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Judah has reached the end of the road. The final 4 kings turned away from the exclusive worship of God that Josiah had practiced. In a series of attacks, Jerusalem is captured and totally destroyed and the people taken into captivity in Babylon. God’s Prophets in the last days of the Southern Kingdom – Judah. Habakkuk – prophesied the Babylonian invasion soon after Josiah’s death as judgement from God on his sinful people. Daniel – Taken captive to Babylon during the reign of Jehoiakim. Lived most of his adult life in Babylon. Ezekiel – Taken captive to Babylon during Jehoiachin’s reign. His prophecy directed mainly at the people in exile. Jeremiah – Lived in Jerusalem during the destruction and then was taken with the final refugees to Egypt. Prophesied against the sins of the last 4 kings of Judah and the people. City completely destroyed. Only the poorest left to look after the land. One of which was Jeremiah. After the Babylonian appointed ‘governor’ Gedaliah is assassinated, everyone flees to Egypt in a seeming reversal of the Exodus. Jehoiachin (from the true Messianic line) was released by Babylonian King Evil-Merodach (Awil-Marduk) son of Nebuchadnezzar and allowed to live freely in Babylon and appears to have been treated as an important person by the king.

Hezekiah When there was finally a Godly King in Judah – Hezekiah – they find themselves facing the greatest threat the nation had ever known – the attack of Assyria. Without adequate resources to defend Jerusalem, Hezekiah casts himself in faith upon the Lord and receives not only the promise of victory through God’s prophet Isaiah, but also experiences God’s victory through the Lord’s intervention. Manasseh Worst King ever to rule in Judah. Longest reigning Judean King - 55 years. He adopted a pro-Assyrian policy. Killed the prophet Isaiah. Rebuilt high places. Introduced pagan astral worship – popular with the Assyrians. Destruction of Jerusalem and Judah now inevitable. Josiah Good in the sight of the Lord Book of the Law found in the temple. Covenant Renewal. Notably he tore down the Golden Calves altars that Jeroboam had made. Passover was re-instated nationally – first time since the Judges had reigned. About 500 years.

Jehu – Israel (Northern Kingdom) - Anointed as King by Elisha in secret and given the task to destroy the house of Ahab. Jehu is the only king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to have been anointed Carried out God’s requirement and prophesy to eliminate Ahab’s complete family line including Jezebel. Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel, but he continued to allow the worshipping of the Golden Calves. Athaliah Usurps the Throne (Judah – Southern Kingdom). She annihilated all the royal heirs. King Jehorams daughter rescued Joash (son of Ahaziah) when he was just an infant. Athaliah overthrown after 6 years. Jehoida (High Priest) made reforms. Tore down the temple of Baal. Joash anointed king of Judah (only 7 years old) (Only survivor of the Davidic line after all his siblings are murdered by Athaliah) Reigned for 40 years. Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but the High Places were not taken down and the people continued to sacrifice on the high places. (Only one ‘high place’ where God had authorised sacrifices which was the Temple in Jerusalem). Joash recovered and restored the worship of the Lord and repaired of the Temple. Joash stayed on track with God under the supervision of the High Priest Jehoiada, but when Jehoiada died, Joash fell back into evil ways. He turned back to idolatry. Joash was assassinated when he had reigned for 40 years. King Jehoahaz (Israel) did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Continued with the sins (Idol worship) of Jeroboam. Israel accelerating it’s downhill slide to a day of reckoning. Azariah King of Judah. Did what was right in the Lords sight. (Reigned for 52 years). Still however the High Places were NOT taken down. The cost of Syncretism!

2 Kings 2 - 2 Kings 8 As we head into 2 Kings, we see Jehoshaphat become King of Judah (the southern Kingdom) and the writer states he ‘did what was right in the eyes of the Lord’ We’ll here more about Jehoshaphat as we move forward, but we can find out some key aspects to Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 17-20. • Jehoshaphat was a King with a passionate personal commitment to God. • Jehoshaphat was committed to the centrality of the word of God in such a way that he ordered his reign as King around Gods word. • He was determined to trust the Lord – not man! As we move into 2 Kings, we see that it was time, within God’s sovereign purposes, for Elisha to succeed Elijah. This transition takes place in a supernatural way. We then hear of a number of miracles performed by Elisha as he obeys the Lord, and we are introduced to Naaman whose disease is healed. Again, as we look at these stories, we see the faithfulness of God and his willingness to come to the aid of His people when they turn to him . . . even just a little! There is some much to give us encouragement and hope here.

