The Golden Ratio Format of the Book of Kings

Transcription

1 The Golden Ratio Format of the Book of Kings One of a series of studies explaining the GR Format of the Bible Book by Book by JHS Publishing President Max L. Day Original Publish Date: 8/22/2015 Revision 1 Date:

2 Table of Contents The Golden Ratio Format of the Bible 3 Website Information 3 Study #1: A brief synopsis of the Book of the Kings 4 Study #2: A comparison of the Golden Ratio format of Kings to other outlines 5 Study #3: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 1 (Introduction) 6 Study #4: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 2 (Body Section - UCC) 7 Study #5: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 3 (Body Section - OO) 8 Study #6: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 4 (Conclusion) 9 Study #7: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 5 (Chapter Review) 10 Study #8: Kings Chapter 1.2, Part 1 (Introduction) 11 Study #9: Kings Chapter 1.2, Part 2 (Body Section - OO) 12 Study #10: Kings Chapter 1.2, Part 3 (Body Section - CCU) 13 Study #11: Kings Chapter 1.2, Part 4 (Conclusion Section) 14 Study #12: Kings Chapter 1.2, Part 5 (Chapter Review) 15 Study #13: Kings Chapter 1.3, Part 1 (Introduction) 16 Study #14: Kings Chapter 1.3, Part 2 (Body Section - UCC) 17 Study #15: Kings Chapter 1.3, Part 3 (Body Section - OO) 18 Study #16: Kings Chapter 1.3, Part 4 (Conclusion Section) 19 Study #17: Kings Chapter 1.3, Part 5 (Chapter Review) 20

3 The Golden Ratio Format of the Bible The label of Appendix [to the Kingdom Bible Version] was originally used for this document at the beginning of this labor, because I used to print it at the end of the English Kingdom Bible Version. As the amount of material grew, it became clear that there wasn t sufficient space to print it with the Bible, since there was a maximum capacity of about 800 pages with the paperback copy, so I took it out and began posting it on my website. Later, I realized that the document really had little to do with any particular Bible version, because it is all about the Golden Ratio Format of the BIBLE, which applies to all Bible versions. So I have updated the title of this document to The Golden Ratio Format of the Bible to accomodate the reality that it represents. The content is regularly being updated with new material at the end with new studies as they are completed. I am also working on a Spanish version of this document, which is far behind in the number of studies, because it takes a lot longer to translate the material than it does to produce an English language study, since that is my native language. A major benefit of the Spanish document work is that it gives me an opportunity to re-examine the original studies in English and add additional material or change the way it was presented to make it more effective. So as the Spanish document progresses, so does this document. I will continue adding new studies until the entire Bible has been covered sufficiently. These studies introduce the reader to the Golden Ratio format concepts little by little as we progress through the Bible. I m learning how to do this more effectively as the studies progress, and developing techniques to better present the material. Only time will tell what the final product will look like. Eventually, it will become a printed Book in its own right. For the foreseeable future, it will remain a free PDF download with no copyright. The Introduction to the Golden Ratio Format of the Bible document provides a high-level survey of all of the Volumes of the Bible plus some vital background information. I have to assume that you have taken the time to read all or at least most of it, because I can t keep repeating it in every lesson; that is impossible. So if you jump into any of these lessons without any foreknowledge of this material, then you will not understand it. You make a serious mistake in thinking that you can understand the format of the Bible by jumping ahead to only the material you are interested in without also understanding the background information beforehand. Line upon line, precept upon precept. You must learn to crawl before you can walk. It makes little difference whether you are a new Believer or have several Ph.D s after your name. You must lay the proper foundation for these studies or you will not understand it. It is the exact same reason why a new Believer should never be chosen to lead a church as their pastor: he is spiritually unprepared for such a task. In both situations (Bible study and spiritual leadership), you need seasoning and preparation. One last thing that I must explain is that because this document gives only brief summaries of each Chapter, I cannot provide the detailed proof of the Golden Ratio Format of each document in the Bible in these studies. There simply is not room to give an encyclopedic explanation of every nuance. In the detailed studies of each Book in the Bible, you will find detailed proof of the Golden Ratio Format, right down to the paragraphs and sub-paragraphs. So in this Introduction, you will have to accept my word that the information is correct, because I don t want to overwhelm you with too much information at once. In the outlines of each Chapter, I choose key passages that give a good snapshot of the theme. In the detailed studies, we will look at the Chapter much more closely. The Introduction document gives you a taste of the Bible Format overall on the Volume level. The Book Summaries document gives you a deeper view into the content of each Book. The