The Once and Future King: The Pathway to Christ in 1 Kings

Introduction: Are you familiar with the legend of King Arthur? Maybe you read the book “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court” or saw Disney’s animated movie “The Sword in the Stone.” Did you know the movie was based on the 1st part of a novel- The Once and Future King. By the end of the book, Arthur is hurt, he has lost his kingdom, he throws the sword in the lake, but anticipates a return to his kingdom- the legend of the once & future king.

Do you know the Gospel of Jesus Christ? He is the eternal Son of God who became a human, performed many miracles & preached the message of the Kingdom of God- a kingdom inaugurated in the person & work of Jesus Christ. He was crucified, dead, & buried, but He arose in power & ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God. Christ reigns in heaven now & will one day return to rule & reign as King over the earth.

Is Christ your King right now? Does He sit on the throne of your heart? Does He have ultimate authority in your life? Who reigns in your kingdom?

We are in a series called Pathway to Christ; we want see Christ in every book of the Bible. Today we are studying 1st Kings because we want to see Christ as our King to help us know how to apply His Kingship to our lives so that we will show Him ultimate allegiance as our King.

1st Kings begins near the end of King David’s life when he transfers the kingship to his son Solomon. It covers about 120 years of Israel’s history. It divides easily into two parts: the 1st 10 chapters about Solomon’s reign over the United Kingdom of Israel (the Golden Years- peace & prosperity), & the last 11 chapters (12-22) about the kings of the divided kingdom- 10 tribes in the north (Israel), & 2 tribes in the south (Judah).

Chapter 11 is the hinge chapter, i.e., the pivot, it describes Solomon’s downfall & why the kingdom was divided. This overview of 1st Kings will teach us why we need to surrender to Christ as our King & serve Him: why we need to Start with Christ, Stick with Christ, and Stand for Christ.

1. We need to START with Christ. 1-10; 2:1-12

1st Kings opens with King David’s last days; he is an old man, close to death. One of his sons, Adonijah, has taken advantage of David’s age and condition to stage a coup and assert himself as king. David had already promised his wife Bathsheba that their son Solomon would be the next king. So, Bathsheba & the prophet Nathan hatched a plot so that David would know what Adonijah was doing and crown Solomon king before it was too late.

David commanded Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, along with some others to put Solomon on David’s mule, parade him around the city, anoint him and proclaim his as king, then seat him on David’s throne. When Adonijah & his party heard about it, they knew the jig was up, & they split. Adonijah was afraid for his life, ran to the altar, & grabbed the horns of the altar for protection. Solomon spared his life.

There’s more to it, but what we want to focus on in this 1st section is David’s dying instructions to his son Solomon, the new king. Read 2:1-12.

1 Kings 2:1–12, Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

Skip down to verses 10-12. 10 So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. 11 The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.

Let’s pay close attention to David’s words in vss. 3-4, the King’s Practices & the Promise of God. Keep the charge (3)- to observe, or to conform one’s action or practice to whatever you are required to do.

ILL: When the law tells us to “observe” the speed limit; it doesn’t mean to watch the sign as we speed on by, it means to keep it, to do it.

When the Great Commission says to teach new disciples to “observe” all the things Christ commanded us, it doesn’t mean they are merely to watch what we do, they are to do them. Matt 28:19-20, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

When David told Solomon to keep the charge, he was talking about God’s commands for the kings who would rule His people. About 400 years earlier…

Deut 17:14-18 “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. 18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book…

These were to be the guiding principles of the king’s practices, & if they did it, there was a promise- they would always have a descendant on the throne.

Honestly, Solomon started off very well. He firmly established his kingdom by doing what his daddy said. He got rid of his enemies & he followed God. He started several building projects- a palace for himself, a temple for God, & a wall around Jerusalem. In chapter 3, Solomon made a huge sacrifice to God, 1,000 burnt offerings at Gibeon, & that night God appeared to him in a dream & told him to ask for whatever he wanted.

Solomon could have asked for anything- long life, wealth, or great power, but he asked for wisdom, & that’s what God gave him. Solomon became known as the wisest man on the earth, & in addition the Lord gave him what he didn’t ask for- long life, riches & honor.

From 1 Kings 3-8 we learn about Solomon’s wisdom, wealth, & workforce (3-5). We learn about the Temple Solomon built for the Lord (6-7). We learn about the dedication of the Temple and God’s presence filling it (8).

Solomon started well in his relationship with God. He had a strong foundation from his father, but even if he didn’t, he owned his faith as his own. Solomon was the one who built the temple, not David. Solomon was the one that built Israel’s wealth, not David. Solomon was the one God granted wisdom to, not David. And it was to Solomon that God appeared a 2ndtime:

1 Kings 9:4-5, Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes & My judgments, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

I wish I could tell you that Solomon did what God said, but I cannot. Solomon started well, he started with Christ, but he didn’t stick with Him.

