The books of 1 and 2 kings are placed in the former prophets section of the old testament. As the illustrious life of king david draws to a close, only some quick thinking by the prophet nathan and solomons mom bathsheba prevents adonijah from stealing the throne from solomon, the rightful king. This book begins with the death of david, records the 40year reign of solomon, his building of the first temple, the splendor of his kingdom, his moral failure and death, followed by israels tragic civil war, the appearance of elijah, the call of elisha, and concludes with the death of ahab, an especially wicked northern israelite king. First and second kings were originally one book, called in the hebrew text, kings, from the first word in 1. But precisely for that reason, 1 and 2 kings can make a unique contribution to our understanding of reformation and revival among the people of god.
Relive the kingdom of israel in the book of kings 1 and 2. At the beginning of his reign he assumes gods promises to david and. He built a temple house of god in jerusalem 1 kings 6. The kings are evaluated by how they worshiped the lord god. The book of 1 kings does not specifically name its author. This summary of the book of 1 kings provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 1 kings. In kings, davids son solomon leads israel to greatness, only to. I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me. How can god be both merciful to his people but also faithful to curse covenant breakers, especially since all of gods people have broken the covenant. Known as kings 1 and 2 in english bibles, the book of kings is originally a single book that recounts the rule of israels.
After centuries of sojourning, struggles, and conquest, god s promise to abraham appears to finally be tangible david and solomon unite the israelites into a single kingdom with descendants as numerous as the stars. In the hebrew bible the book of kings continued the narrative started in samuel. The book of 1 kings traces the history of gods covenant people under israels kings, beginning with the reign of king solomon. God will tear away all of the tribes from solomons kingdom except for one, judah. David instructs solomon to walk in his god s ways 2. It concludes the deuteronomistic history, a history of israel also comprising the books of joshua and judges and the book of samuel, which biblical commentators believe was written to provide a theological explanation for the destruction of the kingdom of judah by babylon in. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm. Aug 27, 2015 the 1st book of kings 1 kings from the holy bible new international version niv book 11 please note we have increased the volume and the pitch of the audio for a clearer sound, so this. Jul 31, 20 the kings are evaluated by how they worshiped the lord god.
We see the full spectrum of god s dealings with israel. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading gods and kings. The 1st book of kings 1 kings from the holy bible new international version niv book 11 please note we have increased the volume and the pitch of the audio for a clearer sound, so this. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. The book of 1st kings is narrative history and prophecy. The translators of the septuagint introduced the separation into two books and this separation was made also in the vulgate. While 2 samuel leaves off near the end of davids reign, 1 and 2 kings take us from the reign of solomon to the catastrophic division of israel into northern and southern factions. Besides that the record of the life of hezekiah or isaiah 36. While 2 samuel leaves off near the end of davids reign, 1 and 2 kings take us from the reign of solomon to the catastrophic division of. First and 2 kings feels very different than the book of acts. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of second kings in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. The tradition is that it was written by the prophet jeremiah.
The second book, 2 kings, tells of the reigns of kings of the surviving southern kingdom of judah until its eventual collapse in 586 bc. I truly recommend this book with no compensation but the enjoyment i received by reading gods and kings. The key personalities are david, solomon, rehoboam, jeroboam, elijah, ahab, and jezebel. The book of kings is the ninth book of the hebrew bible or the eleventh and twelfth books of the christian old testament. These blessings and curses were all promised to israel in the book of deuteronomy. The first three books of the series chronicles of the kings tells the story of hezekiah, a king of judah, whos story is found in 2 kings, 2 chronicles, and isaiah.
Godking marsun, the demon king, has ruled for centuries. From the author of the chronicles of the english and the earls. Good kings served the lord in the temple at jerusalem, the others did evil in his sight. Mar 20, 2019 how can god be both merciful to his people but also faithful to curse covenant breakers, especially since all of gods people have broken the covenant. These remarkably relevant writings include prophetic interpretations of how each king affected the spiritual decline of israel and judah. So he sent messengers, saying to them, go and consult baalzebub, the god of ekron, to see if i will recover from this injury. Though born the second son of king ahaz, hezekiah is not protected. Moab rebelled against israel after the death of ahab. The author is neither indicated in the text nor known by scholars. Jack zavada is a writer who covers the bible, theology, and other christianity topics. I will surely carry out today what i swore to you by the lord, the god of israel. The rest of these books document the way these kings and those who followed lead gods people to worship. The difference between the two gives you an idea as to what.
