33 Bible Reading – The Book Of 1 Kings
A Transcript Of The Video Study:
The time period covered by the book is around 120 years, from 1015 BC to 900 BC. There are 22 chapters, and it takes approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes to read in a single sitting.
It is uncertain who it was that wrote the book, but it is traditionally believed Jeremiah was the author. If so, this means Jeremiah was responsible not only for the prophetic book which bears his name, and for the book of Lamentations, but also for this historic book of 1 Kings.
We are certain, however, that this book is a divinely inspired piece of literature. That is, God breathed out His words through its author. The words of this book, therefore, are the words of God. They are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. They are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that we might be matured in the faith, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim 3:15-17)
It may be helpful to point out that the book of 1 Kings is the thirteenth book in point of chronological order, as appears on the timeline. Speaking of the chronological order of the Bible books, you should remember from our previous studies that the last thirty-two books of the Old Testament fit into one of three sections of history—the United Kingdom of Israel, the Divided Kingdom of Israel and the Exile/Return of Judah. The book of 1 Kings belongs to the first and second sections of these time periods. In fact, the book of 1 Kings is the bridge between the first and second time periods, explaining why and how the United Kingdom of Israel was split into two separate kingdoms. In a nutshell, allow me to share with you the reason and the circumstances which led to the division of the kingdom.
Eighty years prior to the opening of the book of 1 Kings, Israel was a united kingdom and its first king was Saul. He served forty years in this capacity, followed by David who also reigned forty years as king. This historic narrative is recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel. Now comes the opening chapters of 1 Kings. We are introduced to David in the last year of his reign. Prior to his death, he hands over the kingdom to his son Solomon, who, like Saul and David, also reigned for forty years. God bestowed upon Solomon a large measure of wisdom, wealth and honor, insomuch that he excelled and outshined all others during his lifetime, including monarchs and sages of other nations. For the better part of his reign, he walked in the ways of the Lord, evidenced by the glorious temple he built for Jehovah. However, there was one vice he failed to discipline, which proved a stumbling block in the latter part of his life—he was a womanizer. By the end of his reign, he had accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines, the majority of which belonged to other races and were followers of other gods. You may remember from the previous books of the Bible, it had been expressly prohibited by the Lord for the Jewish people to intermarry with those of other nations and religions, “For,” said the Lord, “Surely they will turn away [their] hearts after [other] gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon clave unto these women, and, just as the Lord had warned, they turned away his heart from the God of Israel. In the latter days of his life, he followed after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammorites. In fact, he built a high place in the hill that is before Jerusalem, for some of these false gods. He did this in order to allow his wives to burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods. Of course, these acts of wickedness greatly displeased the Lord, incurring the judgment of God upon Solomon and his kingdom. In short order, the Lord would orchestrate events which would lead to the division of Israel’s kingdom. However, these things would not come to pass until after Solomon’s death. And so it was, when Solomon died, his son Rehoboam was appointed king of Israel. As king, he received a request from the people that he lower the taxes which had been imposed upon them under the reign of Solomon. Rehoboam took counsel, first, from his elders, who told him to lower the taxes; he also took counsel from his peers (he was forty-one years old at the time), who told him to raise the taxes. Rehoboam followed the counsel of his peers, imposing upon the kingdom greater financial burdens. As a result, ten of the twelve tribes separated from Rehoboam, gathering in the north, who appointed Jeroboam to reign as their king. The remaining two tribes in the south retained Rehoboam as their king, and thus the united kingdom of Israel was divided. The northern tribes retained the name Israel, making Samaria their capital city, whereas the southern tribes assumed the name Judah, retaining Jerusalem as their capital city. From this point forward, the Jewish people exist as two nations, each of which has its own set of kings. The ten tribes in the north had nineteen kings, with three prophets sent to them who each wrote a book of the Bible, whereas the two tribes in the south had twenty kings, with seven prophets sent to them each writing a book of the Bible. That is a total of thirty-nine kings between the two kingdoms, all of whom are recorded in the pages of 1 and 2 Kings.