1 Kings 16 leading into 17 – we see the House of Omri take reign of Israel (the northern Kingdom) and his son Ahab. During Ahab’s 22 year reign he consolidated his fathers achievements and expanded Israel’s influence. Secular historians would tend to speak highly of the accomplishments of Ahab. But the Bible has a different perspective. It was the worst of times for the northern Kingdom – Israel. Ahab did more evil than any before him. Ahab was a polytheist – claiming to follow the Lord, but also serving Baal. Israel was now in a place where worshipping many gods was the norm. The most powerful influence in his life was his wife Jezebel. Under Ahab and Jezebel, Baal worship became the state religion of Israel. Then enters Elijah. From this point forward until well into 2 Kings, the central focus of the writer of Kings is not on the Kings, or armies, or an organised rebellion to oppose an evil King, but 2 men armed the Word of God. Elijah lived his life under the authority of Gods word in total dependence on God. God was demonstrating to Elijah that HE was the God of all – including nature – not Baal and he would provide all that Elijah needed to survive. This was crucial preparation for what we see happen at Mount Carmel. We then meet Obadiah – ‘Keeper of Ahab’s Palace’. Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord BUT, was balancing loyalties. Then we see the powerful story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah’s prayer to God was simple compared to the elaborate rituals of the Baal prophets. “ . . . so these people will know that you, oh Lord, are God.” God answered instantly . . . the people cried out The Lord he is God! But then we see that Elijah is on the run again. He flees into Judah (Beer-sheba). Elijah is led by the Lord to Mount Horeb – also known as Mount Sinai where God had revealed himself to Moses. Elijah too will hear from God.

In this episode of Thrive Deeper we continue our study through the Kings of Israel and Judah. We find the story of Asa in 1 Kings 15, starting in verse 9. We can also find more detail around his reign in 2 Chronicles 14. According to these accounts, the land of Judah experiences peace for 10 years under the reign of Asa. During this time, Asa eradicates anything pagan or idolatrous in the land and they rebuild Judah. Even when an army led by a man named Zerah tries to wage war against him (because of the city’s prosperity, and because Asa calls upon the Lord for help) they win against the Ethiopian army. Asa continues to produce religious reforms, by destroying idols, repairing the altar to God, and removing his evil grandmother from her position of influence over the land. Nevertheless, Asa runs out of steam toward the end of his reign and begins to fall away from the path of righteousness. He stops relying on God and tries to solve the challenges he faces in his own way. Sadly, having started so well, Asa doesn’t turn back to God even when his life depended on it. There is much to learn from King Asa about the legacy we leave from our lives for the future generations.

Books of 1 and 2 Kings are shaped around 4 significant events: 967BC David's son Solomon united Israel and began to build the temple 931BC nation split in two. 10 nations formed a new kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam (considered a rebel), and Judah was the other kingdom under the Davidic King Rehoboam. 722 The nation of Israel (10 northern tribes) were attacked and destroyed by the Assyrians and vanish as a nation at that stage in history. The nation of Judah continued until about 587 BC until it was destroyed by the Babylonians and the people were taken in captivity. So these books written from captivity in Babylon to warn the people against repeating the same sins again. As we enter Chapter 11 of Kings, we are at the end of Solomon’s life and reign. As king he had sown seeds of self-indulgence and so Solomon ends his life in spiritual rebellion, under the judgement of God, with his kingdom beginning to unravel. His failure will haunt the nation for the rest of it’s history. We look at the first 2 Kings – Rehoboam Southern tribes – Judah) and Jeroboam Northern tribes – Israel. Rehoboam did not listen to the people or to God. This was the essence of his foolishness. Rehoboam ended his rule after 17 years leaving a legacy of conflict and decline. Jeroboam established his authority as King of the Northern Tribes (Israel). Jeroboam had an amazing promise from God, and it was fulfilled in him being appointed King of Israel. This was by God’s grace not through any political manoeuvrings. Jeroboam would rather trust his own instincts than the word of God, even though he had witnessed the power of God with his own eyes! Jeroboam reigned for 22 years.

