Important Lessons From the Kings of Israel

1-2. What does the Bible reveal about some of the kings of Israel?

THE Bible names more than 40 men who ruled as kings of Israel.a That record candidly reveals intriguing details about some of them. For example, even the good kings did some bad things. Consider good King David. Jehovah said: “My servant David . . . walked after me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.” (1 Ki. 14:8) Yet, that man committed sexual immorality with a married woman and conspired to have her husband killed in battle.​—2 Sam. 11:4, 14, 15.

² On the other hand, many of the unfaithful kings did some good things. Consider Rehoboam. In Jehovah’s eyes, he “did what was bad.” (2 Chron. 12:14) Yet, Rehoboam obeyed God’s order to have ten tribes break away from his kingdom. He also benefited his nation by fortifying its cities.​—1 Ki. 12:21-24; 2 Chron. 11:5-12.

3. What important question arises, and what will we discuss in this article?

³ An important question arises. If Israel’s kings did good and bad things, on what basis did Jehovah determine whether a king was faithful in His eyes? The answer to that question will help us understand what Jehovah is looking for in us. We will discuss three factors that Jehovah evidently took into consideration when evaluating the kings of Israel: their heart condition, their repentance, and their adherence to true worship.

THEIR HEART WAS COMPLETE TOWARD JEHOVAH

4. What was one difference between the faithful kings and the unfaithful kings?

⁴ The kings who pleased Jehovah worshipped him with a complete heart.b Good King Jehoshaphat “searched for Jehovah with all his heart.” (2 Chron. 22:9) Speaking of Josiah, the inspired record says: “There was no king like him prior to him, who returned to Jehovah with all his heart.” (2 Ki. 23:25) What about Solomon, who in his later years did what was bad? “His heart was not complete.” (1 Ki. 11:4) And regarding Abijam, another unfaithful king, the Bible record states: “His heart was not complete with Jehovah.”​—1 Ki. 15:3.

5. Explain what it means to serve Jehovah with a complete heart.

⁵ What does it mean, then, to serve Jehovah with a complete heart? A person with a complete heart does not just go through the motions of worshipping God. Rather, he serves out of love and devotion. Furthermore, he maintains that love and devotion throughout his life.

6. How can we maintain a complete heart? (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 5:29, 30)

⁶ How can we imitate the faithful kings and maintain a complete heart? By avoiding bad influences. Unwholesome entertainment, for example, can divide our heart. So can bad association and materialistic thinking. If we detect that something is beginning to weaken our love for Jehovah, let us take swift action to remove it.​—Read Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 5:29, 30.

7. Why is it important to avoid bad influences?

⁷ We must not let our heart become divided. If we are not careful, we could fool ourselves into thinking that by increasing our spiritual activities, we need not reject bad influences. To illustrate, imagine yourself outside on a brutally cold and windy day. On arriving home, you turn on the heat. How much good would that do you if you left the door open? The cold air would quickly fill your house. The point? We need to do more than just take in spiritual food that warms our relationship with Jehovah. We must also close the door on unwholesome influences, so that this world’s cold “air,” or ungodly attitude, does not enter our heart and divide it.​—Eph. 2:2.

THEY REPENTED OF THEIR SINS

8-9. How did King David and King Hezekiah respond to reproof? (See picture.)

⁸ As noted earlier, King David erred seriously. But when the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin, David humbly repented. (2 Sam. 12:13) From his expressions recorded in Psalm 51, we sense the sincerity of his repentance. David did not merely pretend to feel sorry in order to fool Nathan or to avoid punishment.​—Ps. 51:3, 4, 17, superscription.

⁹ King Hezekiah too sinned against Jehovah. The Bible record states: “His heart became haughty, bringing indignation against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.” (2 Chron. 32:25) Why did Hezekiah become proud? Perhaps he felt superior because of his riches, his victory over the Assyrians, or his miraculous cure from illness. It may have been pride that moved him to show off his wealth to the Babylonians, resulting in his being reproved by the prophet Isaiah. (2 Ki. 20:12-18) But like David, Hezekiah humbly repented. (2 Chron. 32:26) In the final analysis, Jehovah viewed him as a faithful king who “kept doing what was right.”​—2 Ki. 18:3.

10. How did King Amaziah respond to correction?

¹⁰ In contrast, King Amaziah of Judah did what was right “but not with a complete heart.” (2 Chron. 25:2) Where did he go wrong? After Jehovah helped him defeat the Edomites, Amaziah bowed down to their gods.c Then when confronted by Jehovah’s prophet, the king stubbornly turned him away.​—2 Chron. 25:14-16.

11. According to 2 Corinthians 7:9, 11, what must we do to obtain forgiveness? (See also pictures.)

¹¹ What do we learn from these examples? We need to repent of our sins and do all we can to avoid repeating them. What if we receive counsel from congregation elders, even on a seemingly minor matter? We should not feel rejected by Jehovah or by the elders. Even the good kings of Israel were not above receiving counsel and reproof. (Heb. 12:6) When we receive correction, we should (1) respond humbly, (2) make the necessary changes, and (3) move on with our wholehearted service to Jehovah. If we repent of our sins, Jehovah will forgive us.​—Read 2 Corinthians 7:9, 11.

