The Bible is mostly, the story of many different people, living at different times and from different backgrounds. The Bible is also the story of how God tries to reach all of us humans irrespective of our upbringing and context. In fact, the Bible teaches us that when God will write the names of each of His children, He will also record from where each came (Psalms 87). And how precious it will be for many of them to know that they had loving parents who guided them into the kingdom of God! And how glorious it will be for parents and children’s teachers to know that they had played an important role in the decisions that children later took that led them to receive salvation! How joyful it will be for those who taught children, that the long hours of toil, prayer, and sometimes frustration, have finally given its everlasting fruit. 

This volume continues from Solomon’s ascension to the throne, through his son Roboam, the splitting of the kingdom in two, and the various kings that continued thereafter and their rebellions, to the point that, as the Bible describes it, there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:16). In these stories we learn of the dreadful consequences of choosing our own ways instead of the Lord’s. And while God’s chosen people rejected the high calling of being a light to the world, God would still send messenger after messenger, prophet after prophet, to guide them into the paths that lead to peace and life. God did have compassion of them, but unfortunately, the human heart is desperately wicked, and they mocked and killed and despised God’s messengers, to the point that God would have to let them have the full consequences of their decisions. And through all this sad stories, we read how God would still work through Elijah, Elisha, Esther, Daniel and many others, bringing light and hope and life. All these stories contain very valuable lessons for everyone, specially our children, so we can know and remember the consequences of abandoning God. But if we hold His hand and hear and treasure His Word, even when it appears that everyone, even God’s people, are abandoning Him, God will never forsake nor leave us, even in the most apparent discouraging circumstances.