Kings: A Fascinating Look at the Rulers of Ancient Israel

By Paulie Mugure Mugo

"Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Ahab rested with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.." (1 Kings 22:39-40)

 

Are you having a hard time keeping up with the book of Samuel / Kings / Chronicles? Are you struggling to remember the often tongue-twisting names of the kings of Israel/Judah, the complex details of their reigns and their (sometimes astonishing) acts? If so, this is the perfect book for you!

 

This highly-engaging book, "KINGS" (new edition), is presented in an easy-to-read, humorous style, and provides a brief, memorable story on each of the forty-two kings of ancient Israel and Judah. It is guaranteed to stir up your interest in these fascinating rulers of old, and send you dashing back to the Old Testament, to meet them yourself!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books For My Soul
• Release date: Jan 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9789914407754

Paulie Mugure Mugo

Paulie is a Christian author who is thoroughly intrigued by the individuals portrayed in Scripture, particularly the rulers, prophets and priests of the Old Testament. She is highly persuaded that great lessons can be learnt from their lives and legacies - even today - especially in the area of political leadership. Paulie also enjoys reading widely, but rarely works of fiction as, in her view, nothing can be as fascinating as the world we live in. She lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with her husband and four boisterous offspring.

Book preview

KINGS

Also by Paulie Mugure Mugo

The God Who Sees: Amazing Encounters with the Love of God

Let Me Testify! The Lord Has Been Good..

KINGS

A Fascinating Look at the

Rulers of Ancient Israel

- And What They Teach Us Today –

PAULIE MUGURE MUGO

PUBLISHED BY Books For My Soul

Web:  www.BooksForMySoul.com

Email:  [e-mail]

Address: No 18, Chweya Lane, Nairobi, KENYA

Editors: Jackson, Rose K. & Mbocha, Muchiri P.

Associate Editor: Mugo, Makena M.N

ISBN: 978-9914-40-775- 4

Copyright © Mugure Mugo 2019, 2021

First Published 2019. New Edition 2021

Mugure Mugo asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author or publisher, in accordance with the Kenya Copyright Act of 2014.

All Scripture References From:

Holy Bible, New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All emphasis to quoted scripture is by the author.

Please visit www.BooksForMySoul.com for similar Christian books.

To Him who is my Divine Counselor,

Comforter, Teacher, Helper and Guide.

Thank You, Holy Spirit.

CONTENTS 

MAPS

PROLOGUE

THE UNITED KINGDOM

THE STORY BEGINS

The House of Saul

The House of David

THE NORTHERN KINGDOM

The House of Jeroboam

The House of Baasha

The House of Zimri

The House of Omri

The House of Jehu

The Four Desperate Kings

The House of Hoshea

THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM

The Royal Line of David

CONCLUSION

NOTES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MAPS

(Click to Enlarge)

PROLOGUE

From the time God appointed Saul of Gibeah the first king of Israel, to the time of the nation’s Babylonian captivity, a total of forty-two kings ruled over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Fascinating stories arise from this era, a period that spanned close to five hundred years.

Stories of kings who ruled for over fifty years, and one who occupied the throne for a single week.

Stories of wise kings, warrior kings, mighty kings; honorable, God-fearing kings. Tales of kings who were irredeemably corrupt; evil, murderous, wicked kings. And a queen whose bogus reign ended in her violent demise.

But through all these stories runs one intriguing thread:

When the kings were good, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and boldly enforced His law, the people, too, were good. And the Lord promptly demonstrated His faithfulness by blessing the king and people abundantly.

But when the kings were bad, the people were, well, rotten. And the Lord dealt with them accordingly.

This book offers a brief, memorable and sometimes humorous story about each of these kings; it will stir up your interest in the rulers of the Old Testament, and send you dashing back to Scripture, to meet them yourself!

Two Harlot Sisters

(The Judgement of Samaria and Jerusalem)

Son of man, there were two women,

The daughters of one mother.

They committed harlotry in Egypt,

They committed harlotry in their youth;

Their breasts were there embraced,

Their virgin bosom was there pressed.

Their names:

Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister;

They were Mine,

And they bore sons and daughters.

As for their names,

Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah..

..Thus says the Lord God [to them]:

"..You shall pay for your idolatrous sins

Then you shall know that I am the Lord God. "

Ezekiel 23: 2-4, 46, 49

THE UNITED KINGDOM

(1050–931 BC)

A PEOPLE UNITED

THE STORY BEGINS

Circa 1050 BC

This story begins at a place called Gilgal, at the border of Jericho, in the land of Israel. A place where, some centuries ago, the children of Israel encamped victoriously, following their miraculous journey across the River Jordan.

