Kings of the Bible at a Glance

Kings of the Bible at

a glance

A quick guide to the kings of the Bible From

FOR THE LORD Most High IS AWESOME, THE Great

King

OVER ALL THE EARTH.

PSALM 47:2

Introduction

Some of them were mad, most of them were bad and a handful were good. The kings in the Bible are an interesting mix, ranging from God-fearing to God-ignoring, wise to unbelievably stupid, murderous to murdered . . .

These kings are surprisingly relatable to our own lives today. They wrestled with the same problems, gave into the same temptations and asked the same questions. Their stories are told in Scripture to guide, to warn and, ultimately, to point us to the King to come: King Jesus. Even though the tale of the Bible’s kings is a tragedy, it ends in the victory of the crucified King walking out of His tomb to make His people His own, for all time.

These short introductions to the kings in Scripture are like little launch pads into their stories. They’ll help you know where to find them in the Bible, what to expect, what to look for and why they are so important. With this handy guide, these kings will become more than ancient monarchs—they’ll become living, breathing life-lessons.

Your friends at Our Daily Bread Ministries

The Kings of the Bible

Saul

The People’s Choice

Be careful what you wish for. . . you just might get it!

Israel didn’t have a human king; God was their King. As long as they were faithful to Him, they would enjoy rest, peace and abundance. But it isn’t easy having a king you can’t see, so God’s people begged for a human king like all the other nations.

Enter Saul—the tallest, handsomest lad in the land. He was exactly the type of king Israel wanted.

Saul should have been the ultimate example of humble dependence on the Lord but, like his people, Saul didn’t like having to rely on God. From hiding at his own coronation to seeking a medium for guidance, Saul relied on everything and anything but God.

Saul’s distrust and disobedience led to disaster. God took His favour away from him and began to support a heroic young man named David instead. Consumed with envy, Saul spent the rest of his turbulent rule trying to kill David rather than working to strengthen and secure the kingdom.

Insecure, self-serving and power-hungry; Israel’s first king was just what they asked for—a king like all the other nations. We need to be careful what we wish for; the selfserving way of the world around us may look appealing—but true security and contentment comes when we let God rule.

Ish-Bosheth

The King Who Slept through His Own Murder

We all know what it feels like to fight a losing battle. The ultimate example is anyone who brings the fight to God . . .

Israel was ready for their new king—David, of course; the man chosen by God years before for this very purpose. But Abner, the former commander of Saul’s army, had other plans. He crowned Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, instead, and became his closest advisor.

Over the next two years the houses of Saul and David were at loggerheads. But tellingly, Scripture says, “David grew stronger, while the house of Saul grew weak.”

It was obvious that David was God’s choice, yet IshBosheth just went along with Abner’s plan. Even when Abner was killed, he took no action to change anything. A sleepy complacency took over his whole life. Fittingly, he was assassinated during his midday nap.

Abner actively fought against God’s plan. Ish-Bosheth just let life happen to him and hoped for the best. All the while, David knew that the throne was rightfully his. In faith, he waited patiently for God to give it to him.

Life isn’t something to wish your way through, nor is it the battleground to fight for your own way. It is God’s gift, to be lived by faith in Him. He is able to work out His plan; we only need to trust and obey.

David

The King after God’s Own Heart

What sort of people does God use? The clever, talented go-getters? Or young nobodies with a desire to honour God above everything else?

David spent his teenage years tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear would threaten the flock, he risked his own life to fight off the predator. God blessed this sacrificial shepherd, giving him the right to shepherd His people.

When Goliath, the 9-foot Philistine warrior, threatened Israel’s army, David was straight out there, trusting the Lord to bring victory. He wasn’t trying to be a hero. He simply knew that God’s honour was worth defending and that God would defeat this enemy—just as He had with those lions and bears.

God exalted David, calling him “a man after my own heart”. David wanted God to be honoured and glorified more than he wanted anything else. He prayed, he worshipped and he reigned with singular devotion to the God of Israel.

It’s true David committed some spectacularly awful sins. But whenever he realised he’d messed up, he wholeheartedly and humbly came back to the Lord—every time.

King David was the best king Israel ever had. This singing, fighting shepherd shows us what it looks like to have a heart that truly belongs to God.

If God offered you anything you wanted, what would you choose?

Solomon was King David’s son. He was young, but genuine in his desire to lead the people well. When God offered him any one thing, he asked for wisdom—above successes or riches. God made him extremely wise and blessed him with prosperity and success. Israel was at the height of its power and influence under Solomon, enjoying peace and abundance. But sometimes God’s blessings can lure our eyes away from God Himself.