Now, in an effort to help you better understand how these kings fit together in the grand scheme of history, I have laid out for you in this comparative chart the names of each king. The top row represents the names connected with the northern kingdom of Israel, while the bottom row represents the name connected with the southern kingdom of Judah. The names of the kings are in black text, together with the number of years each reigned. The names of the prophets are given in green and blue text—the green text represents those prophets who served the Lord without writing a book of the Bible, while the blue text represents those prophets who did write a book of the Bible.
It should now be obvious why the book of 1 Kings receives its name—as you can see, it is a record of the kings which reigned over the United and Divided kingdoms of Israel. Now, 1 Kings only covers the history of the first 13 kings on this list—the first 8 kings of Israel and the first 5 kings of Judah. 2 Kings continues and completes the historic narrative, beginning where the book of 1 Kings leaves off. If, therefore, you are looking for the key to unlock the contents of 1 and 2 Kings, this is it! These books revolve around the biographical sketches of the kings.
This then brings me to say something about the structure of the book. I should begin by acknowledging what many commentators also admit—the book of 1 Kings can be a challenging book to read, not only because there are so many kings mentioned, but especially because the history of the two kingdoms run parallel to each other, and therefore we have, as it were, two separate histories being told side by side. Now, this need not hinder us in our understanding and enjoyment of the book. So long as we approach the book with this in mind, we should be able to navigate the pages with some ease. To that end, I would like to share with you the structure of the book.
It is arranged under two headings—the first eleven chapters dealing with the history of the United Kingdom, the last eleven dealing with the history of the Divided Kingdom. Here, let me give you the notes on another page:
The first eleven chapters deal with the history of the United Kingdom (under two kings), whereas the last eleven chapters deal with the history of the Divided Kingdom (under thirteen kings).
The first eleven chapters record the last days of David’s reign, and the whole of Solomon’s forty year reign. Both men were good kings, though as we know, were by no means perfect.
The last eleven chapters record the history of thirteen kings, those belonging to the Divided Kingdom—(1) there are five kings associated with the southern part of the kingdom, that of Judah (Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram); (2) and there are eight kings associated with the northern part of the kingdom, that of Israel (Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah).
Of the five kings of Judah, only two were good; but of the eight kings of Israel, all were bad, each in succession having a worst testimony than the one before.
The first eleven chapters cover a time period of forty years, whereas the last eleven chapters cover a time period of around eighty years. So, as pointed out earlier, the history of 1 Kings covers a grand total of around one hundred and twenty years.
Now, aside from the kings which serve as the leading characters of the book, there are also one hundred and twelve prophets representing Jehovah throughout the course of these kings’ reigns. Two prophets are mentioned by name in the first eleven chapters—that of Nathan and Ahijah; and there are one hundred and ten prophets mentioned in the last eleven chapters—there are one hundred anonymous prophets who were hidden by Ahab’s chief steward during the Jezebel persecutions; there are four unnamed prophets, one identified as “a man of God out of Judah”, another as “an old prophet in Bethel”, another as “[Micaiah’s] neighbor” and the other as “another man”; and then there are six prophets mentioned by name—Ahijah, the man mentioned in the first eleven chapters, appearing again in the last eleven chapters; together with Shemaiah, Jehu, Elijah, Elisha and Micaiah. Now, although the book of 1 Kings revolves around the lives of the Kings, yet it is actually the ministry of these prophets which makes the history of the kings so rich and interesting. As these prophets were representatives of Jehovah, so they spoke on God’s behalf, thereby establishing the divine and spiritual narrative the book is designed to convey. Henceforth, when reading the book of 1 Kings, these are the two groups of people to pay particular attention to—the fifteen kings and the one hundred and eleven prophets.
