The Bible: Kings, Sins, And Redemption

The Bible is filled with stories of kings who have sinned. From Saul, the first king of Israel, to David, the most famous king in Scripture, to Omri, who did evil in the eyes of the Lord, the lives and actions of these kings provide valuable lessons for readers. While some kings honoured God and brought peace to their people, others turned away from God, bringing calamity and destruction. The Bible also mentions foreign kings, such as Jeroboam, who led the ten northern tribes to rebel against King Solomon and set up a false worship system in Samaria. These stories serve as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of following God's path.

King David's sin of adultery

King David is perhaps the best-known king in Scripture, referred to as a man "after God's own heart". He is responsible for bringing the nation back to God, slaying the giant Goliath, and writing most of the book of Psalms.

However, David's personal life was riddled with poor decisions that affected generations to come. The most prevalent example of sin in David's life was his affair with a married woman, Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.

One evening, David saw Bathsheba bathing from the roof of his palace. Inflamed with passion, he sent for her and committed adultery. A child was conceived, and when David was informed of Bathsheba's pregnancy, he determined to conceal the sin. He summoned Uriah from the battlefront, intending for him to visit his wife so that when Bathsheba's child was born, it would appear to be Uriah's. However, Uriah refused, stating that he would not indulge in matrimonial pleasure while his comrades-in-arms were deprived of similar domestic enjoyment.

David then sought to intoxicate Uriah, but he still did not go to his wife. Finally, in a desperate measure, David sent him back to the battlefront with a message to Joab, his captain. Uriah was to be placed at the forefront of the hottest battle, and the troops were to withdraw so that he would be slain. Thus, Uriah died, never knowing of his wife's infidelity with the king.

After mourning her husband, Bathsheba became David's wife and bore him a son. However, this union displeased God. The child born of their adulterous union died in infancy because of David's sin. David's family suffered for many years as a result of his actions. One of David's sons led a rebellion that caused him to flee Jerusalem and sparked a civil war in Israel.

Despite his sins, David continued to have an incredible relationship with God and wrote the majority of the Psalms after his adultery. At his death, he was called "the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet Psalmist of Israel". This suggests that he was forgiven for his sins.

David's story serves as a reminder that even great rulers are not perfect and that we will fall and make mistakes. However, as we confess our sins with a sincere heart, God is faithful to forgive us, even though there will be consequences for our actions.

Saul's impatience

Saul, the first king of Israel, is a cautionary tale of the dangers of impatience and pride. Despite his physical attributes and the prophet Samuel's anointment, Saul doubted his abilities and hid when it was time for his coronation. However, after successfully defeating enemy nations, pride crept in, and he began to act impulsively.

One notable instance of Saul's impatience is narrated in 1 Samuel 13. While awaiting the arrival of Samuel to offer a pre-battle sacrifice to God, Saul grew impatient as his men began to scatter out of fear. Instead of rallying his troops, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice himself, disobeying God's law and Samuel's specific instructions. This act of impatience led to his downfall, as Samuel proclaimed that Saul's kingdom would not endure.

Omri's idol worship

Idolatry is the worship of idols, or man-made objects, as though they were deities. In Abrahamic religions, idolatry is the worship of something or someone other than the God of these religions. This is forbidden by texts such as the Ten Commandments, which state: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath" (Exodus 20:4).

Omri, an Israelite king, is described in the Bible as having "done evil in the eyes of the Lord" (1 Kings 16:25). He is said to have "sinned more than all those before him" (1 Kings 16:25) and to have led Israel to anger God "with their worthless idols" (1 Kings 16:26).

The Bible does not provide specific details about Omri's idolatrous practices, but it is known that he established the city of Samaria, which became associated with syncretism and the worship of idols. The lack of detail has led to speculation that Omri may not have introduced new gods or invented new ways to worship idols, but rather took existing practices to new extremes. This may have included encouraging the worship of idols, promoting their use as a means of worshipping God, or engaging in idolatrous practices himself.

Whatever the specifics of Omri's idol worship, it is clear that it was considered a serious transgression by the authors of the Bible and that it had negative consequences for the Israelites. Omri is held up as an example of a bad leader and a warning against the dangers of idolatry.

Ahab's defiance against God

Ahab was the son of King Omri, who was also considered a wicked ruler. Ahab was an evil king, and his reign was deeply unpopular among Yahwists. He was criticised for causing a moral decline in Israel. Ahab's dominant sin was idolatry. He built a temple to the false god Baal and established the Baal and Asherah cults in Israel. He also built altars and idols to the pagan deity Asherah.

Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of Ithobaal I of Tyre, and she was said to be even more wicked than he was. Under her influence, he abandoned Yahweh. Jezebel was a ruthless and evil influence on Ahab, and together they killed opponents, including godly priests and a man named Naboth. Ahab also allowed Jezebel to kill the prophets of God, including Elijah.

Ahab was at odds with the prophet Elijah, who predicted a drought because of Ahab's sins. Elijah also criticised Ahab's role in Naboth's unjust execution. Ahab's response to the prophets of God was defiance and blame. He scoured the surrounding nations looking for Elijah, and when he found him, he blamed him for Israel's misfortunes.

Ahab was surrounded by godly influence, including Obadiah, his palace administrator, but he chose not to listen to them. He experienced God's mercy but rejected it. He was warned of the judgment to come, and though he humbled himself for a moment, he never truly repented.

Jeroboam's false worship

King Jeroboam I, the son of Nebat, was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the death of Solomon, when the nation of Israel divided into two kingdoms. He is often described as doing "evil in the sight of the Lord".

Jeroboam's worship was appealing to the people, as it was new and convenient. He set up centres of worship in the north and south of the Northern Kingdom, saving the people time and energy. He also allowed more people to be involved as priests, going against God's instruction that only men from the tribe of Levi could serve as priests.

Jeroboam's worship was similar to the true worship commanded in the law of Moses, but with key differences. For example, God commanded the Israelites to observe the feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Numbers 29:10), whereas Jeroboam commanded them to observe it on the fifteenth day of the eighth month (1 Kings 12:32).

In summary, Jeroboam's worship was wrong because it was unauthorised by God, he had the wrong motives, they worshipped the wrong objects, they used the wrong methods and it had the wrong source of authority.

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