We live in a time when too many people seem to care only for the events of the day, and anticipate what will happen tomorrow, with little knowledge or concern for what happened in the past. The Scripture, however, tells us to “look to the OLD paths, wherein is the good way, and walk therein,” and we cannot do that if we have no knowledge of what the old paths were. Our faith is grounded in a series of historical facts that we must believe if we are to be saved: Christ died, was buried, rose bodily from the grave and ascended. The Bible is the only inspired record of these things, and a significant portion of it gives us the historical foundation for God’s plan of redemption. The so-called “historical books” teach and reinforce our knowledge of who God is and how we are to live, yet large portions of these books, particularly the books of the Kings and Chronicles are largely neglected.This series, beginning with the reign of Solomon, is an attempt to draw out important lessons from the kingdom age of ancient national Israel.

“Understanding the Divided Kingdom” Series

The Divided kingdom Sermons in Order

Introduction: The oft-quoted words of philosopher George Santayana, that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” are played out to their fullest extent in ancient Israel, particularly during its existence as a divided kingdom. No other kingdom on earth has been given such a rich endowment and squandered it so completely, yet the reasons for its collapse have been often repeated, and therefore, these Old Testament passages contain rich instruction and relevance for individuals and nations today. Furthermore, out of the ashes of this kingdom, God would bring forth the Savior of the world, and a remnant of faith that would become the New Testament church.

1. Happy, Happy Solomon (1 Ki. 4:1 – 11:10). Summary: Following a pattern not uncommon to men and nations, Solomon’s faithfulness led to greatness under God’s blessing, his greatness led to openness, and his openness led to unfaithfulness.

2. Appointed Adversaries of the Almighty (1 Ki. 11:9-43). Summary: Keeping his promise to judge Solomon if he disobeyed (1 Kings 9:1-9), God raises up three adversaries, whom He has prepared, to divide the kingdom and thereby bring Solomon to repentance, and preserve the people of God from spiritual destruction.

3. Jeroboam, Who Made Israel to Sin, Part 1: The Rise of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:1-24; 2 Chr. 11:5-17). Summary: In a sinless world, all of the events in this passage would be out of character for a God of holiness, wisdom, and order. Yet in order that the Lord’s sovereign purposes might be accomplished, the hand of God has decreed a series of events that divide the kingdom of Israel permanently: an uprising against the king’s yoke, a rejection of the elders’ wise counsel, and a rebellion against the king’s rule.

4. Jeroboam, Who Made Israel to Sin, Part 2: The Religion of Jeroboam’s Heart (1 Kings 12:25-33). Summary: In order that the Lord’s sovereign purposes might be accomplished, the hand of God decrees a series of events that divide the kingdom of Israel permanently: an uprising against the king’s yoke, a rejection of the elders’ wise counsel, and a rebellion against the king’s rule.

5. The Man Who Made Israel to Sin, Part 3: The Spiritual Legacy of Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:1-34). Summary: Although the Lord’s people may be tempted by the world, and the world’s people may be attracted to the Lord, in time their true character will be revealed.

6. Rehoboam’s Counterfeit Kingdom (2 Chron 11:5 – 12:16). Summary: King Rehoboam, despite his apparent abilities in the art of governance, was not a successful king of Judah because he did not strengthen himself in the Lord his God.

7. Abijah: A Man with Three Lives (2 Chron. 13:1-22; 1 Kings 15:1-8). Summary: In Abijah’s brief reign of only 3 years, he lived three lives: the one his people could see, the one he himself saw (through the eyes of his deceived heart), and the one only God could see.

8. The Enigma of King Asa (1 Ki. 15:8-24; 2 Chr. 14-16). Summary: Although Asa, the first great reformer-king of Judah, is an enigmatic figure, the historical account of how God used him to remind His people of the sinfulness of idolatry, the sureness of His promises, and the significance of their relationship to Him, is still relevant to God’s people today.

9. According to the Word of the Lord (15:23 – 16:20). Summary: Even when it appears that God has forgotten, His Word reminds us that His judgments on sinners as well as His blessings on the remnant of Israel are sure.

10. The Provocations of Ahab, Part 1 (1 Kings 16:29-34). Summary: In this passage introducing the reign of Ahab, we see how neglecting one’s spiritual heritage can provoke the anger of God and bring about disastrous consequences.

11. The Provocations of Ahab, Part 2 (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1-18). Summary: In this passage, Ahab hardens himself against the Lord, in the face of a direct confrontation by God’s messenger and the complete failure of his own false trusts.