Detailed Studies documents (one for each Book) gives you a deep plunge into the full depth of the Golden Ratio Format for each Book, right down to the lowest level, with all the proof that one could ever need that the Golden Ratio Format is indeed from God: our Creator, our Savior, and the Author of the Traditional Canon of the Holy Bible. Website Information Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and thank you very much for your interest in the Golden Ratio format of the Bible! I know that you probably have a ton of questions about the Golden Ratio, and how this relates to the Bible. So I want to dedicate this document to providing a few of the answers that you are seeking to help you get started. Some of your questions will take too much space to answer here, so I will only be able to give a very brief introduction to these subjects, and then I must point you to the resources available on my website for more information; or you may me directly with any questions you might have on any topic: editor@phibible.org. On the JHS Publishing website ( you can find: The Home Page: Every page in the website uses frames, with links to most pages on the left side and content on the right side. You will only have a problem if you are using an old browser. JHS recommends the latest version of the browser you prefer. There is also a link to the Spanish language version of phibible.org, which has many fewer pages, because it takes more time to translate into Spanish. Eventually, this sub-site will have most or all of the same page as the main English site. Reading area: in this area, you can navigate easily to pages with photos of the entire KBV text that you can view in your browser. You need at least a tablet with a fast connection, because some of these photos are 5 mb or larger. What is unique about this feature is that you can view an entire Chapter of the KBV in a single picture without interruption. In the printed copy, many of the Chapters needed to be broken up into several pages, because they were larger than a single 7x10 page, so this can create a mental roadblock for some people that makes it more difficult to visualize the entire Chapter as a single unit. Believe it or not, this really helps when you are trying to understand the larger units of thought in the Bible text. Since some of the Chapters (like Nehemiah), if printed out, could fill a page of paper about 6 feet long, this photo of Nehemiah is the only way to view large chapters in the Bible like Nehemiah. So if you re having trouble understanding the context of some part of the Bible, this is a great place to visit to help solve this problem. Golden Ratio Bible Versions and Free Samples: Here is where you can find information about the printed copies of JHS Bible Versions, and free samples in PDF format. Most importantly, you can find a link to html versions of all of these Golden Ratio Bible studies that you can read in your web browser. Information about JHS Publishing Ministries: My Statement of Faith and Latest News about JHS Publishing Ministries. Theological Issues: At the top of the list is a link to how to be born again, which is the most important one of all. This is also where I address some topics that are relevant to the Bible format issue, as well as some that may not seem relevant (like UFO s), but I believe are much more understandable from the perspective of having the Golden Ratio format to back up our Christian faith. There are many issues that I could be talking about, like the Charismatic movement and (so-called) Christian Rock music, but I refrain from doing so, because 1) I just don t have time, and 2) I m trying to keep the focus on the Bible format as much as possible. Someday I will get to them.

4 Study #1: A brief synopsis of the Book of the Kings Use the Navigation links on the left side panel to select a Bible version and view the Bible text in either photos (recommended for Tablets or larger computers) or as html (recommended for smart phones). The web pages display best in Internet Explorer. If you want to understand the meaning of any part of the Bible, you must first understand the context of that part of Scripture. The process is very much like trying to understand almost any large system in engineering: before you can understand how one part of a system works, you have to have a good understanding of the entire system as a whole. All of the System of systems works together to achieve some purpose, whether it is a computer, a power plant, a system of government, a ship, a weapon etc. If you only understand a small part of the system, but ignore the rest, you really don t understand it at all. Think of many people who know how to drive a car, but never change the oil, because they don t understand that unless they do that, their engine will eventually seize up and be destroyed. So it is with the Bible: if we only understand the Bible as individual verses, but don t understand the context, we are at risk of doing great damage to ourselves and to others by our ignorance. This is how much false teaching gets taught, by individuals who learn a few things on their own, but fail to get formal training. Then they go out to teach others a few good things, but end up adding a lot of false teaching; not out of malice, but simply out of pure ignorance of what they are saying. Teaching the Bible can be a very dangerous occupation, because we can do great damage if we do not take care to be an expert in what the Bible actually says; and then be faithful to teach only what God said, and not to add our own spin to the