Kingdom

Kingdom

What would you do if you woke up one morning and discovered you had been made king or queen? Imagine having the authority to make whatever laws you wanted and determine how everything would work.

There's something appealing about being in charge. We like the idea of making our own decisions, setting our own rules, and controlling our circumstances. But that desire for self-determination can become a problem when it leads us away from God's authority.

Israel discovered this throughout its history. The desire for a king became an important part of its story, but the deeper issue wasn't simply who sat on the throne. It was whether the people would recognize God as their King.

The Bible tells one unified story of God's purpose to restore what sin has broken. We've followed that story through Creation, Promise, and Rescue.

In Creation, God made a perfect world and created humanity to enjoy fellowship with Him. Sin entered the world and broke what God had made, but His purpose remained.

In Promise, God called Abraham and promised that through his family, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

In Rescue, God delivered Abraham's descendants from slavery in Egypt, taught them how to live as His people, and came to dwell among them.

Now we come to Kingdom, where God's people enter the land He promised, establish a monarchy, and discover that even their greatest kings cannot solve the problem of the human heart.

1. God Gives the People the Land

After generations of waiting, Israel finally stands at the border of the Promised Land. Moses has died, and Joshua has been appointed to lead the people into the territory God promised to Abraham.

In Joshua 1:1–2, God tells Joshua to arise, cross the Jordan River, and lead the Israelites into the land He is giving them.

This moment fulfills a promise made centuries earlier. In Genesis 12:7, God told Abraham, "To your offspring I will give this land."

That promise was repeated to Isaac and Jacob. Now, after slavery in Egypt and years in the wilderness, the time has come for Israel to receive what God promised.

God's Power Makes the Conquest Possible

Possessing the land wouldn't be simple. Other nations already occupied it, and Israel would encounter fortified cities and established armies.

Joshua sent two spies into Jericho, where they met a Canaanite woman named Rahab. She recognized the power of Israel's God and declared in Joshua 2:11, "For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath."

Rahab's recognition of God is significant. God's work among Israel was already becoming known beyond the nation itself, pointing back to His promise that the nations would be blessed through Abraham's descendants.

As Israel entered the land, God miraculously stopped the Jordan River so the people could cross. It was another demonstration of His power, much like the crossing of the Red Sea.

Then came Jericho.

Rather than relying on conventional military strategy, Israel was instructed to march around the city. They would repeat this for several days, and on the seventh day, they would march around seven times, blow their trumpets, and shout.

Humanly speaking, this was not a particularly promising battle plan. But the victory wasn't dependent on Israel's military strength.

God was in command, and the walls fell.

Israel needed to understand that the land was a gift from God, not something they had secured through their own superiority.

Joshua 21:43 records that the Lord gave Israel the land He had promised to their fathers. Verse 45 summarizes God's faithfulness: "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."

God promised it, and God accomplished it.

God's Judgment Is Not Limited to Israel's Enemies

The conquest of Canaan also raises a difficult question: Why would God command the displacement and destruction of the people already living there?

The conquest wasn't presented as permission for Israel to expand its territory however it pleased. It was an act of divine judgment against nations that had persisted in wickedness for generations.

Genesis 15 reveals God's patience toward the inhabitants of the land. But His patience didn't mean that sin would go unaddressed forever.

God is holy and righteous. Sin matters to Him, and His judgment is not arbitrary.

Importantly, Israel was not exempt from the same standard. Throughout the biblical story, God judged sin among His own people. An entire generation died in the wilderness without entering the Promised Land, including Moses.

Later, Israel would experience removal from the land because of its own persistent rebellion.

The lesson applies to us as well. We should never become indifferent toward sin or assume that its consequences can simply be avoided. God calls His people to turn away from wickedness and pursue righteousness.

Israel Repeats the Cycle of Rebellion

Although Joshua ends with Israel established in the land, the people's obedience doesn't last.

God had warned Israel about the influence of the surrounding nations. Yet the Israelites failed to follow His instructions, and eventually they began adopting the worship practices of those around them.

Influence matters.

We should be friendly toward others, but there's a difference between treating someone with kindness and allowing that person's beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors to shape our own.

The relationships we prioritize have an impact on the people we become. That matters for us, and it matters for the example we're setting for our children.