As we move into these last 5 chapters of Romans, the Theology that Paul has presented in Romans Chapter 1- 11, is what informs the actions we see Paul speak to now in Chapters 12-16. This is where Paul demonstrates that Doctrine is not separate from practical Christianity. Rather it is the force behind it. In light of what God has done, here is how we should live. Chapter 12:1-2 – Personal sacrifice. Chapter 12:3-8 – Sacrifice in the Church. Chapter 12:9-21 – Sacrifice in Relationships. Chapter 13: 1-14 – Understanding the times in which we live. Chapter 13:8-10 – Understanding leads to love for one another. Chapter 13:11-14 – Understanding leads to pleasing God. Chapter 14 - Unity in the church. Unity is more important than agreement on nonessential matters in the Christian life. Unity reveals LOVE as this is the only things that can bring together people who differ. Chapter 15 - We see Paul as a builder of the church, servant of the church, shepherd of the church, and Apostle of the church.

Romans Chapters 9-11 In this episode Matt and Stu will discuss: The Gospel and the Intersection between Responsibility (Human) & Sovereignty God (9:1-5) Gospel has always been based on election. (9:6-13) Gospel has always been based on Justice and Mercy (9:14-18) Gospel has always been based on God’s Sovereignty. (9: 19-29) The Pursuit of Righteousness based on merit. (9:30 – 10:4) As we move into Chapter 11, we see Paul shift from, what might seem a discouraging assessment of the Israel’s past and present spiritual life – to a amazingly positive assessment about Israel’s future – all Israel will be saved! Paul (New Testament) and the remnant of Israel (Old Testament) shows that God has NOT rejected his people. (11:1-10) God has delivered the Gospels to the Gentiles. (11:11-22) Praise is the natural response to God’s merciful plans for the salvation of the human race. (11:33-36) God is willing to harden the heart of those who are disobedient to his revelation - equally - God is willing to create conditions that motivate the wayward person to desire him.

Life in the Spirit makes us able to understand and endure suffering in our current context. Paul’s analysis of the present suffering and our future glory makes it clear that these cannot be compared to each other. All of creation is awaiting and anticipating this coming glory. We also groan and wait with perseverance for the coming glory. God’s help through the Spirit is available to us now. God’s help is an enduring promise; He has the ability to work all things for good and to see us through to the end of this age. The triumphant victory of life in the Spirit. We can know our future. We have the ‘verdict’ now. We can be certain of our salvation in Christ. The evidence that God is for us is the gift of Jesus Christ. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In this episode Matt takes us through the first part of Chapter 8 – vs 1-17. Paul’s letter to the Romans can be divided into three major parts: a presentation of the gospel (chapters 1-8), the place of Israel in God’s plan (chapters 9-11) and exhortations for Christian living (chapters 12-15). Chapter 8 comes near the end of Paul’s explanation of the gospel. It is the climax, and the truths that Paul shares here are so significant - No condemnation! / Life in the Spirit / Our response. When our lives are placed in Christ, then we share in his life, both the good and the bad. We share in his sufferings, in his death, in his righteousness and in his resurrection. As God’s children, we are co-heirs with Christ, sharing in who he is and what he has done.

We continue in the book of Romans working through Chapters 4-6. We cover: • The grace we receive because of God’s just faithfulness • Adams sin and how it resulted in us all being guilty before God • How the law showed (and shows) us the nature of sin more clearly • The difference between Adam and Jesus • God’s grace • How we can be set free from the hold of sin Romans 5:18-19 The result of one man’s sin was that everyone became guilty. So the result of one righteous act is that everyone can become righteous. And everyone can receive eternal life. Many people became sinners because one man did not obey God. So many will become righteous by the one man who obeyed God.

The book of Romans is the longest of the Apostle Paul's letters and is regarded by many people as his greatest. Romans contains Paul’s most complete explanation of the doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ rather than by the law of Moses. Romans was most likely written while he was in Corinth on his third missionary journey, in A.D. 57 In this episode we cover: The Gospel as the Revelation of God’s Righteousness God’s Righteousness in His Wrath against Sinners The Saving Righteousness of God

This week, Matt takes a look at 1st Kings as we close out the reign of David and he hands on the throne of Israel to Solomon his son. In this episode we cover a lot of ground but focus on: Solomon building the temple . . . and also his palace. Through this time, David’s son Solomon, leads Israel to greatness and to a period of peace and prosperity. But, because he didn't obey God and got drawn away from the ways of God - even to the point of idol worship - he ends up leading Israel to a civil war and ultimately towards destruction and exile.

This week, Matt takes a look at 2nd Samuel as we pick up again our journey through the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. In this episode we cover a lot of ground but focus on: David's lament over the death of Saul, his crowning as King and then his triumphs as he takes back Jerusalem and reigns over all Israel. This is where the new dynasty begins and (in Chapter 7) we see the Davidic covenant, where God promises an everlasting Kingdom through the line of David. We also cover David's significant short-comings and sin. The denunciation from Nathan, and then the ongoing consequences of his sin throughout his family. Blessings or consequences follow every action, and this is clearly demonstrated here throughout 2nd Samuel.

