Intro to Kings
Pastor Mark Hudson
Kings
There are three major division in the Hebrew Bible:
Law
Prophets
The Writings.
The Law includes Genesis, Exodus. Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Prophets
Joshua
Judges
I & II Samuel
I & II Kings (all called the former prophets)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Hosea – Malachi (all called the latter prophets)
The Writings
Psalms
Proverbs
Job
Song of Solomon
Ruth
Lamentations
Ecclesiastes
Esther
Daniel
Ezra
Nehemiah
Chronicles
Dillard and Longman help us understand why Kings is considered part of the prophets.
- The deeds and exploits of a large number of prophets are recorded in Kings (Nathan, Ahijah, Jehu, Micaiah, Isaiah, Huldah, and several unnamed prophets).
- The prophetic books also made use of the history recorded in Kings, citing it or some common source often at length almost verbatim (Jer. 52; II Kings 24:18-25; Isa 36-39; II Kings 18:13-20:19).
- The book of Chronicles may have influenced this classification. Some of the sources cited by the Chronicler suggest that the prophets also wrote historical narrative about the reigns of kings (I Chr. 29:29; II Chr. 9:29; 12:15; 20:34; 26:22; 32:32).
- The books of Joshua-Kings are often called the ‘Deuteronomic History’ since they are written from a perspective strongly influenced by the book od Deuteronomy. The prophets, as Moses’ successors (Dt. 18), continued to record the history of Israel from the point where Deuteronomy ended (Dt. 1-4; 34); they demonstrated the historical realization of Moses’ prophetic curses on a disobedient nation (Dt. 28). Dillard and Longman, An Introduction to the Old Testament. 1994, p. 149).
It may seem like Kings contain too many details. But when you consider that I and II Kings covers 400 years we realize, not only how selective the author is but how much is left out. There is a specific angle or perspective he is promoting. He is explaining why the exile took place or rather why the exile had to take place.
“Kings begins with King David and ends with the king of Babylon. Kings opens with the building of the temple and ends with the burning of the temple. Kings opens with David first successor to the throne of this kingdom, Solomon, and ends with David’s last successor, Jehoiachin, released from captivity by the king of Babylon. First Kings ends with the story of Elijah. Second Kings centers around Elisha” (What the Bible is all about. Henrietta Mears, p. 136). Chuck Swindoll’s A Look at the Book chapters 3 and 6 does a fantastic job of taking a difficult and confusing time and making it understandable.
Here is the Dillard and Longman outline of I Kings:
1-10 The Splendid Reign of Solomon
11-16 The Kingdom torn asunder
17-22 The Ministry of Elijah
“Consider the events leading up to the division. For years there had been jealousy between the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). The cause for the jealousy went back 300 years and was due mainly to the jealousy between the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. Note the blessings that Jacob gave to Ephraim (Gen 48:17-22; 49:22-26). And from the time of Joshua, who was of that tribe, Ephraim took a leading place. The transfer of authority to Judah came under David, who was of the tribe of Judah. All this tribal jealousy was intensified by the hardships felt by the people through Solomon’s high-handed actions. His demands created oppression and his unfaithfulness to God demanded judgment (I Kings 11:26-43; 12:4)” (Mears, pp. 140-141).
In terms of understanding when this book was written, we quote Dillard and Longman, “This fact (no awareness of the edict of Cyrus in Ezra 1:2-4), along with the concern of the book with the exile establishes the fact the author-compiler of the book in essentially its present form lived during the period of the exile itself (586-539 BC).
. . . Much of the faith of Israel in the pre-exilic period was built around two promises of God: 1) His choice of Jerusalem as His dwelling place, and 2) His promises to David of an enduring dynasty. History had ratified the national confidence in these promises. . . . For the exiles, however, these promises now had a hollow ring. There was no king ruling in Jerusalem; the rightful successor to the throne had been taken into captivity (2 Kings 24:8-17). The temple in Jerusalem had been reduced to a smoking ruin. Had God failed? Was He not able to keep His promises?
The writer of Kings sets out to explain the exile and the destruction of Judah in a way that would rescue the faith of the people in the face of such questions. {Why is reading Kings rather a downer?} . . . In part at least, it is because the writer is telling Israel that the exile was not the result of a failure on God’s part, but rather than God had acted to confirm His holiness by judging the nation for its transgressions. The exile did not show that Yahweh lacked power – just the opposite; it was the proof that He was ruling over history and that the armies of Babylon were simply doing His bidding. The Deuteronomic History is largely a history of the nation’s failure to keep its covenant with God. ‘From the day their forefathers came out of Egypt to this day’ (2 Kings 21:15) the people had provoked God through disobedience until He decreed disaster for them” (p. 161).
Just a few remarks on this first chapter after a few words of introduction to the book. We are in a sorry state of affairs when the advisors to King David think he needs a young woman to lie in bed to keep him warm. What a mess! While David is slowly dying, his son Adonijah decides he will stage a coup to become King. If it was not for Nathan, he might have succeeded. This tells us there are divisions in the kingdom. This is an ominous beginning for the reign of King Solomon. While Solomon is not a man of war like David, violence is ever-present in these first few chapters.
You will notice that what seems strange to you is meant to seem strange. The Abishag incident is strange, awkward, and demonstrates how bad the morals in Israel were. Two prostitutes who approach the King for help. What? Prostitutes in Jerusalem and no one in I Kings is shocked? We observe a continual downward trajectory of spiritual decline.
Dear heavenly Father, as we read this book, we see that You have been extremely patient with Your people who rarely live like they know You. As we read this book, we understand You had to follow through on hundreds of years of warnings and send them into exile. Your people were not faithful to the covenant, so You treated them the way they deserved. Please Lord, have mercy upon us for we deserve Your wrath, yet You give us mercy, forgiveness, and love. Wonder of wonders; You forgive and love us through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit. Revive us we pray, in Christ majestic name. Amen.