The story continues.
The two Books of Kings are a sequel to the books of Samuel. They begin with the death of David and the accession of Solomon and carry the story of the Hebrew nation forwards, through the reign of Solomon and the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah following his death. The narrative outlines the development of the two nations – the northern tribes that comprised the nation of Israel, and the two southern tribes -Judah and Benjamin – that comprised the nation of Judah. The story concludes with both nations being carted off into captivity by Assyria and Babylon respectively.
The Books do not specifically name an author. The tradition is that the Prophet Jeremiah wrote them.
A quick look at 1 Kings
Key Verses:
The continuation of David’s line: 1 Kings 1:30, "I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place."
The consecration of the Temple: 1 Kings 9:3, "The LORD said to him: 'I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.'"
The division of the kingdom: 1 Kings 12:16, "When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: 'What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!'"
Summary: 1 Kings starts with the accession of Solomon and ends with the stories of the prophet Elijah. The contrast between these two characters offers a fitting introduction to all that lies in the intervening years.
Chapters 1 - 11: The United Kingdom. Solomon’s reign began with such high expectations. He was David’s chosen successor, and quickly gained a reputation for wisdom and sagacity. He built the Temple, which took seven years. But like his father, one of Solomon’s weaknesses was his attraction to women. This ultimately leads to his fall from grace. He spent thirteen years building himself a palace, and his zeal for God gradually diminished. His accumulation of many wives led him into idolatrous worship and led him away from God. This, in turn, shifted the nation away from God.
In chapter 1, there is intrigue as Solomon’s half-brother, Adonijah tried to take the throne. Nathan the prophet alerted David who quickly directed a coronation for Solomon. Solomon consolidated his power, until the kingdom was ‘established in the hand of Solomon’ (2:46). Under his leadership and wisdom, Israel reached the zenith of its power. His empire stretched from the border of Egypt in the south to Babylon in the northeast. Solomon’s reign began with the monarch’s genuine love for God, but his ungodly marriages turned his heart away from God.
Solomon’s greatest achievement was the building of the Temple. He offered a magnificent prayer of dedication and bound the people with an oath to remain faithful to God (I Kings 8: 22 – 66).
The rise and fall of Solomon are summed up in two verses:
1 Kings 9: 4 – 5: If you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel for ever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
1 Kings 11: 11: 'So the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.'
The turning point of the book occurs in chapter 12. After a forty-year reign, Solomon is succeeded by his son, Rehoboam. He chose to follow a foolish course of action by increasing taxation. The rebellion that ensued resulted in the kingdom dividing into two parts. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained faithful to David’s royal line. The northern kingdom, Israel, declared independence from the southern tribes, but was continually plagued by apostasy, whilst the southern kingdom, Judah, suffered from idolatry. Continual enmity and strife existed between the two kingdoms.
Even the preaching of the prophet Elijah could not bring the nation of Israel back to faithfulness to God. The low point for the northern nation of Israel was the reign of Ahab, who, through the influence of his wife, Jezebel, introduced the worship of Baal to Israel. Elijah confronted the king, even challenging the false prophets of Baal to a spiritual display of strength on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), which God won. This made Queen Jezebel furious. She ordered Elijah's death forcing him to flee for his life, declaring, "Let me die." God sent food to the prophet and whispered to him in a "quiet gentle sound", and in the process saved his life for further work.
Practical Application: Between the time of Solomon and Elijah, we find every manner of the human condition in Israel and Judah: sin, rebellion, corruption, courage, and faith. Conditions parallel the state of the world today. Things haven't changed and neither has God. We need to heed the message and godliness of Elijah!
A quick look at 2 Kings
Key Verses:
Elisha succeeds Elijah as God’s chosen prophet and assumes his mantle: 2 Kings 2:15, "The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, 'The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.' And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him."
The fall of Samaria (the capital of Israel) 2 Kings 17:6, "In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes."
Josiah – a good king in Judah! 2 Kings 22:2, "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."
The destruction of the Temple: 2 Kings 25:8-10, "In the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building, he burned down. The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem."
Summary: 2 Kings depicts the downfall of the divided kingdoms. Prophets continue to warn the people that God’s judgment is at hand, but they do not repent. Israel is repeatedly ruled by wicked kings, and even though a few of Judah's kings are recorded as being ‘good’ kings, the majority are described as being faithless. The few good rulers, along with the prophets, cannot stop the nation's decline. The Assyrians eventually destroy the Northern Kingdom, and 136 years later the Southern Kingdom is destroyed by the Babylonians.
But the flame of faithfulness to God is never extinguished. Elisha is a worthy successor to Elijah. Through him, God demonstrated gracious care for the nation and His concern for those who trust in Him. But like Elijah, he is rejected by Israel’s leadership.
Chapters 18 – 25 focus upon the land of Judah, following the fall of Israel. King Hezekiah is cited as an example of faith, but his son Manasseh is so idolatrous that his reign leads to the downfall of Judah. Josiah seeks to stem the tide of evil, but his reign ends in tragedy. The final four kings of Judah conclude a sorry saga of ever-increasing wickedness. There are three deportations to Babylon, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
What do we learn from 2 Kings?
· God hates sin and will not allow it to continue indefinitely.
· God may at times use heathens to correct His people.
· God loves us so much that He has to discipline us.
· God gives us warning before delivering judgment.
· We can have total confidence that God will never leave us or forsake us.
1 and 2 Kings stress that God is sovereign Lord. He controls history and uses other nations to fulfil His purposes, as instruments of judgement for His people’s failure to keep the covenant. The king’s role was intended to be to act as God’s servant in leading the nation into fellowship with Him, but most kings perverted their purpose through their moral and spiritual rebellion.
But even in the depths of despair, the voice of the Lord is still heard, as we listen to the cries of the prophets.
Comments