1) The book of Kings
starts with yet another problem within David’s household – Adonijah tries to
place himself as David’s successor and finds support, yet Bathsheba, Nathan,
and apparently David himself believe that Solomon should be the rightful
successor. Amazingly, when David places
Solomon into the position that Adonijah had attempted to take, the decision is
accepted without bloodshed, though that will not last long.
2) David instructs his son Solomon to walk in God and all His ways as king. He then tells him to take vengeance against those who David had spared in his own life. David then dies. Solomon’s first act is to execute his half-brother Adonijah for asking for David’s concubine (supposedly showing he wanted the throne). David would not kill his sons under any circumstances and asked for the blood of those who did – Solomon bears so such hesitancy. He then goes and kills those whom David had instructed him to.
3) Solomon and all Israel are sacrificing at the high places because no temple has yet been built in Jerusalem. God offers Solomon whatever he wants, and due to his selfless request, God gives him that and far more. An example of Solomon’s wisdom is given.
4) Israel under Solomon is unified and at peace. Solomon is powerful, wealthy, and wise beyond any kings before or after him.
5) Solomon begins work on the temple, with the help of timber from the King of Sidon. He employs a great deal of forced labor in this task, much of it Canaanite, reminiscent of the time when Israelites were forced to labor for the Egyptians’ projects.
6) The dimensions and description of the temple are given.
7) The dimensions of the royal palace are briefly given, then the bronze work of the temple is described in detail.
8) The ark is placed in the sanctuary and Solomon dedicates it, focusing on asking God to treat Israel righteously and bless her. He repeatedly asks God that prayer in the temple lead to God’s forgiveness, and anachronistically includes those who are exiled and carried off to foreign lands in this.
9) God tells Solomon that all will go well for him if he walks righteously before God, and the same for his children. As a reward for all his help Solomon gives 20 cities to Hiram, which Hiram finds useless. It is told that Solomon conscripted all the non-Israelites in his land as slave labor for the building.
10) Solomon’s wealth and excesses are elaborated on, both by a listing of the shear amount and a by a telling of a visit by the queen of Sheba. My Study Bible points out that The Law of the King in Deut. 17:16-17 is violated here and describes this chapter as a condemnation, though I only see praise in the text so far.
11) Solomon’s thousand wives, many foreign, are described, and it is told how his foreign wives led him to follow foreign gods and earn God’s condemnation as a result. As punishment, God raises up three adversaries against Solomon, and promises that 10 tribes of the kingdom will be torn away from his son. Jeroboam, a servant of Solomon, will be divinely installed as the ruler of the northern tribes. Solomon dies after 40 years of rule.
12) Rehoboam takes power after Solomon’s death, and all Israel is prepared to follow him, but he then promises to make their burdens harsh (following the advice of his young peers, rather than the old men who advised his father). The people are repulsed by this and the ten northern tribes decide to follow Jeroboam instead. God tells the people of Judah not to go to war against their brothers the Israelites, and they obey. Jeroboam then builds golden calves and leads the people of Israel into idolatry.
13) A prophet from Judah comes to tell Jeroboam of his sin, and his coming is clearly sanctioned by God. However, Jeroboam goes on sinning in the same manner he had before.
14) The kingdoms of both Jeroboam and Rehoboam are judged by God, as both have led their people astray and worshiped foreign gods. All of Israel appears to be in a severe downward spiral.
15) The next two kings of both Israel and Judah are described. Asa of Judah does what is right, the other three are all idolatrous and as a result face much violence and destruction. Israel and Judah continue to war with each other.
16) A string of kings rules over Israel, each of them worshipping other gods and each being judged and condemned for doing so. The fate of the kings before them is either unknown to them or the punishment simply has no effect, as the idolatry gets worse with every king.
17) Elijah is demonstrated to be a prophet of God, with signs and wonders. He announces that God is judging Israel with an extended drought, proving the Lord is more powerful than Baal.
18) God tells Elijah that he will end the drought. Elijah presents himself to the king (who has been hunting him) and sets up a battle of powerful works between himself and the prophets of Baal, which he wins in spectacular fashion. Elijah then kills the prophets of Baal and a storm comes, ending the drought.
19) In fear of his life from Jezebel, Elijah flees into the wilderness, where God sustains him and commissions him for another mission – to anoint kings of Aram and Israel and to appoint Elisha as his successor.
20) Aram and Israel go to war, with the prophets telling (accurately) that God will give Israel victory. When Aram is defeated and pleads for Israel’s mercy, King Ahab of Israel obliges, thus earning the condemnation of the prophets.
21) Ahab the king and Jezebel his wife plot to kill a man so they can take his land. God tells Elijah to condemn them for this and for his idol worship. However, Ahab humbles himself, so God relents and will bring disaster in his son’s days instead.
22) The kings of Judah and Israel meet for the first time since the division, and agree to fight against their shared enemy Aram. Jehoshaphat even proactively inquires of God about the battle. But while 400 prophets reply positively, Micaiah forecasts disaster. While Ahab the king of Israel dies in battle, Jehoshaphat survives, and generally goes on to be a good king following God, though he never removes the high places. The new king of Israel, however, continues in evil.
1 Kings: The first half of the book describes the peaceful reign of Solomon when God’s temple was built. However, Solomon’s excesses begin to portend the falling apart of Israel. After Solomon’s death, the northern tribes and Judah split and follow different kings. Kings in both kingdoms lead the people astray via adultery and failure to listen to God’s prophets. God begins to primarily direct the nation through his prophets, primarily Elijah, rather than via his kings, as they are all faulty. God’s presence with the prophets is emphasized strongly via the miracles they perform and the accuracy of their prophecies.
