Introduction
Solomon began his reign by eliminating his elder brother Adonijah, who had declared himself king even before Solomon’s coronation; Solomon then moved against Adonijah’s supporters, removing Abiathar, co-High-Priest (with Zadok, who then became sole high priest) to a rural ministry and having Joab murdered by Benaiah. After consolidating his kingdom, Solomon led in a great sacrifice and was granted his request for wisdom. Solomon securely established three major chariot cities—Hazor, which guarded the northern approaches to the country, Megiddo, a militarily and economically strategic city guarding the major pass into the Esdraelon Valley, and Gezer, a city on the international highway which guarded the main approach to Jerusalem from the west. In addition to these, Solomon fortified Beth-Horon and Baalath, two cities guarding approaches from Philistine territory. At Jerusalem, Solomon improved David’s wall and built the Millo, a raised portion of the city. Matters of Solomon’s administrative organization and economic program are presented, as well as matters about his foreign relations. Solomon’s building activities are outlined, especially the construction and dedication of the Temple. Into this glorious setting, sin set Solomon on a course of spiritual decline and subsequent punishment. At the end of his reign, his success was challenged by three individuals—Jeroboam, Hadad, and Rezon. The prophet Ahijah had promised Jeroboam, the foreman of Solomon’s team which had worked on the Millo, that he would become king over ten of the tribes; when Solomon learned of this, Jeroboam was forced to flee to Egypt. Hadad of Edom led activities that eroded Solomon’s control of the South. The military activity of Rezon of Damascus hindered Solomon in the North.
Upon Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam was approached by representatives from the northern tribes who made certain requests. Rehoboam consulted with his father’s advisors, who counseled a conciliatory answer; then he consulted with companions of his own age, who counseled a harsh answer. With the battle cry, “To your tents, O Israel!” the kingdom was split into two parts—Israel in the north, consisting of ten tribes, and Judah in the south, with two. Having returned from Egypt, Jeroboam became Israel’s king at Shechem but soon moved his capital to Tirzah. He began his reign by severing religious ties with Jerusalem.
- He set up new places of worship—golden calves one at Bethel, at the south of his domain, and one at the north of his domain at Dan.
- He installed a new priesthood.
- He instituted a new calendar.
Even though this false religion was politically correct, many of the people of the northern kingdom remained faithful in worshipping Yahweh.
In Israel, the northern kingdom, when Jeroboam died, his son Nadab became king; he was assasinated by Baasha, who became king. Baasha tried to strengthen his kingdom by fortifying Ramah, locataed four miles north of Jerusalem; Asa, who was then king of Judah, appealed to Syria for assistance. When Syria attacked Israel, Baasha left Ramah to defend his northern border; at that point Asa was able to fortify the strategic cities of Geba and Mizpah, using building materials from the abandoned project at Ramah. When Baasha died, his son Elah became king. Elah was assasinated by Zimri, who ruled only seven days before committing suicide the northern kingdom was divided briefly , with some following Tibni as king and others following Omri, whose kingship became uncontested after four years; he built his new capital city at Samaria. Ahab, Omri’s son, ruled after him and was the worst of all of the evil kings of Israel. He married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, and she installed Baalism as the religion of the northern kingdom. Championing the cause of Yahweh against this false religion of sex and violence, Elijah burst on the scene and his encounters with Ahab and Jezebel fill many exciting pages of First Kings.
In Judah, Rehoboam’s son Abijam succeeded him and continued his father’s wicked ways, but his son, Asa, was one of the good kings of Judah, as was his son after him, Jehoshaphat.
For more than 50 years of the history of the Divided Kingdom, there was constant conflict—between Kings Rehoboam, Abijam, and Asa of Judah against Kings Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah Zimri, Tibni, and Omri of Israel. After that time of constant warfare, Ahab and Jehoshapat began a period of alliance between the kingdoms which lasted about 40 years.
