The Big Read – Kings (1-2 Kings)

Powerpoint Pictures: Queen Victoria; William the Conqueror; Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; James I

How much do you know about the Kings and Queens of England?

Can you tell me who the longest reigning monarch is? [Queen Victoria]; Who won a battle near Battle? [William I]; Who was famous for having had lots of wives? [Henry VIII]; Who ruled during the “golden age”? [Elizabeth I]; Who has a version of the English Bible named after him? [James I]

It is good to know a little bit about our history – who the kings and queens were, what happened when they ruled. There are lots of places where we can find this information out.

For the people of Israel, if they wanted to know the history of their kings, they could go to a book in the Bible called “Kings” (1 and 2 Kings in our English Bibles). This book told them who the kings of Israel and Judah were and some of the things that they did.

But although the book of Kings tells us about the kings of Israel and Judah, that’s not really what this book is about.

The book of Kings was written to answer a question – How did we end up here?

God’s people, Judah, were in exile in Babylon, away from their home and from God’s presence. How did they end up there?

The answer Kings gives is that Deuteronomy 28 happened.

“If you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees… the LORD will scatter you among all nations.” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 64)

Led by their kings, the people of Israel and Judah did not obey God and so God punished His people by sending them into exile: Israel to Assyria and Judah to Babylon.

The book of Kings tells the history of the kings to tell God’s people about how they ended up in exile. But it also made them long for a king who would one day bring them back from exile and lead them to obey God.

That King is Jesus.

So as we read Kings, it should remind us that like the people of Israel, our sin and disobedience has driven us from God, but that Jesus is our perfect King and if we trust in Him, He will bring us home from exile to God and He will drive out the remaining sin in our life so that one day we will perfectly obey God for all eternity.