Bible Study Week 5
Part 2
The Period of the Judges
God Raised Up Judges
Israel fell into the deepest of sins after Joshua's death because of the lack of good leadership. Sin led to captivity. In the captivity they cried out to God, and God raised up judges to lead Israel (Judges 2:16-23). There were fifteen judges in all. One was a woman (Deborah). Two were priests (Eli and Samuel), and two were prophets (Deborah and Samuel). Ehud was a left-handed Benjamite who delivered Israel from the Moabites. Shamgar slew six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. Two other judges, Gideon and Samson, are well known for the way that the Lord used them mightily.
Judges 17:6 summarizes the lack of spiritual direction Israel experienced during this period. "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. "God used judges to rule until Israel chose its first king. "And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet" (Acts 13:19-20).
The United Kingdom
Israel Demands a King
The prophet Samuel ruled over Israel under the direction of God, but Israel was not satisfied with the leadership that God had put over them. They wanted to have a king like the heathen nations around them. Israel rejected the invisible King (their God) for a man whom they could display before nations. This desire to be like the surrounding nations revealed the condition of their hearts. God wants His will to be accomplished. If a people insist on their own way, God will, at their insistence, let them have their way. This is what happened to Israel (Hosea 13:11, Psalm 106:15).
>>> What are some of the pitfalls that come with wanting to be like everyone else?
Not my will, but thine be done." was the way Jesus prayed (Luke 22:42), and His prayer is a patter for all humanity. The proper attitude of the heart can only be maintained through prayer and dedication to the Word of the Lord.
The Three Kings
The united kingdom of Israel had three kings who reigned over it. Each of these kings reigned for forty years. Their names are Saul, David, and Solomon.
Saul
God chose the first king for Israel out of the tribe of Benjamin--a man named Saul. Saul stood head and shoulders over all Israel. He was a courageous man and at the time he was chosen he was also bumble (I Samuel 9).His character drastically after he received the power and authority of his new office. Saul forgot his place with God, and power corrupted his thinking. Power and authority often change someone from a humble servant into a proud, self-willed, jealous, and disobedient person. Power should be treated with respect, or it will blind one to the truth and the will of God.
Saul's later years were filled with many mistakes and sins, which overshadowed the previous good he had done. Saul's great pride prevented him from recognizing God's word through Samuel. Samuel was God's chosen spokesman. But Saul offered a sacrifice in the place of Samuel when he thought Samuel had waited to long to appear (I Samuel 13:8-14). He also rebelled against the words of Samuel to destroy everything when he went to battle against the Amalekites (I Samuel 15). Instead of obeying God's command, Saul brought back King Agag alive along with the cattle and sheep. Samuel rebuked Saul strongly, saying, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (I Samuel 15:22). Obedience is more meaningful than sacrifices. God appreciates sacrificial offerings, but He despises and judges disobedience.
God rejected Saul and his rebellious nature, and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him. God had chosen another king for Israel, David, a man after God's own heart. Saul became jealous of David that he tried twice to kill David. Saul's life ended when he fell upon his own sword on the battlefield. He was a man wrecked by his own overpowering self-will (I Samuel 31).
People are often their own worst enemy. The deepest and most dangerous troubles that afflict our lives come from within, not from without.
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The human soul falls only when there is treason within. The enemy can only enter through a gate that has been opened from within. The outside dangers and temptations of the world have no power until they receive the cooperation and the help of the foe within. David the second king of the united kingdom is one of the best-loved characters in the Scriptures. David, He was anointed king by Samuel when he was just a young man taking care of the family's sheep (I Samuel 16). Possibly the highest compliment that could be said of David is that he was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). This attribute is essential for anyone to be a truly successful Christian. Although David sinned, his desire to please God and his tenderness of heart brought him to a place of repentance and remorse.
David Slays Goliath
While David was a shepherd lad caring for sheep, he fought a bear and a lion that threatened his flock. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David, and he quickly destroyed these dangerous animals. When he was sent to see how his brothers were doing in the war against the Philistines, David was enraged by the boasting of the Philistine giant, Goliath, and by the cowardice of Israel
Goliath was an awesome sight, over nine feet tall in full battle array with a helmet of brass and a huge coat of mail. The staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head was enormous. This champion of the Philistines taunted the Israelites. "Choose a man to fight me"!"