God’s Word specified that Israel’s kings must not collect extra horses, wives or gold. Solomon famously amassed all three. Most of his 700 wives were daughters of foreign kings with whom he made alliances. Foreign wives brought foreign gods into Israel. And Solomon began to worship them too.

What seemed like a minor little compromise of the details of God’s Word ended up stealing Solomon’s heart away from the Lord. It started a pattern of idolatry that Israel never fully broke; their love for God began to splinter across many other gods and desires. Israel’s downfall had begun.

Solomon’s distracted heart didn’t realise his love for God was growing cold. His life warns us how easily our hearts can be pulled away from God, and how even the wisest of people can live like fools.

Solomon

The Wisest Fool

THE KINGS OF ISRAEL

THE NORTHERN KINGDOM

Jeroboam

Nadab

Baasha

Elah

Zimri

Omri

Ahab

Ahaziah

Joram

Jehu

Jehoahaz

Jehoash

Jeroboam II

Zechariah

Shallum

Menahem

Pekahiah

Pekah

Hoshea

Jeroboam

The King Who Made up His Own Religion

How can you make sure you’re fulfilling your true potential? Should you give God full control of your life, or work hard to control everything yourself like King Jeroboam?

When new king Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, refused to lower taxes, the northern ten tribes of Israel revolted and crowned Jeroboam as their new king, creating the Northern Kingdom (also called Israel).

God made Jeroboam a magnificent promise; “If you obey me, I will give you an enduring dynasty like King David’s before you.” But Jeroboam had a different idea.

Jeroboam feared the people of the Northern Kingdom might return to following the king of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. So, he decided to invent a new religion for his kingdom. He made two golden calves, declaring that they represented the Lord, and set them up as places of worship. He also appointed his own priesthood and even dreamt up new festivals.

Perhaps the king thought God would be pleased that even though Israel wasn’t worshipping exactly the way He prescribed, at least they were still worshipping. But Jeroboam’s religion went directly against God’s commandments.

God had many blessings planned for Jeroboam, as He does for each of us, but they only come through faith and obedience. Jeroboam’s made-up religion weakened the Northern Kingdom forever. They never worshipped the Lord again or enjoyed His blessings.

Nadab, Baasha & Elah

The Kings Who Never Learned Life is a series of choices. And each choice we make plants a certain type of seed into our lives. It may take years to see the fruit . . . but one day we will.

Nadab’s dynasty only lasted two years before he was assassinated by a conspirator named Baasha. The only thing Nadab is remembered for is walking in the evil ways of his father.

When Baasha seized the throne, his first act was to execute every living member of the previous royal family. But rather than turning away from the sins of that family, King Baasha turned out to be just as bad.

God warned him, “You know what you just did to the previous king and his family? The same thing is going to happen to your line if you don’t repent.” You might think such a warning would inspire Baasha to turn back to God. It didn’t. Baasha died after a twenty-four year reign and his son Elah inherited the throne. But just as Baasha had gained the throne by assassination, King Elah was also assassinated after only two years.

These tragic reigns remind us that sin catches up with us in the end; we reap what we have sown—so we all need to listen to God’s invitation to return to Him when we realise we’ve been planting bad seeds into our lives.

Zimri & Omri

Two Kings Remembered for All the Wrong Reasons

What will we be remembered for? How will our lives impact the world around us?

Kings hope to be remembered for their power, prosperity and military success. But the traitor who murdered King Elah has a rather embarrassing legacy. His was the shortest reign in Israel’s history. King Zimri’s violent reign lasted only one week. Israel’s military troops decided their commander, Omri, would make a better king. So they paused their war against their enemies and besieged their own capital city. Zimri locked himself in the palace then burnt it down—with himself still inside.

After Omri was crowned king, he changed the location of Israel’s capital to a new city called Samaria, which he fortified to withstand many future battles.

Unlike Zimri, King Omri is remembered in secular history as one of Israel’s more successful kings; but the Bible remembers him quite differently. His legacy is that he “did more evil than all who were before him.” He led Israel deeper into idolatry and sin.

Israel had the job of representing God to the surrounding nations, but these tragic tales of treachery, murder, war and idolatry sound just like all the other nations. While the watching world may applaud our decisions and lifestyle, what really matters is whether we are pleasing the Lord or not.

Ahab

The King Who Was Sorry He Got Caught

What’s the difference between repentance and remorse? We can get an idea by looking at the life of Israel’s most infamous baddie, King Ahab.

Ahab married a princess whose name is synonymous with evil: Jezebel.

