Monarchy Introduction

Introduction to Monarchy

Well, church, as always, it is such a delight and a privilege to get to be with you. My name is Mike, and I’m one of the teaching pastors here at The Well. I have the honor once again of launching us into a new series called Monarchy. We are going to spend the next year in this series, looking at three of the greatest kings in the nation of Israel: Saul, David, and Solomon. These are kings whose lives you are likely very familiar with, yet we get the beauty of seeing them through the rearview mirror. All of this study will be in light of the King of Kings, Jesus, as we talk about God’s rule and reign in our lives through a king.

Selfishly, this is a series I’ve had on my radar for a long time. I’ve been excited about getting into it, but I might have been even more excited about the artwork our creative team put together. If the teaching is half as good as the creative team’s work, I think we’re in for a great series. In all honesty, I think it’s helpful at times to let you into the “secret sauce” that makes The Well. We sit in teams—our creative team and our teaching team—and the Scripture forms where we are going and what we are doing as a community. People like Casey Jackson and Rachel Just, who are part of our creative process, design the artwork and the bumpers based on the text. I am so grateful for the incredible people I get to work with, and I want you to know that everything you see is very much intentional and connected to the Word.

The Power of the Backstory

We are going to study this beautiful section of our Old Testament in light of what we see in Christ. We could jump in right now and turn in our Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 8 to talk about the very first king, Saul. But if we did that, we would be missing something. There is a power to the backstory—to understanding how we got here. Why do we have kings? Why is God allowing this season of monarchy? What is He doing? That backstory is so helpful for setting the stage.

I was reminded of the importance of backstory on a recent trip to Nashville with some of my high school buddies. A few of us still get together regularly, and this year we went to a place called the Bluebird Cafe. It is the most random, out-of-the-way, humble little joint. It only seats 90 people and is located in a strip mall next to a dry cleaners and a hair salon. It is far removed from the downtown Nashville music scene, yet it is world-famous. If you are anybody in country music, you have a Bluebird story to tell. At some point on your rise to fame, you played there.

What the Bluebird Cafe became famous for wasn’t just its artist nights, but its songwriters’ nights. That’s the night I attended. These individuals have written the mega-hits you know and love. They sit in the round, and you sit around them as they share the stories behind how their songs came about. I grew up in Texas loving country music; I knew these songs by heart. But understanding the backstory—what was happening in the songwriter’s life before George Strait or Taylor Swift sang it—made the music so much more powerful. As we dive into this series, understanding the backstory of what God is doing and why He is doing it will enhance our understanding of everything.

The Original King

I want to back up hundreds of years before these kings hit the stage to talk about the “why” and the “how.” There is probably no better place to start than the very beginning. While most of this series will be planted in a specific text, today will be like a rock skipping across a pond. We are going to walk through the grand narrative of this story. Look at how the Bible begins by describing the person and character of God.

Genesis 1:1 (NASB)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

As we open the Bible for the first time, we are introduced to a God who rules and reigns in sovereignty over all creation. He has the unique ability to create the universe and all that is in it. In fact, the very word used here for God has the idea of royalty and majesty—a preexisting God over all things. He comes on the scene as a King. Israel understood Him that way. Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah later describes God.

Jeremiah 10:7 (NASB)

Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.

The psalmist says the same in Psalm 145.

Psalms 145:1 (NASB)

[A Psalm] of Praise, of David. I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Zechariah 14:9 says the Lord will be king over all the earth, and Psalm 149:2 says, “Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.” It was a natural understanding for Israel to view God as a King who ruled over them in complete sovereignty.

A Chosen and Distinct People

As God moves forward in the creation narrative and fills the earth, He does something interesting: He draws a nation to Himself. He does it in the most unlikely of ways. The land of Canaan had a number of nations living in it, but God didn’t call any of those existing nations. Instead, He called one man.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB)

Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’

There are three promises in this covenant with Abraham: land, seed (descendants), and blessing. God calls a man who has no children and a barren wife, Sarah, and says He will make a great nation from them. He promises that through them, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Looking backward, we know this blessing ultimately comes through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. But in the immediate sense, God was going to use Israel by making them distinct. No other nation on earth would have a relationship with God quite like Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:6 (NASB)

’For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

God calls Israel His “little Jeshurun,” which means “upright one.” It’s like a pet name a husband would have for his wife—a term of endearment. He says that as He looks at all the nations on the earth, none are like them.

Lest we think Abraham was chosen because he was exceedingly godly or morally excellent, we should remember that Abraham was a hot mess. He had a habitual problem with lying and constantly struggled with his flesh, even putting his wife in compromising situations to save his own skin. None of this was a surprise to God.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (NASB)

’The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God essentially says, “Abraham, I loved you and your descendants, and I gave you an oath. I made a covenant with you, and that is why I chose you.” Knowing their flaws, He still called them to be distinct so they could bless the world.

A Kingdom of Priests

Fast forward from Abraham to the time of Moses and the giving of the Law. Before God gives the Ten Commandments, He explains the purpose behind them.

Exodus 19:5-6 (NASB)

‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.’

The role of a priest was to represent the people to God—to be the mediator. God told Israel that their job as a nation was to represent Him to the world. They were to introduce the Canaanites to a different kind of God who is holy and sovereign. He did this through the Mosaic Law.

There are 613 commandments in this law. Some are moral laws we still recognize today, like “do not murder” or “do not steal.” But others seem downright strange to us. For example, Leviticus 19 tells the people not to trim the edges of their beards, not to get tattoos, and not to wear garments made of two kinds of mixed material.