Now, while this twofold division of the book is sufficient to serve as a guide to your reading, I believe it is helpful if I provide a more detailed account for each section.
Let’s begin with the first eleven chapters, that dealing with the United Kingdom, covering a time period of forty years. The focal point for the whole of these chapters is on the life and reign of King Solomon.
In (1-4), we read about his promotion as king. He overcomes several adversaries contending for the throne, by removing and destroying Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab and Shimei. The prophet Nathan stands forth as the representative of Jehovah, arranging the circumstances which lead to Solomon’s ascension to the throne.
In (5-8), we read about the temple Solomon builds for the Lord, together with the palaces built for himself. He commissions Hiram king of Tyre to build these edifices, the temple taking seven years to complete, and Solomon’s palaces taking another thirteen years to finish. The materials used for these buildings are described in some detail, with a particular reference to Pharoah’s daughter, who had become Solomon’s wife, for whom he builds a special house.
In (9:1-9), we read of the warning Jehovah gives to Solomon concerning Israel’s doom. The Lord declares, that if Solomon does not walk with the Lord in the integrity of his heart, then the kingdom of Israel with her temple will be destroyed.
In (9:10-10:29), we read once again about the temple Solomon builds for the Lord, together with the palaces built for himself. Only this time, we learn that Solomon rewards Hiram king of Tyre after he had completed the temple and the palaces. The glory of the kingdom is then displayed for the whole world to behold, with a particular reference to the Queen of Sheba, to whom Solomon gives of His royal bounty.
In (11:1-13), we read once again about the Lord’s warning to Solomon concerning Israel’s decline. The Lord rebukes Solomon for compromising his faith, informing him that the kingdom will be divided, thereby initiating a gradual decline. A decline which continued, by the way, until the year 70AD, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Jewish people as a nation.
And finally, in (11:14-43), we read of Solomon’s declension as king. He suffers the troubles incurred by several adversaries contending for the throne, unable to subdue Hadad, Rezon and Jeroboam. The prophet Ahijah stands forth as the representative of Jehovah, informing Jeroboam that he will be king over the northern kingdom, Israel.
And so, when we view these chapters as a whole, we see how the record begins with Solomon’s promotion as king, led by the prophet Nathan, and how it ends with Solomon’s declension as king, led by the prophet Ahijah. And then, there is a twofold statement on Solomon’s temple and palaces—first, it is described by enumerating the materials which were used to construct the edifices, with Hiram commissioned to oversee it and a special house built for Pharoah’s daughter, Solomon’s wife; second, it is displayed before all the world, with Hiram receiving a reward for all his labor, and Solomon giving of his royal bounty to the queen of Sheba. And then, there is a twofold statement on the Lord’s warning to Solomon that the kingdom of Israel will come to an end—first, the doom of the kingdom is announced, in prospect of Solomon’s transgressions; second, the decline of the kingdom is announced, in realization of Solomon’s transgressions. This is an overview for the first eleven chapters of the book.
Let’s now look at the last eleven chapters, that dealing with the Divided Kingdom, covering a period of around eighty years. The focal point for the whole of these chapters is on the lives and reigns of the kings sitting on the thrones of the Divided Kingdom.
In (12:1-14:20), we read about the kings of Israel—those belonging to the northern kingdom. There are two kings mentioned, together with four prophets.
Jeroboam was a bad king who reigned for twenty-two years. During his reign, we read of the lives and ministries of these four prophets. First, there is the prophet Shemaiah, who advised Rehoboam to not fight against Jeroboam, after the kingdom divided (12:21-24); Second, there is an unnamed prophet identified as “a man of God out of Judah”, who pronounced judgment upon Jeroboam by prophesying the future reign of Josiah (13:1-10); Third, there is another unnamed prophet, identified as “an old prophet in Bethel”, who invited the previous prophet to his house under false pretenses, resulting in the previous prophet’s demise by a lion (13:11-32); Fourth, there is the prophet Ahijah, who warns Jeroboam of divine judgment for his transgressions against the Lord (14:1-8).