Jezebel was a Baal worshipper; a barbaric fertility cult which included ritual prostitution and even infant sacrifice. This religion, with its highly sexualised rituals and promises of wealth and prosperity, was extremely popular. The nation descended to a new spiritual low.

But God had not given up on his people. He sent the prophet Elijah to spectacularly display the Lord’s power on the top of Mount Carmel. Elijah was confident that the nation would repent. They didn’t.

Jezebel and Ahab’s wickedness became even more brazen. Eventually, Elijah brought a scathing word from God that Ahab’s house would be utterly destroyed and eaten by dogs.

Shocked by such a devastating curse, Ahab finally humbled himself. He exchanged his robes for rags and fasted. But there’s no mention of lasting repentance or seeking the Lord. So despite that final act of humility, Ahab remained an enemy of God. Ahab didn’t want to return to God; he was just sorry his days of sin had come to an end.

True repentance isn’t just sorrow; it’s a change of heart that recognises God’s right to rule in every part of our lives.

Ahaziah

The King Who Pretended God Didn’t Exist Times of crisis have a way of exposing who or what we really trust. And King Ahaziah’s final tragedy proved that he was an idolator to the core.

As King over God’s own people, you might think that Ahaziah would at least pretend loyalty to God; but he didn’t. His reign was crammed full of false gods and sin; much like his wicked father, Ahab. But even Ahab eventually humbled himself in response to a harsh message from God. Would Ahaziah do the same?

King Ahaziah’s life took a dramatic turn one day when he fell through the lattice of his upper room and was badly injured. Confined to his bed, he sent messengers to consult a Philistine god called Baal-Zebub and enquire about whether he would recover from his injuries. Angered by such blatant disregard, God sent Elijah with a message for the king.

“Is there no God in Israel that you need to go consult this foreign idol? Because of this, you will certainly die on that bed.”

Even then, Ahaziah would not repent. And so he died, just as the Lord had said.

King Ahaziah’s short and tragic reign reminds us that living like God doesn’t exist doesn’t make it true; He still has ultimate control over our lives.

Joram

The King Who Was Killed in a Chariot Race

If the sceptics could see a miracle, they would surely believe, right? Sadly, miracles are not enough to produce genuine faith in those who do not want to put their faith in God. King Joram is a perfect example.

King Joram’s story is one of the Bible’s blockbuster plots. His reign is interwoven with the amazing exploits of the prophet Elisha whom God used to do powerful miracles, including striking the attacking army of Aram with blindness, which allowed Elisha to lead the enemy right into Israel’s capital city. He then instructed King Joram to prepare a feast for them— ending the attack and securing peace with Aram from then on! You might think that such an incredible miracle would turn Joram’s heart to the Lord; but it didn’t. Joram continued to follow the false religions of the previous kings.

Like any good action flick, Joram’s reign ends with a chariot race in which Joram is fatally wounded and unceremoniously dumped in a field.

King Joram never repented of his idolatry. His problem wasn’t a lack of evidence of the one true God; it was a problem of the heart. He wanted to be the king of his own life rather than bow his knee to the Lord.

Miracles aren’t the key to entering God’s kingdom; we need to draw close to the King Himself.

Jehu

The King of Bloodbaths

How can you tell the difference between ‘serving God’ and genuinely loving God and His Word? Look no further than King Jehu.

Jehu’s reign is a fast-paced bloodbath in which two kings, seventy princes and the nasty Jezebel are slain in the opening scene. This grim task was commanded by God to avenge the hundreds of righteous people Jezebel murdered. But Jehu didn’t stop there. He killed her and Ahab’s officials, advisors, friends, priests . . . and anyone else he could get his hands on—none of which were part of God’s command. Then he went to work on the false god Baal. He tricked Baal’s priests and followers into attending a meeting where he then executed the lot of them. He destroyed their artifacts and turned Baal’s temple into a public toilet. Knowing that God’s central desire for Israel was for them to return to true worship, you might think Jehu was a hero. But he wasn’t. Jehu never tore down the golden calves that Jeroboam, the first Northern king, had made. Jehu didn’t actually bring the people any closer to the Lord.

Jehu’s zeal in obeying God’s commands made him the best of Israel’s kings. But he never truly loved God or led the people to such devotion either. In the end, the right actions are nothing without the right heart.

Jehoahaz

The King Who Was Slow to Pray

Some people pray about everything. For others, like King Jehoahaz, prayer is a last resort.

God was angry. Israel had promised to be faithful to Him as a nation, but, like a cheating spouse, they were living in blatant disregard for their covenant relationship with Him. They were determined to follow the false religion that King Jeroboam had introduced a hundred years before. This religion, with its golden calves and made-up rituals was offensive to God who longed for His people to return to true fellowship with Him.

