Series: Epic Journey: The Bible in 99 Days

Message Outline

Text: 2 Samuel—1 Kings: Trouble at the Top

Introduction
We are now past the 25% mark! Be encouraged, and remember: there are still plenty of Sundays, holidays and shorter days coming—to allow us all to read onward!

This week, we reach the pinnacle of the first step in the progress of God’s revelation of His Kingdom—the Israelite kingships of David, who is the main subject of 2 Samuel, and of his son Solomon, the main subject of 1 Kings. These biblical heroes governed Israel from 1011 BC until 931 BC - 40 years each - during a time when God gave Israel rest from their enemies and unparalleled prosperity. It was a time when the world paid homage to Israel and where God's promise of land, seed and blessing was at its peak in the Old Testament. This is truly the life at the top - the mountaintop spiritual moment for Israel.

However, as we've seen with countless civilizations - Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Greek, Roman, British.....there sets in a seemingly inevitable "rot" which leads to the demise of that civilization. It also happens frequently in companies, organizations, and unfortunately, even churches and families. Here is the key: we seem to be most vulnerable when we experience the pinnacle of success, power, strength, and wisdom! That is why the Bible tells us often that pride precedes the fall. Like the brilliant book "Bonfire of the Vanities" we seem to begin to believe that somehow we are the ones responsible for the success! Today, we are encouraged by David and Solomon to recognize that we probably grow more in the "valleys" of life and we probably need to be a lot more watchful in the "peaks"!

Cliff Notes Summary of this week's readings

2 Samuel:

When Israel again rejected God as their King, they asked Samuel to have a king like the rest of the world. We saw last week that Saul was removed from the throne because he did not obey God. Saul's life ended bitterly in attempted suicide. In Deuteronomy 17, God had given instructions for His kings. Saul did not obey and had the throne taken away from him. From the latter part of 1 Samuel, we see the ascendancy of David—a young shepherd, a giant-killer and able soldier, a gifted musician and lead worshiper, a fugitive, a military general, a king, and a man after God's own heart in his desire to build the Lord a Temple.

Yet David's greatest victories and blessings are not his greatest moments. It is in his moments of failure and sin—lying, adultery, murder, poor parenting, taking too many wives, and not trusting God by counting on his armies instead that we see the heart of David. He repented right away and was able to know and receive the Lord's mercy, grace and forgiveness. His legacy of prayer, worship, and dependence on God are crucial for the follower of Christ to understand and practice. Without this life of grace, we are merely trying to accomplish the Law in our own strength, and our lives will be miserable!    

Key Passage: 7:12-16: “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, 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 forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'" NIV

Also, please read 2 Samuel 22:26-37 - a powerful part of David's last prayer!

Application questions:
1. Can you remember a time when you ignored God and acted in your own wisdom and strength, only later to be humbled?
2. Perhaps it came in a moment, like David, when he was not obedient to his calling (Idly walking the roof instead of being at war with his men). Have you been obedient to your calling?
3. Are you able to quickly and sincerely confess your sins and ask God and others for forgiveness? Do you experience real freedom and forgiveness afterwards, or does guilt persist?
4. Are there parts of your life where you are deliberately in sin or constantly failing to experience lasting victory? Have you asked God for the power to change? You may want to look at Psalm 51 with the Lord.

1 Kings:

If Saul had no real heart for God, and David was whole-heartedly after God, then we can best describe Solomon as half-hearted. He is quite a tragic figure in that he may have been one of the most blessed men ever, growing up and able to observe his father love God despite many mistakes. Yet he frittered away his life by allowing himself to be distracted with all the wrong things: hedonism, entertainment, travel and conquest, sexual promiscuity, materialism, human wisdom, fame, achievement, power, and immortality by works. He never consulted God, he had two conversations with God and God initiated both. He never prayed unless it was "at church Sunday morning" and then only twice in all the Bible, making very long and fancy prayers.

Despite his amazing wisdom, Solomon had no intimate life with God. His father's problems were magnified in Solomon's life—too many wives, poor parenting, especially his sons— these were some of his "generational sins". Tragically, Solomon goes the extra step of turning from Yahweh to worship the foreign gods of his wives! In one of his memoirs, Solomon discovers late in life that it was all "meaningless". Some translations say "vanity", others say "fleeting". In this regard, Solomon is like many Christians who spend a lifetime distracted from God, pursuing the things Solomon did, and never experiencing intimacy with God. What a waste of a life! The story from now on is very depressing. The kingdom will split, many horrible kings will rule and the people will ultimately be exiled. From Solomon until Jesus comes, it is a desperate and unfulfilled existence for Israel, although many continue to seek after God.

Key Passage: 11:3-4 & 11:9-13:
 “He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.......(9)The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command. So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen." NIV

Application questions:
1. Can you relate to King Solomon? Have you ever had a period of your life when you were consumed with other priorities and put God on hold? Have you inherited any bad habits from your parents and relatives?
2. What habits does the story of Solomon prompt you to challenge in your own life? How will you approach this challenge? Perhaps Psalm 51 is another good place to start?
3. Do you see a sense of growth and spiritual maturity in your life and family, or are you stuck? How might these stories help us to seek God for renewal, forgiveness, and transformation?

Personal Application assignment for this week:

Choose your spouse or an accountability partner to review your answers to these questions and make a plan to "shed the things that prevent you from a full, vibrant and victorious life with Christ. Ask Him for the power to change and to stay away from temptation, especially when things are going well! Purpose today not to have trouble at the top!