We Need a Better King

I call that “Quick Strike” on my idols around noon, if I can remember it. And repentance at night and petition in the morning. So I try to get into God’s presence three times a day. (Interview by Steve McCoy, “Tim Keller on Preaching to Himself,” emphasis in original)

I’m not necessarily recommending Keller’s approach. I just want to show you how he realizes the importance of dealing with his own soul daily through prayer and repentance. He does what many ministers fail to do, namely, sit under their own preaching. Our hearts are prone to be proud, cold, scared, or hooked. We must cultivate a life of repentance and preach the gospel to ourselves to combat this problem.

Remember that idolatry leads to destruction. If Christ isn’t at the center of our hearts, something else will be. And the result of substitute gods is destruction. You never win when you prefer idolatry.

Idolatry is a dominant theme in Kings. The idolatry of Manasseh brings the judgment of God, as mentioned in these final chapters. Jeremiah says the devastation would be so great that people from other lands would ask, Why has this happened? The only explanation would be that they had forsaken the covenant and worshiped other gods (Jer 22:8-9; cf. ch. 25).

We have read about all sorts of idols that the kings and the people have embraced, replacing the true and living God who brought them out of the land of Egypt. The writer reports the false worship of Baal and Asherah because whom you worship is the big question. The book of Kings reminds us of the critical need of answering this worship question rightly, as the people at Mount Carmel did after Elijah prayed the fire down. They said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!” (1 Kgs 18:39). Unfortunately, none of these final four kings make any effort to direct the nation to God.

An idol is anything you rely on to give you what only Christ can give you—hope, joy, security, meaning. Your idol may be drugs, peer approval, success, or sexual perversion. Sin problems are ultimately worship problems. As one young man said in our small groups, “Addiction is a worship disorder.”

Within an idolatrous culture, no one thinks idolatry is a problem. The writer of Kings begs to differ. It most definitely matters. In the final evaluation of your life, your god is the most important matter. You can live like Omri, accomplishing many great things in this life, but if you aren’t a worshiper of the Redeemer, then you have wasted your life and forfeited your soul.

You were made to worship the living God of the Bible. If He isn’t at the center of your life, then something else is. Everything other than Christ is a cheap substitute.

The Fallen City

In chapter 25 we read the sad account of the destruction of the holy city, Jerusalem, the place where God chose to put His name (21:4). The fall of Jerusalem takes place in 587 BC. During this time Zedekiah’s sons are slaughtered in front of him, and then his eyes are gouged out, making this episode the last event he sees. We also read of the third and final deportation and the execution of some Judeans.

In verses 22-26 we read of Gedaliah, grandson of Shaphan. He becomes governor of Judah under the authority of Babylon. But he doesn’t survive because one among the royal family, Ishmael, kills him.

The city of Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed. We’re reminded of the words of Hebrews: “For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come” (13:14). The people of God await a better city. We await the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21:1-8).

We need a better King because we aren’t home yet. Kings reveals the reality of suffering in a fallen world. We read about all types of problems in Kings: dying children, droughts, wars, cannibalism, conspiracies, alliances, corrupt governments, injustice, violence, and oppression. This isn’t how it should be. The Christian story involves a God who knows about suffering and enters into it. Jesus suffered on the cross and promised to make all things new.

The Bible is an honest book. It isn’t a fairy tale. It doesn’t hide the fact that we will toil and struggle all the days of our lives (Gen 3). Jesus told us, “You will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33). Don’t mistake this life for heaven. We aren’t home yet. Instead, look to God in trials with desperate prayer, and set your hope on the glory that will be revealed to believers when the crucified and reigning King returns (Rom 8:18).

We Need a Better King . . . and We Have One!

2 Kings 25:27-30; MattHEW 1:1-17,22-23

Kings doesn’t have a happy ending, but it does have a hopeful ending. Yahweh hasn’t forgotten His people who are in exile. The last scene takes place 26 years after the fall of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin, the last surviving successor of David (as far as we know), is now 55 years old and sits amply provided for in Babylon (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 280). His story is contrasted with Zedekiah, the “mutilated man deprived of heirs” (ibid.). Here’s the interesting epilogue, the final words in the book of Kings:

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and set his throne over the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, for the rest of his life. (2 Kgs 25:27-30)

Nebuchadnezzar died, and his son, Evil-merodach, reigned in his place in Babylon. The former passed sentence on Zedekiah (25:6); the latter “spoke kindly” to Jehoiachin (25:28) (Olley, Message of Kings, 371). He receives a seat of honor; like Joseph he puts off his prison clothes (Gen 41:14); he dines every day at Evil-merodach’s table.

God Fulfills His Word

Why is this epilogue important? It shows that the line of David is continuing during the exile. The writer calls Jehoiachin the king of Judah twice in verse 27 (Davis, 2 Kings, 350). Provan notes that his reappearance is reminiscent of Joash after that earlier destruction of the royal family (1 and 2 Kings, 280). Jehoiachin survives miraculously in the midst of the wreckage.

