The Old Testament Expounded, Part 4

We pick up from where we left off in the last teaching: 

1 Samuel and 2 Samuel

In 1 Samuel, kings enter into reign. Up to this time, it is judges who ruled Israel, that is between the time of Joshua and Samuel.

Samuel was a prophet, a judge and a priest. Samuel was from the lineage of Aaron, his father being Elkanah. Naturally, Samuel was a priest.

The children of Israel demanded for a king from God. There are times that you will push God and demand to have your way, and God will let you have your way, just as He did with the children of Israel did, asking for a king. How do you know that what you are asking is your thing, and not of God? It is not in line with the word of God. Motive matters to God, more than anything else. He weighs the hearts of men, and searches them to see what is in their hearts. When you keep asking to have your way, against the word of God, He will allow you to have your way. Be careful, to ensure that your persistence and asking is in line to the Word of God. 

Going back to the story of Samuel. The children of Israel asked for a king, and were given Saul as the king. There was a prophesy from God about Saul:

Hosea 13:9-11

"O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. ¹⁰ I will be your King; Where is any other, That he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes'? ¹¹ I gave you a king in My anger, And took him away in My wrath.

The children of Israel were all united when Saul became king.

When you understand that there were kings, prophets and priests, you will understand all the history books, and the books of the prophets. In the OT, since the time of Joshua, God spoke through prophets, kings and priests. Even today, we have kings, prophets and priests. God does not give gifts equally. To whom much is given, much will be required. The Christian judgment will have nothing to do with sin, but rather fruits. Christians will be judged more on the fruits; what did you have, and why didn't you use it? What has God called you to do? Concentrate on that more, than you concentrate on being sin-conscious. Concentrate on what God called you for more.

1 Samuel 15:22-23

So 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 heed than the fat of rams.For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” God honours your obedience and prefers it more than sacrifice. Sometimes people disobey God and think they will make it up to Him with offerings and sacrifices; He prefers your obedience, to your sacrifice.

1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles

These books talk about the kings in Israel, starting from Solomon to Zedekiah. The key to understanding the kings is to understand that there were kings before the kingdom of Israel was divided and after the kingdom was divided. The kings when the kingdom was united were: 

• Saul (1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles 10)
• David (1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-2)
• Solomon (1 Kings 3-11, 2 Chronicles 1-9)

Always remember that whenever there was a king, there was a prophet and a priest. For example:

• King Saul had Samuel as a priest and a prophet
• King David had Nathan as a prophet
• King Solomon had Iddo as a prophet
• King Ahab had Elijah and Micaiah, as prophets
• King Jeroboam had Amos as prophet, and Amaziah as the priest

Be patient with God. Some things take years to manifest, after God speaks the promises. God spoke the promise that David would reign in Israel, a promise that took years to come to pass. He again spoke to David that his son would take up the kingdom from him and even build Him a temple, a promise that also took years to come to pass. 

The day Solomon departed from the ways of God, the demons that were in David arose and started bothering Solomon. This is characterized by the Edomites arising (1 Kings 10:14). If you depart from God, the demons and spirits that used to haunt you before you accepted Christ will come back to haunt you, in a greater measure, as even Jesus warned (Matt. 12:43-45).

Just as kings ruled over the children of Israel, at a certain stage in your life, there is always something ruling you. Your heart is a city, and there is a king there. The thing you boast about is your king, and your king has the potential to bring you down, just like the kings in Israel brought them down often.

God loves you so much, that when He sees you straying, like the children of Israel, He used to send prophets to them, to bring them back, He will bring you back. He will not let you stray. God will always send you prophets, to help you get back, with His Word. Heed to them, and do as they tell you. The kings who ignored what the prophets sent by God to them told them always went astray and perished. 

Be also aware of false prophets and wrong advisers. The children of Israel got false prophets often, who corrupted God's Word to them and always spoke to them what their ears wanted to hear, rather than what God was speaking to them through His genuine and true prophets. Everyone has an adviser. Before you listen to someone, ask yourself who their adviser was, and who sent them.

The children of Israel divided into two kingdoms. 10 tribes went north and formed the nation called Israel (also called Ephraim), with a capital city called Samaria. Their first king was called Jeroboam, and Ahijah was the prophet while Jeroboam reigned. 

The other 2 tribes went south and formed the nation called Judah, and had Jerusalem as their capital city. Their first king was Rehoboam, the blood son of Solomon. 

After the division of the kingdom into 10 tribes (northern) and 2 tribes (southern), God preserved Judah and Benjamin to fulfill His promise to David, that a ruler will come from his seed. The 10 tribes that went north intermarried with other tribes and were corrupted; if the 2 tribes that went north (Judah and Benjamin) were as corrupted as the children of Israel, then promise of God to David would have been more difficult to fulfill.

