Revised by RachelLaban’s younger daughter and Jacob’s second wife. Wrenn, 2/24
SUMMARY
First Kings continues the story where 2 SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. left off. Chapters 1-2 complete the presentation of the reign of DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. and the succession of SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple.. Chapters 3-11 depict Solomon’s glorious reign, highlighted by the construction of the TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged…, but including his ultimate apostasy. Chapters 12-14 relate Jeroboam’s rebellion, his censure by the prophets, and the resulting division of the nation into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern KingdomThe Southern Kingdom consisted of two tribes of Israel, Judah and Benjamin. Jerusalem was its capital, and the kingdom lasted from 931-586 B.C.E. As with the Northern Kingdom many of the kings were wicked, and prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel spoke their often judgmental… of JudahJudah was the name of Jacob’s fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. in 722 BCE. The rest of 1 Kings details the reigns of the divided monarchy, alternating between the North and the South, but with the bulk of the material considering the period of Israelite supremacy, especially under Omri and AhabKing of Israel who opposed Elijah.. This period also includes the abrupt appearance and compelling ministry of the prophet ElijahA miracle working Israelite prophet who opposed worship of Baal..
SO WHAT?
First Kings is a story of kings and prophets told for a purpose. Rather than chronicling the royal events as they happened, 1 Kings uses the history of the kings of Judah and Israel as a tool of education, warning, and comfort. The authors of 1 Kings attempt to explain the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE to those experiencing exile in Babylon. With these stories, the authors encourage a new national self-understanding. There are stories of the failure of Israel’s kings and other power players. With their failure came deserved divine judgment, according to 1 Kings. But the tale also offers a story of God’s unrelenting, loving commitment to God’s people. Through divine words of hope, judgment, summons, and warning, God seeks to maintain the deep and meaningful covenantal relationship with God’s people. We, too, need to hear that a patient and merciful God awaits our response, delights in our attention, and listens to our prayers.
WHERE DO I FIND IT?
First Kings is the 11th book in the Old Testament, immediately after 2 Samuel and before 2 Kings.
WHO WROTE IT?
Ancient tradition identifies JeremiahProphet who condemned Judah’s infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant. as the author of 1 and 2 Kings. Today, many scholars believe that 1 and 2 Kings are the concluding part of the Deuteronomistic HistoryDeuteronomistic history refers to the narrative contained in the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings. This narrative, probably written in the age of Israel’s exile (mid-6th century B.C.E.), recounts Israel’s history prior to the exile. in which various older traditions were gathered together and edited by anonymous exilic editors.
WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?
The final event recorded in the books of Kings occurred in 561 BCE. Since the return from Babylon in 538 BCE is not recorded, one assumes that–as part of the Deuteronomistic History–1 Kings reached its final form sometime between these dates; that is, during the Babylonian exile or soon thereafter.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
First Kings begins by recounting the end of David’s reign and the grisly events that led to the succession of Solomon (1 Kings 1-2). This is followed by the reign of Solomon, in which the Jerusalem Temple was constructed (1 Kings 3-11. Under Solomon’s son, the nation split into the kingdoms of Israel (north) and Judah (south) (1 Kings 12). The rest of the book chronicles the early history of these two kingdoms (1 Kings 13-22).
HOW DO I READ IT?
First Kings looks like a history of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and Israel, the Northern KingdomThe Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel and lasted for 200 years until it was destroyed by Assyria in 721 B.C.E. In the northern kingdom the kings were evil. Prophets like Elijah and Amos railed against them and their evildoing.. While important historical information is presented, some of it is at odds with the presentation found in 1 and 2 Chronicles. Both Chronicles and Kings should be read as theological, rather than historical, presentations of the years of the monarchy. They were written down with a rhetorical purpose in mind. Kings is designed to demonstrate the reasons for the fallThe Fall refers specifically to the disobedience of Adam and Eve when they listened to Satan rather than adhering to God’s command not to eat the fruit from the tree. When people act contrary to God’s will, they are said to fall from from grace… of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722/721 BCE and Judah’s exile to Babylon in 587/586 BCE. Kings attempts to answer the theological questions, “Why would God allow the Exile to happen to us?” and “What does life with God look like in light of the Exile?”