Word of God. My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation: for in many things we offend everyone. James 3:1-2 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it: for only then shall you make your way prosperous, and only then shall you have good success. Joshua 1:8 The purpose of these studies is to equip God s people and God s servants in the ministry to understand the context of the Bible. And the only way to do that correctly is to understand the Golden Ratio format of the Bible, because it is from God. We cannot improve on what God has given us in his Word. The Book of the Kings is about the destruction of the Kingdom of Zion. First it was prosperous beyond belief, with silver and gold as common as the stones of the street, and the nation united under the rule of the son of David, Solomon, who fulfills the command of his father and the will of God to build the Temple of Jehovah. The Temple of Jehovah was a magnificent structure built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem with one purpose: to provide an earthly dwelling place for the one true God, Jehovah: the God of Israel. The priests of Aaron supervised and conducted all worship activities, from offering animal sacrifices in the Temple according to the Law of Moses, to collecting tithes and offerings from the people to support the work of the Temple. The king of Israel ruled the Kingdom of Zion for the one true God, Jehovah. All executive and lawmaking authority rested in the king, who could kill or save alive at his pleasure. It was an Absolutist Monarchy with a very big difference from other types of Monarchies: it was the only one in the history of the world where the one true God had given the king his authority and blessing, with one caveat: if the king forsook the Law of Moses and backslid into idolatry, Jehovah God would withdraw his blessing on the Kingdom of Zion and eventually bring judgment upon it. And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the House of Jehovah, and the king s house, and all Solomon s desire which he was pleased to do, that Jehovah appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And Jehovah said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me. I have hallowed this House, which you have built, to put my Name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. And if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my Statutes and my Judgments, then will I establish the throne of your kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Israel. But if you shall at all turn from following me, you or your children, and will not keep my Commandments and my Statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them, then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them. And this House, which I have hallowed for my Name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people. And at this House, which is high, everyone that passes by it shall be astonished, and shall whistle; and they shall say, Why has Jehovah done this to this land, and to this House? And they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them; therefore Jehovah has brought upon them all this evil. 1 Kings 9:1-9 This type of government is difficult for 21st century people to understand. We think of government (at least in the United States) as elections, campaigns, fundraising, speeches, senators, congressmen, presidents, governors, etc. Power is (at least in theory) centered in the people through their votes. But in Old Covenant Israel, from about 1000 B.C. to about 586 BC, when the Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem and took the people captive to Babylon, Israel (the Kingdom of Zion) was ruled by a religious autocracy, that theologians call a Theocracy (theo = God, cracy = rule), which is rule by God (with men who rule absolutely in the Name of God). Today, we have a so-called theocracy in Iran, which is not the same as Old Covenant Israel, because their god Allah (so-called) is not the one true God, Jehovah. The only true Theocracy in history was the Kingdom of Zion under the Old Covenant. Allah is a false god. So what happened to Israel from about 1000 BC to about 600 BC? Israel failed to continue following the one true God Jehovah and became more and more corrupt and idolatrous, and eventually it became impossible for them to repent of their idolatry, so Jehovah sent the Babylonians to destroy the Kingdom and teach his people a very hard lesson: Remain loyal to Jehovah and prosper, or worship other gods and be destroyed. The story of the Book of Kings is the story of how God punished Solomon for falling away from Jehovah when he was old and worshiping other gods, such as Ashtoreth and Baal. God punished Solomon by tearing the Kingdom of Israel away from his son Rehoboam, and leaving him with only 2 tribes continuing to follow his rule: Judah and Benjamin; his Kingdom was called Judah. The other ten tribes fell away and created a separate Kingdom of Zion called Israel, which included the 2 1/2 tribes in Gilead on the eastern side of Jordan (today s country of Jordan and part of Syria), plus the other tribes living in the northern part of the country, led by the tribe of Ephraim. Some kings of Judah were good, and some were bad and some were very, very bad. Almost all of the kings of Israel were evil. Nonetheless, Jehovah sent prophets such as Elijah and Elisha to preach to the northern Kingdom of Israel (and Judah also) to call them back to Himself, and much of the middle of this Book covers their activities and ministry. But over time, Israel