Spiritually weak, Israel was an easy target for their enemies. When the Syrians invaded, God allowed Israel to be badly defeated. Their army was almost completely wiped out, and the Syrians began to oppress Israel severely. So severely in fact, that Jehoahaz was at the end of his rope. And that’s when he finally prayed to the Lord.

And God listened. He raised up a deliverer who fought for them and peace was restored. It makes you wonder why Jehoahaz waited so long to ask.

No matter how far away we feel, it’s only ever one step back to the Lord. We don’t need to wait until we have no other options; our God is always ready to hear the prayers of His people.

Jehoash

The Half-Hearted King

Compromise is bad enough in our own lives; but for leaders of God’s people, compromise weakens more than just themselves. In King Jehoash’s case, it weakened the whole nation.

King Jehoash wasn’t exactly an idolator; but he wasn’t a devoted worshipper of the Lord either. He kept the golden calves, set up as the ‘gods’ of Israel many years before. God was clear that worshipping these statues was the opposite of worshipping Him. Yet everybody did it—it had just become part of Israel’s culture.

Despite this, Jehoash had a deep respect for the prophet Elisha. When Elisha was dying, Jehoash came and wept before him. Elisha, however, had one more prophecy for the king.

“Shoot an arrow towards your enemies, and the Lord will give you victory!” So Jehoash did. “Now strike the ground with the arrows.” Then Jehoash rather listlessly struck the ground a few times. Elisha was angry. “Now you will not have total victory over your enemies.”

God was offering complete victory; but Jehoash’s vision of God was clouded by idolatry and the world around him. Rather than grabbing God’s gift with both hands, it seems he was half-hearted in his expectations.

King Jehoash’s reign was marked by compromise. In the end, he compromised the entire nation. Only those who seek the Lord wholeheartedly find everything He has to offer.

Jeroboam II

The King Who Missed the Hero of His Story

Sometimes when we read the Old Testament, we get the idea that God was somehow different back then; colder, harsher, less loving. But the deeper we study, the more we see the incredible grace, patience and compassion of God as He continually draws back His wayward, sinning people. The reign of Jeroboam II is a good example. Israel was in a mess. The rich were oppressing the poor, and the whole nation was being oppressed by enemy nations. They were idolatrous, adulterous, rebellious and weak. And there was nobody at all to help them. Well, there was One.

“The Lord saw how bitterly they were suffering, and saw that there was nobody to help; so He saved them through Jeroboam.”

Jeroboam II had the longest and most outwardly prosperous reign of any of the kings of the Northern Kingdom; he reclaimed territory that had been lost, took control over enemies and made Israel rich. But behind the scenes, it was all the work of God.

Prophets continued to plead with Israel, warning them of coming disaster unless they returned to their covenant relationship with the Lord. Judgement would eventually come, but only after the tireless working of the compassionate God who would not give up on His people.

Zechariah,

Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah & Pekah

The Assassin Kings

God’s covenant people were meant to be different. They were to stand out by displaying His love and character to the nations around them. But ever since they asked for a king “like all the other nations”, it was only a matter of time until they became indistinguishable from everyone else. By the end of the Northern Kingdom’s timeline, five kings came and went in a murderous free-for-all.

Zechariah’s reign only lasted six months before a conspirator named Shallum publicly assassinated him. Shallum, in turn, was murdered a month later by the barbaric Menahem. His son Pekahiah then reigned for two years before Pekah, one of his chief officers, plotted his assassination in the palace and seized the throne.

It was during Pekah’s twenty-year reign that the Assyrians exploited the mess Israel was in. Deporting one region after another, Israel was reduced to a tiny portion of its former size.

Belonging to God truly means something significant. It changes who we are and how we live. Yet drifting away from God into complacency is a dangerous thing . . . After nearly 200 years of rebellion, idolatry and compromise, God’s people no longer looked anything like Him. Despite many warnings, they had continued on a path separate to His. Now, the end of their kingdom was in sight.

Proverbs 29:1 carries this ominous warning: “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.” A perfect illustration of this sobering reality is the final demise of the Northern Kingdom of Israel under the reign of King Hoshea.

God rescued a nation of slaves from Egypt. He lovingly bound them to Himself by a covenant—almost like a marriage. But His people simply refused to be faithful to Him. They worshipped other gods, imitated the nations around them and rejected God’s laws. Again and again, God reminded them of His faithfulness and their sinfulness, warning them that if they did not return to Him, they would be exiled. But they just didn’t listen. Finally, God’s window of mercy closed.

