King David and the King of Pop: What 1-2 Kings can teach us about God’s favor and the flawed people upon whom it rests. (Part 1)

 

Last week, I led a breakout session at our denomination's annual national conference. Below is my presentation that was inspired by the 1-2 Kings commentary I co-authored. I am breaking the entire presentation up into three parts, to give emphasis to each kind of flaw and flawed leader. 

There’s an old Dave Chappelle comedy sketch where he imagines himself in jury selection for several different high-profile celebrity trials in the 2000’s. One selection Chappelle lampooned involved the trial of Michael Jackson, the so-called King of Pop music. Lawyers question Chappelle’s character about whether, with all the evidence they had, Jackson was guilty of criminal charges. Chappelle’s character incredulously responds, “No man! He made Thriller. Thriller!” (If you are not familiar, Thriller, was Jackson’s chart-topping 1982 album that won a record eight Grammy awards stood at #3 on Billboard’s all-time album chart in 2015.)

While everything about the actual subject matter was serious, Chappelle was playing for comedic effect how so many people will excuse serious wrong-doing in favor of something they love, be it great music or achievements or power. It’s probably been fifteen to twenty years at least since I first saw the skit, and I remember it was one of the first times being confronted with the tension of separating an artist from their art. The question being, can you support one apart from the other?

 For a while, the tension about how to handle a flawed person and the great entertainment they produced – remained a pop culture issue. But in recent years, it has spilled over into Christian spaces. Over and over again, Christians have had to wrestle with fallen leaders and abusive church structures making headlines. Two years ago, one of the biggest podcasts in the world was The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which had the stated purpose of trying to figure out how we reconcile God’s transformative life-changing work that happens as toxic leaders are overseeing the ministry.

Whether it is Michael Jackson or Mark Driscoll, we can no longer ignore this kind of dissonance. How are we to respond when abounding success grows from patently depraved soil? Theologically, how do we wrap our minds around these instances where God seems to bless such corrupt individuals? How should we process the disappointment when one of our spiritual heroes is exposed as a fraud?

Well, the good news is that we are not actually experiencing a new theological conundrum. Scripture does speak to these kinds of situations. In particular, I want us to consider 1–2 Kings and what it can teach us about God’s favor resting on flagrantly flawed people. I can’t promise to give you a bunch of ironclad, foolproof solutions. But there is some helpful guidance, which is what this presentation will try to unpack.

I want us to look at three - technically four - kings featured in 1–2 Kings which exemplify different kinds of heroic leaders who get exposed for flaws and failures. And as we study these leaders, I think we can draw out some important lessons for ourselves, our churches, and the leaders we follow.

Let’s start with:

David/Solomon

David and Solomon are the central figures in the beginning of Kings, as the first chapters describe how David hands over his crown to Solomon.

David might be the ultimate example of a spiritual hero who egregiously fell when he sexually assaulted Bathsheba. But it is his action and involvement in the first chapters of 1 Kings that I want to focus on.

1 Kings begins with Queen Bathsheba securing David’s approval of Solomon as his successor. And as David grows weaker and nears death, he passes on some kingly wisdom to his son.

This advice starts out admirably, with David saying,

“So be strong, act like a man, ³ and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses.” (1 Kings 2:2b-3)

That's all good, right?

Well, as the chapter continues, he gives Solomon a list of people to favor and people to judge, including some with whom he had promised not to harm. As the co-author of my commentary states, “David preaches fidelity to the covenant at the same time he encourages questionable actions aimed at silencing some of his enemies.”

David’s advice takes a divided tone, and one can see some foreshadowing in how Solomon’s heart will later become divided.

Now in many ways, Solomon exceeds his father’s positive royal legacy in the beginning of his reign. He expands the kingdom and ushers in a time of national peace. Where David drew up plans for a temple to the Lord, Solomon actually built it. David governed well; Solomon was granted divine wisdom to rule.

The fact is, both Solomon embodied the ideal godly King at times in his life. Yet both failed to live up to that ideal by disobeying God’s Law. Thus, David’s exhortation to “keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations as written in the Law of Moses” (1 Kings 2:2-3) carries greater weight in this narrative.

 In Solomon’s case, his failure is directly related to the first of the commandments. Of course, he’s notorious for amassing chariots and horses, hoarding wealth, and taking 1,000 wives and concubines. But those are simply out-workings that stem from the fact that “his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” as 11:4 concludes. Polygamy wasn’t Solomon’s biggest failure, a divided heart was.

Solomon stands as an example for our day. Our Christian culture gets obsessed with platforming and enthroning popular preachers and authors. Christians conferences market their lineups of ministry experts based on book sales and name recognition. Solomon legacy reminds us that we shouldn’t make idols out of anybody. Even the best authors and wisest theologians are capable of serious sin.

 Beyond being capable of sin, the last few years have revealed how many are actually guilty of serious sin. Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, James MacDonald, Matt Chandler, Bryan Houston, Carl Lentz, John MacArthur have all been exposed in recent years for a variety of misdeeds. I’m not equating all of them and their situations necessarily. It just serves the point: don’t make idols out of anybody, no matter how good of a speaker, writer, or thinker they happen to be.

Coming down off a high - Sermon Snippets

I've taken a break from blogging but now I hope to be "back and better than ever" (s/o to Mike & Mike). I'm putting "Music Monday" on hiatus for now and going to bring back "Sermon Snippets" moving forward. 

These posts will feature tidbits and/or last minute cuts from my sermons that I find interesting. One common problem pastors face is deciding what to cut from their messages - or rather, not realizing they need to cut material out to keep their audience focused. I'm writing a commentary on 1-2 Kings currently so there should be plenty of material. To keep up with my sermon series, you can listen here.

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Being a sports fan, I see it all the time. A team pulls off a big win only to fall flat on their face against a lesser opponent. This is a theme that threads throughout Scripture's story. 

• Israel is conquering the Promised Land and defeats the unconquerable city of Jericho. Then they turn around and are trounced when trying to attack the much less formidable Ai (Josh.6-7)
• David is anointed to be the next king and defeats Goliath in their famous battle (1 Sam.16-17). He then spends years dodging spears and hiding in caves until he gets the throne (2 Sam. 2-5).
• Elijah confronts and defeats the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) only to be overwhelmed by discouragement soon after (1 Kings 19).
• In less that 24 hours, Peter goes from boldly vowing to never abandon Jesus to denying him three times (Matt.26:33-35, 69-75)

Everything about 1 Kings 8 points to this being another probable letdown. This chapter is an account of one of the most glorious worship services of all time. Solomon completes the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and the nation dedicates it with a special celebration. 

So when the music has faded and the offerings have all been offered, God visits Solomon to offer him instruction that will greatly help him and his people not fall into that trap. Both positively and negatively, he reminds the king of the importance of undivided loyalty to God and faithfully following his Law. 

Faithfulness to God needs to guide us, whether we're experiencing victory or struggling with defeat. God takes notice and truly cares - not just that we reach a spiritual mountaintop - but also that we use it to grow and be better followers of Jesus. Anything else is just sentimentality or emotionalism not true spirituality.