Has God failed? That is the question the exiles in Babylon were asking. The Book of Kings is written to restore the faith of God's people in the LORD ("Yahweh"), the King of Kings. Israel may have rejected the LORD as king (cf. 1 Sam. 8:7), but he still sits on his throne (1 Kings 22:19; 2 Kings 19:15, 18, 19). Everything that happened to Israel and Judah was according to the LORD's sovereign will expressed by his covenant at Moab (cf. Deut. ch. 4, 28, 30). Israel broke the covenant, again and again, so God made good on his warnings and expelled his people from the land (Israel in 722 BC and Judah in 586 BC). But this was all according to plan, which is also the reason for hope. While the LORD's covenant faithfulness brought the downfall of Israel and Judah, that same faithfulness kept a king on David's throne. Has God failed? By no means! Nothing can stop him. He is the King of Nature and the King of Nations! Today, we are in a new season of waiting. The LORD continues to work out his plan of salvation in Christ, and we are a part of that plan (cf. Rom. 9:6ff; Eph. 1:11; Heb. 11: 39-40; 2 Peter 3:15)! And while we live in days of darkness, we wait in faith and hope for our Lord's second coming when the King of kings shall return, and the kingdom of the world shall be the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rev. 11:15; 19:16). |
