Part 2: Wars, Kings, and Songs
Old Testament History and Poetics
ABOUT THIS GUIDE.
Each guide follows a basic daily pattern in three parts. In Part 1, you will read a few Bible verses. The verses will be printed in this guide, but to get a “fuller sense” of each verse, you can go to your Bible and read the surrounding verses. In Part 2, I will explain what you are reading and its connection to the larger story of the Bible. In Part 3, I will challenge you to think deeply about the implications of these passages, not only to help you learn, but to change your life.
This guide intends to take you through some of the most important passages in the Bible to help you get a big picture of what God is doing. Our other aim is that you would feel comfortable opening any book of the Bible. This guide will cover every book—briefly—so that you can confidently read any part of the Bible on your own.
Part 1: Origin Story—The origin of humanity, God’s people, and the current state of the world
Part 2: Wars, Kings and Songs—The rise and fall of Israel as God’s Kingdom
Part 3: Prophets and Exile—Message of destruction, redemption, and life in the aftermath
Part 4: Kingdom Come—The promised one comes and announcement of a new Kingdom begins
Session 1: God Wins a Land
Part 1: Read
Joshua 24:1-28
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.
6 “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
Part 2: Discussion
This passage is a summary of everything that has taken place in Israel’s history, from Genesis through Joshua. Beginning in verse 5, the history speaks of the people as “you.” “I brought you out….” These events begin with slavery in Egypt and end in Joshua’s present day. However, the audience, “you,” was not alive at the time of the Exodus. They were not present for the receiving of the law and were not adults when Balaam tried to curse Israel. This generation was born in the wilderness while their parents wandered. We are not even reminded of their parent’s generation until verse 14, “put away the gods your fathers served.” This generation has replaced their parents’ generation as the people who should have inherited the land. Now, Joshua issues them a final reminder of their need to be faithful to God now that they are in the land. The people agree to follow God and only God. This seemed to be the beginning of God’s earthly Kingdom; Shalom will now come. They are entering a land with cities and farms that are already built. God is fulfilling the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The only contingency is that the people of Israel continue to worship God and only God… but they won’t.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why was it fair for God to demand devotion from the Israelites?
Why is it so important for Joshua to reissue the rules right before entering the Promised Land?
What reason would the people have for worshipping any god other than the Most High God?
Session 2: The People Rebel
Part 1: Read
Judges 1:6-23
6 Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7 And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 9 And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland. 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba), and they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.
11 From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher. 12 And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.” 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. 14 When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people. 17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. 19 And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. 20 And Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak. 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22 The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.)
Judges 21:24-25
24 And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Part 2: Discussion
The moment Joshua dies, it all falls apart. This shows us a need for God’s people to have a strong leader to point them back to God. The people worship other gods, and so, God allows them to be oppressed. In their oppression, the people cry out for help. God sends help (warriors called “Judges”) and once they are safe, the people go back to worshipping other gods. This is the cycle of the book of Judges. The last verse is telling of the people’s need for leaders, “In those days there was no king in Israel….” This verse sets us up for the next book in the series which, in the Hebrew Bible, is Samuel (the appointing of the first two kings of Israel). The book of Judges contains the stories of six major Judges: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah/Barack, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. These judges go from good, to questionable, to awful. They are not told in chronological order, but are told to display the corruption of Israel. The final two stories in the book shows that Israel has collapsed into complete disaster, climaxing in a massive civil war, that nearly destroys an entire tribe. During these final two stories, we encounter two characters, the grandson of Moses and the grandson of Aaron, who show us that these stories, chronologically, take place at the beginning of the book of Judges. The people were never faithful and never kept their promise to follow God. What hope was there for shalom without God’s people being led by a godly king?
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why are the people of Israel so quick to fall into such deep sin?
Why does God continue to save His people who habitually turn away from Him?
How does this story show us why God’s Kingdom needs a strong, godly ruler?
Session 3: A Bright Spot in a Dark Time
Part 1: Read
Selections from Ruth
1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
15 And Naomi said to Ruth, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
1 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
Part 2: Discussion
Ruth is not the Bible’s version of a “rom-com.” It is not about the relationship between Ruth and Boaz. The story of Ruth is about the redemption of Naomi. Naomi’s life follows the pattern of Israel. She left the land and stopped trusting God the moment things got bad. She entrusted herself to a foreign land, and there, lost everything. She returned home to God but lost hope. Then, God provided a redeemer and gave hope even when it was not deserved. Amidst all that, a woman for a foreign nation, a nation that HATED Israel and its God, showed herself more faithful and more trusting in God than anyone else in the story. Who are the true people of God? Those who believe in God and trust in His redemption! Notice too, this story contains the genealogy of David! According to the Mosaic law, you should never marry a foreigner, especially a Moabite, and yet here she is in the genealogy of David and (in the book of Matthew) in the genealogy of Jesus.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why has this story been preserved? What does it teach about God?
