This is the third post in a series beginning with "The Gospel Probably Isn't What You Think." These posts will make the most sense if read in order.
Or if you have already read the above post, consider reading the one immediately prior to this one, "God's Kingdom in the Human Story."
Last post we explored God’s kingdom in the human story, and we’re not done. But before we can continue, we must explore God’s kingdom in Israel’s story. Here’s a brief recap from last time: Ever since people started rebelling against God, they’ve gotten worse and worse. God tried wiping everyone out and starting over with one good family, but that didn’t solve the problem. They also rebelled against Him, so He could not entrust His kingdom to them.
Therefore, rather than start over entirely, God chose a certain family in which to demonstrate His kingdom before the rest of the world. He appeared to a man named Abraham and told him that kings would come from him (Genesis 17:6). He also said that He would bless the whole world through his family line (12:3). He repeated this promise to Abraham’s grandson (28:14), whom He renamed Israel (32:28). God made Israel’s line into a nation—God’s kingdom on earth.
Recall the features of a kingdom: a king, citizens, territory, and laws. Israel had God Himself as their King, but the people of Israel also wanted a human king (1 Samuel 8:5). God gave them what they asked for, and so Israel had a human king ruling under God, the high King (12:1). Israel’s citizens were all the children of Abraham’s grandson, who gave the nation its name. Outsiders could become citizens if they chose to worship Israel’s God and keep all its laws (Exodus 12:48-49). For territory, Israel had a pleasant land that God gave them (Joshua 24:13). God also gave them a set of laws, which told them how to worship God and treat one another. No other nation had laws as wise and good as Israel’s (Deuteronomy 4:8).
God’s desire was that Israel would show the rest of the world what His kingdom was supposed to look like. Other nations worshiped false gods; Israel would worship the one true God. Other nations had harsh kings who made themselves rich and oppressed their citizens; Israel would have a good king who dealt fairly with his citizens. Other nations were full of violence and injustice; Israel would be a nation where love governed all actions and poverty was unknown. Other nations had famines and droughts, but if Israel obeyed God, He promised to bless them with plenty of food. Other nations feared being conquered by their enemies, but God promised to give Israel victory in battle (again, as long as they obeyed Him).
At one time, it seemed like Israel would live up to God’s purpose. Israel’s greatest human king was King David, and he was so great because He obeyed God with his whole heart. As a result, God expanded Israel’s territory under David, and blessed Israel in every way mentioned above. He also made a remarkable promise: that David’s kingdom would last forever and one from his line would always be king (2 Samuel 7:12-16). It has been accurately said that “the kingdom of God is the kingdom of David.”1
But even David was far from perfect. He slept with a married woman, and then murdered her husband to cover it up when she became pregnant (12:9). Even though David repented of his sin and God forgave him (12:13), David’s family was plagued with violence and internal conflict for the rest of his life (12:10).
Still, things looked as promising as ever under David’s son Solomon. King Solomon was wiser than any man before or after him (1 Kings 3:12). Rulers from other nations came to hear his wisdom (10:24), which he used to ensure that everyone in his kingdom was treated fairly (3:28). He was also richer than anyone else (3:13); many nations paid tribute to Israel during his reign (4:21; 10:25), and he had massive quantities of gold, silver, and every other resource (10:14, 22, 27). Finally, Solomon enjoyed peace from all his enemies (4:24).
But Solomon also proved to be a disappointment, and a worse one than David. He married tons of foreign women, which he was not supposed to do (11:1-2). His wives were over seven-hundred, not even counting non-married sex partners (11:3)! He also made temples for his wives’ gods (11:7-8), and began to worship these same gods himself (11:5). In this manner, he led the nation of Israel to abandon the true God.
While there were a few good kings after Solomon, most took Israel farther away from obedience to God and deeper into false worship. As a result, Israel began to experience God’s curse (like the first man and woman when they disobeyed). Their land became barren and they had little food. Their enemies defeated them in battle and attacked their cities. Israel’s kings oppressed their citizens and murdered each other for power. Foreign rulers came and stole their treasures. Even after all this, Israel continued their rebellion, so God punished them by allowing a foreign nation to conquer them and take them into exile (2 Kings 25).
After seventy years, God allowed Israel to return to their land (Ezra 1:1-5). They again chose one from the line of David to lead them, but he was only a governor under the king of the nation that ruled over them (Haggai 1:1). It seemed God’s promises to bless the world through Abraham’s line and to set up one from David’s line as a permanent king had failed. But God sent messengers reminding Israel of His promises and saying they would still come true. So Israel waited for a righteous king from David’s line to come and restore their nation as God’s kingdom.2
1. Quote from Dr. Carol Kaminski.
2. Psalm 72 clearly expresses this hope.
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