Introduction to 1 Kings

I hope you enjoyed reading the Books of Samuel, which chronicle the monarchy under the reign of Saul and David, a biographical study of contrasting personalities and rulership. Just as 1 and 2 Samuel are one book in the Hebrew canon so 1 and 2 Kings are also one book. 1 Kings begins biographically, showing the superstar-like rise of Solomon to the throne of Israel; however, the rest of the book reads like an annal, providing brief chronological accounts of the kings of the North (Israel) and the kings of the South (Judah). 2 Kings continues along this line, showing God's dealings with the divided kingdom and how each are finally destroyed by God because of disobedience and idolatry. Interestingly, all of these books, Samuel and Kings, are included as prophetic books in the Hebrew canon, which suggests that their primary purpose is not to convey history, that is, a chronology of events, but theology, that is, a message about God and His dealings with man.

Just as there was drama in David's rise to power, so there is drama in Solomon's rise to power. However, 1 Kings reveals the sovereighty of God's purposes as Solomon solidifes his hold on the kingship. Solomon begins his rule with a meteoric rise to power, where he dazzles the world with unsurpassed wisdom, wealth, and fame. The biblical narrator, perhaps Jeremiah, connects this greatness with Solomon's undivided devotion to the LORD. It is only when he begins to disregard the command of God for kings (cf. Deut 17:14-20), particularly with reference to the multiplication of wives and intermarriage with Canaanite women, that his great reign begins to unravel. Again, the biblical narrator makes clear that this unraveling was due to Solomon's disobedience. As a result, the monarchy becomes a divided kingdom, with ten tribes going to Solomon's servant, Jeroboam, and only one tribe, Judah, going to Solomon's son, Rehoboam. It is then that 1 Kings chronicles these kingdoms separately giving a brief history of each king's rise and fall with emphasis on their obedience or disobedience to the LORD. Jeroboam becomes the model for evil kings whereas David is presented as the model for good kings.

1 Kings ends with the rise of one of Israel's greatest prophets, Elijah, who is particularly called of God to prophecy against one of Israel's most wicked kings, Ahab, who along with his wife, Jezebel, is discredited with introducing the odious and far-reaching worship of Baal in Israel. If priests and judges were prominent in the early days of Israel when they were a theocracy (i.e. God as the only king), the prophets are prominent in the time of the kings. And like the time of Moses, where God did an unusual amount of signs and wonders to reveal Himself to the new covenant nation of Israel, the time of Elijah and Elisha (i.e. Elijah's successor) would also be a unique time of signs and wonders, where God would show His supremecy over the pervasive influence and worship of Baal.

The kings were the great men of ancient times; however, every one of them, whether the kings of Israel or of the nations around them, was subject to the sovereign purposes of God (cf. Proverbs 21:1). Therefore, as you continue to read this history of Israel, I hope you will learn the lesson of the kings, and "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).