Jurneys Thrugh the Bible #10. THE BOOKS OF KINGS 1. Kings is the stry f Israel s entire mnarchy, frm Saul t Zedekiah. In ur English Bible, it is divided int tw bks, First and Secnd Kings. The accunt was cnsidered ne bk in the earliest Hebrew manuscripts, but was divided int tw bks when the translatin f the bk int Greek ccurred. This was dne in rder t facilitate the cpying f the stries nt smaller scrlls. The Latin Vulgate referred t First and Secnd Samuel as First and Secnd Kings, and therefre referred t the bks we call First and Secnd Kings by the titles Third and Furth Kings. 2. The authr is unknwn. Jewish traditin credits Jeremiah, but this is unlikely since the recrd f Kings ends in Babyln in 561BC, and Jeremiah went t Egypt during the Exile, nt Babyln. Als, by that time Jeremiah wuld have been nearly 90 years ld. The authr s identity is unknwn, and was prbably an unknwn prphet r priest wh went int captivity in Babyln. 3. The Date: It is pssible that Kings was written anytime between 561BC (the date f the final event in Kings) and 538BC (the beginning f the end f captivity). Since there was n mentin f the Return in Kings, we are fairly certain it was written befre 538BC. 4. Key Chapters 1 Kings Chapters 1:1-11:43 is the stry f Slmn, the sn f David, and the last king t preside ver the United Kingdm f Israel. Chapters 12:1-22:53 is the stry f civil war, the early kingships f divided Israel and Judah, and the ministry f Elijah. 2 Kings Chapters 1:1-17:41 is the stry f the transitin frm Elijah s ministry t the amazing days f Elisha. Chapters 18:1-25:30 is the recrd f the Kings f Judah and the exile f the Suthern Kingdm int Babyln. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 1
5. Key Verses 1 Kings 9:1-5 NASB Nw it came abut when Slmn had finished building the huse f the Lrd, and the king s huse, and all that Slmn desired t d, 2 that the Lrd appeared t Slmn a secnd time, as He had appeared t him at Giben. 3 The Lrd said t him, I have heard yur prayer and yur supplicatin, which yu have made befre Me; I have cnsecrated this huse which yu have built by putting My name there frever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 As fr yu, if yu will walk befre Me as yur father David walked, in integrity f heart and uprightness, ding accrding t all that I have cmmanded yu and will keep My statutes and My rdinances, 5 then I will establish the thrne f yur kingdm ver Israel frever, just as I prmised t yur father David, saying, Yu shall nt lack a man n the thrne f Israel. 1 Kings 8:22-53 is the dedicatry prayer fr the Temple by Slmn. 1 Kings 11:1-6 NASB Nw King Slmn lved many freign wmen alng with the daughter f Pharah: Mabite, Ammnite, Edmite, Sidnian, and Hittite wmen, 2 frm the natins cncerning which the Lrd had said t the sns f Israel, Yu shall nt assciate with them, nr shall they assciate with yu, fr they will surely turn yur heart away after their gds. Slmn held fast t these in lve. 3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred cncubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4 Fr when Slmn was ld, his wives turned his heart away after ther gds; and his heart was nt whlly devted t the Lrd his Gd, as the heart f David his father had been. 5 Fr Slmn went after Ashtreth the gddess f the Sidnians and after Milcm the detestable idl f the Ammnites. 6 Slmn did what was evil in the sight f the Lrd, and did nt fllw the Lrd fully, as David his father had dne. 2 Kings 2:9, 10 NASB When they had crssed ver, Elijah said t Elisha, Ask what I shall d fr yu befre I am taken frm yu. And Elisha said, Please, let a duble prtin f yur spirit be upn me. 10 He said, Yu have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if yu see me when I am taken frm yu, it shall be s fr yu; but if nt, it shall nt be s. 2 Kings 17:12-14 NASB They served idls, cncerning which the Lrd had said t them, Yu shall nt d this thing. 13 Yet the Lrd warned Israel and Judah thrugh all His prphets and every seer, saying, Turn frm yur evil ways and keep My cmmandments, My statutes accrding t all the law which I cmmanded yur fathers, and which I sent t yu thrugh My servants the prphets. 14 Hwever, they did nt listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, wh did nt believe in the Lrd their Gd. 6. Key Peple David - Israel s secnd King Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 2
Slmn - sn f David; third King f Israel Rehbam - sn f Slmn; initially the furth King f Israel, but became the first King f Judah after ten tribes rebelled and frmed the nrthern kingdm f Israel. Jerbam - the first King f the Nrthern Kingdm (Israel). He rebelled against Rehbam after the death f Slmn. Elijah - a great prphet knwn fr his miracles, ppsitin t Ahab s evil reign, and challenger f Baal at Munt Carmel. Elisha - disciple and successr f Elijah, knwn fr his duble aninting miracles. Ahab - seventh king f the Nrthern Kingdm; sn f Omri, and husband f Jezebel. Jezebel - the wife f Ahab. Jezebel incited Ahab t abandn the wrship f Yahweh and encurage wrship f Baal and Asherah instead. The Shunamite Wman - a wealthy and respected wman whse family shwed kindness t Elisha and was blessed by Gd in special ways. Naaman - a general f Syria wh was healed f leprsy by Gd thrugh the ministry f Elisha. Jehu - the tenth king f Israel wh exterminated the Huse f Omri. Jash - King f Judah wh was the sle survivr f a massacre against the Ryal family. He was gd fr much f his rule, but eventually turned t evil. Hezekiah - the thirteenth King f Judah; knwn as ne f the great kings in the line f David. Sennacherib - a king f Assyria wh waged war against Judah. Isaiah - arguably the greatest prphet f Israel. He is credited with establishing the Remnant cncept in Judah. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 3
