Tara-Leigh Cobble

And that's exactly what happens.

So God raises up military leaders or judges to drive out the enemies who are leading his people astray.

But this doesn't deal with the problem of their hearts leading them astray.

The Israelites do whatever they want, leading to near anarchy.

Despite this, there are pockets of faithfulness among the Israelites and even among the foreigners whose hearts have turned toward Yahweh.

Pagans like Rahab and Ruth who turn to follow God and his people.

God has been telling us all along that he's going to build his people from among every nation, and this is evidence of that.

Next, God raises up Samuel the prophet to lead the people, but what they really want is a king.

God tells Samuel to give the people what they want, but it's not going to go well for them.

Their first king is Saul, a fearful man who makes rash decisions without consulting God.

Then a shepherd named David is positioned as Israel's second king.

He's a man after God's own heart, but he's still deeply flawed.

He makes a few decisions that mark him for life, but they don't mark him for eternity.

God shows him astonishing amounts of mercy and grace.

David is succeeded on the throne by his son Solomon.

Despite being the wisest man who ever lived, he has a problem with womanizing and worshiping other gods.

Yahweh is generous to him nonetheless and gives him the distinguished assignment of building Israel's first temple, the place where God came to dwell among the people in the midst of the promised land.

After Solomon dies, the nation-state of Israel is divided into two separate kingdoms.

Over the 350-ish years of the divided kingdom, God sends several prophets to warn both northern Israel and southern Judah about what's going to happen.

They'll be overcome by other nations.