rejected the Word of Jehovah more and more until it became a reprobate nation, unable to repent and return to the true God, so God sent the Assyrian armies against it and carried it away captive in about 722 BC. These ten tribes became effectively lost tribes, because they were scattered over all the earth, and only God knows where they ended up. Some have been found in China, some in Asia around today s Afghanistan, some in Africa. Some did return later, but they had intermarried so much with idol-worshiping Gentiles, that they were no longer true worshipers of Jehovah, having adopted a syncretistic theology (mixing idol worship with Jehovah). These became known as the Samaritans (John 4). After Israel s deportation to Assyria, Judah briefly had revival with king Hezekiah, but his son king Manasseh was so wicked that Jehovah decided to finally deport Judah from the land as well, which occurred about 100 years later. Idolatry (praying to statues and images of men, women, animals, insects, demons, and stars) was the poison that destroyed the Kingdom of Zion under the Old Covenant. The kings, on average, were unfaithful to Jehovah, and the people became more and more corrupt and evil because of their idolatry, finally forcing God to expel them from the land. All of this was predicted by Jehovah to Moses before they even entered the land of Canaan in about 1400 BC. You shall not make you any idols nor a carved image; neither shall you set up a standing image; neither shall you set up any statue of stone in your land, to bow down to it: for I am Jehovah your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my Sanctuary; I am Jehovah. (Leviticus 26:1-2)...But if you will not listen to me, and will not do all these Commandments; Oand if you shall despise my Statutes, or if your soul abhors my Judgments, so that you will not do all my Commandments, but that you break my Covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning fever, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, because your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies. They that hate you shall reign over you; and you shall flee when no one pursues you. (Leviticus 26:15-17) And if you will not for all this listen to me, but walk contrary to me, then I will also walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And you shall eat the flesh of your sons; and the flesh of your daughters shall you eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your corpses upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the aroma of your sweet odors. And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell in it shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. (Leviticus 26:27-33) Why did Jehovah do this to Israel? Because Israel is his Covenant people. Jehovah made an Unconditional Covenant with their fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: to give them the land of Israel forever and ever, and to be their God forever and ever. But if they forsook his Law (of Moses), then eventually they would suffer being deported from the land by military force. But even then, Jehovah promised to bring them back to the land, and give it to them into perpetuity, because of his Covenant. All of this is hard for us to understand, but it is necessary for us to have this picture in our minds and place ourselves (as it were) in that time and in that situation in order for us to really appreciate what we are reading. The Book of Kings teaches us some very important lessons through the lives of these ancient people. We will begin with an introduction to Chapter 1.1 of the Book of Kings in the next study.

5 Study #2: A comparison of the Golden Ratio format of Kings to other outlines C Book 3.3: The Destruction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion (Kings) C Part 2: The Kingdom of Zion was destroyed by Jehovah O Chapter 2.1: Elijah the Prophet pronounced Judgment upon the house of Ahab king of Israel O Chapter 2.2: Elisha the Prophet protected and blessed the Kingdom of Israel C Chapter 2.3: Jehovah sent Jehu to judge the house of Ahab the king of Israel C Chapter 2.4: Jehovah sent Assyria to judge the Kingdom of Israel U Chapter 2.5: Jehovah sent Babylon to judge the Kingdom of Judah I think it is very useful at this point to compare the Golden Ratio structure of the Bible for the Book of Kings to outlines from other sources for some perspective. I. Solomon (First Kings 1-11) A. Prophetic Intervention: Choosing the New King (First Kings 1:1-2:11) B. Securing the Throne (First Kings 2:12-46) C. A Glorious Beginning (First Kings 3:1-15) D. Gods Gifts to Solomon: Discernment, Riches, Surpassing Honor (First Kings 3:16-5:14) E. The Jerusalem Temple (First Kings 5:15-9:25) F. Gods Gifts to Solomon: Discernment, Riches, Surpassing Honor (First Kings 9:26-10:29) G. A Tragic Ending (First Kings 11:1-13) II. The Divided Kingdom: Israel and Judah (First Kings 12-Second Kings 17) A. The Split (First Kings 12:1-19) B. Jeroboam of Israel (First Kings 12:20-14:20) C. Three Early Kings of Judah: Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa (First Kings 14:21-15:24) D. Six Early Kings of Israel: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab (First Kings 15:25-16:34) E. The Elijah Cycle: Elijah the Tishbite (First Kings 17-19) 1. Elijah Opposes Ahab (First Kings The Downfall of Ahab (First Kings 20:1-22:40) 3. Jehoshaphat of Judah: a Good, but not Great King (First Kings 22:41-50) 4. Elijah Opposes Ahaziah of Israel (First Kings 22:51-Second Kings 1:18) F. The Elisha Cyle (Second Kings 2-8) 1. Elisha