THEY ADHERED TO TRUE WORSHIP

12. What especially distinguished the faithful kings?

¹² The kings whom Jehovah considered faithful adhered to true worship. And they encouraged their subjects to do the same. Of course, they had their shortcomings, as we have seen. But they were exclusively devoted to Jehovah and even fought vigorously to cleanse the land of idolatry.d

13. Why did Jehovah judge King Ahab as unfaithful?

¹³ What about the kings whom Jehovah judged as unfaithful? Certainly not everything they did was bad. Even wicked King Ahab showed a measure of humility and regret for his part in Naboth’s murder. (1 Ki. 21:27-29) He also built cities and won victories for Israel. (1 Ki. 20:21, 29; 22:39) But Ahab was notorious for promoting false worship under the influence of his wife. For this, he never repented.​—1 Ki. 21:25, 26.

14. (a) Why did Jehovah regard King Rehoboam as unfaithful? (b) What characterized the reigns of the unfaithful kings?

¹⁴ Consider another unfaithful king​—Rehoboam. As noted earlier, he accomplished a fair amount of good during his reign. But when his kingship was firmly established, he abandoned the Law of Jehovah in favor of false worship. (2 Chron. 12:1) Thereafter, he wavered between true worship and false worship. (1 Ki. 14:21-24) Rehoboam and Ahab were not the only kings to deviate from true worship. In fact, by far the majority of the unfaithful kings were guilty of supporting false worship in some way. Clearly, in Jehovah’s eyes, adhering to true worship was a major factor in determining whether a king was good or bad.

15. Why is adherence to true worship important to Jehovah?

¹⁵ Why was the issue of worship so important to Jehovah? For one thing, the kings were responsible for guiding God’s people in true worship. Also, false worship inevitably leads to other serious sins and injustices. (Hos. 4:1, 2) Furthermore, the kings and their subjects were dedicated to Jehovah. Thus, the Bible likens their involvement in false worship to adultery. (Jer. 3:8, 9) A person who commits literal adultery sins against his or her mate in a most personal way. Similarly, a dedicated servant of Jehovah who engages in false worship sins against Him in a direct and personal manner.e​—Deut. 4:23, 24.

16. In Jehovah’s eyes, what especially distinguishes the righteous from the wicked?

¹⁶ What lessons can we learn? Certainly, we must be determined to avoid false worship. But we must also adhere to true worship and remain active in it. The prophet Malachi stated plainly what in Jehovah’s eyes distinguishes a good person from a bad one. He wrote: “You will again see the distinction between a righteous person and a wicked person, between one serving God and one not serving him.” (Mal. 3:18) Therefore, we must not allow anything​—not even our imperfections and mistakes—​to discourage us to the point that we quit serving God. To stop serving Jehovah is in itself a serious sin.

17. How might our choice of a marriage mate affect our devotion to Jehovah?

¹⁷ If you are single and are considering marriage, can you see how Malachi’s words about serving God have a bearing on your choice of a marriage mate? A person may have some fine qualities, but if that person is not serving the true God, is he or she presently viewed as righteous in Jehovah’s eyes? (2 Cor. 6:14) As a marriage mate, will that one exert a positive spiritual influence on you? Consider: The pagan wives of King Solomon may have had some good qualities. But they were not worshippers of Jehovah, and they gradually inclined Solomon’s heart toward false worship.​—1 Ki. 11:1, 4.

18. What should parents teach their children?

¹⁸ Parents, you can use the Bible’s record of the kings to instill in your children zeal for Jehovah’s worship. Help them appreciate that Jehovah viewed a king either as good or as bad depending largely on whether that king promoted true worship. Teach your children by word and example that spiritual matters​—such as studying the Bible, attending meetings, and participating in the field ministry—​take priority over all other activities. (Matt. 6:33) Otherwise your children might conclude that being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is nothing more than belonging to the “family religion.” As a result, they might put true worship in second place or even leave it entirely.

19. What hope is there for any who have stopped serving Jehovah? (See also the box “You Can Return to Jehovah!”)

¹⁹ Is someone who has stopped serving Jehovah beyond hope? No, because he can repent and resume true worship. To do so, he may need to swallow his pride and accept help from congregation elders. (Jas. 5:14) No effort he makes is too great if it results in his being restored to Jehovah’s favor!

20. If we imitate the faithful kings, how will Jehovah view us?

²⁰ What lessons, then, have we learned from the kings of Israel? We can be like the faithful kings if we maintain a heart that is completely devoted to Jehovah. Let us learn from our mistakes, repent, and make the needed corrections. And may we remember the importance of adhering to the worship of the one and only true God. If you personally stick to Jehovah, he will view you as someone who does what is right in his eyes.