In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria invaded and carried Israel’s citizens away, never to return. The Northern Kingdom was finished. These events are not proof of God’s unfaithfulness to His people, but exactly the opposite. He had kept every one of His promises to them, including this one.

God is gracious. He longs for His people to return to Him. But He will not tolerate sin forever; it must be destroyed before it destroys us. If King Hoshea and the other kings of Israel teach us anything, it’s that those who refuse to let sin go are in danger of being destroyed right along with it.

The King Who Finally Lost the Kingdom

THE KINGS OF JUDAH

THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM

Rehoboam

Abijah

Asa

Jehoshaphat

Jehoram

Ahaziah

Athaliah

Joash

Amaziah

Uzziah

Jotham

Ahaz

Hezekiah

Manasseh

Amon

Josiah

Jehoahaz

Jehoiakim

Jehoiachin

Zedekiah

Rehoboam

The King Who Split the Nation

Who do you ask for advice? Friends and family often make up our ‘inner circle’—but are we careful about how much influence they have?

Rehoboam’s father, King Solomon, had left the kingdom of Israel as a respected and wealthy world power. Would this new king govern it with grace and wisdom?

Jeroboam, a representative of the people of Israel, came to the king asking for a reduction in taxes. Rehoboam sensibly asked his father’s advisors for their counsel. They said if he was kind to the citizens, they would reward him with lifelong loyalty. Having installed lots of his old schoolmates as government employees, Rehoboam sought their input too. Dazzled by the immense power their royal friend could wield, they urged him to show the people who was boss: “You think taxes are high? Just wait till I’m done!”

Rehoboam listened to his friends, with disastrous results. The people revolted and ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel rebelled, crowning a new king for themselves. God’s chosen nation was split forever because Rehoboam preferred to listen to his friends, rather than wisdom. Now there was the Northern Kingdom, called Israel; and the Southern Kingdom, called Judah—both with their own kings. How carefully do we choose our confidants? Is their advice leading us closer to God’s heart, or into potentially disastrous folly?

King Who Only Wanted God’s Power

What’s the difference between a life that belongs to God, and just asking God to turn up for the tricky moments?

King Abijah was locked in civil war with Jeroboam and the northern tribes all his life, trying, unsuccessfully, to reunite the recently split kingdom. He did, however, have one shining moment.

Abijah stood on a high mountain, flanked by his valiant men of war, and called out to Jeroboam and his mighty army, “Don’t you remember that God made a covenant with my ancestor David, promising that his sons would rule over Israel? You can’t win this battle even with your huge army, because the Lord will fight for us!”

Jeroboam had the bigger army, but his physical strength was nothing compared to God. In the end, Abijah’s small army soundly defeated Israel’s.

Despite his stirring speech about the Lord’s faithfulness to Judah’s Southern Kingdom, Abijah’s heart was not really devoted to the Lord. His short reign was marked by war throughout. It seems King Abijah liked having the Lord fight his battles . . . but he didn’t want to put Him first in his life. Perhaps Abijah’s battle-filled reign is a picture of the spiritual warzone of our own lives—peace is not found when we only cry out to God in trouble, but when we seek Him wholeheartedly each day.

The

Asa

The King with Bad Feet

How are your feet doing? It’s probably not a question you get asked often—but it would have been a good one for King Asa, whose feet ended up representing his walk with God.

Asa’s reign was like a marathon. And he was a great ‘runner’. He brought many reforms to Judah, being humble, obedient and loyal to the Lord. And so God blessed him and “gave him rest” from war. This blessing even caused many people from the Northern Kingdom of Israel to settle back down in Judah under his reign.

Asa’s reign of rest was an opportunity to strengthen Judah, rebuilding cities, the army and, crucially, the people’s relationship with God.

But as every runner knows, starting well is easier than finishing well. Despite his excellent first 35 years, King Asa began to stumble. He made ungodly alliances, imprisoned good prophets and oppressed the people.

As he fell out of step with God, his feet became severely diseased. It was a very physical (and no doubt painful) picture of how his walk with God was faltering—and yet even then, Asa didn’t seek the Lord. His life shows us just how easy it is to drift away from God if we don’t pay attention to our walk with Him.

Jehoshaphat

The King Who Just Wanted Everyone to Be Friends

Unity is a tremendous blessing; one God’s people should strive to attain together. But at what point does unity itself become dangerous? King Jehoshaphat found out the hard way by taking it a step too far.

Jehoshaphat was a good king, following his father Asa’s early example. He was faithful to the Lord, outlawed idolatry and brought some glory and stability back to Judah. But he married the daughter of a very evil king from the Northern Kingdom. Now they were allies—and united—through marriage.