Succeeds Elijah (Second Kings 2) 2. Jehoram of Israel and the Moabite War (Second Kings 3) 3. Ten Famous Stories about Elisha (Second Kings 4:1-8:15) 4. Two More Kings of Judah: Jehoram and Ahaziah (8:16-29) G. Jehu of Israel (Second Kings 9:1-10:36) 1. Annointing of Jehu of Israel (842 BCE) (9:1-13) 2. Jehu s Purge (9:14-10:31) 3. Death of Jehu (815 BCE) (10:32-36) H. From Jehu to the Fall of Israel ( /721 BCE) (Second Kings 11-17) III. The Judean Period (Second Kings 18-25) A. Hezekiah of Judah (c BCE) (Second Kings 11-20) B. Manasseh (c BCE) (Second Kings 21) C. Josiah ( BCE) (Second Kings 22:1-23:30) D. The Last Days of Judah: Jehoahaz (609 BCE), Jehoiakim ( BCE), Jehoiachin ( BCE) and Zedekiah ( BCE) (Second Kings 23:31-24:30) Here is an outline by J. Vernon McGee, a famous radio preacher ( OUTLINE: I. Death of David, 1 Kings 1, 2 II. Glory of SOLOMON S reign, 1 Kings 3 11 A. Solomon s prayer for wisdom, Chapters 3, 4 B.Building of temple, Chapters 5 8 C. Fame of Solomon, Chapters 9, 10 D. Shame and death of Solomon, Chapter 11 III. DIVISION of the kingdom, 1 Kings 12 2 Kings 16 IV. CAPTIVITY of ISRAEL by Assyria, 2 Kings 17 V. DECLINE and CAPTIVITY of JUDAH by Babylon, 2 Kings Now these outlines that I have copied from these other places are typical of what you will find in study Bibles or other types of Bible study material supplied by all of the famous preachers and theologians. Compare these outlines, or one that you may have in your own Bible version to the Golden Ratio format at the top of this study. Which one is more informative? Which one draws the actual themes from the text and shows the true flow of the Bible content? Which one actually tells you what the Bible MEANS? The Elijah Cycle: Elijah the Tishbite (to cite one example) doesn t tell you a single thing about what the Bible actually means. It tells you what is IN that portion of the Bible, but the meaning is not there. The same is true for the rest of these other outlines: they do not tell you what the Bible means, only what is in it. The real difference between the Golden Ratio format and these other outlines is more than just the Golden Ratio design and patterns of UCCOO, which is extremely important; but the most powerful difference between the Golden Ratio design and all the others is that the Themes are a highly condensed, compressed statement of what that portion of the Bible text is all about: an interpretation; and what it means in the context of the other Volumes, Books, Parts, Chapters, etc. Combining the true divisions in the text with a highly accurate, condensed interpretation of the content in each division is powerful indeed. This has been a missing feature in outlines of the Bible in the past. By looking at these other outlines, they tell you what is in the Bible (e.g. The death of David, 1 Kings 1, 2), but they don t tell you anything about what it means! And that is why Christians read the Bible in the first place; we want to know what the Bible means in its context. Throwing Bible facts in your face has limited usefulness for most Christians, because they don t have a deep background in the Bible and they can t make head nor tails of it. They need interpretation of the Bible; and the best and safest interpretation is literal interpretation, based upon what the Bible actually says. Interpretation based upon only what someone thinks can be extremely dangerous. The only safe interpretation is literal: What did God actually say in words that everyone can see and understand? If you have a Bible version that is properly arranged and outlined with correct themes for each text division, it is like a feast that is laid out in order on the table, and easy to eat. But a Bible version that is chaotic and has no logical arrangement (such as the Bible version you probably own right now) only causes confusion for Believers. So then the Believer goes to their pastor and says, What does this mean? And the pastor can t help them much either, because he is using outlines like the one I copied above! I m talking about the difference between a MICRO (bottom-up) view of the Bible and a MACRO (top-down) of the Bible. The Golden Ratio gives you the MACRO view or the big picture view from the top down, and it is unique among all Bible arrangement formats, because it came from God who gave the Word of God in the first place. The others are man-made and thus, are lacking in depth and accuracy and have no logical arrangement or pattern. The first outline came from a website that I am not familiar with and it doesn t list who created the outline, but I have no doubt that the person who made it did a lot of study in the Bible, and it is commendable. It gives some good information and is useful as far as it goes, but it doesn t give the true arrangement. And J. Vernon McGee s outline is extremely simple, much too simple to be of any use in serious Bible study. Of course, Brother McGee was trying to teach the Bible on a very basic level, verse by verse, so for that context, it doesn t do any harm. Brother McGee was a very good preacher and Bible teacher, and is in Heaven now. His messages are still being broadcast on the radio all over the world, and I respect his ability with the Word (although I differ with him on a few points). But the simple fact is that unless you are using the Golden Ratio format, you CANNOT rightly divide the Word of God. It is the key to understanding the true design of the Word of God. I ve already proven this over the last 54 studies, and will continue to demonstrate this as we go forward through the entire Bible.

