Unit 13, Session 1: Israel's History of Evil Kings
1 Kings 16
Christ Connection: Godʼs people asked for a king to lead them, but no king led
them perfectly. Was there any king on earth who would be faithful? God would
send a king from heaven—His own Son—who would lead Godʼs people back to
God. He would be the King of all kings—Jesus Christ.
Adult Connection Point:
Genesis 9:1-7
Everything changed in Genesis 3. The harmony of creation—a result of the
perfect, image-bearing lives of the first man and woman—turned to discord and
chaos when Adam and Eve sinned. Death and disease followed, and every
kind of evil was birthed in the hearts of men. Therefore, no leader could be
perfect. The situation became so dire that God determined to start over—saving
only one man and his family—in the story of Noah and the ark. Yet, even after
starting afresh, God acknowledged the inevitable return of evil. Even the flood
couldnʼt wash away the curse. So in this story, God reaffirmed the truth: while
things would go wrong again, His image remained in man. In His instructions to
Noah, God showed that He has a plan for the future. He cares for us and He
gave a promise to Noah in Genesis 9:7: “But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread
out over the earth and multiply on it.” God wasnʼt giving up on man. He had a
plan! And that plan was Jesus.
Family Devotion:
Guide your kids to name people who are in charge of things. For example:
Kings/queens in charge of a country, a president in charge of a company, a
captain in charge of the boat, and so forth. See how many you can come up
with. See which family member can come up with the most creative suggestion.
Ask your kids if they remember any facts from todayʼs story about the kings who
were in charge of Israel.
Recall the story of Noah and the ark. Ask, “Who was in charge of the boat that
Noah and his family were on?” God was, since He is the one who told Noah
how to build it and what to do while inside. God protected Noah and his family,
even though God knew sin would still exist in the world. Through one of Noahʼs
offspring would come the One who would ultimately deal with sin.
Ask: “Were any of the kings of Israel faithful to God?” Godʼs people begged Him
to give them a king, but no king could be completely faithful to God.
Pray, thanking God for sending Jesus to be the perfect King who would lead
Godʼs people back to Him.
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