Whenever the wicked kings of Israel approached him to join them in some venture, Jehoshaphat went along with it; even when prophets warned against it. The consequences weren’t too terrible during his life, but the effects on his son and grandson’s reigns—and therefore the whole kingdom of Judah—were disastrous.

Jehoshaphat is remembered as a good king. He was faithful to the Lord and modelled to his people what it looked like to seek and obediently trust in God. But his unwise alliances serve as a warning to us all. While unity is highly desirable, it only really works when we are united to those who are also devoted to God and His Word. Unity with those opposed or indifferent to the Lord only leads to heartache and dangerous compromise—just ask Jehoshaphat.

Jehoram

The King Whose Insides Came Out

How can we try to fulfil our destiny? Jehoram shows us one option: get as much as you can, as fast as you can, in any way you can!

He started his reign by killing all his brothers and marrying into evil King Ahab’s family (of the Northern Kingdom). Jehoram turned the hearts of the people away from the Lord by setting up centres for idol-worship. This became an ongoing problem in Judah from then on.

God was rightly angry with Jehoram. So why didn’t he just get rid of him?

The Lord didn’t destroy Jehoram immediately because of the promise He had made to David—to always keep one of his ‘sons’ on the throne. So God allowed Jehoram to reign for eight terrible years. He literally lived in a window of God’s mercy. But rather than using that time to seek God, he passionately pursued his own gains and agenda.

Then, suddenly, the window shut. An agonising bowel disease caused his insides to burst out. Scripture concludes, “He passed away, to no one’s regret.”

None of us knows how long we have on earth. Jehoram’s end teaches us to make the most of this window of mercy by giving God our hearts now, instead of simply grabbing what we can before it shuts.

It can be hard to get our heads around why sin is such a big problem. But, as son and mum duo Ahaziah and Athaliah show us, once sin gets a hold in our lives, it just grows and grows.

When he became king, Ahaziah’s advisors (including his mum) “encouraged him in doing wrong”. So when the wicked king of the Northern Kingdom asked for help, it seemed like a good idea. Ahaziah’s whole perspective on right and wrong had been turned upside down. And when he was wounded in battle, where did he rush for aid? His evil friends in the North—to his downfall.

Athaliah, the grandma from hell, grabbed her son’s empty throne by slaughtering all her grandchildren. Thankfully she missed one—little Joash.

While Athaliah led the people of Judah to worship idols, Joash was secretly raised to be king. When he was unveiled, Athaliah lost it. “Treason!” she screamed.

Treason? It seems that Athaliah’s life of selfish ambition had made her so comfortable with sin, she could no longer tell the difference between good and bad. She was claiming to be the victim, when the only act of treason had been hers—when she murdered her grandchildren who had a legitimate claim on the throne.

Sin starts small—little indulgences and poor advisors. But soon it grows. Before long, like Ahaziah and Athaliah, you can’t see beyond the appetite of your own desires.

Ahaziah & Athaliah

The Hell-Bent Son ‘n’ Mum Duo

Joash

A Reign of Two Halves

We’ve all heard the saying, “A game of two halves.” A sports team can be doing amazingly at half time, only to throw it all away in the second half. The forty-year reign of King Joash also had two clear halves.

As a young boy, Joash repaired the temple, abolished various forms of idol-worship and re-established Judah’s covenant relationship with the Lord.

But then, in the second part of his reign, Joash abandoned God and flung Judah back into the idolatry of his murderous grandmother. When the prophet Zechariah brought God’s warning, a mob stoned him to death—and Joash simply looked on.

What led to a life of such extreme opposites?

When he was young, Joash had a wise, God-fearing advisor and friend named Jehoiada, who taught Joash God’s ways. They made an excellent team. But then Jehoiada died.

Soon after, some high-ranking officials honoured Joash with awe and reverence. Lured by their flattery, Joash lived the rest of his life listening to their voices—to his utter ruin.

Joash’s life warns us against piggybacking on the faith of others—parents, friends, church leaders . . . Our moral compass can lose its bearing when their influence is gone. But when our faith and relationship with God is our own, He will keep us standing firm, no matter what changes.

They say pride comes before a fall. King Amaziah would know all about that.

At first, Amaziah seemed keen to keep God’s law. He even obeyed God when it was costly—trusting the Lord to provide. Such obedience prompted God to give him a great victory over long-standing enemies, the Edomites.

But winning against the Edomites went straight to Amaziah’s head. Instead of thanking God for the victory, he brought home the Edomite gods and worshipped them. Puffed up from his success, he then picked a fight with the king of the Northern Kingdom. And it was a disaster.