The kingdom of Israel (northern kingdom) had 19 kings in total:

1. Jeroboam 1st (son of the captain of Saul's army)
2. Nadab
3. Baasha
4. Elah
5. Zimri
6. Omri
7. Ahab
8. Ahaziah
9. Jehoram
10. Jehu
11. Jehoahaz
12. Jehoash
13. Jeroboam 2nd
14. Zechariah
15. Shallom
16. Menaheim
17. Pekahiah
18. Pekah
19. Hoshea

Most of these kings were either bad, or worse. A few examples of the kings of Israel and where they are mentioned are: 

• Jeroboam 1st (1 Kings 12:25-33, 14:1-20)
• Ahab (1 Kings 16:28-34, 17-22:50)
• Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:51-53, 2 Kings 1:1-16)
• Jehu (2 Kings 9)

The kingdom of Judah (southern kingdom) had 20 kings in total, of which some were good, but most were bad:

1. Rehoboam
2. Abijam
3. Asa
4. Jehohaphat
5. Jehoram
6. Ahaziah
7. Athaliah (Queen)
8. Joash
9. Amaziah
10. Azariah (Uzziah)
11. Jotham
12. Ahaz
13. Hezekiah
14. Manasseh
15. Amon
16. Josiah
17. Jehoahaz
18. Jehoiakim
19. Jehoiachin
20. Zedekiah

 Here are a few examples of the kings of Judah, and where they are mentioned, in the Bible: 

• King Asa - 2 Chronicles 14-16
• King Jehoshaphat - 2 Chronicles 17
• King Ahaziah - 2 Chronicles 22
• Queen Athaliah - 2 Chronicles 22:10

One of the key women mentioned during the period of kings reigning in Israel is Jezebel. She represents a spirit, that is operational even today, in the churches. The spirit of Jezebel looks for the intelligent, strong, committed to God, high and mighty men, to bring down. The spirit is sent to seduce the servants of God, bring them down through fornication (Rev. 2:20). Men have three weaknesses: girls, gold and glory. These are what the devil uses to bring men down. 

Queen Athaliah was sent to bring back the spirit Jezebel, to Israel.

All the major and minor prophets were living and working in the times of the prophets. They are all mentioned in the books of Kings and Chronicles, but their stories are explained in detail in the books of the prophets (major and minor). For every king, there was a prophet. Actually, as far as the story of the children of Israel is concerned, the Bible sort of ends at 2 Chronicles. All the prophets, priests and kings talked about in the books following 2 Chronicles are covered between 1 Kings - 2 Chronicles. 

Side note: As you grow spiritually, there is some food that you realize you are not good for you. Grow to the level of needing meat for your system, not milk. If you are no longer being fed where you are and growing, leave and go. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned; they are not forced. Do not be fake, pretending to be comfortable somewhere, while you are not. Leaving church is normal; it is abnormal to stay somewhere too long, without growing. Make sure you are growing where you are.

God’s Word is like a perfume. When you go to pray and fast, God is refilling you with His Word. When you go to a place and start speaking the Word, you are spraying a perfume. Demons can smell the scent of the Word from far, when you arrive.

Do not be weak; eat the Word, till you are loaded. If someone asks you a question, answer them with the Scriptures.

Going back to our exposition, we see another major item being discussed in these 4 books: the temple. Many people ignore the details and topic of the temple because it seems so intricate or complicated. Knowledge of something or lack of it does not render something either important or useless. The temple is intricate; the complication of the temple is directly proportional to the complication of your body. Though you may never understand the intricacy of the temple or the tabernacle, it does not render the items of the temple/tabernacle useless. Nothing in the temple/tabernacle is irrelevant. Study the temple with a picture of your body in mind. 

Side note: Just as Sarah (picture of Israel) never met Rebeccah (picture of the church), the church will never meet the true Jews.

   

Just like there was Abijah in the family of Jeroboam, God leaves a remnant in every family.

There were many prophets who did and spoke much, but never wrote any materials, such us Elijah, Elisha and so on. These were called oral prophets. Others spoke and wrote.

Another important topic that we cannot ignore when talking about these 4 books is the captivity.  

The Captivity

God used to warn the children of Israel through His prophets, and when they did not listen, captivity came. Even today, God warns us through His Word, prophets and Spirit, and when we do not listen, captivity comes. He does not send us into captivity, but His voice keeps us from falling into captivity. If God warned you and you did not listen, captivity is coming; problems are coming.

The first fall of Israel to captivity was to the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5-23). 

The main thorn of Jerusalem (Judah), that took them to captivity, was the nation of Babylon, under the rulership of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in 3 stages. The first time, he took Daniel, Shadrach, Mishech and Abednego, and all the fine young men from there. This was the first captivity, when Jehoiachin was king. The second time he came, Jehoiakim was king, and this time round he took Ezekiel and others. The third time he came, Zedekiah was king, and this is when Nebuchadnezzar took the whole of Judah and burnt Jerusalem to the ground. You can read the story of the captivity in 2 Chronicles 36:12-16, 2 Kings 24:6-16, and 25:1-13.

The story of Nebuchadnezzar and Jerusalem is a picture of our lives.

The gifts God gives to families are stolen by the devil, a picture of Nebuchadnezzar stealing all the good things form the house of the Lord, leaving only the lame, and the poorest. The devil leaves a family in rags. Your work is to work with God to repair your soul. God restores your gifts that were stolen when you accept Christ.

