1 Kings
Book Type
Book of History; the eleventh book of the Old Testament; the eleventh book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of 1 Kings
First Kings testifies to Yahweh’s presence among Israel, but also shows just how far a nation can fall when Yahweh is ignored. First Kings begins at the end of David’s reign, as his sons Adonijah and Solomon compete for the throne. Solomon is selected, and he builds a temple for Yahweh. But after Solomon, the once-prosperous nation splits into two kingdoms. Most of the kings on both sides fail to follow Yahweh and allow idolatry to flourish. Meanwhile, prophets, most notably Elijah, boldly call unfaithful kings to account.Solomon’s kingdom was the pinnacle of Israel’s glory. “King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth” (10:23). The Queen of Sheba confirmed the glory of Solomon’s kingdom, saying, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements is true! I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes” (10:6–7). First Kings celebrates the splendor of Solomon’s kingdom. But Solomon’s reign also illustrates the dangers of spiritual infidelity, and 1 Kings warns about the results of preoccupation with luxury, fame, self, and security. It is a timeless warning to us all.The titles of these books are certainly descriptive of their contents: the history of the kings and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. First and Second Kings are part of the twelve Historical Books (Joshua-Esther) of the Old Testament. Originally, these two books were just one, but were divided by the translators of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament ).Theme & Overview
After Solomon's death, the nation is divided into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah).The story of King Solomon—famous for his great wisdom and infamous for his polygamy—is described in the book of First Kings, along with accounts of other sovereigns who ruled when the kingdom was divided into the ten northern tribes of Israel and the two southern tribes of Judah. The NIV Quest Study Bible says these kings provide us with both positive role models to follow and negative examples to avoid. The book begins with the last days of David, then describes the reign and fall of his son Solomon and the division of his kingdom upon his death. We also meet extraordinary characters like the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and are told of Elijah’s confrontation with King Ahab and his taunting of the prophets of Baal. First and second Kings were originally one book. First Kings ends shortly after the deaths of Ahab of the northern kingdom and Jehoshaphat of the southern kingdom. According to the NIV Study Bible, placing the division at this point causes the account of the reign of Ahaziah of Israel to overlap the end of 1 Kings and the beginning of 2 Kings. The same is true of the narration of the ministry of Elijah, which for the most part appears in 1 Kings.In 1 Kings, priests lead God’s people astray when they should have been interceding on their behalf; and kings, who are expected to be godly examples, are selfish and idolatrous. After Solomon’s death, almost all rulers of the northern kingdom do evil by continuing the idolatrous shrines established by the first northern king, Jeroboam. (The one exception is Jehu, who receives a mixed evaluation; see 2 Kgs 10:28–31.) Most leaders of the southern kingdom also receive negative or mixed evaluations, but two—Hezekiah and Josiah—are regarded positively.First Kings profoundly illustrates just how faith in national identity or leadership can lead to failure. Meanwhile, a faithful relationship with Yahweh is reflected in the life of Elijah, who predicts droughts, resurrects the son of a widow, and calls down fire upon the prophets of the god Baal (chs. 17–18). Elijah and a few others bravely show strength in the midst of religious persecution (e.g., 18:1–16). We see that these courageous few have the most powerful ally of all, Yahweh, who provides whatever they need (17:2–6) and speaks truth in a still small voice (19:9–18).First Kings leads us to reflect on what kind of people we will turn out to be. We can choose to stand nearly alone like Elijah, proclaiming righteousness in an unjust time, or we can choose to follow after failed leaders—or worse, become like them. The choice to follow Yahweh—or not—is ours to make.These two books set out to provide for their readers an explanation of Israel’s later monarchic period in terms of the theological vision outlined in the book of Deuteronomy, so that these readers can move forward in their present times with a solidly grounded faith in the one God who controls both nature and history. The books maintain that it is this good and all-powerful God who oversaw the destruction of his chosen city and temple, and the exile to Babylon, in 586 B.C. because of Israel’s great sinfulness (2 Kings 17:7–23; 24:1–4). Yet there remains hope because God’s chosen royal line has not come to an end (2 Kings 25:27–30), and God remains ready to forgive those who are repentant (1 Kings 8:22–61).Author
The book itself does not name its author and remains anonymous. Jewish tradition states it was written by the prophet Jeremiah. However, at least some portion of the book was likely written by someone else. Jeremiah did not travel to Babylon, and the final section (2 Kings 25:27–30) is set in Babylon in 561 BC.Recipients
First and Second Kings were originally completed as one book, for the Jewish people who were most likely living in exile at the time. The text emphasizes the history of the kings of Judah and Israel. Those living under the judgment of exile could learn much from the judgments upon evil kings, as compared to God's blessing upon the kings who served in the tradition of David, called a man after God's own heart.Date
