October Dates to Note: MEETING WILL BE HELD: October 2016 1 Kings Discussion Guide Date: Time: Place: Person to Contact with Questions: INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS WITH DR. MARK THRONTVEIT: Monday, October 3, 7:00 p.m., Room 482-86, Minneapolis Campus BEFORE YOUR SMALL GROUP MEETING 1. Read 1 Kings. a) We suggest you read through 1 Kings: Theme and Purpose on page 4 and Who or What Is...? on pages 5-6 before you begin your reading. b) Use the To Guide Your Reading section on pages 7-9 to help you think through what you read, paying particular attention to the questions in boldface. c) Note the attached 2-page Kings of Israel and Judah at the end of this guide. It will help you track who served when and where as we explore 1 & 2 Kings this month and next. 2. If possible, attend, listen online to Dr. Throntveit s Introduction to 1 Kings. 3. Read and recite this month s memory verse often! It is: O Lord. God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart. 1 Kings 8:23 Our goal and prayer is that you will walk away from each study having had at least one important insight that informs your faith and your knowledge of God s Word. In other words, we hope you will discover a message just for you! 1
AT YOUR SMALL GROUP MEETING Welcome Welcome to the October meeting of your Living the Message Bible discovery group. In order to keep to your agreed-upon time frame, place a clock where it is clearly visible or ask someone to be timekeeper and let the group know when 15 minutes remain for discussion and closing. Opening Prayer Pause to quiet your hearts and minds with a few moments of silent prayer. Then have someone open with his or her own prayer or pray the following together: Dear Lord, Thank you for bringing us together to explore the riches of your Word together. Open our hearts and minds as we share our thoughts and questions so that we may grow in understanding of your Word, be deepened in our faith, know more clearly your will, and find joy in our Christian community. In your name we pray, Amen. This Month s Memory Verse Recite this month s memory verse (including the book, chapter, and verse) together as a group. O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart 1 Kings 8:23 Getting Under Way What is one earthly thing that enjoys kingship or in some way rules your life? (Family, work, special interests, medical concerns, church, volunteerism?) Setting the Scene Before beginning discussion, invite your small group facilitator and anyone else who attended or listened to Dr. Throntveit s introduction to 1 Kings to share what they learned. Discuss Together Go to To Guide Your Reading on pages 7 -- 9. Discuss together the questions in boldface and/or others of the questions that particularly struck members of your group. Remember, a good discussion on fewer questions is better than rushing through all the questions. If you wish, ask if any of the questions (boldface or not) were of particular interest to someone and begin there. Following your discussion, go to For Next Month on the next page for reminders about your next meeting and closing prayer. 2
Our next meeting will be in November: FOR NEXT MONTH Date: Time: Place: Person to Contact with Questions: November s Reading Assignment: 2 Kings November s Memory Verse: You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not worship other gods, but you shall worship the Lord your God; he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. 2 Kings 17:38-39a Save the date! 2 Kings Introduction with Dr. Mark Throntveit: Monday, November 7, 7:00 p.m., Gronseth Fellowship Hall, West Campus CLOSING PRAYER Gather requests for prayers, encouraging both things for which God s help and guidance is needed and things for which people are grateful. If someone is comfortable doing so, ask that person to pray aloud a prayer bringing these concerns to God, or take time for silent prayer during which these concerns can be brought to God. End with a prayer of your own, by reciting the Lord s Prayer, or by praying the following together: Heavenly Father, Thank you for how this book can help us to consider what might draw us away from you in our own lives, while at the same time reminding us that you are unrelenting in your love for us and desire to be in relationship with us. Be with each and every one of us now as we go our own ways, strengthening, comforting, encouraging, energizing, and providing wisdom to meet every need. In the name of your precious Son we pray, Amen. Ponder FOLLOWING YOUR SMALL GROUP MEETING Referring to God s warning in 1 Kings 9 that unless the people kept God s law, the Temple would be destroyed, Martin Luther explained that while God was pleased to see the Temple built, God did not want to dwell in it. Rather, God wanted to dwell in hearts and people. [God] does not want to be bound to a handmade temple, He only wants to be praised in it. But this cannot happen unless He first dwells in hearts. * Take a walk one of these beautiful autumn days. As you do, ponder your walk with God. What joy does having God in your heart bring you? What s competing with God for space in your heart and regular worship? What spiritual practices or connections to your faith community invite God back in? *Luther s Works, Vol 17, Concordia Publishing, 1972, pg 398) 3