With God no longer fighting for Judah, they were easily defeated. King Amaziah was captured, Jerusalem was invaded and the temple was ransacked of all the gold and silver.

“You got a big victory, but you’re still little,” the Northern king had warned Amaziah. There’s wisdom in those words for all of us as we consider Amaziah’s highs and lows. The successes in our lives are gifts from God. Praising Him for them keeps us humble, and safe from pride’s slippery slope.

Amaziah

The Overconfident King

Uzziah

The King Who Thought He Was Bigger than God’s Word

How do you react when you read bits in the Bible you don’t understand or agree with?

After a string of failed kings, Judah was a mess. The temple had been plundered and the future looked bleak. They needed a first-rate king who would obey God’s Word wholeheartedly if they were going to survive. Enter Uzziah.

Crowned at only sixteen, Uzziah was an exceptional leader. He sought the Lord, listened to the prophets and pleased God. God gave him victory after victory. Judah began to rise in power.

The king was bursting with ideas for improving the kingdom. He built towers, improved agricultural infrastructure, reinforced the military and even invented powerful new weapons. God blessed all Uzziah’s endeavours until he became powerful. And that’s when it all went wrong. Inflated with pride, Uzziah decided he should be able to worship God in the temple like a priest, despite God’s Law forbidding such an act. Uzziah was instantly struck with leprosy; an utterly devastating illness that effectively ended his reign. Having done so much good, King Uzziah’s final days were lived in isolation and disgrace. His downfall came the moment he put himself above God’s Word.

Sometimes submitting to what God says is hard; perhaps it even goes against our instincts. But Uzziah shows us the foolishness of thinking we know better than God.

Jotham & Ahaz

The Two Sides of Wisdom’s Coin Life is full of choices—thankfully, we have the example of all those who have gone before us to help us decide which paths to take. We can either learn from their mistakes or make them all over again and reap the consequences.

King Jotham had an excellent example, and a powerful warning, in the life of his father, Uzziah. And he took both to heart. He continued in Uzziah’s vision of bringing restoration and strength to Judah. He also learned (from his father’s disastrous error) to be content with submitting to God’s ultimate authority. He was a wise and successful king. He left an admirable example for his son Ahaz to follow.

But Ahaz went the opposite direction and followed the example of the evil kings in the north. He desecrated the Lord’s temple, littered Judah with idolatrous worship and even sacrificed his own children to idols.

King Ahaz fought many battles and suffered many defeats, yet he sought help from everyone and anyone but God. The kingdom was ravaged by violence, cities were captured, and citizens enslaved.

No one can force us to live wisely; that’s a choice only we can make. But the fruit of those paths are clear to see—hopefully inspiring others to also learn to live by God’s wisdom.

Hezekiah

The King Who Asked for More

Why is it so hard to make the right call? Why do we live with so many regrets? “There is a way that appears to be right,” the Bible says, “but it leads to death.” Our perspective is so limited; we need Someone with a better view to guide us. This was also true of God’s kings. To rule well, it was crucial they listened to His prophets. They spoke God’s Word—like walking, talking Bibles.

Hezekiah heeded everything the prophet Isaiah said, bringing reformation and revival to Judah and trusting God to defeat their enemies.

But when Hezekiah became ill, Isaiah brought him this message: “Get ready to die.”

Instead of accepting God’s Word—hard as it was—

Hezekiah begged for more time. Isaiah replied, “You will live fifteen more years.” But during those extra years, Hezekiah made poor decisions which compromised Judah’s future; and he fathered Manasseh, Judah’s most wicked king.

Asking for more appeared to be right to Hezekiah, but Judah would have been much better off if he had trusted Isaiah’s message and given the timing of his death to the Lord. Sometimes God’s Word is difficult to submit to, but He is the only One who can see into tomorrow. He can be trusted to know what’s truly best for us.

Manasseh & Amon

The Kings Who Left God Until Later

I want to have some fun now . . . I’ll say sorry later. Ever heard something like that? Manasseh and Amon show us the danger of leaving God until later.

Manasseh was quite simply the worst king Judah ever had. His fifty-five years on the throne were a catalogue of rebellion, idolatry and murder. He was so bad that when later kings brought reformation, it was never enough to undo the results of his wickedness.

It wasn’t until Manasseh was imprisoned by Assyria that he finally gave his life to God. God, in His grace, forgave Manasseh and returned him to Jerusalem so he could tear down the idolatrous altars. But despite his personal repentance, he could not undo the consequences of his sinful leadership. Leaving God until later had “filled the land with innocent blood”.

