Key Bible Passage(s):

Tier 1:

Kings is written to explain how God’s people have ended up in exile; and to answer the question: Is there any future, any hope? As we work our way through Kings, a key passage you want in the back of your mind is Lev.26 (see also Deut.28).  Both passages show us the Lord giving His invitation to life and blessing AND issuing warnings about disobedience, outlining what disobedience looks like, and what He will do in response. As He lays out the road of disobedience and curse, he highlights a series of milestones marking the journey to exile.  As we read through Kings, we are watching that journey being taken; we see those milestones being passed.

Tier 2:

teaching us the dynamics of God’s covenant with the Church.  God deals with them on the basis of their King, who is a representative of the people.  This is a good thing, because we have a better King than they had in the kings of Israel and Judah.  They were riddled with failure, but at their best, the kings pointed towards that King…  and God deals with us on the basis of that King, a King whose heart is always faithful...

But when you read kings, that is not the experience of the Church.  Although their kings weres upposed to reflect Christ’s faithfulness, and hence bring blessing to the people, their hearts were not faithful.  

Tier 3:

Kings is a book of history, and we learn from it why history works the way it does.  We have all kinds of ways of writing history, and possible explanations for why things happened the way they did (economic policies; military; social, cultural, political, big personalities), but I & II Kings gives us a master class in understanding history as it truly is, from a Christ-centred perspective.

Throughout these books (and throughout the Bible) history is understood in terms of God’s dealing with his Church.  That is the key thing that shapes history… 

It is a profound political reality that Christ now occupies the supreme seat of cosmic authority. The kings of this world and all secular governments may ignore this reality, but they cannot undo it. The universe is no democracy. It is a monarchy. God himself has appointed his beloved Son as the preeminent King. Jesus does not rule by referendum, but by divine right.

R.C. Sproul

Group Discussion:

Do you think we can still talk about the Church being judged, or disciplined by God?  What would that look like in our own experience?

Does God still deal with a Church differently, depending on whether it is being faithful and obedient?  If He did, how confident would you be that MIE would be judged by God as faithful and obedient?

Do you think God’s dealing with nations might work out the same way as His dealing with Israel and Judah?  Should we see droughts, famines, and wars as indicative of God’s warning and call to repentance?

Read Rom.1:18-32 – how does that feed into your thinking on these issues?

and later in the session:

How does the narrative of Kings fit with your understanding of ‘grace’? Does it trouble you that God’s grace means that suffering is an ongoing reality?

Tim Keller: An idol is whatever you look at and think: If only I had that, I’d be happy; then I’d know I had meaning, then I’d know I had value, significance and security. What are the idols of our culture? How are we tempted to worship them? How can we guard ourselves against that temptation?

In what ways does the Church still face the temptation to undo her history and identity? How can we avoid making that mistake today?

and depending on time:

Why do you think the Kings refused to repent in spite of all God did through the prophets?

How comfortable are you with such a vision of God sovereignly involved with the life of nations?  Does it inspire worship (e.g. Ps.71:16)?  Why / why not?

Can we preach the Gospel without a call to repentance?  What happens when this becomes normal?

Homework:

Over this half-term we have been working to memorise Matthew 6:1-4. You will have to keep refreshing the rest of the Sermon on the Mount whilst you do this.

(we’ll have memorised the whole of the Sermon on the Mount over the 3 years of DTP)

To Be A Christian: Q&A 25-34

Read Read Ezra & Nehemiah

(feel free to skip the genealogies and lists of places!)