2. We need to STICK with Christ. 11; 11:1-11

Solomon’s story is a cautionary tale. 1 Kings 11:1–11, But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 9So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. 11Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

Solomon’s story teaches us that you can be great, and still fall. As wise as he was, he lacked understanding. As wealthy as he was, it was never enough. As much work as he had done, there was always more work to do. As many wives as he had, there was always one more to be had.

You see, this is the danger for anyone who seeks fulfillment in anything besides the Lord. Nothing else is ever enough! Jesus said (Matt 12:42), “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation & condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; & indeed a greater than Solomon is here.”

You may have all the wealth in the world, but it’s not worth more than the Treasure which is Christ. You may have all the wisdom of the world, but in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3). You may have the greatest work ethic the world has ever seen, but apart from Christ you can do nothing. If you start with Christ, you must stick with Him.

John 15:4-5, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

ILL: What abide means- a couple months ago, I noticed a tree had fallen over against one of my fences & it was starting to buckle the fence. So, I took my handy-dandy chainsaw, & went over to it. I found that I could just sort of move it around. It was a decent sized tree, maybe 14 inches around, but I could wiggle it around in the ground. Why? Because it had no root. It died because the roots were not strong enough to support the size of the tree.

That’s true for many of us. We may have acknowledged Christ as Savior, but we haven’t abided in Him to sustain us. I implore you- when you start with Christ, stick with Him. Don’t abandon Him for riches, wisdom, & knowledge; Abide in Him: He is the treasure, wisdom, the knowledge. Stick with Christ.

3. We need to STAND for Christ. 12-22; 18:20-24

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase- As goes the King, so goes the country. That was certainly true for Israel after Solomon’s reign. Because of his disobedience and departure from the Lord, the Lord ripped the kingdom away from him. It didn’t show up until after he was gone, and that’s often the case- the fruit of your life or ministry is revealed after more than it is during.

After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam became king, & he would not listen to the people.The Lord ripped away 10 tribes from Rehoboam & gave them to Jeroboam. The kingdom divided into 10 tribes in the north called Israel & 2 tribes in the south called Judah. The rest of 1 Kings is a running parallel of these two kingdoms & their kings- 8 in the north & 4 in the south.

Just as in life, nothing is certain but death & taxes. The 2 consistencies in 1stKings are that these two kingdoms were constantly fighting with each other, & every king in the north was a bad king- Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, & Ahaziah. All of them were idolaters & pagan worshipers.

In the south was- Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa, & Jehoshaphat. Of these 12 kings, only Asa & Jehoshaphat did what was right in God’s eyes.

The worst king of all was Ahab, whose wife was Jezebel, and she brought the worship of Baal into the highest level of Israel’s government. So, God sent the prophet Elijah to prophecy against Ahab & Jezebel (ch. 17-22).

Elijah was a miracle worker: He told Ahab it wouldn’t rain for 3 years, and it didn’t. He told a widow her flour and oil wouldn’t run out until rain came, and it didn’t. He even raised her child from the dead.

Elijah’s most impressive feat came when he challenged Baal’s prophets to a prophetic duel & he won! 1 Kings 18:20-24, So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”

Baal’s prophets danced around all day, calling on Baal, & cutting themselves until blood gushed out but (29) “there was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention.”

Elijah took 12 stones & built an altar, dug a trench around it, put the wood on the altar, cut up the bull, & told them to fill 4 pots with water & pour it on the sacrifice & wood- not just 1 time, or 2 times, but 3 times. There was so much water that it drenched everything on the altar & filled up the trench around.

When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed a very simple prayer- 1 Kings 18:36-37, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

Fire fell from heaven & consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, & the water in the trench. The people all fell on their faces & said “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” They took 450 of the false prophets, brought them to Elijah, & he executed them. This one man, Elijah, not swayed by the government, not swayed by popular opinion, not swayed by the false religious views of his day, Elijah stood for God.

Here’s the question for us- will we do the same? When others put their hope in government, will we? When others go the way of culture, will we? When others fall by the religious wayside, will we? Or will we be like Elijah & stand for Christ, regardless of what others do?

Conclusion: 1 Kings is a cautionary tale. It tells us about Solomon who started off very well but did not stick with it. He is in one way, a picture of Jesus Christ- a son of David, the King of Israel, who had wisdom, wealth, & did great works, but Solomon let the world pull him away.

Solomon was a Son of David who had it all, and it cost him everything. Jesus is a Son of David who gave it all, and He costs us nothing!

Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead for our salvation. If we repent of our sins & trust in Him alone for eternal life, we will be saved. If you are lost and have not started with Christ, be saved today.

We need to start with Christ, stick with Christ, and stand for Christ.That means we will acknowledge Him, adore Him, & give Him our allegiance. Allegiance to Christ transcends all other allegiances- family, country, earthly treasures: wisdom, wealth, work.

Where is your allegiance? Is it to Christ, or to something else? Is it to Christ, or to someone else? Does Christ sit on the throne of your heart today? Does He reign over the kingdom that is your life?

Who is your once and future king? Is it Jesus Christ?