This is the first installment in our Lenten series, Through the Tombs of the Kings, where Steve Kruschel explores God’s faithfulness to Judah’s kings—and to us—through life, death, and the burial of his Son.
You can tell a lot about a king by where he is buried. The Egyptian pharaohs wanted people to think they were gods, so they built grand pyramids. The white marble of India’s Taj Mahal forms a majestic-looking tomb for the emperor’s beloved wife. But not everyone wants a grand grave. The tomb that Americans originally constructed for George Washington, which was in the capitol building of the United States, still remains empty. The founding father refused the extravagance of such a public burial place. That’s why he was laid to rest on the grounds of his home in Mount Vernon.
The final resting places of the kings of Judah in the Old Testament tell similar stories. One king of Judah was buried in a tomb he built himself. Another king was buried outside of the kingly tombs altogether. One man was buried with the kings even though he wasn’t a king at all.
During this Lenten season, we get to take a walk through the tombs of these royal descendants of King David in the Old Testament. It might sound morbid at first, but a walk through Lent can feel a lot like walking through kingly tombs. It is somber and serious. Hushed tones are everywhere. We see the pain and shortcomings of those long dead. We can almost feel their guilt. But through this sobering walk among the dead, dark, and damp, God’s love shines through.
It might sound morbid at first, but a walk through Lent can feel a lot like walking through kingly tombs.
Some of the names on the tombs may sound familiar. Others we may not recognize right away. All of them point to Christ.
We won’t spend time at the final resting places of Jerusalem’s famous leaders, King David and King Solomon, but we will let their words guide us as we look at the tombs of their descendants.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).
The first tomb we stop by is the final resting place of King Asa. He was the great-grandson of King Solomon, and he began his reign as king as faithfully as Solomon had. The world has always judged the successes of leaders based on their worldly accomplishments. Yet as God’s Word leads us through the tombs of the kings of Judah, we see that faithfulness in the eyes of the Lord always focuses on faithfulness to God’s word. From that perspective, Asa was a faithful king. Asa cut down the images of false gods and had them burned. He drove out the prostitutes who served on behalf of those false gods. Most surprisingly of all, he even removed his own grandmother, the revered and respected queen mother of Jerusalem, because she had created the image of a false god right in Jerusalem.
That’s when Asa began building projects. 2 Chronicles 14 tells us that he built cities and surrounded them with walls and towers. He built up the army and equipped them to be strong, mighty warriors. When war did come, Asa and his soldiers were victorious.
Asa also strengthened the people of God spiritually. He had the people renew their covenant with the Lord, dedicating themselves once again to the true God. In response, we read that “The Lord gave them rest on every side” (2 Chron. 15:15).
Years later, however, the northern kingdom of Israel attacked Asa’s kingdom of Judah. Sadly, at that key moment in Judah’s history, Asa did not look to the Lord for victory. Instead, Asa sought to buy salvation for his people. In a surprising move, Asa went to the temple and took the silver and gold from the treasury of the Lord so that he could buy an ally for the coming war. Taking the money of the Lord, Asa went to the king of Aram so that they could surround their common enemy: the kingdom of Israel. In the eyes of the world, the tactic was brilliant. Yet in the eyes of the Lord, the tactic showed a lack of trust.
In response to his attempt to create his own political triumph, Asa faced war for the rest of his reign and eventually died of an illness. After an extravagant funeral procession, King Asa was laid to rest alongside his ancestors, the family line of King David, in a tomb that Asa had cut out for himself.
Asa’s own tomb stands as a reminder of both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. As skillful as King Asa was at building walls and towers and alliances, he couldn’t shape his own salvation.
Whatever your skill or talent might be, Satan is constantly tempting us to trust in it more than our loving Lord, who blessed us with that talent.
The Lord has blessed us with talents and abilities, too. Perhaps, like Asa, you can expertly shape materials into expert structures. Maybe the beauty and precision of your artistic abilities take people’s breath away. Whatever your skill or talent might be, Satan is constantly tempting us to trust in it more than our loving Lord, who blessed us with that talent. But the truth is, the work of our hands will always pale in comparison to the working of God’s hands.
The season of Lent has a way of reminding us of that important truth. Judas Iscariot thought he could use money to build a good life for himself. Throughout his ministry, Jesus gave Judas every opportunity to hear the word. Sadly, Judas went to the chief priests anyway. He asked them, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” (Matt. 26:15)
It worked. Jesus willingly allowed himself to be handed over to the Jewish authorities. When it became apparent that Jesus was not going to escape this time, Judas felt guilty. He tried to return the money. But the very priests who should have pointed him to God’s forgiveness instead pushed him away, and he hanged himself.
Someday, a tomb or a gravestone will bear your name. Yet, you do not need to fear death. Even now, your Savior is preparing a heavenly home for you.
Yet it was precisely because we could not build our own way to heaven that Jesus came down from heaven. He allowed himself to be handed over to the authorities. A painful crown of thorns was woven together by Roman soldiers and smashed onto Jesus’ head. A wooden cross was built for his suffering and death. And Jesus’ hands, the very hands that formed the world, were nailed to the cross. The author of life suffered eternal death. It all should have been poured out on us, but instead, Jesus took it upon himself. His death won your eternal life.
As you walk through the dark, somber cemeteries of this world, you can look to your loving Lord. Someday, a tomb or a gravestone will bear your name. Yet, you do not need to fear death. Even now, your Savior is preparing a heavenly home for you.
“For the sake of your name, O Lord, you forgive my guilt, although it is great” (Ps. 25:11).
