The Kingdom Study Lesson 4 : From The Kings to Jesus Christ
In the previous lesson we saw how that after the children of Israel got into the Promised Land they wanted a king like all the other nations. This has always been the downfall of God’s people especially today is that instead of being different like we are supposed to be they want to be just like the rest of the world. God tells Samuel that Israel has not rejected him but that they have rejected God as being king over them and then he shows him the characteristics that the king they want will have (1 Samuel 8:7-18). The people still rebel and God gives them Saul as their king.
Saul :
In 1 Samuel 9 &10 we see God gives Israel Saul to be their king. Now we saw in the previous lesson how that the tribe of Judah was connected with the kingdom of Heaven and in 1 Samuel 9:1-2 we see that Saul is from the wrong tribe, he is from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul has a problem with obedience in 1 Samuel chapter 15 and as a result he loses the kingdom and God has Samuel anoint David to be king (1 Samuel 16:7-13). Saul winds up a mad man trying to kill David the true king and eventually dies in battle.
David :
David is eventually becomes the king of Judah in 2 Samuel 2:1-11 and then king over all of Israel in 2 Samuel 5:1-5. David is a great type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He reigns over Israel for 40 years. One of the interesting things about the kingdom is that under the reign of David Israel has the land that is promised to Abraham (2 Samuel 8).
Solomon :
Even though David has many son’s Solomon is the one who becomes king after David (1 Kings 1&2). Solomon’s reign is a glorious one. Israel as a nation prospers more under the reign of Solomon that at any other time. Solomon reign is a type of the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel has peace in the land and Solomon builds the temple that God would not allow David to build. Solomon’s downfall comes through the wives that he married. Solomon married many wives and some of these were women of other nations. They had other gods and Solomon built places for them to worship their gods. These women turned Solomon’s heart away from God and as a result God divides the kingdom into two parts after Saul’s death (1Kings 11:11-14).
The Kingdom Divided :
After the death of Solomon the kingdom is divided into two parts. The two parts were the 10 northern tribes, which were referred to as Israel and the 2 southern tribes, which were referred to as Judah. Each of these tribes had many different kings throughout the years that lead up to both of their captivities. Some of the kings were good but most of the kings did evil in the sight of the Lord and caused Israel to sin. Remember in the last lesson how that even though the promise the seed of Abraham was given unconditionally to him the nation of Israel as a nation could lose the kingdom of Heaven if they disobeyed God. This is exactly what happened when Judah went into captivity in Babylon. Israel was removed as a nation and did not become a nation again until 1948 when they became a nation overnight. Note what Israel says in Lamentations 5:16 “The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!” That verse is plainly showing that they lost the kingdom of Heaven when they went in to captivity.
Jeconiah :
Jeconiah is the next to the last King of Judah before they go into captivity in Babylon. We mention him here because he as a significance in regards to the throne of the Kingdom of Heaven. He is made king in 2 Chronicles 36:1-11 under the name Jehoiachin. In Jeremiah 22:18-30 we see that God curses him and here he is referred to as Coniah. The curse is that no seed of his can prosper reigning on the throne of David.
In Matthew 1:11 we see that Joseph is from the seed of Jeconiah. This is really important because it shows that Jesus Christ could not have been the literal son of Joseph or he would have no right to reign on the throne of David. Therefore Jesus not only had to be virgin born to save us from our sin but also to prosper reigning on the throne of David. The word of God is wonderfully laid out and proves over and over again that God is the author.
In regards to the Kingdom of Heaven we see that Israel as a nation loses it and they will not get it back until the Lord Jesus Returns. This shows us today why ever since Jesus came the first time there has been constant fighting over that land and who controls it. Satan is behind it trying his best to keep the rightful owner , the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from having it but it will all be to no avail when the Lord Jesus comes to claim his throne.
The Kingdom Study Lesson 4
From The Kings to Jesus Christ : Handout
1) Who was the first king of Israel, and what tribe was he from? Give references.
2) How did Saul lose the kingdom? Give a reference.
3) Who takes Saul’s place as king of Israel, and what tribe was he from? Give references.
4) What was significant about David’s reign of the kingdom?
5) Who became king after David? Give references.
6) What is significant about Solomon’s reign over the kingdom?
7) How did Solomon lose the kingdom?
8) What is a good reference for showing that Israel as a nation lost the kingdom of Heaven after they went into Captivity?
9) Who was the next to the last king of Judah before they went into captivity? Give a reference.
10) Why was it important for Jesus to be virgin born when it comes to the kingdom of Heaven?