Israel's failure to recognize this led to a repeated cycle throughout the book of Judges.

The people would turn away from God. They would experience the consequences of their rebellion, eventually cry out for help, and God would raise up a judge to deliver them. After a period of peace, they would turn away again.

Judges such as Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, and Samson were deliverers whom God used during this period. But the larger picture was one of widespread spiritual decline.

Judges 21:25 summarizes the condition of the nation: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

The problem wasn't simply the absence of a human ruler. Israel had God's covenant, His law, His provision, and His presence. Yet the people repeatedly refused to live under His authority.

We can fall into the same trap when we assume that changing our circumstances will change our hearts.

We might think that a better job, more money, improved health, marriage, or some other change will finally enable us to live faithfully.

But a change in circumstances doesn't necessarily produce a change in heart.

Israel received the land and witnessed God's power, yet the same spiritual problems continued.

Ruth Reveals God's Faithfulness in a Dark Time

In the middle of the period of the judges, the book of Ruth offers a beautiful picture of faithfulness.

Ruth was a Moabite woman who came to Israel and placed her trust in God. She eventually married Boaz and became part of the family line of David.

This isn't simply a love story inserted into the Old Testament. It's an important piece of the larger biblical story.

Even while Israel struggled with widespread rebellion, God was preserving the family through which His purposes would continue.

Boaz, who redeemed Ruth, also provides a picture of the greater Redeemer who would eventually come.

God's plan was moving forward, even during one of Israel's darkest periods.

2. The People Pursue a King

As the period of the judges comes to an end, Israel becomes convinced that a human king will solve its problems.

Samuel, the final judge, is leading the nation when the people approach him with their request.

In 1 Samuel 8:5, they say, "Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations."

Rather than examining their own failures to obey God, the Israelites focus on changing their form of government. They believe that having a king like the surrounding nations will give them the security and stability they desire.

But God identifies the deeper issue in 1 Samuel 8:7: "They have rejected me from being king over them."

Israel wanted the benefits of God's provision without consistently submitting to His rule.

Saul and David: The Search for the Right King

God allows Israel to have the king it requested. Saul becomes the nation's first king, but his heart is not devoted to God, and his reign is marked by serious failures.

David eventually succeeds Saul.

David is far from perfect, but he is described as a man after God's heart. And God makes an extraordinary covenant with him.

In 2 Samuel 7:16, God promises David, "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever."

This promise represents another significant development in the whole story.

God promised Abraham a family. That family became a nation. Now, from within that nation, God establishes a royal line.

David becomes the central figure in that line. He captures Jerusalem and makes it Israel's capital, brings the ark there, and establishes the kingdom.

But David himself won't live forever. If his throne is going to be established forever, the promise must ultimately point beyond David.

The story is moving toward another King who will come through David's family.

The Psalms Reveal David's Heart

Alongside the historical account of David's reign, the Psalms give us insight into his relationship with God.

Psalm 2 reflects on the nations and their rulers opposing God's purposes and His anointed king. It points to David in his historical setting while also anticipating Christ, who would come through David's line.

Psalm 23 reveals David's confidence in God's shepherd-like care, even through the valley of the shadow of death.

Psalm 51 gives us a different picture. Following his sin with Bathsheba, David recognizes his guilt and cries out to God.

His prayer in Psalm 51:10 is, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

David understood that the deepest problem couldn't be solved by political power, military success, or national prosperity.

He needed God to change his heart.

Solomon's Wisdom and the Temple

After David, his son Solomon becomes king.

Solomon's reign begins with tremendous promise. When God gives him the opportunity to ask for what he desires, Solomon asks for wisdom rather than wealth or power.

God grants his request.

The book of Proverbs reflects the importance of wisdom, including this foundational statement in Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

That's exactly what Israel needed: a humble recognition of God's authority and a willingness to live according to His ways.

Solomon also builds the temple in Jerusalem.

Earlier, God had come to dwell among His people in the tabernacle, a temporary structure used during their journey. Now a permanent temple is constructed as the center of Israel's worship.

During the temple's dedication, 1 Kings 8:11 tells us that "the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord."

Despite Israel's repeated rebellion, God continues to make His presence known among His people.

The ark is in Jerusalem. The temple has been completed. Solomon is ruling with wisdom, and the kingdom is prospering.