Now, I shaved this morning, I have a tattoo (I’m not showing you), and I see some of you out there wearing cotton-poly blends. Are we all sinners? Why were those laws there? They were intended to keep Israel separate from the pagan nations around them. Shaving beards in certain ways, specific tattoos, and mixed fabrics were often associated with pagan practices of that day. God wanted His people to look different, act different, and believe differently so that when someone saw them, they would realize this group was distinct.

The Rejection of the Theocracy

One of the most tangible ways Israel was meant to be different was that they were not supposed to have a human king. Today, that feels strange to us. We have presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs. In Israel’s day, every nation had a king who ruled with autonomy and led them into battle. But God intentionally called Israel to be the “oddball.” Why? Because He was already their King.

Isaiah 33:22 (NASB)

For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; He will save us–

Theocracy—God’s direct rule—was the ideal for Israel. This wasn’t just religious language; it was their political ideology. Yet, Israel struggled with this. They had a strong desire to conform and be like the nations around them.

Think about what they saw. After four hundred years in Egypt under the rule of tyrannical Pharaohs, they were freed by God and led into the Promised Land. There, they saw nations with big, strong, impressive kings. They were like salmon swimming upstream against a cultural current. They were in a strategic position on the world stage—the “belly button” of the world—where they were supposed to influence others. Instead, they were the ones being influenced.

This leads us to the book of Judges, a morally dark time where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The judges weren’t men in black robes; they were more like “mafia thugs” raised up by God to deliver the people. Some were okay, but many were moral train wrecks. The book of Judges is a downward spiral where the people eventually demand a king. After Gideon wins a great battle, the people try to make him a king.

Judges 8:22-23 (NASB)

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.’ But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.’

Gideon wisely refused, but the desire for a human king only grew. By the time we get to the prophet Samuel, the people could stand it no longer. They told Samuel they wanted a king so they could be “like all the other nations.” It is a heartbreaking moment.

1 Samuel 8:7 (NASB)

The LORD said to Samuel, ’Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

God told Samuel to listen to the people. He said they hadn’t rejected Samuel; they had rejected God as their King. So, God allowed them to choose.

The United Monarchy

They chose a man named Saul, whose name literally means “asked for.” Saul was the “Fabio” of the Old Testament. He was the guy you’d put on the cover of a romance novel. He was tall, bronzed, handsome, and stood head and shoulders above everyone else. He was a warrior from the tribe of Benjamin. In the eyes of the people, he was the perfect king.

1 Samuel 12:13 (NASB)

’Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the LORD has set a king over you.

Saul reigned for forty years, but Israel did not flourish. On the outside, he was perfect; on the inside, his heart was not for the Lord. He was selfish and self-centered. After forty years, God essentially said, “How did that work out for you? You picked the first one; how about I pick the second one?”

God chose David—a ruddy, freckle-faced, unimpressive shepherd boy. He was the least in his family, but God looks at the heart rather than the external. David became the “shepherd king.” He was far from perfect, as we will see, but he became the standard by which every other king was measured.

Then came Solomon, David’s son. He was regal and rich, and the kingdom flourished for a season. He built a temple for God that was ostentatious beyond belief. But Solomon had a divided heart. He loved God, but he also loved many other things. Under his leadership, the nation eventually collapsed and divided into the North (Israel) and the South (Judah).

What followed was a “dumpster fire” of a season. There were 39 kings across the divided kingdoms. In the North, not one of the 19 kings was godly. In the South, there were a few bright spots like Josiah or Hezekiah, but by and large, the people became indistinguishable from the pagan nations. They practiced witchcraft and even child sacrifice. Finally, God allowed Assyria and Babylon to conquer them and deport them. The monarchy ended in failure because the people got exactly what they asked for.

The King Who Reigns Forever

Why would God allow this? Because He wanted to show them their need for a different kind of King. Long before Israel had a human king, God prophesied that a true King would come from the line of Judah.

Genesis 49:10 (NASB)

’The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him [shall be] the obedience of the peoples.

God later told David that one of his descendants would have a kingdom that would be established forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-13 (NASB)

’When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. ’He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Solomon didn’t fulfill this; his reign ended. But God was pointing to a King who would rule for all eternity. The desire for a king wasn’t evil, but the people misunderstood who that King was and what He came to do. God allowed the earthly kings to fail so that the people would look for a King who said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

This King didn’t come to be served, but to serve. In His kingdom, the first are last and the poor in spirit are blessed. He didn’t come to conquer nations; He came to conquer sin and death.

Matthew 1:21 (NASB)

‘She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’

We see this King clearly now because we look through the rearview mirror. He is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One day, He will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to sit on His throne and rule as intended.

Our Functional Kings

We are not that different from Israel. God is our sovereign King, and He calls us to be distinct. He calls the church to be salt and light, yet we struggle with the desire to blend in. We have a tendency to replace God with “lesser kings”—functional saviors we think will solve our problems. We think we know what is best for us, and sometimes, God lets us have what we want just to show us that it doesn’t satisfy.

He gives us “little Sauls” in our lives and asks, “How did that go for you?” He does this to help us realize we aren’t the sovereigns of our own lives. The purpose of this series is to remind us that God rules and reigns. The greatest question we can answer is: How do I come under the rule of King Jesus?

As we journey through this year, I invite you to see Jesus differently through the lives of these earthly kings. Let’s learn what it means to be servants of His kingdom.

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your rule and reign in our lives. We thank You for Christ, whom we see clearly because of what He has done on our behalf. As You show us Him as the reigning King, I pray that our hearts would magnify who He is. May we be blown away by the contrast between these earthly kings and the King of Kings. Would we submit to His rule in our lives? I pray for anyone here who isn’t there yet—who hasn’t understood the Lion and the Lamb who came to lay down His life. I pray that in this journey, they would see Christ rightly. We love You and thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.