The phrase “according to the word of the Lord” appears throughout the chapters. We continually say that God’s Word proves true. Solomon’s benediction says it all: not one promise has failed (1 Kgs 8:56). Prophets have appeared throughout Kings announcing God’s word. Olley provides the following summary, demonstrating the trustworthiness of God’s word, with the prediction on the left, and the fulfillment on the right (Olley, Message of Kings, 31):

1 Samuel 2:21-36 1 Kings 2:27

2 Samuel 7:12-13 1 Kings 8:20,24

1 Kings 11:29-39 1 Kings 12:15

1 Kings 13:1-3 2 Kings 23:16-18

1 Kings 13:20-22 1 Kings 13:26

1 Kings 14:6-16 1 Kings 14:18; 15:29

1 Kings 16:1-4 1 Kings 16:12

Joshua 6:26 1 Kings 16:34

1 Kings 17:14 1 Kings 17:16

1 Kings 21:21-24,27-29; 2 Kings 9:4-10 2 Kings 9:30-37; 10:17

1 Kings 22:17 2 Kings 22:35-38

2 Kings 1:6,16 2 Kings 1:17

2 Kings 21:10-15 2 Kings 24:2

Does this list not amaze you? You should go back and read these examples of how God sovereignly fulfills His word. He promises to raise up Solomon, to preserve David’s throne forever, to split the kingdom, to raise up Josiah to crush Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel, and to sweep away the houses of Jeroboam and Baasha. He promises that the widow’s oil and flour will not run out. He promises with particular detail to execute Ahab, his family, and Jezebel for their evil. All of this is utterly amazing.

A few implications related to God’s Word should be considered. First, God’s Word is trustworthy. What He says, He will do. Do you believe the promises of Scripture? Build your life on His Word.

Second, God’s Word is powerful. God was controlling the events through His word, not through human leaders. God’s Word cannot be thwarted.

Third, God’s messengers will face opposition. In the New Testament prophets are referred to as examples of persecution, with Jesus being the ultimate example of the righteous Man suffering (Matt 5:10-12; Jas 5:10). A prophet’s life wasn’t easy; just ask those who were hidden away during Jezebel’s day, or ask Elijah and Elisha. Be prepared to suffer as you go forward in culture speaking God’s Word.

Fourth, God’s Word must be obeyed, or judgment will be the result.

We have already noted how God promised to keep “a lamp in Jerusalem” (1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19; 21:7). Now we see that not even the Babylonians could stop God’s purpose of bringing the ultimate King. Even a king named “Evil” could not stop it. This messianic hope isn’t based on the goodness of Jehoiachin, for nothing seems to change in terms of his heart. This hope is simply rooted in the mercy and faithfulness of God (Jer 22:24–23:9).

Skipping ahead several hundred years, we find that Matthew picks up the story, demonstrating God’s breathtaking mercy and faithfulness by describing the years before and after this exiled king:

Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah, and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

Then after the exile to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations. (Matt 1:6-17; emphasis added)

Matthew reminds us in this famous Christmas sermon that Jesus is the ultimate Son of David (Matt 1:1), descended through the line of “Jechoniah [that is, Jehoiachin] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon” (Matt 1:11; see also v. 12). Matthew goes on to write that over against the statement in Kings that the Lord “banished them from His presence” (2 Kgs 17:20; 24:20), Jesus is “Immanuel: God with us” (Matt 1:23) (Olley, Message of Kings, 373). This ultimate King would go to the cross and be crucified under a sign reading, “King of the Jews” (Matt 27:37). And in His death Jesus was reconciling to Himself not only Jews but also all the nations who would believe.

A Living Hope

You might call 2 Kings 25:27-30 by itself a whisper of hope, but we know the rest of the story. The first readers didn’t know how God’s purposes would work out; only the Chronicler (who wrote later) reports Cyrus’s edict to return and rebuild the temple (2 Chr 36:22-23). Further, they didn’t know what would happen beyond that, when Jesus would embody the final words of the Chronicler, going up to Jerusalem Himself (2 Chr 36:23; cf. Matt 20:17-18) in order to bring salvation.

We have a “living hope” (1 Pet 1:3) because a lamp in Judah continued to burn through the years. God kept His promise to seat David’s Son on the throne, and Jesus kept perfectly the covenant that none of the kings were able to keep.

How should you respond to this hope? You should trust in this crucified, risen, and reigning King. Jesus is the King to end all kings. Put your trust in Him. He alone can lead us out of the exile of the grave and bring us to His heavenly kingdom. We have seen a few good kings in our study, but the point is clear: we need a better king. We have what we need in Jesus! Trust in Him. Adore Him.

Second, you should live with hope in this difficult life. Centuries after the Babylonians, Christians faced persecution under mighty Rome (Olley, Message of Kings, 372). How might you encourage a church facing terrible persecution? John gives them a vision of the new Jerusalem:

I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Rev 21:22-23)

John’s words present no faint whisper of hope. He gives a sure, unshakable word of hope. Our King has come, living the life we could not live, dying the death we should have died, rising from the dead, defeating our ultimate enemies. And our King is coming again, and we will be with Him forever. Right now we’re in between the times. Let’s not lose heart as we wait for the day in which King Jesus returns to establish his eternal, shalom-filled kingdom. We need a better King, and praise God, we have One! “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17).

Reflect and Discuss