12. The Provocations of Ahab, Part 3 (1 Kings 18:19-46; 1 Ki. 20:1-43). Summary: As Ahab faces and fails the most the most important tests of his obedience as king, he is no longer merely Ahab the Indecisive, but Ahab the Forsaken.

13. Elijah’s Life of Faith, Part 1 (1 Kings 17:1-24). Summary: Elijah, though he was only a man with a nature like ours, was greatly used of God because he exercised great faith that was rooted in obedience, tested by disappointments, and rewarded by the intimate presence of God.

14. Elijah’s Life of Faith, Part 2 (1 Kings 19:1-21). Summary: Elijah, though he was only a man with a nature like ours, was greatly used of God because he exercised great faith that was rooted in obedience, tested by disappointments, and rewarded by the intimate presence of God.

15. The Call of Elisha (1 Ki. 19:15-21). Summary: Elijah’s seeking and calling of Elisha occurred in the same fashion as the Lord’s call to His disciples today: there was an unexpected visit, an inaudible call, and an inexplicable response.

16. The Commissioning of Elisha (2 Ki. 2:1-14). Summary: In this passage, Elisha may be seen not merely as a man of God uniquely chosen for an extraordinary mission, but as a picture of all believers, who are called to die to self and live for Christ.

17. The Ministry of Elisha, Part 1: Healing the “Evil” Fountain (2 Kings 2:15-22). Summary: Elisha’s miracle of the healing of the foul spring, when considering its location, the means used and the result obtained, presents a beautiful and symbolic picture of God’s desire and ability to cleanse man from his sin.

18. The Ministry of Elisha, Part 2: “A Tale of Two Looks” (2 Kings 2:23-25): Summary: One’s countenance towards God will ultimately determine God’s countenance towards him.

19. Jehoshaphat Under God’s Blessing (2 Chronicles 17:1-13; Psalm 1). Summary: Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, is a real-life example, at least in a general sense, of the portrait of the godly man given in Psalm 1.

20. Jehoshaphat Under God’s Protection (2 Chron. 18 – 20). Summary: Jehoshaphat’s story affords us a perfect example of the reality of indwelling sin in the life of a believer: he sinned, he repented, and he found forgiveness.

21. Dreaming Prophets and Itching Ears (2 Chronicles 18:9-27). Summary: This account of false prophets among the true sheds light not only on God’s purpose for allowing them, but on the natural man’s appetite for listening to them.

22. The Ministry of Elisha, Part 3: The Widow’s Oil (2 Kings 4:1-7). Summary: The story of Elisha and the widow’s oil pictures the wonderful story of human redemption and illustrates the ingredients of faith in the life of the redeemed one.

23. The Ministry of Elisha, Part 4: “The Lord Gave, the Lord Has Taken” (2 Kings 4:8-37). Summary: In this story, the hardship, joy and faithful service of the Shunemite woman bring to life Job’s words of complete resignation to God’s will: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

24. The Ministry of Elisha, Part 5: The Fundamentals of Faith (2 Kings 4:42-44). Summary: This brief passage, which illustrates the workings of faith in both man and God, is an encouragement to the Christian especially in difficult times.

25. A Mighty Man…But A Leper (2 Kings 5:1-4). Summary: Naaman the Syrian is introduced to us in terms that reveal his deficiency as a man, as afflicted with a horrible disease, but noticed by the eye of God.

26. Light For A Man Hedged In (2 Kings 5:1-15). Summary: By hedging him in, God moved Naaman the Syrian to seek help for his deficiency, to see himself as he was, and to see God as He was.

27. Whom Do You Seek? (Matthew 2:1-12; 2 Kings 5:5-19). Summary: The journey of Naaman the Syrian and the quest of the Magi contain instructive similarities for those who would seek the Lord.

28. Naaman’s Newborn Faith (2 Kings 5:14-19). Summary: While the cleansing of Naaman was a miraculous demonstration of the New Birth, the verses following it reveal the first steps of faith in the life of a spiritual newborn.

29. Gehazi, the Hypocrite (2 Kings 5:20-27). Summary: As the true nature of condition of Gehazi’s heart is revealed, we would be wise to remind ourselves of Scripture’s serious warnings against hypocrisy.

30. God’s Plan for Man’s Deliverance (2 Kings 6:8-16). Summary: Those who would be numbered with God’s people will experience a continuous battle with a relentless enemy, but in that battle will be given divine intelligence and superior reinforcements.

31. God’s Plan for Man’s Deliverance, Part 2 (2 Kings 6:15-23). Summary: This passage illustrates God’s compassion through Christ towards sinful humanity, first in showing and then in meeting the sinner’s deepest needs.

