Israel's Kings: Turning Away from God 1 Kings 22-2 Kings 1

Israel's Kings: Turning Away from God 1 Kings 22 - 2 Kings 2 Are leaders important? Are you a leader? What kind of ripple effect do you have on those around you?Today we’re looking at God’s persevering patience and grace on Israel’s defiant leaders, king Ahab and his successor Ahaziah. Leaders play an important role in society. They create archetypes of the kind of models that we aspire to imitate and emulate. Leaders are stewards of power so they can practice just and good decisions, set public policy that orders right and good relationships in society, instill social norms and promote healthy values. Leaders are also vision setters. They communicate important group purposes, goals, and aims by painting a clear picture of where they would like to take everyone. God works through leaders to teach His people His truths: about godliness, righteousness, and justice. Even when we fail, God waits for us, delaying his judgment so we can find clarity to humble ourselves, repent, and submit to God’s Way of ordering our lives and our society. God used even terrible kings of Israel to teach us that 1. Rejecting God's truth results in serious self-deception 2. Rejecting God's power and intervention results in judgment and self-destruction