1 Kings Theme & Purpose Originally one book, 1 & 2 Kings continue the history of Israel begun in 1 & 2 Samuel. Focusing on the lives of the kings and prophets, the books explain the destruction of Jerusalem to the exiles in Babylon to help them gain a new self-understanding. It is, as Dr. Mark Throntveit, Luther Seminary, writes a story of the monarchy's failure and deserved judgment. But it is also a story of God's unrelenting commitment to God's people through divine words of hope, judgment, summons, and warning, as God seeks to maintain the covenantal relationship with God's people. We, too, need to hear that a patient and merciful God awaits our response and listens to our prayers. First Kings begins with the end of David s reign (Chapters 1 & 2) before moving into the reign of Solomon during which the temple is constructed (Chapters 3-11), and the division of the nation into the northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah in 722 B.C.E. (Chapter 12). The remaining chapters (13-22) cover the early history of the two kingdoms, especially the Israelite supremacy under Omri and Ahab. In this period the prophet Elijah is a dominant force. The story moves back and forth between the kings in Israel and in Judah, judging the faithfulness of each king along the way. This allows the reader to have a sense of what is happening in each kingdom at a given period of time and to see the pattern of the unfaithfulness that led to the nation s downfall and eventual exile. Those familiar with accounts in Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other biblical sources will notice that some of the historical information in Kings does not fit with accounts elsewhere. This is not an uncommon problem in the Bible, simply because our idea of what constitutes history was not a concept to which writers at the time adhered. It is far better to try to understand the theological motivations of the writers. In the case of Kings, the writers are trying to demonstrate the reasons for the northern kingdom s fall in 722/721 B.C.E. and Judah s exile to Babylon in 587/586 B.C.E. The chronology of the books of Kings also presents problems, such as inconsistencies. For example, 1 Kings 16:23 states, "In the thirty-first year of King Asa of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel; he reigned for twelve years." But 1 Kings 16:29 says, "In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel," so that Omri reigned for seven years, not twelve. 2 Kings 8:25 says Ahaziah of Judah come to the throne in the twelfth year of Joram of Israel, but 9:29 says it was the eleventh year. In addition, dates given in the texts do not always line up with dates from corroborated outside sources. While the attention of theological scholars and historians might want to spend time untangling such things, we almost certainly will get further by using our focus on the theological purpose of the books. Most likely, after all, this concluding part of the Deuteronomistic History is a compilation of older traditions and sources that have been gathered together and edited by a nameless exilic editor or editors. What theological themes should one look for? The importance of God s Law, the Temple as a house of prayer, centralized worship, obedience, and faithfulness to the Lord are certainly among them. So, too, are God s covenantal promises to the people, the fulfillment of the prophetic word, and issues of kingship, sin, and apostasy. In learning of these and more, we begin to understand the reasons behind Israel s rise and fall and also that while as a nation Israel suffered consequences for its actions, God never has or will abandon his people. Content on this page draws in part from www.enterthebible.org s summary and overview of 1 Kings, written by Dr. Mark Throntveit, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Luther Seminary, and is used with permission. 4