Why would it be important to highlight a foreigner being faithful in a time when most Israelites were far from God?
Why is the theme of God’s redemption so important?
Session 4: The People Demand a King
Part 1: Read
1 Samuel 8:1-4, 9:1-2
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
1 Samuel 15:10-28
10 The word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the LORD.” 26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.
Part 2: Discussion
The people ask for a king, “so that we can be like the nations.” God made provision in Deuteronomy for Israel to have a king. The problem is, they want to be like everyone else. So, they demand a king. Saul means, “the one asked for.” It is a fitting name. He is everything a king should be: tall, strong, and handsome. But, he is also so much like the people. He wants God’s blessing and help in battle, but does not care to have a relationship with God or follow His laws outside of that. Saul is ultimately rejected as God’s king because of his failure to listen to the instructions that God gives him.
Part 3: Think Deeply
What exact sin did Saul commit that lead to his rejection by God?
What is the connection between having a relationship with God and following His rules? Can we say we LOVE God and not be obedient?
Session 5: God Appoints a King
Part 1: Read
2 Samuel 7:1-17
7 Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David..
Part 2: Discussion
1 Samuel shows the appointment of SAUL (whose name means “one asked for”) who is, in appearance, everything that a king should be, but he is not faithful to God. Meanwhile, we are introduced to David, a little man who looks nothing like a king, but has a heart for God. God identifies David as the king that He wants. Saul dies at the end of 1 Samuel, and David becomes king at the beginning of 2 Samuel. David seeks to build a temple (a house) for God, and God responds by establishing David’s family (his house) by making it into a dynasty that will lead the nation of Israel forever. Notice in verse 12 that an offspring will be raised up and God will be like a father to his son—what a foreshadowing! A descendant of David will rule forever, and from his throne will flow God’s blessing into the world.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why did God choose David’s family?
What happened when David’s descendants were not faithful to God?
Session 6: The Son of God Reigns?
Part 1: Read
1 Kings 3:5-14
5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
1 Kings 6:1, 11-14, 21-22
1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD.
11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” 14 So Solomon built the house and finished it.
21 And Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
1 Kings 8:10-11
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 9:6-8
6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’
Part 2: Discussion
If you remember, in 2 Samuel 7, God says that David’s son will be like a son to God. God will be his Father and will love him as well as punish him. This is echoed in Psalm 2 (next session), which declares that the king of David is adopted by God. Solomon’s reign began in an amazing way. He sought the wisdom of God. He built a permanent temple for God, which was filled with God’s glory, and helped Israel to enter incredible economic prosperity. It looks like THIS is the king that David was promised. But, notice all the times that God told Solomon what will happen if he does not keep God’s rules.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why does God commend Solomon for asking for wisdom?
What parallels do you see between the tabernacle and the temple?
Has anyone kept all of God’s rules so far? What do you predict will be the outcome of Solomon’s reign?
Session 7: The Songs of God’s People
Part 1: Read
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
Part 2: Discussion
The opening and closing Psalms (in the book of Psalms) act as a great summary of the main subject of the book of Psalms. The book of Psalms is a collection of five books. It is most likely that the collection was fully assembled after Israel returned from exile, but many of the Psalms were written by David, Solomon, and the Sons of Korah (contemporaries of Solomon). These Psalms are expressions by God’s people as a demonstration of how to pray or speak to God. The Psalms both call the reader to respond to God in worship, but also in faithfulness to His law. The Psalms demonstrate a full range of emotions in response to God. If you are trying to determine how to talk to God when you are angry, guilty, anxious, depressed, lost, happy, joyful, or grieving, turn to the Psalms.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why are the Psalms so important to our faith?
When in your life have you felt deep emotions and not known how to express them to God?
Session 8: The Wisdom of Solomon
Part 1: Read
Proverbs 1:1-7
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-8
1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
Song of Songs 1:1-4
1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
SHE
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
3 your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4 Draw me after you; let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.
OTHERS
We will exult and rejoice in you;
we will extol your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
Part 2: Discussion
The other poetic books are written or highly influenced by Solomon. The book of Proverbs contains principles for living in a world where everything works exactly as it should. They are not promises (if you do that, then this will happen) nor are they laws (demanding obedience). They are meant as guidelines for a holy life. These proverbs begin with a respect and love for God. Ecclesiastes is an apologetic that argues that without God there is no meaning or value to life. The final book credited to Solomon is Song of Songs (sometimes called Song of Solomon). It is a play or script telling the story of two lovers. It is a vivid depiction of God’s design for passionate love in marriage.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why are the Proverbs important? What do they bring to the Bible that other passages don’t?
What is the value in a book like Ecclesiastes?
Why is it important to have such a vivid depiction of marriage?
