At the moment as I read through the Old Testament books: First and Second Kings I can’t help but see a re-occurring theme in which I hope to convey correctly and unlock in our minds the understanding through the Spirit of Jesus about the areas in life that are similar to that which is laid out in the Holy Book.

I feel that I am to first state the desire and heart of God before the writings of First and Second Kings that will help understand God as Lord and King in our lives as well as provide a way to relate in a deeper way. Let’s give this a shot.

Since the beginning, God, the Father, desired to be in that very relationship with each one of us. He desired to be with us as a Father and Son/Daughter are. Living together, working through life together and leading us as His children. Of this, we have a slight picture in Genesis 2 as God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden and provided for them as they lived together in perfect unity. Shortly after, disobedience occurred and God then began the process toward the redemption of that very relationship He desired with us, to be a Father to us.

As we move forward about 3,000 years and 8 Old Testament books we come to a people (Israel) chosen by God, protected by God (as He appointed people to rise and deliver the people out of the hands of their oppressors), and loved by God wanting to now be led by man.

“…now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have”

(1 Kings 8:5).

Up to this moment, God had brought up prophets, Judges, and people to lead them toward the promised land (the Kingdom of God), but now they desired to be led by God no longer but by a king, “such as all the other nations have.”

This is the truth, as a child, you mirror that which you are taught by those closest to you. This truth applies to humanity as a whole, not just children. While being raised, children tend to learn their initial behaviors as well as ethics from their parents, and in this culture from the father. What is difficult is this… Since the initial moment of disobedience by Adam and Eve, the rest of creation to come is under a curse, with this curse being that they’re separated from God and at the moment having a heart that leaned toward walking in that which is opposite to God and His ways. This will all make sense soon. Stick with me, please.

Over 250 years later, we have now landed in the region of 2 Kings 15 and the plane is now descending as the landing strip is at sight. As I read through First and Second Kings, the pattern that is so visible is this: a great number of kings, when described in the bible, were summed up in a simple phrase, “and they walked in the ways of their fathers, doing evil in the sight of the Lord.” At first, I was simply discouraged by the number of people that walked in evil and led out of acts and a way that God termed as evil in His sight, not keeping His laws but worshipping other ‘gods’. But, as I continued to read on and meet more and more of these kings that were raised for these appointed times, a great revelation came to me…

In our lives, we all have lions seeking to devour us that we are held responsible to exercise the victory over, causing them to die in our lives, in turn being lions that our generations to come do not have to now face.

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”
(1 Peter 5:8).

These kings that did evil in the sight of God were facing lions that were to be killed off many generations ago which in turn gave them more strength and authority over them causing them to be tormented and enslaved, resulting in acts that are evil in the sight of the Lord. We are to live our lives killing every lion that comes against us, that our children need not face them because we’ve already dealt the victory over them.

The truth is that the enemy can be brutal to us at times, but it has never been directed toward us in the first place. He attacks us because He is trying to hurt God, and knowing God loves us greatly, it hurts God more when His children are attacked than when He is attacked directly. To bring this all back to the beginning, as life was intended to be lived, there is one simple solution and we should all turn and run to Him.

If all this time we see that children do what their parents live, and especially the Father, then seeking to be like the other nations and wanting a king to rule us was the wrong decision. It is as we turn to God as the Father and ask Him back into our lives accepting the invitation He has extended to us since the initial act of disobedience, that the evil will come to an end. The separation will be no more and the acts that we do, will no longer be seen as evil in the sight of the Lord, but as obedience and an act of worship. With God being the perfect Father, it is time for us to turn back to Him and spend time with Him that our actions may stem from His character and His heart, resulting in peace and unity that come from pure love, God’s love.