6 Study #3: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 1 (Introduction) C Book 3.3: The Destruction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion (Kings) Comments: Chapter 1.1 of Kings tells the inside baseball story of how Solomon became the king of Israel after his father David. David s family had many sons; all of whom were in line to become king in the event that the one ahead of them in line died or somehow became disqualified to rule. And to David were sons born in Hebron; and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David s wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 2 Samuel 3:2-5 David s firstborn son, Amnon, ruined his chances of becoming king by raping his half-brother Absalom s sister, Tamar; and he was subsequently slain by Absalom to avenge his sister (Samuel Chapter 2.2). David s second-born son, Chileab, is only mentioned once in the passage above, and nowhere else in the Bible. He may have died in his youth, or perhaps he wasn t interested in becoming king; no one knows. David s third-born son, Absalom, attempted to overthrow David before David was ready to abdicate his throne, perhaps because he knew that Solomon was appointed by Jehovah to be king after David and he wasn t willing to give up his birthright. He was slain in battle during the civil war (Samuel Chapter 2.3). David s fourth son was Adonijah the son of Haggith, and Chapter 1.1 of Kings is largely concerned with his vain attempt to become king himself. U Introduction: Adonijah tried to take advantage of David s old age and infirmity and seize the throne for himself. C: David was old (1 Kings 1:1-4) U Now king David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he felt no warmth. C Therefore his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin; and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm. C So they sought for a beautiful young girl throughout all the territory of Israel; and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. O And the girl was lovely; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him. O But the king did not know her. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 1: U King David was old and cold C His servants urged him to allow a new wife to keep him warm C His servants brought Abishag a Shunammite to king David O She was lovely and cherished the king O But the king did not know her Comment: David s body was failing and could not stay warm, so a beautiful young concubine wife was taken for David to help him stay warm(!). But this did not work for David; and the marriage was never consummated. David was probably at least 70 years old. In those days, 70 was very, very old; and without modern medicine and doctors, we can only imagine what it must have been like for those people in that time. They probably used a lot of herbal medicine. C: Adonijah appointed himself king with the help of everyone except David s most loyal servants, and Solomon (1:5-10) O Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king ; and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. O And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why have you done this? And he also was a very handsome man; and his mother bore him after Absalom. C And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest; and they following Adonijah helped him. C But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. U And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel. And he called all his brothers the king s sons, and all the men of Judah the king s servants; but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 2: O Adonijah exalted himself and declared himself a king O David had not rebuked him for saying this; and he was next in line to be king C Adonijah conferred with Joab and Abiathar the priest and they helped him C But Zadok and the mighty men of David were not with Adonijah U Adonijah called everyone to a feast except Nathan, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon Comment: The wording is significant: Adonijah... exalted himself. This was his own idea. He knew that Solomon was appointed to be king after his father, but he was next in line to be king, so he probably just rolled the dice and said, Why not? If it works, I will be king! Attempting to become king without proper authority was considered treason and punishable by death, even though David was close to death and it was time for a new king.