Who or What Is...? Absalom. After killing his half-brother Amnon for violating his sister, Absalom fled from Jerusalem and his father. David later welcomed him back and forgave him, but despite this, Absalom tried to usurp David's throne, forcing David to flee. In battle while pursuing David, Absalom was caught in a tree and killed him by David s men. Ahab. The son of Omri and king of Israel 869-850 B.C., Ahab married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, who promoted idolatry and persecuted the prophets of Israel. Ahab was killed in a battle against the army of Aram (Syria). Bathsheba. The wife of Uriah the Hittite, she committed adultery with David while her husband did battle in David's army. Wanting her for his own, David had Uriah put in the front line of battle, where he was killed. David married Bathsheba, for which he was rebuked by Nathan the prophet. Though their first child died, Bathsheba later bore Solomon, David s successor. David. While serving Saul as a musician, this former shepherd boy defeated the Philistine champion Goliath, causing Saul to become so jealous that he tried to kill David. Saul's son Jonathan, David's close friend, helped him to escape. In spite of Saul s efforts to kill him, David remained loyal to the king. Anointed by Samuel as Saul s successor, David became king of Judah and later the first king of the united Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and religious center. When his son Absalom rebelled against David, he fled Jerusalem, but when Absalom was killed, David grieved deeply. Shortly before David died, he indicated that his son Solomon should succeed him on the throne. God promised David that one of his sons would always be on the throne, and the New Testament finds this promise fulfilled in Jesus. Divided Monarchy. Following Solomon s death, the ten northern tribes defected under the leadership of Jeroboam I, thus splitting the United Monarchy. The southern kingdom of Judah, essentially the tribes of Judah and Benjamin that remained loyal to Rehoboam, maintained its capital in Jerusalem and enjoyed three-and-a-half centuries of Davidic kings upon the throne. Perched on a hill, Judah was limited to producing cereal crops, vines, olives, and sheep. The northern kingdom of Israel, however, lasted two hundred years under a succession of dynasties unrelated to David. At times, due to their lush valleys and access to ports, Israel enjoyed a position of prosperity, power, and prestige unrivaled by Judah. At other times, Israel experienced internal strife. Eight of their nineteen kings came to power through assassination. Close proximity to Canaanites meant constant temptation to worship their god, Baal. The prophets Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah announced God's judgment upon Israel. Elijah. A miracle-working prophet in the northern kingdom during the reigns of Ahab and Jezebel (9 th century B.C.E.). After choosing Elisha to be his successor, a fiery chariot appeared and Elijah was taken to heaven by a whirlwind. Elisha. Another miracle-working Israelite prophet who opposed worship of Baal. After Elisha's death a dead man touched Elisha's bones and revived. High places, pillars, and poles. These three cultic items were especially abhorrent to the Deuteronomistic editors of Kings due to the affinity of these items with the religion of the Canaanites. High places (bamoth) were sites of Canaanite worship. Pillars (masseboth) were standing stones, possibly phallic, that symbolized Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility. Sacred poles (asheroth) were trees that represented the goddess Asherah. 5
Hiram. King of Tyre who provided materials for Solomon's Temple. Jehu. Anointed king by Elisha, Jehu overthrew the dynasty of Ahab and Jezebel. Jeroboam I. The first king of the northern kingdom when Israel separated from Judah. Jezebel. Queen who promoted worship of Baal and who opposed Elijah. Josiah. Judean king noted for his reforms of Israel's worship in the time of Jeremiah. Moses. Prophet who led Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land and received the law at Sinai. Nathan. The prophet who condemned David for adultery and promised that God would establish a Davidic dynasty. Nebuchadnezzar. Babylonian king who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the people. Rehoboam. The son of Solomon during whose reign the kingdom divided into north and south. Solomon. Third king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple. Temple. In the ancient Near East, as well as in the Bible, and especially in the Psalms (for example, 84:1-2), God is thought to dwell in the temple. In the book of Kings, the Deuteronomistic editors strongly deny that God can be "located" in the temple or indeed anyplace in heaven or on the earth (1 Kings 8:27). Rather, God has chosen for God's name ("fame, reputation") to dwell in the temple, which is really a house of prayer, a tangible focus point for supplication (1 Kings 8). Kingship in Israel and Judah The idea of "kingship" varied between the North (Israel) and the South (Judah). Significant aspects of the northern tradition (Israel) include the following: 922-722 B.C.E., 200 years Twenty rulers (Zimri, 1 Kings 16:15-20, who only ruled 7 days, was not considered a king as seen by the lack of accession formula and death notice) Assassination of seven kings: Nadab, Elah, Joram, Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah, Pekah