Unknown. The final additions to the text would have been added after the final events of 2 Kings. This was probably written in Babylon during the exile, between approximately 561 and 538 BC.Background
The books of 1–2 Kings originally formed a single work, which was probably divided because its length required two scrolls. The division between 1–2 Kings is not based on a natural break in the text; it splits the story of Elijah between the two books.The whole work of 1–2 Kings deals with the period from 971 BC (the transition from David to Solomon) to 586 BC (the Babylonian exile). First Kings covers about 120 years of that span, starting just before Solomon’s accession and ending shortly after Ahab’s reign over the northern kingdom (853 BC).At the height of his power, Solomon administered a kingdom that stretched “from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south” (4:21). Solomon’s power and wealth brought him in contact with many surrounding nations—especially the important maritime city-state of Tyre and the age-old empire of Egypt.It was an ideal time for Solomon’s kingdom to expand, for the traditional political powers of the area were in decline. The strong Hittite kingdom to the north had broken up into a number of small states. In Mesopotamia, years of struggle with the Arameans and the Hittites had weakened Assyria, which remained weak until the accession of Ashur-dan II (934–912 BC). In the south, Egypt’s presence in Canaan had weakened during the 21st dynasty (1069–945 BC). Egypt would not make an effective military effort until the rule of the 22nd dynasty pharaoh Shoshenq I (Shishak, 945–924 BC).Unfortunately, Solomon’s foreign diplomacy involved marriages with the daughters of foreign kings. This was a common way to cement alliances in the ancient Near East, but it was spiritually disastrous, for “in Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the LORD his God” (11:4).Tensions that had been smoldering between the northern and southern Hebrew tribes surfaced with Solomon’s death in 931 BC. An outright schism eventually restructured the kingdom into Israel (the northern ten tribes) and Judah (the remaining two southern tribes). Israel and Judah skirmished repeatedly during the era of the first two northern dynasties and Judah’s first three kings (931~874 BC). The hostility subsided when King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah found a common cause against the Arameans (chs 20, 22).The Hebrew kingdoms were increasingly entangled by the expansionist ambitions of their neighbors. They were invaded by Shoshenq I of Egypt in 926 BC, and throughout the 800s BC they faced the constant menace of the Arameans and the rising power of Assyria. During the reigns of Assyrian kings Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) and Shalmaneser III (858–824 BC), Assyrian troops moved steadily westward to the Mediterranean Sea. At the famous Battle of Qarqar (853 BC), a coalition of western allies, including Israel’s King Ahab, withstood the Assyrian king Shalmaneser and temporarily sidetracked Assyria’s advance.During this time, the two Hebrew kingdoms struggled spiritually. Israel stopped worshiping the Lord at Solomon’s Temple, and Jeroboam I, first king of the northern kingdom of Israel (931–910 BC), instituted apostate religious practices that led the northern kingdom astray (see 2 Kgs 17:21–23). Judah’s first two kings, Rehoboam and Abijah, lapsed spiritually, while the subsequent two, Asa and Jehoshaphat, maintained greater, though not perfect, spiritual fidelity (15:11; 22:43).The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
The primary concern of 1 Kings is Israel’s spiritual condition: How well did Israel’s rulers and people keep God’s covenants? God enacted with David a special covenant that had conditions for blessing Israel’s king and his kingdom (2 Sam 7:12–16; Ps 89:20–37). God’s three appearances to Solomon highlight the potential for a successful and meaningful spiritual life, as well as the tragic consequences of spiritual infidelity and relying upon expediency. Each succeeding king is evaluated by his faithfulness to God—by his success or failure in keeping God’s covenants.The book of 1 Kings emphasizes the role of God’s prophets in advising, admonishing, and warning the kings. While particular attention is devoted to Elijah’s ministry (chs 17–19, 21), God also works through other prophets to claim his people’s loyalty.The spiritual odysseys of Israel’s kings and prophets challenge all of God’s people to faithful devotion and service. Israel’s frequent preference for what is tangible and expedient reminds us to “keep away from anything that might take God’s place in [our] hearts” (1 Jn 5:21). Like the prophets of old, God’s servants today are to proclaim God’s priority in the world.The theological perspective of 1 and 2 Kings is expressed in a number of themes: (1) the sinfulness of the kings and the nation; (2) the conflict between the demands of practical politics and the demands of faith; (3) the glory that God gave to the obedient covenant kings; (4) God’s harshness in judgment on some occasions and leniency on others; and (5) the conflict between the worship of the Lord and the worship of other gods.THE ROLE OF THE KING: The Davidic covenant established the king as the moral representative of the people for covenant purposes. Therefore, up through kings Azariah (also known as Uzziah) and Jotham, the moral state of the king was treated as equaling the moral state of the people. Covenant blessings