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The Complete C S Lewis Signature Classics (7 Volume Set) – ThriveToday Offer ONLY AVAILABLE TO SHIP WITHIN AUSTRALIA A beautiful compilation of inspirational writings, featuring seven classic works in one box set. The box set includes: ‘Mere Christianity’ ‘The Screwtape Letters’ ‘Surprised by Joy’ ‘The Four Loves’ ‘The Problem of Pain’ ‘The Great Divorce’ ‘Miracles’ Remember we cannot keep making these podcasts without your generous support! 1} Pray! Pray for God's blessing and direction. 2} Share! Please share your favourite episodes with someone who would be encouraged. 3} Give! Head over to our SUPPORT page and become a monthly supporter Along with helping us keep your favourite podcasts "on the air" you will also be invited to our exclusive private Facebook Supporters Group. You can bookmark, like and follow THRIVE online on: Our home on the internet: www.ThriveToday.tv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThriveTodayPage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivetoday.tv/

1st Samuel Chapters 15 - 22: We see Israel's first king Saul slowly decend into a dark madness, while similtaneously we see a young annointed shepherd slowly start his journey to the throne. In chapter 15 the Lord eejects Saul and Samuel executes King Agag. Chapter 16 Samuel anoints David as the next king. 1st Samuel chapter 17 has to be one of the most famous chapters in the Old Testament: David kills Goliath. In chapters 18 to 20 we see the complicated relationships between Saul's children and David. David runs from King Saul in chapter 21 and then finally in chapter 22 Saul hits an all time low in the slaughter of the Priests. Remember we cannot keep making these podcasts without your generous support! 1} Pray! Pray for God's blessing and direction. 2} Share! Please share your favourite episodes with someone who would be encouraged. 3} Give! Head over to our SUPPORT page and become a monthly supporter Along with helping us keep your favourite podcasts "on the air" you will also be invited to our exclusive private Facebook Supporters Group. You can bookmark, like and follow THRIVE online on: Our home on the internet: www.ThriveToday.tv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThriveTodayPage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivetoday.tv/

We continue through 1st Samuel: Chapter 8: Israel Requests a King & Samuel Warns against a Kingdom. Chapter 9: Saul Meets Samuel. Chapter 10: Samuel Anoints Saul as King, Samuel’s Signs Are Fulfilled & Saul Is Acclaimed King. Chapter 11: Saul Defeats the Ammonites. Chapter 12: Samuel’s Farewell Address. Chapter 13: Continued War with Philistia, Saul’s Disobedience and Samuel’s Rebuke & Israel’s Military Disadvantage. Chapter 14: Jonathan’s Daring Plan, Israel Defeats the Philistines, Saul’s Foolish Oath & Saul’s Military Successes. Remember we cannot keep making these podcasts without your generous support! 1} Pray! Pray for God's blessing and direction. 2} Share! Please share your favourite episodes with someone who would be encouraged. 3} Give! Head over to our SUPPORT page and become a monthly supporter Along with helping us keep your favourite podcasts "on the air" you will also be invited to our exclusive private Facebook Supporters Group. You can bookmark, like and follow THRIVE online on: Our home on the internet: www.ThriveToday.tv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThriveTodayPage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivetoday.tv/

The book of 1st Samuel! Samuel the priest prophet and final judge - roughly 1100BC -1000BC The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel are not chronological. Themes of Samuel: 1} Davidic Covenant - Anointed king 2} God is in control 3} Power of the Holy Spirit 4} Sin & Consequences Also watch out for contrasts and comparisons of people and tribes.... As usual we recommend The Bible Project's short video overview of the book: https://youtu.be/QJOju5Dw0V0 Chapter 1 Elkanah the Levite and His Family Hannah & Peninnah  Hannah’s Prayer for a Son Samuel’s Birth and Dedication Chapter 2 Hannah’s Prayer of Praise Eli’s Wicked Sons A Warning for Eli’s Family Chapter 3 The Lord Speaks to Samuel Samuel Speaks for the Lord Chapter 4 The Philistines Capture the Ark The Death of Eli Chapter 5 The Ark in Philistia Chapter 6 The Philistines Return the Ark The Ark Moved to Kiriath-Jearim Chapter 7 Samuel Leads Israel to Victory