7 Study #4: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 2 (Body Section - UCC) C Book 3.3: The Destruction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion (Kings) Comment: We continue our study of Kings Chapter 1 with the first 3 paragraphs of the Body Section. Remember from previous studies that the Golden Ratio paragraph pattern for the Chapters in every Book in the Body Section goes like this: Chapter 1.1: UCCOO < Chapter 1.2: OOCCU Chapter 1.3: UCCOO Chapter 1.4: OOCCU Chapter 1.5: UCCOO Chapter 2.1: OOCCU Chapter 2.2: UCCOO Chapter 2.3: OOCCU Chapter 2.4: UCCOO Chapter 2.5: OOCCU This is Chapter 1.1, so the Paragraph pattern is UCCOO, which we will see is exactly the case. It is important to notice how the Subparagraph pattern for each Paragraph is designed by God. The Unique Paragraph in this group has the Subparagraph pattern of OOCCU. The two Complementary Paragraphs both have the pattern of UCCOO. Both the theme of the first Paragraph and its underlying Subparagraph pattern is Unique when compared with the themes of the two Complementary Paragraphs. Let s look at it right now, and then we can read the text itself to see how it supports this conclusion: C Body: Adonijah s attempt to be king was thwarted by the intervention of Nathan and Bathsheba (1 Kings 1:11-53) U: Nathan and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, intervened with David to stop Adonijah s usurpation of David s throne (1 Kings 1:11-31) C: David commanded Solomon to be anointed king in his place (1 Kings 1:32-40) C: Adonijah heard the news of Solomon being anointed king, and feared for his life (1 Kings 1:41-53) I will not keep repeating this information for each Chapter, because it becomes repetitive. This is why it is important to start from the beginning in these studies and not jump ahead to the end to see the end of the story. I am laying a foundation for your understanding of the Golden Ratio Format piece by piece. Study the themes above and notice how the Unique Paragraph lays the foundation for the action that follows in the two Complementary Paragraphs. The last two Paragraphs in the Body Section are quite different in agreement with the Golden Ratio design (see the explanation of the Golden Ratio pattern for more details). The themes of those two Paragraphs oppose each other and are distantly related to the subject matter of these three Paragraphs. Also, the two Opposite Paragraphs have opposing Sub-paragraph patterns of UCCOO-OOCCU, which agrees with their opposing themes. Those who ridicule the Bible as being some kind of fabrication by mere men are either ignorant or are driven by Satan s demons to lie about the Word of God. All of the Bible is the Word of God: every Book, every Chapter, every word of the original language of the original texts of the Traditional Canon was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And the fact that the Massoretic text and the Greek Received Text clearly display the Golden Ratio design on every page without failure is powerful evidence that God has preserved his Word for us to day in these texts. C Body: Adonijah s attempt to be king was thwarted by the intervention of Nathan and Bathsheba U: Nathan and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, intervened with David to stop Adonijah s usurpation of David s throne (1 Kings 1:11-31) O Therefore Nathan spoke to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith is reigning, and David our lord does not know it? O Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon. Go and enter in to king David, and say to him, Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, Certainly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign? Behold, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words. C And Bath-sheba went to the king into the chamber. And the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered to the king. And Bath-sheba bowed, and prostrated herself in submission to the king. And the king said, What do you want? And she said to him, My lord, you swore by Jehovah your God to your maidservant, saying, Certainly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. And now, behold, Adonijah is reigning; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it; and he has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army; but Solomon your servant has he not called. And you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders. C And, lo, while she still talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. And Nathan said, My lord, O king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me; and he shall sit upon my throne? For he has gone down this day, and has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king s sons, and the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, Long live king Adonijah! But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, has he not called. Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you have not shown it to your servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? U Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king s presence, and stood before the king. And the king swore, and said, As Jehovah lives, that has redeemed my soul out of all distress; even as I swore to you by Jehovah God of Israel, saying, Certainly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my place, even so will I certainly do this day. Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and she prostrated herself before the king, and said, Let my lord king David live forever. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 1: O Nathan warned Bathsheba that Adonijah had declared himself a king O Nathan urged Bathsheba to warn king David about this situation C Bathsheba warned king David about Adonijah C Nathan warned king David about Adonijah U King David assured Bathsheba that he would make Solomon king, as he had sworn to her C: David commanded Solomon to be anointed king in his place (1 Kings 1:32-40) U And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. C The king also said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon; and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow with the trumpet, and say, Long live king Solomon! Then you shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne: for he shall be king in my place; and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. C And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen! Jehovah God of my lord the king say so also. As Jehovah has been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon; and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. O So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David s mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. O And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Long live king Solomon! And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth echoed with the sound of them. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 2: U King David called Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah C King David ordered them to make Solomon king in his place C Benaiah praised David s decision to make Solomon king in his place O Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah and the mighty men made Solomon king O All the people rejoiced with great joy C: Adonijah heard the news of Solomon being anointed king, and feared for his life (1 Kings 1:41-53) U And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard this as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar? C And while he still spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said to him, Come in, for you are a valiant man; and bring good news! And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Truly our lord king David has made Solomon king. And the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king s mule; and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon; and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city echoed. This is the noise that you have heard. C And also Solomon is sitting on the throne of the kingdom. And moreover the king s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed. And also the king said this: Blessed is Jehovah God of Israel, which has given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it. O And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid; and they rose up, and went every man his way. O And Adonijah was afraid because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon: for, see, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man, not a hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to your house. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 3: U Adonijah and his guests heard the sound of the people rejoicing and were puzzled C Jonathan told Adonijah and his guests that the people were rejoicing because David had made Solomon king C Jonathan told Adonijah and his guests that David had confirmed the appointment of Solomon with his own mouth and eyes O All of Adonijah s guests were afraid and went their way O Adonijah was afraid for his life and submitted himself to king Solomon Comment: Adonijah seems to be a bit of a pompous fool: Come in, for you are a valiant man, and bring good news! And then Jonathan pops his pompous bubble. Everytime I read that, it makes me laugh at the ridiculous situation. Adonijah seems to be a basically decent man, and probably knew Jehovah (was saved under the Old Covenant). But being the king s son and next in line to the throne had gone to his head. Solomon has mercy on Adonijah and spares his life. It is important to remember that a monarchy is not a Democracy or a Republic. The king had absolute authority over the life of every person in his kingdom, and could terminate or bless them as he saw fit.