were given or withheld on the basis of the king’s behavior. Thus the behavior of the king was the important covenant and moral fact for any given reign.THE ROLE OF THE PROPHET: This was the period of development of the office of the prophet. The nature of the prophetic office passed through several nonsequential stages from the ecstatic, miracle-working prophets represented by Saul (1Sm 19:24) and Elisha (2Kg 3:14–16); then through court prophets such as Gad and Micaiah; and finally to the great writing prophets attested in Scripture.REVIVAL: The last two revival kings of Judah (Hezekiah and Josiah) experienced individual revivals that had few effects on either the rest of the royal house or on the nation as a whole. The nation returned to apostasy on the death of each of these good kings. Therefore these two revivals did not bring a full restoration of international political power and wealth. Rather they simply delayed the inevitable judgment.CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEFor the Bible writers, history could not have existed without God’s purposes. This makes all history theological. The books of 1 and 2 Kings interpreted Hebrew history in light of OT covenant theology. The Babylonian exile created the need for this work of historical apologetics. The exiles needed to explain the failure of the religious program established by the sovereign God. In the Deuteronomic history—Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings—this failure was consistently explained as the failures of the people to live up to their part of the covenant.Key Verses (ESV)
1 Kings 1:30: "As I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' even so will I do this day." 1 Kings 9:3: "And the Lord said to him, 'I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.'"1 Kings 12:16: "And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, 'What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.' So Israel went to their tents."1 Kings 12:28: "So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, 'You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'"1 Kings 17:1: "Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.'"Structure & Outline 1
The organizing principle of 1 and 2 Kings is not story or narrative. Kings is unique because its basic structural units were the formulaic royal records. Formal openers (1Kg 15:9–10) and closers (1Kg 15:23–24) usually identify the boundaries of these records. Then the writer could insert other types of literature before, between, and after the openers and closers: narratives, prayers, descriptions, etc. But the most important element was the evaluation of the ruler’s faithfulness to the covenant (1Kg 15:11–15). All of these materials made up a history of covenant obedience or disobedience.OUTLINE I. Final Days of King David (1:1–2:12) A. Adonijah tries to seize the throne (1:1–40) B. Solomon anointed as David’s successor (1:41–53) C. David’s charge to Solomon (2:1–12) II. Solomon’s Reign over the United Kingdom (2:13–11:43) A. Solomon deals with his opponents (2:13–46) B. Solomon’s wisdom (3:1–28) C. Solomon’s officials (4:1–19) D. Solomon’s splendor (4:20–34) E. Solomon builds the Lord’s temple (5:1–8:66) F. Solomon’s fame and reputation (9:1–10:29) G. Solomon’s sin and death (11:1–43) III. The Divided Kingdoms of Judah and Israel (12:1–22:53) A. Judah’s King Rehoboam (12:1–24) B. Israel’s King Jeroboam (12:25–14:20) C. Judah’s King Rehoboam (continued) (14:21–31) D. Judah’s Abijam and Asa (15:1–24) E. Israel’s Nadab and Baasha (15:25–16:7) F. Israel’s Elah, Zimri, Tibni, and Omri (16:8–28) G. Israel’s King Ahab and the prophet Elijah (16:29–22:40) H. Judah’s King Jehoshaphat (22:41–50) I. Israel’s King Ahaziah (22:51–53)Outline 2
This book consists of 22 chapters and includes two main sections. The first section records the history of the kings of the unified kingdom, specifically the end of David's reign and the history of Solomon's reign in chapters 1—12. Solomon comes to power under tense circumstances (1 Kings 1—2). However, his wisdom is seen from an early stage, showing that God was with him. After preparing for the building of the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 5), chapters 6—9 describe the construction of the temple and Solomon's house, as well as other building projects. In chapter 10, Solomon's wealth is described in detail, including a visit from the queen of Sheba. However, chapter 11 indicates Solomon did not fully follow the Lord, but that his many foreign wives led his heart astray in following other gods in addition to the Lord.The second section then describes the division of the single, unified nation into the separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah in chapters 12—22. The division of the kingdom leads to Jeroboam becoming king of Israel and widespread idol worship. Various kings are then chronicled, with widespread Baal worship noted in chapter 16.In chapter 17, the prophet Elijah is introduced. He predicts a three-year drought, performs miracles, and at the end of three years challenges the prophets of Baal to discover whose deity is the true God. When God answers through fire upon Elijah's offering, 450 prophets of Baal are put to death. Though a major victory for the Lord, wicked queen Jezebel determines to put Elijah to death. He flees, yet God speaks to Elijah, promising that godly people still remain. God then sends Elijah to anoint new kings in Syria and Israel and to bring Elisha to serve alongside him. The book ends with the death of Ahab and the reign of Ahaziah in Israel and Jehoshaphat in Judah.The story is continued in the book of 2 Kings; these were originally a single combined text.