In (14:20), we have a single verse which announces the ascension of Nadab to the throne of Israel, serving as the second king. He was a bad man, reigning for two years, but his story is postponed, to be continued (15:25-22:40).
In (14:21-15:24), the subject shifts from the kings of Israel, to the kings of Judah—those belonging to the southern kingdom. There are four mentioned, but no prophets.
In (14:21-31a), we read about the first king of Judah, Rehoboam. He was a bad king and reigned for seventeen years.
In (14:31b-15:8a), we read about the second king of Judah, Abijam. He also was a bad king, and reigned for three years.
In (15:8b-24a), we read about the third king of Judah, Asa. He was a good king, and reigned for forty-one years.
In (15:24b), we have a single statement which announces the ascension of Jehoshaphat to the throne, serving as the fourth king of Judah. He also was a good king and he reigned for 25 years. However, his story is postponed and continues in (22:41-50).
In (15:25-22:40), the subject shifts again from the kings of Judah, to the kings of Israel. There are seven kings mentioned, together with one hundred and six prophets.
In (15:25-32), we return to the second king of Israel, Nadab, whose name was only mentioned in (14:20). As I said before, he was a bad king, and reigned for two years.
In (15:33-16:7), we are given the record of the third king of Israel, Baasha. He was a bad king, reigning for twenty-four years. The prophet Jehu represented Jehovah at this time, pronouncing judgment upon Baasha for his wickedness against the Lord (16:1-4,7).
In (16:8-14), we are given the record of the fourth king of Israel, Elah. He was a bad king, reigning for two years.
In (16:15-20), we are given the record of the fifth king of Israel, Zimri. He was a bad king, reigning for only seven days.
In (16:21-28), we are given the record of the sixth king of Israel, Omri. He was a bad king, reigning for twelve years.
In (16:29-22:39), we are given the record of the seventh king of Israel, the infamous Ahab. Needless to say, he was a bad man, one of the most wicked kings to rule, and he reigned for twenty-two years. I mustn’t fail to mention his evil wife Jezebel, who in some respects was more wicked than Ahab. During his reign, we read of the lives and ministries of one hundred and five prophets. First, there were one hundred unnamed prophets, who were hid in a cave by the chief steward of Ahab, during the Jezebel persecutions. Second, there is the prophet Elijah, whose ministry is the most extensively recorded than any other of the prophets in the book of 1 Kings, but having no time to relay the details, it is sufficient to say that he pronounced judgement upon Ahab and Jezebel, for their wickedness against the Lord. Third, there is the prophet Elisha, whose name is mentioned only in connection with the Lord telling Elijah to help prepare him for the ministry. Fourth, there is the prophet Micaiah, who also pronounced judgment upon Ahab and Jezebel for their wickedness against the Lord. Fifth, there is an unnamed prophet, identified as “Micaiah’s neighbor”, who was killed by a lion for his disobedience. Sixth, there is another unnamed prophet, identified simply as “another man”, who is mentioned only in connection to his obedience.
In (22:40), we have a single statement which announces the ascension of Ahaziah to the throne, serving as the eighth king of Israel. He also was a bad man, reigning for two years. However, his story is postponed and continues in (22:51-53).
In (22:41-50), the subject shifts from the kings of Israel, to the kings of Judah. There are two kings mentioned, but no prophets.
In (22:41-50a), we return to the fourth king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, whose name was only mentioned in (15:24). He was a good king, reigning for twenty-five years.
In (22:50b), we have a single statement which announces the ascension of Jehoram to the throne, who served as the fifth king of Judah. His story, however, is postponed and continues in the second book of Kings.
Finally, in (22:51-53), the subject shifts from the kings of Judah, to the kings of Israel. We are given a record of the eighth king of Israel, Ahaziah, whose name was only mentioned in (22:40). He was a bad king, reigning for two years, and his story also continues in the second book of Kings. There are no prophets mentioned in this part of the book.