8 Study #5: Kings Chapter 1.1, Part 3 (Body Section - OO) C Book 3.3: The Destruction of the Old Covenant Kingdom of Zion (Kings) Comment: We continue our study of the Body Section with the final two Paragraphs. As I stated in the previous study, these two Paragraphs have Opposite themes and Opposite Subparagraph Golden Ratio patterns. O: David gave final instructions to Solomon his son before he died, and vengeance was on his mind (1 Kings 2:1-9) U 2:1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2:2 I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore be strong, and show yourself a man. 2:3 And keep the charge of Jehovah your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his Statutes, his Commandments, his Judgments, and his Testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses; that you may prosper in all that you do, and wheresoever you turn yourself; 2:4 that Jehovah may continue his Word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If your children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. C 2:5 Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me; and what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel: to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he murdered, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his belt that was around his waist, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 2:6 Therefore do according to your wisdom, and let not his gray head go down to the grave in peace. C 2:7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at your table: for they came to me when I fled because of Absalom your brother. O 2:8 And, behold, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at Jordan; and I swore to him by Jehovah, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword. O 2:9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for you are a wise man, and know what you should do to him; but you bring his gray head down to the grave with blood. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 4: U David encouraged Solomon to walk in the ways of Jehovah and keep his Law C David reminded Solomon of Joab s treachery C David reminded Solomon of the kindness of Barzillai s sons O David reminded Solomon of Shimei s curses O David ordered Solomon to take vengeance upon Shimei for his curses O: Solomon assumed the full authority of the throne of Israel and put Adonijah (his chief rival for the throne) to death for treason (1 Kings 2:10-25) O 2:10 So David slept with his fathers; and he was buried in the city of David. 2:11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. O 2:12 Then Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was greatly established. C 2:13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Do you come peacefully? And he said, Peacefully. 2:14 He said moreover, I have something to say to you. And she said, Say on. 2:15 And he said, You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign; nevertheless the kingdom has turned about, and become my brother s: for it was his from Jehovah. 2:16 And now I ask one petition of you, do not deny me. And she said to him, Say on. 2:17 And he said, Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not refuse you), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to be my wife. 2:18 And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for you to the king. C 2:19 Therefore Bath-sheba went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 2:20 Then she said, I ask one small petition of you; please, do not refuse me. And the king said to her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not refuse you. 2:21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother to be his wife. 2:22 And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also: for he is my older brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. U 2:23 Then king Solomon swore by Jehovah, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! 2:24 Now therefore, as Jehovah lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day! 2:25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, that he died. Comment: The Golden Ratio Subparagraph pattern for 5: O David died and was buried O Solomon sat on David s throne and his kingdom was established C Adonijah asked Bathsheba to ask Solomon for the hand of Abishag the Shunammite C Bathsheba asked Solomon to give Abishag the Shunammite to Adonijah U Solomon had Adonijah executed for his request to marry king David s ex-wife Solomon interprets this request as a subtle attempt to undermine his authority as king and orders Adonijah executed for treason. Whether it really was an attempt by Adonijah to do what Solomon interpreted it as is unknown. Adonijah acknowledges Solomon s authority as king as coming from Jehovah (2:15), but it seems that Solomon never got that bit of information. In any case, Solomon had the authority to execute his brother for treason, whether real or not, and he believed it was real. Adonijah should have stayed far away from Jerusalem and politics after his first mistake was forgiven.