Although David was but a youth, he had faith in God. Because of David's faith in God, he fought Goliath without the help of Israel. He used a sling, a stone, and the name of the Lord, knocking the giant to the ground. He then beheaded Goliath with the man's own sword (I Samuel 17). This story illustrates the way of victory over things that war against the soul: spiritual temptations must be utterly destroyed.
David's Problems and Victories
This great victory by David brought him much praise, which enraged King Saul. A great jealousy, cruel as the grave, raged in Saul's heart against David. Saul's greatest desire for the remaining years of his life was to destroy David (I Samuel 18)
Although David loved God and wanted to please Him, his life was not without spot. He committed a terrible sin after he became king. While the armies of Israel were fighting against Ammon, David, at ease on the roof of his house, saw a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing. Immediately David wanted thins woman, and he sent messengers to bring her to him. David committed adultery, sinning against God and his fellow man. Had David been with the armies of Israel he would not have been in a place to commit this sin. In an attempt to cover up his sin, David had Bathsheba's husband, Uariah, killed.
Although Davide was called a man after God's own heart, God did not overlook his gross sin. God sent a prophet, Nathan, with a convicting message in the form of a story. His story was as follows:
There were two men in one city: one rich the other poor. The rich man had many flocks and herds but the poor man had only one little beloved ewe lamb, which he had hand fed and treated as a member of the family. The rich man had a guest one day, but instead of killing on of his own lambs for dinner, the rich man took the poor man's beloved lamb for his guest.
"That man will surely die", cried David in hot anger.
"You are the man, Davie," Nathan thundered. David had a throne, houses, and wives but he sent Uriah to his death and took his wife. The prophet then pronounced judgment on David (II Samuel 12:11-12). At this point David repented.
God certainly is no respecter of persons. He rebuked King David as He does all who sin. God cannot and does not tolerate sin. No sin will enter the heavenly kingdom! Certainly with God it does not matter how much we have in the bank or who we know. All wealth belongs to God, and He is the source of all power. There is no such thing as political pressure or pull in God's kingdom. Everyone is equal in his sight.
David wanted to build a temple for God, but David had been a man of war, shedding blood, and God would not allow him to build a temple. This privilege, however, was granted to one of David's sons, which brings us to our next king (II Samuel 7).
Solomon
Solomon, the son of David, loved the Lord. After he took his office as king, Solomon went to Gibeon and offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar. It was in Gibeon after this great offering that God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask what I shall give thee" (I Kings 3:5). What a question! All of God's riches were at his disposal. In response, Solomon simply asked for wisdom to lead God's people. His request of God reflected his unselfish desire to be a good leader as was his father, David. As a result of his unselfish request, God made Solomon the wisest king who ever lived (I Kings 3:13).
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Mathew 6:33).
Solomon's request reveals the true desire of his heart in his early years as king. He desired an understanding heart so that he could discern between good and evil. Things he did not ask for--long life, riches, and power over his enemies--God then generously gave to Solomon. The word of the Lord is true. If we seek His kingdom first He will supply our needs.
Solomons Failures
Solomon is known for his wisdom. The Scriptures say of him "that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee" (I Kings 3:12). He is known for his extreme wealth and for his wives, who numbered in the hundreds. Sad to say, his wives turned his heart from the one true God. Solomon went after other gods. Even the most dedicated of people can fall from the grace of God if the do not die daily to the will of their flesh. What a change! The beginning of Solomon's reign as king portrayed a man full of desire to please God. He changed from this to backslidden royalty--a man who had forgotten the God who had spoken to him in Gibeon. It is the one who finishes the race that will obtain the crown.
Solomon Builds the Temple
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Solomon's reign was the Temple, which he built at Jerusalem (I Kings 5). He built the Temple after the pattern the Lord had given David. The construction took seven years. The Temple included the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies like the original Tabernacle. During the first service in the Temple, the presence of God was so strong that the Temple was filled with a thick cloud. Solomon, who began his prayer standing before the Lord, ended on his knees before the holy One of Israel (I Kings 8:54). Humble submission and contrite worship in the house of the Lord will bring His blessed presence.
Because of Solomon's many sins and his deviation from the plan of God, the united kingdom of Israel was divided after his reign. The spiritually depraved kingdom then separated and became two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, each having its own king (I Kings 11)