Manasseh - wicked king f Judah; sn f Hezekiah. Thugh he led Israel int great wickedness, he turned t The Lrd in his later days. Jsiah - alng with David and Hezekiah, he is listed as ne f the three greatest kings f Israel. Jehiakim - King f Judah; sn f Jsiah Zedekiah - the last king f Judah Nebuchadnezzar - King f Babyln; cnquerr f Judah and Jerusalem. 7. Key Places Shechem - the meeting place f the new king Rehbam and Israel Israel - the ten nrthern tribes rebelled against the Huse f David and retained the name Israel. Judah - the tribes f Judah and part f Benjamin remained lyal t the Huse f David. They were knwn as the natin f Judah. Jerusalem - the capital city f Judah; the fcal pint in Jewish wrship Samaria - the capital city f Israel, built by Omri Dan and Bethel - Jerbam established idlatrus wrship centers in these tw cities in an attempt t keep peple frm ging t Jerusalem t wrship. Munt Carmel - scene f the cnfrntatin between Elijah and the prphets f Baal and the Grve. Shunem - hmetwn f an unnamed family wh shwed unusual kindness tward the prphet Elisha. Damascus - the capital f Syria Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 4
8. Key Themes The Temple - Slmn s Temple was a beautiful, majestic center fr the wrship f Jehvah. It slidified Jerusalem as the true center f Jewish culture and religin. The divisin f Israel - nly after the exile wuld Israel recver frm her civil war in the days f Rehbam (931BC). The nrthern kingdm wuld cntinue in apstasy, and wuld be carried away t Assyria in 722BC. Judah wuld have perids f revival that ensured her independence until 586BC. Messianic prphecies speak f the days f cmplete restratin that are still befre us. Kings, Priests, and Prphets - Israel is n lnger a cllectin f grups led by Judges, but nw a strng natin ruled by a king and spiritually led by prphets and shepherded by Priests. The fullest expressin f Prphet, Priest, and King is Messiah. Sin and Righteusness - Israel s frtunes were directly tied t her bedience t the cmmands f Jehvah. In the Bks f the Kings we learn that righteusness exalts a natin, while sin brings shame and dysfunctin. 9. The Cntents f Kings The Reign f Slmn (1 Kings 1:1-11:43) The Rise f Slmn (1:1-2:46) Slmn s Wisdm and Wealth (3:1-4:34) Plans fr the Building f The Temple (5:1-18) The Building f The Temple and Slmn s Huse (6:1-9:9) Additinal Building Prjects f Slmn (9:10-28) A Summary f Slmn s Accmplishments (10:1-29) The Decline f Slmn (11:1-43) The Kingdm f Israel Divided (1 Kings 12:1-2 Kings 17:41) The Rise f Idlatry: Rehbam f Judah; Jerbam f Israel - (1 Kings 12:1-14:31) Kings f Judah and Israel - (1 Kings 15:1-16:22) The Dynasty f Omri and the intrductin f Baalism int Israel and Judah (1 Kings 16:23-2Kings 13:25) Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 5
Baal Wrship Intrduced (1 Kings 16:23-34) The Ministry f Elijah Against Baal (1 Kings 17:1-2 Kings 1:18) The Ministry f Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-9:13) The Defeat f Baal Wrship in Israel (2 Kings 9:14-10:36) The Defeat f Baal Wrship in Judah (2 Kings 11:1-12:21) The Death f Elisha (2 Kings 13:1-25) Kings f Judah and Israel (2 Kings 14:1-15:38) The Defeat and Exile f Israel by Assyria (2 Kings 16:1-17:41) The Kings f Judah (2 Kings 18:1-25:21) Hezekiah s Righteus Reign (18:1-20:21) The Wicked Reign f Manasseh and Amn (21:1-26) Jsiah s Righteus Reign (22:1-23:30) The Defeat and Exile f Judah in Babyln (22:31-23:30) Summary f Rebellin; The Faithfulness f Gd (2 Kings 25:22-30) Wrth nting In Kings, we have the histry f Israel between 970BC and 586BC. In this accunt we see nt nly the histry f Israel, but als are intrduced t the cncept that Gd establishes natins. He raises them up, then casts them dwn accrding t His wisdm and svereignty. When reading Kings Remember an imprtant idea is the pwer f faithfulness, particularly n the part f the King. Duglas Stuart and Grdn Fee describe a cmmn frmula in the recrd f the Kings (Hw t Read the Bible Bk by Bk; Zndervan Publishers; Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002; page 93) Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 6
1. The date his reign began 2. Hw lng he reigned and in which kingdm 3. The name f his mther (fr Kings f Judah) 4. His religius plicy 5. the surce f further infrmatin 6. infrmatin abut his death, burial and successr Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 7