2) David instructs his son Solomon to walk in God and all His ways as king. He then tells him to take vengeance against those who David had spared in his own life. David then dies. Solomon’s first act is to execute his half-brother Adonijah for asking for David’s concubine (supposedly showing he wanted the throne). David would not kill his sons under any circumstances and asked for the blood of those who did – Solomon bears so such hesitancy. He then goes and kills those whom David had instructed him to.
3) Solomon and all Israel are sacrificing at the high places because no temple has yet been built in Jerusalem. God offers Solomon whatever he wants, and due to his selfless request, God gives him that and far more. An example of Solomon’s wisdom is given.
4) Israel under Solomon is unified and at peace. Solomon is powerful, wealthy, and wise beyond any kings before or after him.
5) Solomon begins work on the temple, with the help of timber from the King of Sidon. He employs a great deal of forced labor in this task, much of it Canaanite, reminiscent of the time when Israelites were forced to labor for the Egyptians’ projects.
6) The dimensions and description of the temple are given.
7) The dimensions of the royal palace are briefly given, then the bronze work of the temple is described in detail.
8) The ark is placed in the sanctuary and Solomon dedicates it, focusing on asking God to treat Israel righteously and bless her. He repeatedly asks God that prayer in the temple lead to God’s forgiveness, and anachronistically includes those who are exiled and carried off to foreign lands in this.
9) God tells Solomon that all will go well for him if he walks righteously before God, and the same for his children. As a reward for all his help Solomon gives 20 cities to Hiram, which Hiram finds useless. It is told that Solomon conscripted all the non-Israelites in his land as slave labor for the building.
10) Solomon’s wealth and excesses are elaborated on, both by a listing of the shear amount and a by a telling of a visit by the queen of Sheba. My Study Bible points out that The Law of the King in Deut. 17:16-17 is violated here and describes this chapter as a condemnation, though I only see praise in the text so far.
11) Solomon’s thousand wives, many foreign, are described, and it is told how his foreign wives led him to follow foreign gods and earn God’s condemnation as a result. As punishment, God raises up three adversaries against Solomon, and promises that 10 tribes of the kingdom will be torn away from his son. Jeroboam, a servant of Solomon, will be divinely installed as the ruler of the northern tribes. Solomon dies after 40 years of rule.
12) Rehoboam takes power after Solomon’s death, and all Israel is prepared to follow him, but he then promises to make their burdens harsh (following the advice of his young peers, rather than the old men who advised his father). The people are repulsed by this and the ten northern tribes decide to follow Jeroboam instead. God tells the people of Judah not to go to war against their brothers the Israelites, and they obey. Jeroboam then builds golden calves and leads the people of Israel into idolatry.
13) A prophet from Judah comes to tell Jeroboam of his sin, and his coming is clearly sanctioned by God. However, Jeroboam goes on sinning in the same manner he had before.
14) The kingdoms of both Jeroboam and Rehoboam are judged by God, as both have led their people astray and worshiped foreign gods. All of Israel appears to be in a severe downward spiral.
15) The next two kings of both Israel and Judah are described. Asa of Judah does what is right, the other three are all idolatrous and as a result face much violence and destruction. Israel and Judah continue to war with each other.
16) A string of kings rules over Israel, each of them worshipping other gods and each being judged and condemned for doing so. The fate of the kings before them is either unknown to them or the punishment simply has no effect, as the idolatry gets worse with every king.
17) Elijah is demonstrated to be a prophet of God, with signs and wonders. He announces that God is judging Israel with an extended drought, proving the Lord is more powerful than Baal.
18) God tells Elijah that he will end the drought. Elijah presents himself to the king (who has been hunting him) and sets up a battle of powerful works between himself and the prophets of Baal, which he wins in spectacular fashion. Elijah then kills the prophets of Baal and a storm comes, ending the drought.
19) In fear of his life from Jezebel, Elijah flees into the wilderness, where God sustains him and commissions him for another mission – to anoint kings of Aram and Israel and to appoint Elisha as his successor.
20) Aram and Israel go to war, with the prophets telling (accurately) that God will give Israel victory. When Aram is defeated and pleads for Israel’s mercy, King Ahab of Israel obliges, thus earning the condemnation of the prophets.
21) Ahab the king and Jezebel his wife plot to kill a man so they can take his land. God tells Elijah to condemn them for this and for his idol worship. However, Ahab humbles himself, so God relents and will bring disaster in his son’s days instead.
22) The kings of Judah and Israel meet for the first time since the division, and agree to fight against their shared enemy Aram. Jehoshaphat even proactively inquires of God about the battle. But while 400 prophets reply positively, Micaiah forecasts disaster. While Ahab the king of Israel dies in battle, Jehoshaphat survives, and generally goes on to be a good king following God, though he never removes the high places. The new king of Israel, however, continues in evil.
1 Kings: The first half of the book describes the peaceful reign of Solomon when God’s temple was built. However, Solomon’s excesses begin to portend the falling apart of Israel. After Solomon’s death, the northern tribes and Judah split and follow different kings. Kings in both kingdoms lead the people astray via adultery and failure to listen to God’s prophets. God begins to primarily direct the nation through his prophets, primarily Elijah, rather than via his kings, as they are all faulty. God’s presence with the prophets is emphasized strongly via the miracles they perform and the accuracy of their prophecies.