Everything appears to be falling into place.

But beneath the surface, the same spiritual problem remains.

3. The Kingdom Falls Apart

Under Solomon's leadership, Israel reaches an extraordinary period of prosperity and international recognition.

In 1 Kings 10, the queen of Sheba visits Solomon and is amazed by his wisdom and the greatness of his kingdom. She declares that the reports she heard didn't even begin to capture what she has witnessed.

But the very next chapter reveals a devastating development.

First Kings 11:1 begins, "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women."

Solomon's relationships eventually lead him away from wholehearted devotion to God.

First Kings 11:4 explains that his wives "turned away his heart after other gods."

This is particularly sobering because Solomon didn't lack the wisdom to recognize what was right. He lacked the willingness to apply it.

Knowing God's truth and living according to it are not the same thing.

The king who began his reign seeking wisdom eventually allowed his heart to turn toward false gods.

And the consequences would reach far beyond his own life.

A Kingdom Divided

Following Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam becomes king.

Rehoboam's heavy-handed leadership provokes rebellion, and the kingdom divides into two nations.

The ten northern tribes form the kingdom of Israel, with Jeroboam as their first king. The northern kingdom experiences ongoing political instability, idolatry, and a succession of wicked rulers.

Eventually, in 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquers Israel, bringing the northern kingdom to an end.

Meanwhile, the southern kingdom of Judah consists of Judah and Benjamin, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Judah continues under the royal line of David. Although many of its kings are unfaithful, others, including Hezekiah and Josiah, lead important religious reforms.

The survival of David's royal line matters because God's promise in 2 Samuel 7 still stands.

He promised that David's throne would be established forever.

Even as the kingdom fractures and Israel experiences the consequences of rebellion, God continues preserving the line through which that promise will be fulfilled.

God's Purposes Continue Despite Human Failure

Consider how often God's promises have appeared to be in jeopardy throughout the biblical story.

Joseph was sold into slavery and separated from his family for years, but God preserved the family.

Israel was enslaved in Egypt, but God preserved the nation.

The Israelites wandered through the wilderness, but God preserved His promise.

Now the kingdom has divided, but God continues preserving David's royal line.

Again and again, human rebellion threatens to undo what God has established. Yet His ultimate purpose continues moving forward.

That doesn't mean our choices are unimportant or that sin has no consequences.

Israel's history demonstrates exactly the opposite.

People experienced slavery, died in the wilderness, lost their land, and suffered the destruction of their nation because of persistent rebellion.

God's faithfulness to His promises never makes human disobedience harmless.

We cannot derail God's ultimate purposes, but we can experience very real consequences when we refuse to follow Him.

The Real Need Is a Clean Heart

The story of Israel's kingdom reveals a recurring problem.

The people believed they needed a land. God gave them the land.

They believed they needed a king. God gave them kings.

They experienced victories, prosperity, wisdom, and God's presence among them.

But none of those things could solve the problem of the human heart.

David knew this from personal experience.

In Psalm 32:3, he describes the anguish of concealing his sin: "My bones wasted away through my groaning all day long."

He recognized that he couldn't fix the problem through excuses, comparisons, or attempts to justify his behavior.

He needed a clean heart.

That's why his prayer in Psalm 51:10 is so important: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

It's what David needed. It's what Israel needed. It's what humanity needs.

And it's what we need today.

Our greatest need isn't simply a change in circumstances. It's a heart that humbly turns toward God and submits to His authority.

Another King Is Coming

Look at how the story has unfolded.

In Creation, sin entered the world, but God's purpose remained.

In Promise, Abraham had no nation or land, but God made a way.

In Rescue, Israel was enslaved, but God broke their chains and brought them out.

In Kingdom, God gave His people the land, established kings over them, and preserved a royal line. Yet the kingdom still fell apart.

The story isn't over.

Another King is coming through David's line, and He will not fail.

Everything is moving toward Jesus Christ, the promised King who will accomplish what no earthly king could.

The question for us is whether we will continue trying to rule our own lives or surrender our hearts to Him.

Serve Him with your whole heart.

SERMON DETAILS

Speaker: Jeff McNicol
Series: The Whole Story
Sermon Title: Kingdom
Date: October 11, 2026

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

• Joshua–Kings

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