Canaan in the Old Testament signifies the Body, Jerusalem the Soul, and the Temple in Jerusalem is a picture of your spirit. Your gifts are in your spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:11

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

The things in a man are the gifts of God to a man, and they are in his spirit. The spirit of a man is that which understand what God created you to be.

Nebuchadnezzar (the devil) entered the temple (spirit), and stole the gifts, when we backslid. God restored them back with a recreated and reborn spirit, when you accepted Christ. 

Maximize the gifts God has given you. do not be comfortable with the status quo. Do not be comfortable with just “average”. Stir up your gifts and reawaken them, doing all it takes by the grace of God to be who God wants you to be. Pray, fast, study the Word, till you stir up the gifts in you. No one was sent on earth without gifts. People die with their gifts inside them; do not be among the statistics.

Isaiah 45:2-3

‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.

The devil steals gifts from people, and these are the treasures of darkness God was telling Cyrus He will give him, stored in secret places, having to break up gates of brass and so on.

Your reactions are directly proportional to how messed up you are on the inside, in your soul.

The Books of the Prophets

To understand the books of the prophets, we have to understand that there were prophets before the exile (captivity), prophets during the exile, and prophets after the exile.  

a. Prophets before the exile:

i) Prophets to the heathens

• Jonah
• Nahum
• Obadiah

ii) Prophets to Israel

• Hosea 
• Amos

iii) Prophets to Judah

• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Lamentations (of Jeremiah)
• Joel
• Micah
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah

b. Prophets during the exile

• Ezekiel
• Daniel

c. Prophets after the exile

• Ezra
• Nehemiah
• Esther
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi

Jonah and Nahum were sent to Nineveh.

Obadiah was sent to the Edomites. Edom was built on a hill, and they thought nothing could bring them down.

God sending prophets to the heathens shows us that God is interested in everything that is happening every nation on earth. This shows us the sovereignty of God, and how He is not a respecter of persons.

There were only two prophets sent to Israel: Hosea and Amos.

God used imageries when dealing with prophets. He used fig trees with Habakkuk, nudity with Isaiah, harlotry with Hosea and so on. With Hosea, he married a harlot, who used to go back to the brothel, as much as he kept bringing her back. God did this because His relationship with His people is symbolic to a marriage. This is why He used this imagery with Hosea. With that image after he had struggled with Gomer (the harlot), now God gave the message to Hosea, and he was ready for prophecy, with the pain. Some of the pain you are going through or that you went through is preparing you for work of God, and God will use it for His glory. 

Amos was living in Judah. God told Him to leave Judah, and go all the way to Samaria. When Amos came to preach to Israel, Jeroboam 2^nd was king, and Amaziah was priest then.

There were 6 prophets to Judah.

There were 4 kings during the times of Isaiah. 2 Kings 20:1-5, Isaiah 38. This is another proof that the prophets existed between I Kings and 2 Chronicles, even though their books appear after 2 Chronicles. 

Side note: The Bible has 66 books; Isaiah has 66 chapters. The OT has 39 books; Isaiah 1-39 represents the OT, while 40-66 talks of the NT, which is all about the grace of God, the Bride of Christ (the church). That’s why Isaiah 40 starts by saying, “Comfort ye, comfort ye.”

When you start praying, do not start praying with the answer in your mind; the answer belongs to God, to know how He shall manifest His answer.

There are some times you will pray to God regarding something, and He will show you something else you need to do, that has nothing to do with what you prayed about. This is how God works. As you are praying, you move closer to His heart, and He shows you what is important to Him. There are some things that are important to you that are not important to God; what is important to God is what matters and is vital to Him, what is of urgency, what you should act on immediately. Make God’s priority your priority.

In your walk with God, you will come to a point of hearing God's voice so clearly that it sounds like He is speaking in your ear, which should be the goal of every believer: 

Isaiah 30:21

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.

Joel saw the imagery of locusts. The locusts were a representative of the Babylonians.

There were only two prophets during the exile: Daniel and Ezekiel.

Ezekiel was the one who was taken to Jerusalem, in the spirit. 

There were 6 prophets after the exile.

Ezra returned the law.

Nehemiah came to repair the walls of Jerusalem.

Zerubabbel repairs the temple. He returned the things that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple.

After the people of Judah started going back to Jerusalem, others remained behind. The jews who refused to go back with Ezra and Nehamiah are the ones who are talked about in the book of Esther.

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are the prophets who were urging the Jews in Babylon to go back to Jerusalem.                          

In conclusion, let me say that I believe that this exposition has given you better insight of what the OT is all about, and stirred in you a desire to study the book. With this knowledge, take time and study the OT, without the mentality that it is hard to study or understand. Let God reveal Himself to you through His Word. 

Amen. 

-- Teacher Sammy Nyanjom

(16/11/14 Sunday Service Sermon, Teaching Transformation Ministry.)

  
Teacher Samny is a friend of Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./ Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.