After Manasseh’s long reign, his evil son Amon took the throne. He undid all his father’s later reforms and brought even more idolatry and sin into Judah. Perhaps he figured he’d have plenty of time to turn his life around later, just like his dad did . . . but he was assassinated within two years.

A life with God is not something for tomorrow or the day after. It is for right now. Leaving God until later only ever allows sin to thrive.

Josiah

The Small King with a Big Heart

How much responsibility would you give an eight-year-old? Perhaps you’d expect them to help around the house. Maybe you’d allow them to have control of their pocket money.

Would you give them an entire kingdom?

Poor Josiah! The crown must have kept slipping past his ears as he sat upon the throne at just eight-years-old. Yet we’re told “there was no king like him”. He loved God with all his heart, soul and might.

Mediums, witches, idols—all removed by this young king. The temple was rebuilt, the Scriptures were read once more, and the festivals of God’s love and rescue were finally celebrated again.

“I am going to bring disaster on this place and this people,” God said. It may sound harsh, but as great as Josiah was, he could not undo all the wickedness that had come before. He could not remove the guilt of his nation. He could not bring true healing.

Nevertheless, God delayed judgement because of Josiah. This young king brought peace to his people and delight to his heavenly King. “As long as he lived, the people followed the Lord.” As long as he lived . . .

One day, God’s people would need a King who would never die. One who could forgive sin, remove guilt and lead them forever. But for now, discover in Josiah’s story how even young lives can change the world.

The Kings Who Crashed

Imagine a runaway train hurtling towards a crash barrier. Several people try to take control—but if anything, they just speed it up. The train is Judah. The drivers are Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin—the kings who finally crashed the nation.

Each king ended his reign by being imprisoned by enemies. By the time Jehoiachin was dragged off to Babylon, God’s judgement had finally come upon His people. The temple and palace were raided for treasures, and all the leaders, soldiers and craftsmen were carried off into exile. God is good and just—all the guilt, shame and bloodshed of His people had to be paid for. But none of Judah’s kings was able to turn aside this judgement or bear it in the people’s place.

The story of these three kings is the tragedy of God’s people. They had rejected God in His promised land. They had ignored His ways and His Law. They had chosen selfish gain instead of trusting in His generosity. And now they had been kicked out of God’s land and presence.

It’s not a happy story, but it is a necessary one for us to read. It reveals the true danger and destruction of sin, and our need to know the King who would one day come and bear the judgement for it in our place.

Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim & Jehoiachin

Zedekiah

The Gruesome End to a Tragic Tale

What’s the most impossible challenge you can imagine? How about climbing Everest barefoot? For the people of Judah, it was keeping their covenant with God.

God and His people had made a sacred agreement—a covenant—that they would always belong to one another. God would love them; they would bear His image, revealing Him to the world. The blessings of this union were beyond count! Yet the penalty for breaking this bond was severe.

Of such judgement, He warned them, “The nations will ask: ‘Why has the Lord done this? Why this fierce anger?’ And the answer will be: ‘Because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord.’” After many failures and quite a few bad kings, God finally sent this judgement in the form of the Babylonian Empire.

Zedekiah, Judah’s final king, was disinterested in seeking the Lord; but he also wasn’t enjoying Judah’s demise. So he made a last-ditch attempt to rebel against Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar. It cost him his people, his sons, his freedom and his eyes. It was a dark, gruesome end. Jerusalem lay in ruins; burning, desolate, forsaken.

God is faithful to His Word. His rebellious people had to face the consequences of breaking their covenant with Him. Because no king in Judah’s history could perfectly keep the covenant on behalf of the people. Not yet anyway . . .

King Jesus

As soon as the very first king of Israel sat on the throne, it became clear that God’s people would need a better king; one who would be completely faithful to the Lord, defeat their enemies, bring true justice and lead the nation in faithful worship—forever.

They need the promised Son of David who will bring God’s everlasting Kingdom upon the earth. They need King Jesus.

He is the King announced by the angel Gabriel: “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David; there will be no end to his kingdom.”

He is the one of whom the wise men asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”

And, years later, as Jesus stood before Israel’s rulers, there was only one thing they could accuse Him of being: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

King Jesus did what no other king could do; He took on all the guilt and defilement of the nation—and the entire world—and paid the price with His own blood. Then He rose again to live and reign over God’s kingdom forever.

The gospel accounts complete the line of kings, describing the One who now sits on the throne of His heavenly nation. Because of Him, we can all be a part of God’s kingdom; living in the blessing of the all-wise, loving King of kings for eternity.

The True King

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Some of them were mad, most of them were bad and a handful were good. The