Henceforth, the last eleven chapters of 1 Kings arranges the kings of Israel and Judah into five sections. Three sections provide an account for the kings of Israel, whereas the other two sections provide an account for the kings of Judah. The narrative of the two kingdoms is therefore woven together, bouncing back and forth from the one to the other.
On this point, it is worth mentioning that there are two key statements repeated throughout the chapters which provide the transition between each of the major and minor sections of the book. Beginning with the death of Solomon in chapter 11, each time a king dies and another ascends the throne, we are given an endnote that the deeds of the dead king are also recorded in another book, and then we are given the name of the new king.
The endnote looks something like this—“And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?” (1 Kings 11:41)
And the transition statement for a new king looks something like this—“And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.” (1 Kings 11:42,43)
And you see, these key statements repeat themselves throughout the book for each of the kings, as the history switches from the one to the other. And so, as I have said, these statements serve as signposts for your journey through the book of 1 Kings.
Now, having given so much time to the background and structure of the book, I do not have the luxury to highlight the testimonies of some of the leading characters. Let it suffice, therefore, to make one word of application on the structure. You will notice, within the first 80 years of the two kingdoms, Israel had eight kings whereas Judah had only five. That alone tells you there was greater stability within the kingdom of Judah, having fewer kings to reign for longer periods of time, than the kingdom of Israel. And, on the same token, it should be noted that all the kings of Israel were wicked and did evil in the sight of the Lord, whereas two of the five kings of Judah were good and did that which was right in the sight of God. As a result, the decline of the kingdom of Israel was more advanced and pronounced than that of the kingdom of Judah. Truly do we read in Proverbs 14:34: ”Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Let that serve as a lesson to the nations of the world today, and I pray it may also serve as a lesson to our own little communities to which we belong, for it is equally true, my dear friends, that righteousness exalts your family, but sin is a reproach to any people; righteousness exalts your social gatherings, but sin is a reproach to any people; righteousness exalts your church, but sin is a reproach to any people.
Alright, well, before I close the study, I must give a quick accounting of the characters which are mentioned in the book of 1 Kings. And, as always, I like to use the Framework of Sovereign Grace for a backdrop. According to my estimate, there are tens of thousands of men and women recorded in the book. Of this number, 19 may be safely identified as belonging to God’s elect people—David, Nathan, Solomon, Bathsheba, Ahijah, Shemaiah, a man of God out of Judah, an old prophet who dwelt in Bethel, Jehu, Hanani, Elijah, a widow woman, widow’s son, Obadiah, Elisha, another man (prophet), Micaiah’s neighbor, Micaiah, Jehoshaphat. More than 1,850 may be set aside as those belonging to the non-elect—700 wives and 300 concubines (many strange women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians and Hittites), Rehoboam (son of Solomon), Jeroboam, Ahab, Jezebel, the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, the prophets of the groves four hundred. As for the remaining tens of thousands of men and women, they have no clear testimony identifying the group to which they belong. I should also point out, there are three angels mentioned in the book—two are elect angels, whereas the third is an evil spirit.
In closing, let me say, it is always a good practice, when reading through a book of the Bible, to follow closely the testimonies of the men and women who make up the narrative. We must remember, these were real people, like you and me, living on the earth and dealing with similar situations as ourselves, yet during a different time. We should, therefore, seek to learn from their testimonies, finding comfort and encouragement from those whose lives honored the Lord, and receiving rebuke and admonishment from those whose lives dishonored the Lord.
Well, I leave it there. Until we meet again for another study in Bible Reading, I pray the Lord will bless your soul and increase your understanding of His Word!
Jared Smith served twenty years as pastor of a Strict and Particular Baptist church in Kensington (London, England). He now serves as an Evangelist in the Philippines, preaching the gospel, organizing churches and training gospel preachers.
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