Example Essay (I wrote it, it's an example type of essay, not a fake)
There are
multitudes of narrative topics in the Bible, for instance: palace
treachery, prominent wars, and peculiar people. Although the Bible's
predominant theme is the redemption of mankind, it also emphasizes
the wickedness of man's inherent sin nature. A good number of the
most sinful people in the Scriptures were royalty; they were kings or
queens. Throughout the Bible, we see king after king reject the Lord
and lead his subjects into gross immorality. Let's look at three evil
kings in the Bible after which many would hesitate to name their
children: Ahab, Rehoboam, and Saul.
Ahab was one of the worst kings described in the Bible, so bad that God gauged the wickedness of future kings by sizing them up against him. Ahab did not seek the counsel of God but chose instead to listen to his despicable wife, Jezebel. Also, as Elijah pointed out, Ahab did not follow God, “I [Elijah] have not troubled Israel, but you [Ahab] have, … because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals.” Because of his great sinfulness, God punished Ahab by telling him that his offspring would be obliterated and by taking Ahab's life during a war. The last straw against Ahab was his false humility; despite what seemed to be true repentance, God left this legacy in Scripture: “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
Rehoboam was another terrible ruler who did not seek after God with his whole heart. He too obeyed the voice of counselors who were not wise, and, as a result, lost most of the kingdom he ruled. During the early years of his life he was a passing good king, but when he became strong, he turned his back on the God of his fore-father David. In response to Rehoboam's unfaithfulness, God brought Shishak, the current king of Egypt, up to Israel and allowed him to plunder the Jewish temple which Rehoboam was supposed to guard. Rehoboam acknowledged his sin of pride and humbled himself before the Lord, but it was yet another fickle sorrow without repentance because two verses later the author of 2 Chronicles says that he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
Ahab was one of the worst kings described in the Bible, so bad that God gauged the wickedness of future kings by sizing them up against him. Ahab did not seek the counsel of God but chose instead to listen to his despicable wife, Jezebel. Also, as Elijah pointed out, Ahab did not follow God, “I [Elijah] have not troubled Israel, but you [Ahab] have, … because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals.” Because of his great sinfulness, God punished Ahab by telling him that his offspring would be obliterated and by taking Ahab's life during a war. The last straw against Ahab was his false humility; despite what seemed to be true repentance, God left this legacy in Scripture: “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
Rehoboam was another terrible ruler who did not seek after God with his whole heart. He too obeyed the voice of counselors who were not wise, and, as a result, lost most of the kingdom he ruled. During the early years of his life he was a passing good king, but when he became strong, he turned his back on the God of his fore-father David. In response to Rehoboam's unfaithfulness, God brought Shishak, the current king of Egypt, up to Israel and allowed him to plunder the Jewish temple which Rehoboam was supposed to guard. Rehoboam acknowledged his sin of pride and humbled himself before the Lord, but it was yet another fickle sorrow without repentance because two verses later the author of 2 Chronicles says that he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
Lastly,
Israel's first king, Saul, was the grand epitome of a prospectively
great king turned ruthless. His final demise grew out of a seed of
arrogance which sprouted early in his reign: while at Gilgal
preparing to retaliate against the Philistines, he disobeyed God by
sacrificing burnt offerings before he was supposed to. As a result,
God told Samuel, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has
turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments”
and then replaced His Spirit which He had put in Saul with an evil
spirit. Later on, when Saul was chasing David, God used a raid by the
Philistines to hold him back from his intent to kill David. As time
went by, Saul continually proved his contrition to be imitation as he
went through three full cycles of trying to kill David, repenting,
and then trying to kill David again.
In the
Bible there are many characters; some are exemplary, but others –
like Ahab, Rehoboam, and Saul – were evil in the sight of the Lord.
Ahab, for instance, turned away from God and was killed by the king
of Egypt in battle as punishment. Rehoboam refused the wisdom that
God had provided him with and lost most of his kingdom as a
consequence. Also, because Saul disobeyed God and followed his own
intentions, God took away His Spirit from Saul. In the Bible, the
Lord says that records of kings like these were recorded for our
instruction, so let's be diligent to learn from these men how not
to live our lives.