32. A Calamity From the Lord, Part 1 (2 Kings 6:24 – 7:1). Summary: Times of distress often reveal what we really are. In this “calamity from the Lord,” we see the corruption of the wicked, as it is revealed in their motive of self-preservation, their pretense of religiosity, their habit of false accusation, and their condition of chronic unbelief.

33. A Calamity From the Lord, Part 2 (2 Kings 6:24 – 7:2). Summary: In this passage, particularly in Elisha, we see the nature of the Righteous revealed, in exhibiting, during a time of calamity, an awareness of supernatural protection, an acceptance of undeserved persecution, and an assurance of divine providence.

34. Four Lepers and What They Found (2 Kings 7:3-8a). Summary: The fact that God’s intervention on behalf of Israel is revealed to helpless lepers is an apt illustration of His salvation of sinners.

35. Heralds and Hearers of Good News (2 Kings 7:8-20). Summary: 2 Kings 7:8-20 presents a picture of how, in accordance with the sovereignty of God, good news (“gospel”) is proclaimed, and how it is received.

36. The God Who Remembers, Part 1: The Shunemite Woman’s Faith (2 Kings 8:1-6). Summary: This account of God’s dealings with the Shunemite woman as He remembers her faith, provides for her needs, and pleads her cause, demonstrates the nature of His covenant with His children.

37. The God Who Remembers, Part 2: The Shunemite Woman’s Needs(2 Kings 8:1-3). Summary: This account of God’s dealings with the Shunemite woman as He remembers her faith, provides for her needs, and pleads her cause, demonstrates the nature of His covenant with His children.

38. The God Who Remembers, Part 3: The Shunemite Woman’s Cause (2 Kings 8:1-6; 1 John 2:1). Summary: This account of God’s dealings with the Shunemite woman as He remembers her faith, provides for her needs, and pleads her cause, demonstrates the nature of His covenant with His children.

39. The God Who Remembers, Part 4: The Shunemite Woman’s Advocate (2 Kings 8:1-6; 1 John 2:1). Summary: This account of God’s dealings with the Shunemite woman as He remembers her faith, provides for her needs, and pleads her cause, demonstrates the nature of His covenant with His children.

40. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 1: The Replacement of a Heathen King (2 Ki. 8:7-15). Summary: In 2 Kings 8:7-15, we see God’s hand of judgment on a heathen king whom He has not known, and His anger towards the nation of Israel whom He has known.

41. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 2: Jehoram of Judah: a Corrupted King and a Weakened Nation (2 Ki. 8:16-24; 2 Chron. 21:1-20). Summary: The sinful life and reign of Jehoram are summarized for our instruction in 2 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 21, as Jehoram proceeds from a pattern of perverseness, to divine confrontation, to certain and painful judgment

42. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 3: Jehu, the Lord’s Avenger (2 Ki. 9:1-13; 1 Kings 19:14-18). Summary: Directed by Elijah and carried out by Elisha, the anointing of Jehu to avenge the house of Ahab not only brings timely judgment to a wicked dynasty, but it helps to preserve a righteous remnant for God’s future purposes with His people.

43. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 4: Joram of Israel, a Presumptuous King (2 Kings 9:14-26; 2 Kings 3:1-14). Summary: In yet further proof of God’s all-seeing eye, the wicked reign and fall of Ahab’s son Jehoram shows that presumptuous sin, knowingly committed without fear of the consequences, is able to bring down even a great house and the most well-planned schemes of men.

44. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 5: Avenging Naboth’s Blood (1 Kings 21:1-26; 2 Kings 9:24-26). Summary: This inspired account of the death of Naboth and the prophecy that condemns it while predicting future retribution for it, can only be properly understood in the context of the Bible’s teaching on the blood, summarized in three simple statements: blood lives, blood requires, and blood redeems.

45. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 6: Avenging Naboth’s Blood, cont. (Selected Texts). Summary: This inspired account of the death of Naboth and the prophecy that condemns it while predicting future retribution for it, can only be properly understood in the context of the Bible’s teaching on the blood, summarized in three simple statements: blood lives, blood requires, and blood redeems.

46. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 7: A King of Judah Born to Ahab’s Daughter (2 Kings 8:25-28, 9:21-29; 2 Chron. 22:1-9). Summary: Ahaziah, king of Judah, was cursed and targeted for judgment by the Lord because of his evil origins, his evil associations, and his own evil ways.

47. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 8: Jezebel, the Un-Virtuous Woman (2 Kings 9:30-37). Summary: The death of Jezebel can be viewed as a study in contrasts: the contrast between the wicked in their life and in their death; and the contrast between the death of the wicked and the death of the saints.

48. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 9: The Slaughter of the Seventy (2 Kings 10:1-11). Summary: The events of this passage indicate that ALL human vessels, even dishonorable ones, are useful to God until He is finished with them, for “The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom” (Prov. 16:4).

49. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 10: Death of the Forty-Two Princes (2 Kings 10:12-14). Summary: The forty-two princes, representing the mingling of the house of Ahab with the house of David, finds a parallel in the church’s mingling with the world, and for both, God’s judgment is certain.

50. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 11: A Refuse Dump for Baal (2 Kings 10:15-28). Summary: The slaughter of the priests of Baal, along with the entire series of purges leading up to it, should be understood in the context of God’s continual reminder to humanity that His judgment may come at any time.

51. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 12: Evil and God’s Providence (2 Kings 10:29-36). Summary. God’s pronouncement of judgment on Jehu teaches an important aspect of the doctrine of God’s providence: that though God has decreed all things that come to pass, He remains untainted by sin, and retains the right to judge the wicked for their part in carrying out His purposes.

52. The Seven Eyes of the Lord, Part 13: God Preserves a Remnant (2 Kings 11:1-21; 2 Chr. 22:10 – 23:21). Summary: This dark period of history, in which God preserves Judah, her rightful king, and His righteous remnant, is but another chapter in the history of redemption, demonstrating God’s continuing preservation of His church.

53. Standing in the Breach (2 Ki. 12:1-16; 2 Chr. 24:1-14). Summary: God’s people, during times of incomplete reformation, need to be realistic about the times, determine what is most important, and perform their spiritual duties faithfully.

54. The Way of the Backslider (2 Chronicles 24:15-27 & Selected Proverbs). Summary: The full account of the life of King Joash is that of a classic backslider who appears to commence a life of faith, but when tested by the natural enemies of eternal salvation, he fails to persevere.

55. A Point of No Return? (2 Kings 13:1-13). Summary: Although spiritual decline in a nation can reach a point at which there is humanly no return, that point may be the time when God will intervene, for with God nothing is impossible.

56. The Hope of Israel (2 Kings 13:14-21). Summary: Elisha’s passing represents for Israel a fading hope in man, but a renewed hope in God.

57. Certainty and God’s Sovereignty (2 Kings 13:22 – 14:20). Summary: Although we are guided in this life by biblical commands and principles, God’s sovereign workings are not visible to us, and so we must look beyond this world, realizing that our citizenship is in heaven, and “walk by faith, not by sight.”

58. Man’s Affliction and God’s Grace (2 Kings 14:21-29). Summary: As the reign of sinful Jeroboam II illustrates, God’s work continues despite man’s sin, and His purposes are never thwarted.

59. The Two Faces of King Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:1-23; 2 Kings 15:1-7). Summary: In King Uzziah of Judah, the contrast between what he at first appeared to be, and what he later revealed himself to be, is a reminder of the necessity to examine and guard the heart, “for out of it are the issues of life.” (Pr. 4:23)

60. “And So It Was” (2 Kings 15:8-12). Summary: “The word of the Lord,” as it proclaims God’s sovereignty, righteousness and truth to the world, speaks either for or against us, depending on our relationship with Him.

61. Signs of Decline, Part 1 (2 Ki. 15:8-31). Summary: A study of the final period of the Northern kingdom reveals at least four signs of decline that should be warning signs to all who think that God’s law can be disregarded without punishment.

62. Signs of Decline, Part 2 (2 Ki. 15:8-31; Hosea 4:1-2). Summary: A study of the final period of the Northern kingdom reveals at least four signs of decline that should be warning signs to all who consider that God’s law can be disregarded without punishment.

63. A Good King and a Bad People (2 Chr. 26:21 – 27:9; 2 Ki. 15:32-38). Summary: A people that persists in sin, particularly when it is contrary to the reproof and example of good leaders, will be all the more guilty and without excuse on the day of judgment.

64. The Darkness of Light Disobeyed, Part 1 (2 Ki. 16:1-20; Luke 11:34). Summary: The spiritual blindness of king Ahaz, despite the divine light present all around him, provides needed instruction for any nation or individual flirting with apostasy.

65. The Darkness of Light Disobeyed, Part 2 (2 Ki. 16:1-20; Luke 11:34). Summary: The spiritual blindness of king Ahaz, despite the divine light present all around him, provides needed instruction for any apostate nation.