In Hebrew, First and Second Kings were originally one book, but were divided by the translators of the Septuagint; the Hebrew Bible divided the books in the 1516 A.D. edition. These books are based upon careful research, and they cite several source materials, such as:
- The Acts of Solomon (I Kings 11:41),
- The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (I Kings 14:29 and fourteen additional references),
- The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel(I Kings 14:19 and seventeen additional references), and
- The records of prophets such as Nathan, Abijah, Iddo, Shemaiah, Jehu, and Isaiah (Their writings are actually cited in the Books of Chronicles. That they are used by the writers of the Books of Kings is clear. For example, that Kings used Isaiah is demonstrated by the very close parallels between Isaiah 36—39 and II Kings 18—20.).
The Books of Kings continue the history begun in the Books of Samuel, but the style of Kings is noticeably different from that of Samuel. The writer of the Books of Kings is nowhere mentioned, however the Rabbis claimed that Jeremiah was the author. Although Jeremiah’s authorship cannot be asserted with total confidence, he could have written the Books of Kings, with the exception of the last chapter of Second Kings. Rejecting the inerrancy of God’s Word, some liberal scholars regard the Books of Kings as a compilation of two main sources, and they imagine that there are irreconcilable discrepancies between these sources. Several of the so-called discrepancies have to do with the chronology presented in the books; these have been brilliantly explained by Edwin Thiele in his excellent work, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. In II Kings 25:27, the writer mentions Evil-Merodach (Amel-Marduk), King of Babylon; since that king did not come to the throne until 562 B.C. the Books of Kings were not written until after that date.
The Books of Kings are included in the “Prophets” section of the Hebrew canon. Each king is evaluated by how well he conforms to the law of God. Sin brings judgment; righteousness brings ultimate reward. The second half of First Kings gives the account of Elijah the prophet and his confrontations with King Ahab in particular, but Elijah also challenged the whole nation of Israel.
The history narrated in First Kings occurs between 970 B.C. (the death of David) and 853 B.C. (the accession of Ahaziah of Israel). This period included the “Golden Age of Hebrew Wisdom Literature,” for during those years Solomon composed Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Internationally, Israel had opportunity to be strong, for this was a period of weakness both in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Solomon’s reign over the United Kingdom is described in the first eleven chapters of First Kings. Then, the book narrates the circumstances of the Divided Kingdom. The writer uses a formula to introduce each of the kings of Judah and of Israel which gives the king’s age at accession, the length of reign, the mother’s name, and additional facts about the king. An evaluation of the king’s reign is offered and various events are recounted; at the close of each narrative the writer cites his sources, tells where the king is buried, and who reigned in his stead.
Outline
Adonijah’s Rebellion until Death of David 1:1—2:11
Accession of Solomon until Temple Dedication 2:12—8:66
Beginning of Solozmon’s Reign 2:12-46
Beseeching for Wisdom after Marrying Pharaoh’s Daughter 3:1-28
Bureaucracy of Solomon’s Kingdom 4:1-34
Building of the Temple 5:1—7:51
Blessing on the Temple and Bestowal of God’s Promise 8:1-66
Affirmation of Davidic Covenant until Solomon’s Death 9:1—11:43
Binding Covenant Extended to Solomon 9:1-14
Bounteous Wealth and Glory of Solomon 9:15—10:29
Backsliding, Fall, and Death of Solomon 11:1-43
Apportioning of Divided Kingdoms until Ahab’s Accession 12:1—16:28
Blunder of Rehoboam; Revolt of Jeroboam 12:1—14:31
Border Disputes Between North and South
Course of Events in Judah under Abijah and Asa 15:1-24
Continuation of Israel under Nadab, Baasha, and Elah 15:25—16:14
Chronicle of Zimri and Omri of Israel 16:15-28
Ahab’s Accession until His Death 16:29—22:40
Battle between Ahab and Elijah—Contest on Mt. Carmel 16:29—18:46
Bitter Conflict Continued until Ahab’s Death 19:1—22:40
Administration of Jehoshaphat to
Accession of Jehoram and Ahaziah 22:41-53
Reading 1 Kings
- 1-4, Establishment of Solomon
- 5-8, Rise of Solomon
- 9-11, Decline of Solomon
- 12-16, Division of the Kingdom
- 17-19, Ahab’s Battle with Elijah
- 20-22, Ahab’s Battle with Syria
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