Rejection of God's Rule

Rejection of God's rule and request for Kingship

The Israelites neglected God and rejected the judges and their desire was to have a King appointed to rule them. Gods chosen prophet anoints the king,establishes Jerusalem and the reign of David the shepherd as Israel's greatest king. For all his conspicuous faults and sins, adultery and murder, King stands out as a man who loved God. In public he showed his joy in God openly. In private he prayed frequently and confessed that God's grace accounted for all that he was and God is his deliverer. God promises him

"I will raise up your offspring to succeed you....and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever". (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

As promised by God, Solomon is enthroned as a successor to his Father King David. King Solomon like his father sought God and prays for wisdom. God generously answered that request and grants Him wisdom. During the reign of King Solomon God ordained the construction of a temple made of stones and other articles in Jerusalem. The temple was constructed similar to the tabernacle constructed by Moses and from tent worship they moved to Temple worship. Building a temple for the worship of God is a difficult task. It involved careful planning, skillful negotiation and great faith. Solomon realised that God's work done in God's way will receive God's support and it was completed. 

Solomons Temple. Known for its Craftiness. Stood for 

400 Years until destroyed by The Babilonians

                          

Totally 21 Kings and one queen reigned the thrones of the two nations Judah and Israel.

But tragically Israel demonstrated their ingrained tendency to covet what other Gods had to offer and suffered for it time and again. God again committed them into the hands of the surrounding nations who attacked Israel. The people of Israel turned their back to God by their sins of immorality and idolatry and turned away from his Guidance and ways. Israel was divided into two and the Northern Israel in 721 B.C was captured by the Assyrians.The southern Israel (Judah) in 586 B.C was captured by Babylonians. Israel failed miserably to be obedient to God's voice through his prophets (The mouth piece of God to his people) who were being sent from time to time. But God's intention as always was to make them a Holy Nation.

The Israelites then went into exile in Babylon for 70 Years. Why? The Prophet Ezekiel says " They were blaspheming Gods name before the watching nations. (Ezekiel 20:27). After this God brought them back to the land he had promised to give them in order that His name might be honoured (Ezekiel 36:23). 

Then God sends his Prophets to his people with a message which is unsurpassed in its depth and breadth stating their hard hearts, abuse of poor and needy, idolatry and covetousness are the order of the day and Therefore God's people need a deliverer from God's judgement. Its central theme is that God's wonderful salvation has come to his people Israelites and beyond them to all nations. God also speaks through his Prophet Isaiah

" To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?" says the Lord. " I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of the bulls. or of lambs. or goats. When you come to appear before me, who has required this from your hand, to trample my courts. (Isaiah 1:11-12)."

The God who asked the people to make burnt offerings, sin offerings, consecration offerings and so on tells the people that he is not delighted in the blood of the bullocks or of lambs or of the goats. He also tells that people should not come before him with such offerings. Why?

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those same sacrifices which they offer continuously year by year make those who approach perfect. (Hebrew 10:1)

This verse tells us that God stopped it as the Law given by him is only a shadow of the good things that are to come and again and again doing it with the same kind of sacrifices month after month cannot perfect the mankind, who comes to offer it. The First covenant under which God gave the Law to his people could not produce righteousness. What next

" For this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel: after those days, says the Lord, " I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My People.(Hebrews 10:16)

God says he will make a covenant in such a way that it will be unconditional and will be written on living hearts and will produce the necessary righteousness which the first covenant could not produce.

Let us turn to the next post to see What is God's Plan?