Kingdom Era

This past week we had a man named Charles Stolfus come and speak to our class about the Kingdom Era. The Kingdom era, beginning in 1052 B.C. is the time period in which the twelve tribes of Israel establish a new monarchy and are united under the rule of Saul, David, and then Solomon. In 931 B.C. a civil war breaks out which divides the tribes into the Northern Kingdom of Israel (10 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (2 tribes).  Nineteen unrighteous kings ruled the Northern Kingdom for 250 years before the Assyrians conquered Israel. Of the twenty kings that ruled the Southern Kingdom, only eight were righteous before the Lord, and after 400 years He brought judgment upon them when the Babylonians conquered Judah. Two kings of Judah stuck out to me because of their enormous contrast in character- Hezekiah and his son Manasseh.

Hezekiah began his reign in 716 B.C. at the age of twenty-five and was the 13^th king of the Southern Kingdom in the line of David. He was a man of God who obeyed His commands, and because of that God blessed him and Judah during his reign. He brought together the Levites and priest and repaired the house of the Lord, he was a very successful military leader, and was the most righteous king of the Divided Kingdom Era ever saw. 2 Kings 18:3-6 “He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah (a wooden symbol of a female deity). He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.”  During his reign Hezekiah consistently went to the Lord in prayer and God answers. At one point Sennacherib, king of Assyria came to attack Judah. Hezekiah sought help from the Lord and peace from Sennacherib. When Sennacherib refused to relent Isaiah prophesied in 2 Kings 19:6,7 “Isaiah said to them, ‘Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” The Lord struck down 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, Sennacherib returned to his land and was killed. Another example of God’s faithfulness is when Hezekiah gets sick and Isaiah tells him he is about to die. Hezekiah rose up a prayer and then 2 Kings 20:5 says, “Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you.’” Hezekiah’s faithfulness to prayer is a great example to me. He did not do necessarily what the people of Judah wanted of him, but he listened to God to direct his decisions during his reign.

Toward the end of his reign Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh who became the 14^th king of Judah after his father. At this point we see one of the greatest kings of the time succeeded by one of the most evil kings Judah ever saw. Manasseh became king in 697 B.C. at the age of 12 and reigned for 55 years. Manasseh put an end to all the good that his father had put in place. He rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for Baal, made idols and worshiped them, practiced witchcraft and other kinds of evil that provoked the Lord’s anger. God sent prophets to rebuke Manasseh and tell of His judgment but he didn’t listen. 2 Chronicles 33:11 says, “Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.” We see God’s wrath toward and unbelievably wicked king who knew the great example of his father and knew God’s commands but completely ignored them. His story could have ended there in torment and judgment for his unrighteousness, but what happened next is incredible- 2 Chronicles 33:12,13 says, “When he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” God showed this evil man mercy and his life was restored! Manasseh recognized his sin and unfaithfulness and took action to make things right in the kingdom. He removed from the city all foreign gods and idols from the house of the Lord and other alters that he had built. He made offerings to God and called the people to turn from their sin and serve the Lord. He was a changed man. Manasseh is another example of the grace God shows to ANYONE who comes to Him! Manasseh didn’t seem to care much for his fathers beliefs at the beginning of his reign, but toward the end of his life he could testify to the words his father spoke years early – 2 Chronicles 30:9 Hezekiah says, “For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” Such a great reminder!

Throughout the study of Kingdom Era I was struck by God’s patience toward the kings and people of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. His wrath was great but He gave the people many chances to turn away from their sin and follow His commands. God continually rose up prophets to speak to the kings and give warning of the coming judgment but they didn’t seem to care. The people of Israel and Judah were destroying the house of the Lord, worshiping wooden deities that they carved themselves, and practicing witchcraft and the Lord continued to speak to them and give them the opportunity time and time again to return to Him. And even in His entire wrath we see how merciful of God he is as he extended grace to Manasseh! God’s character is unchanging and I’m so thankful to serve the same patient, merciful, and just God that the kings of Israel and Judah served 3,000 years ago.