It begins with a coronation.

Samuel the prophet is here, as are all the men of Israel. And Saul, the son of Kish. He is to be crowned king.

The people are jubilant. See them clapping, singing, rejoicing, offering sacrifices of peace? They now have a king; one anointed for them some time ago by the prophet Samuel (at their callous insistence, one might add).

Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways, they had said to him at the time. Now make us a king to judge us like all the other nations.

This had greatly displeased the prophet. But the Lord had bid him thus:

Heed the voice of the people, He had said, in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

And sure enough, the Lord had soon set things in motion.

A good number of donkeys belonging to Kish, the father of Saul, had somehow disappeared, forcing Saul to leave home, and wander into the land of Zuph - right to the gates of prophet’s city - in search of them. And when the prophet had ventured upon the young man, the Lord had said these words to Samuel:

There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.

And so Prophet Samuel had immediately invited Saul to a sacred assembly, set him at the high table, fed him a sumptuous meal, and offered him a place to sleep for the night. And when dawn had come, just as the Lord had commanded, the prophet had taken his flask, poured anointing oil over Saul, kissed him and said:

Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?... When you have departed from me today... the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy... and be turned into another man. And let it be... that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

Thus, God had given Saul a fresh new heart and installed him king over the budding nation of Israel.

And so the people are delighted. Now they can boldly face Nahash, king of the Ammonites, and all else who may dare.

But Samuel the prophet has something to say – something that will reverberate piercingly in the centuries to come.

...take note, the Lord has set a king over you. If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God.

However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

The people will remember these words, if they so choose, for their meaning will become chillingly clear in the years to come. And it won’t be too long. Just about five hundred years.

Come, my friend, let’s watch this unfold. Who knows, but that we may learn a thing or two...?

DYNASTIES AND KINGS

OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

The House of Saul

Your Kingdom Shall Not Continue..

SAUL

1050 -1010 BC

Let’s get back to our big day, shall we?

Saul has been crowned king and is now the very first monarch of the new kingdom of Israel. Here he stands – handsome, well-built and taller than anyone from shoulders up.

Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people? declares the prophet, Samuel.

Yes. Yes indeed!

Though he is from the smallest family of the smallest tribe, Saul is for sure the choicest of all, and his countrymen are filled with joy.

But not the Lord.

He has granted the children of Israel a king, yes, but He is not pleased. Not one bit. Perhaps because He knows only too well how this will end. And Samuel, being a prophet, is keenly aware of the Lord’s displeasure.

I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, he warns, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.

And suddenly:

Boom!

Crack!

Crack, crack!

Thunder rings deafeningly throughout the land, blinding streaks of lightning following rapidly behind. This, and a torrent of rain, such as has not recently been witnessed, brings the people to their knees.

And they cry out to the prophet:

Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, they plead, for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.

Samuel agrees and takes the people before the Lord in prayer, but not before he issues a second warning:

Fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.

And with that dire warning still ringing in his ears, King Saul begins his reign as the very first ruler of the kingdom of Israel.

He begins well, scribes are happy to report, defeating the enemies of Israel on every side – Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zobah, the Philistines. And the Lord is with him, for he quite skillfully delivers the new kingdom from all her enemies.

But then, one day his son Jonathan, a general himself in King Saul’s army, attacks a garrison belonging to the Philistines. The battle-wise Philistines’ response is frighteningly swift. Thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen and soldiers as numerous as the sand, gather against the tiny kingdom.

The people of Israel are terrified. They gather their families hastily and flee, hiding in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, pits – anywhere – to escape the wrath of the Philistines. Some cross over the Jordan even, to hide in the land of Gad.

It’s never a good idea to be a stench in the nose of these Philistines.

Meanwhile, King Saul too is in a bind. With him at the battlefront are six hundred men, trembling in fear. Six hundred warriors against armed soldiers as numerous as the sand.

And the prophet Samuel is nowhere to be found. It’s been seven days since he promised to come and make a supplication to the Lord, but he is nowhere in these parts.

The king is afraid. Who can withstand such a mighty army? So, he does the unthinkable. He commands his people to bring him the sacrificial beasts and hastily offers a burnt offering to the Lord.

But here comes Prophet Samuel.

What have you done? the prophet exclaims.

You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you.

The Lord’s will has always been clear, concerning who should make the offering. Wait seven days, the prophet had therefore instructed, and I will come and make the burnt offering for you.

But now, this is strange fire, an abomination to the Lord. So the prophet immediately pronounces the Lord’s judgement:

"..the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But