Session 9: The Kingdom Divides
Part 1: Read
1 Kings 11:1-8
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
1 Kings 12:12-20
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.
1 Kings 12:25-33
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.
Part 2: Discussion
After David died, his son, Solomon, took over. Solomon began his reign well and was a wise king who asked the Lord for more wisdom. Solomon collected many riches and built God a massive temple, and built himself an even bigger palace. At the end of Solomon’s story, we are told that he also accumulated many wives who turned his heart away from God. Shalom is broken as Solomon allows other gods into His Kingdom. The breaking of Shalom was increased when Solomon’s son, Rheaboam, was given counsel to lighten taxes and reduce the war efforts that Solomon had enforced on Israel. Instead, he told the people he would increase their load. This led to a rebellion which split Israel in two: a northern kingdom called Israel, and a southern kingdom with only the tribe of Judah remaining. Immediately, the new king of the north set up two golden calves (see Exodus 32) and tells all of Israel to worship them. From this point forward, the history of Israel continues to be a history of people turning away from God. The kings who followed David were meant to lead the people toward God’s Shalom. The kings are imperfect sinners, leading imperfect sinners, so they are not capable of delivering on this hope. God’s Shalom can only come if He is King.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Why are the kings of Israel and Judah so incapable of leading the people of God?
There is a pattern in Israel: for every little bright spot, there followed a long period of sin and darkness. Why do you think this is?
How are our own lives reflected in this history?
Session 10: Judgment Comes
Part 1: Read
2 Kings 17:1-6
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria. And Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. 5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
2 Kings 21:10-16
10 And the LORD said by his servants the prophets, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, 12 therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”
16 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Part 2: Discussion
The breaking of God’s Shalom became so great that the only solution was for God to wipe out His people, much like the time of Noah when God reversed creation. So, God reverses the creation of His people and sent them back among the nations. Their sin had to be dealt with. The northern kingdom fell in 722 BC after 19 kings, all of whom were called bad kings. There is one king in particular, named Ahab, who was the worst of all. The southern kingdom fell in 586 BC after 20 kings. Eight were classified as good kings.
Part 3: Think Deeply
Was God justified in destroying His people?
Did God break promises when He allowed them to be punished?
APPENDIX: EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE IN A FEW WORDS
Genesis The beginning of God’s plan and people
Exodus Brought out from slavery to be God’s people
Leviticus How sinful people live with a holy God
Numbers Wilderness wanderings
Deuteronomy Moses’ final teaching
Joshua Conquest of the promised land
Judges The people sin, but God is faithful
Ruth A gentile is more faithful than God’s people
1 Samuel The fall of “the king asked for”
2 Samuel The rise of the king God anointed
1&2 Kings The fall of Israel and Judah at God’s judgment
1&2 Chronicles A post-exile re-telling of Israel’s history
Ezra Return from exile dealing with sin
Nehemiah Return from exile rebuilding the wall
Esther God’s invisible providence in a foreign land
Job Where is God in suffering?
Psalms The prayers of God’s people as they journey to the kingdom
Proverbs An ideal picture of life in God’s Kingdom
Ecclesiastes Life is vanity without God
Song of Songs The beauty of godly romance
Isaiah We need God’s true king, and He is coming
Jeremiah This covenant is broken, we need a new covenant as a new people
Lamentations God’s faithfulness in dire situations
Ezekiel God will refine and renew His people
Daniel God is in control of all nations and all time
Hosea Be faithful to your covenant with God
Joel The day of the Lord is coming with vengeance
Amos God desires justice and mercy in His Kingdom
Obadiah Edom will fall
Jonah God cares for all nations
Micah God will punish sin
Nahum God holds the nations accountable
Habakkuk Rejoice even in suffering
Zephaniah God will keep a remnant in His judgment
Haggai Rebuild the temple
Zechariah Rebuild the people
Malachi Where is God now?
Matthew The Messiah is here!
Mark The King of all is here!
Luke The Savior of all people is here!
John The divine Son of God is here!
Acts Jesus’ Church begins
Romans Vindicating God’s righteousness
1 Corinthians The Church should be united
2 Corinthians The Church should be united in ministry
Galatians Defending the Gospel of grace
Ephesians God’s mysterious plan revealed
Philippians The joy of being in Christ
Colossians The preeminence of Jesus
1 Thessalonians Live in light of eternity
2 Thessalonians Comfort in waiting
1 Timothy What a godly leader is
2 Timothy Final advice from a father to a son
Titus How godly leaders affect others
Philemon A picture of reconciliation
Hebrews Jesus is the fulfillment
James Proverbs of the New Testament
1 Peter Hope in suffering
2 Peter Correcting false teachers
1,2,3 John Christ’s love seen in our community
Jude False teachers in the Church
Revelation God will win