No positive evaluation from the Deuteronomistic editors Significant aspects of the southern tradition (Judah) include the following: 922-587 B.C.E., 335 years Twenty rulers (The only woman to be king, Athaliah, who usurped the throne, was not considered a king as seen by the lack of accession formula and death notice [2 Kings 11:1-21].) David's descendants ruled in an unbroken line from Rehoboam to Zedekiah Positive evaluation for eight kings from the Deuteronomistic editors: qualified praise for Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, and Jotham; unqualified praise for Hezekiah and Josiah Content on this page draws in part from www.enterthebible.org s summary and overview of 1 Kings, written by Dr. Mark Throntveit, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Luther Seminary and Robert Brusic, Seminary Pastor Emeritus. Used with permission. 6
To Guide Your Reading Use the following questions to guide your reading and personal reflection, jotting down your thoughts in the space between each question. For those who wish, we have suggested a threeweek schedule to help you in your reading and reflection. Questions in boldface are the ones we suggest you consider at your small group meeting. Groups are free, however, to focus on whatever questions are of most interest and concern to the group. Let the Spirit lead! WEEK 1 1 KINGS 1:1 11:43 1. Following a leader s tenure, he or she inevitably is judged for both accomplishments and failures. Knowing what you do now about Solomon s reign, how would you rate his time in office? Which aspects would you want our own leaders to emulate? 2. The Israelites understood wisdom to be a gift from God and based on God s law. It was believed that to some people, such as Solomon, God gave special wisdom such as legal wisdom, deep understanding of human nature, and knowledge of nature in general. How do you define wisdom? What special wisdom would you choose if you could? 3. Reread and consider Solomon s prayer in 8:22-53. What does it tell you about human nature? About God? About forgiveness? About prayer? 4. In 2:2-3, David tells Solomon, Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. In what ways do the happenings in these first chapters show the truth of his statement? To what degree does your answer depend on how you define prosper? 7
WEEK 2 1 KINGS 12:1 16:34 1. Thinking back over the actions of the various kings in this section, what were some of the things that tempted them into disobedience? Which of these might be temptations for leaders today? What top three temptations do you feel leaders face today that could lead to their own and/or their constituency s downfall? 2. From the kings described in this section, choose one whom you consider to be the most memorable, evil, or virtuous of the lot and explain why. What world leaders or situations in our modern times might you compare with those you learned about in these chapters? 3. What theological themes are present in these chapters? What comments or questions do you have about God s actions in the various situations? 4. Through all this, there must have been faithful people who suffered because of the actions of others. The troubling truth is that such undeserved suffering always has and always will occur. How do you explain or reconcile that with your own understanding of God s love and promises? 8
WEEK 3 1 KINGS 17:1 22:40 1. In spite of how God provides for him and the victories Elijah has in God s name, he enters a period of doubt and depression/feeling sorry for himself (19:1-18). How does God respond to Elijah s need? Have you ever dealt with uncertainty or a lack of understanding in your faith life? What helped your through it? Or, if you are still in the midst of it, where and how are you seeking answers? 2. Prophets often speak to issues of injustice and sometimes in rather dramatic fashion. What issues of injustice trouble you? How might you speak or otherwise get your message across to those who are in power? 3. In Theme and Purpose on page 5, Dr. Throntveit writes that 1 Kings is a story of the monarchy's failure and deserved judgment. But it is also a story of God's unrelenting commitment to God's people through divine words of hope, judgment, summons, and warning, as God seeks to maintain the covenantal relationship with God's people. We, too, need to hear that a patient and merciful God awaits our response and listens to our prayers. As you recall the people and events of 1 Kings, where do you see evidence of one or more of these elements? 4. For most Christians, David and Solomon are known primarily as great servants of God. Yet, 1 Kings reveals that both had enormous scandal and sin connected to their reigns and personal lives and choices. What insight(s) does knowing this give you into the nature of God? To end your discussion time, go to For Next Month on page 3. 9