zachariah. He lasted six months until he was assassinated right in public by Shallom Shallom takes the Hill. He's up there one month until he is executed by Menachem. Menachem's renowned for picking up a terrible Assyrian practice, ripping open pregnant women.
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Can you imagine a King representing the God of Israel ripping open pregnant women the same God who said, children are a gift of the Lord, the same God who said I'm getting rid of the EITs because they're sacrificing their children in the fire. Next up on the Hill. PECA Haya. He was up there two years before being assassinated by Pekka Pekka takes the Hill. He's up there 20 years during his time, Syria captures the East side of the Jordan. That's right, Reuben GAD in the half tribe of Manasseh. He deports these folks to a serious captives. Those tribes are gone.
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And yet the rest of Israel continues to sin. The sins of Jeroboam those calves festivals and disobedience to God pec as assassinated by Hoshi Hoshi. As the last King of the Northern Hill, we're told he was a bad Apple, Syria forces him to pay heavy tribute. Hosha goes to Egypt for help. That's the last straw for Assyria he's imprisoned. The Capitol city of Samaria is put under a three-year siege. This time God sits back and watches. There's no help. The remaining tribes, the people of the North Israel are taken into exile. They've lost the land.
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God had promised perhaps knowing he would be slandered for reneging on his promise. God gives the reason for the destruction of the Northern kingdom. In second Kings 17 seven through 23, here's the gist of it. They worshiped other gods that's breaking family rule one. They set up images in all kinds of places. That's rule two. They defied all the commands of the Lord. That's one through 10. And it all started with those calves. The final straw God said is they sacrificed their children and sought guidance through sorcery. And this summary statement, they sold themselves to evil.
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Remember this went on for 200 years. Many times, God in his mercy stepped in to help them in their self-induced suffering. Having taken the survivors have the Northern kingdom Israel to a Syria. Syria shipped in foreigners, captives of other nations. The few Israelites left their will interbreed with those foreigners. Their descendants will actually show up in the new Testament. Seven centuries later they're named after the Northern kingdoms capital Samarria they're called Samaritans Samaritans. I guess you could say the bell just rang on the Northern kingdom.
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Recess is over for 200 years. God had tried to reach these Kings clawing their way up the Hill with consequences in repeated warnings. God had sent directly to the Northern kingdom. Israel for powerful profits, playground attendance, each pleading with them to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God and listened to the words of his command. We're going to look at these for playground attendance to the North Elijah and Elisha, Amos and Hosea in our next to WordPictures.
The final episode, telling the story of Jesus in a way you likely never heard it before!
It is a cover-to-cover overview of the Bible in simple language and clear word pictures for seekers and students of all ages