The reign of solomon is treated in 1 kings 311, followed by the reigns of kings of judah and israel from the beginning of the divided monarchy c. The first book of kings niv audio holy bible high quality. Other tha n restudying genesis and exodus our bible study groups most recent old. The book of 1 kings was likely written between 560 and 540 b. As we noted in the previous chapter, 1 and 2 kings originally comprised one book of history. Solomon has adonijah executed along with the rest of his enemies, and gets to work building an empire. After centuries of sojourning, struggles, and conquest, gods promise to abraham appears to finally be tangible david and solomon unite the israelites into a single kingdom with descendants as numerous as the stars. The throne on earth must be in tune with the throne in heaven if blessings come and benefits accrue to the people. On the morning of her birthday, a woman told her husband, i just dreamed that you gave me a diamond necklace. The greek translation of the old testament, the septuagint lxx, divided the book in two and this was followed by the latin vulgate version and english translations. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
He was most likely a prophet, because many of the historical events. The two books of kings originally formed one book only in the hebrew bible. The book of 1 kings traces the history of gods covenant people under israels kings, beginning with the reign. Together, the two books of 1 and 2 kings cover the period from the last days of davids reign to the captivity of judah also referred to as the babylonian captivity. Like the books of 1 and 2 samuel, 1 and 2 kings originally were one book. Joshua is the first book in this section and the book of 2 kings is the last. In a land of violence and sin, queen and prince must discover the one true source of strength. The first book of kings begins with the elderly king david naming solomon, his son by bathsheba, as king of israel and judah to succeed him. The writer of the books of kings describes the events of the northern and southern kingdoms after the division. Together the books continue the history of israel that is begun in the books of samuel, but 1 and 2 kings tell the history in a special way. Solomon prays to the lord god to give him wisdom to. The books of kings show us how faithful god is to his people. Book of first kings overview insight for living ministries. This book isnt just the story of king ahaz but of his sons, wife, relatives, advisors facing fear, assyrians and other enemies, submission, heartache, hope and resolve.
Like the books of samuel, the books of kings were originally one book but divided into two by the greek translators of the original hebrew. King solomon reigned over the united kingdom of israel circa 960 to 922 bc, and built the temple of solomon in jerusalem in the midtenth century bc. I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by. Jeroboam disregarded god and his temple, and instead set up two golden calves to worship. Connecting to god through giving, part 3 of the series. Israel is seen as the focal point of gods dealing with the various nations of. Rediscovering the book from god sermon by john gaston, 2. Apr 02, 2016 watch our overview video on the books of 12 kings, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of kings hints at the answer with the small but important expression for the sake of my servant david cf. The most popular bible verses from 1 kings found 816 verses 1 kings 2. Let go and let others, study questions part of the series.
This book is the sequel to 1 and 2 samuel and begins by tracing solomons rise to kingship after the death of david. Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the law of moses. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The purpose of 1st kings is to contrast those who obey and disobey god throughout the ruling. It includes a great prayer to the lord in chapter 8. After centuries of sojourning, struggles, and conquest, gods promise to abraham appears to finally be tangible david and solomon unite the israelites into a. Reference is made for example to the book of the acts of solomon 1 kings 11. Book of second kings overview insight for living ministries. The first kings is the first half of a single book that was divided into two parts, 1 and 2 kings because together they were too long to fit on one scroll. Watch our overview video on the books of 12 kings, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Now ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in samaria, and was injured. Book of 1 kings explained 1 and 2 kings were originally one book, called in the. Summary of the books of kings the story of the bible.
The book of 1 kings starts with solomon and ends with elijah. This person assembled the manuscript while gods people were in exile at babylon. Jul 15, 2018 the first kings is the first half of a single book that was divided into two parts, 1 and 2 kings because together they were too long to fit on one scroll. Books of kings, two books of the hebrew bible or the protestant old testament that, together with deuteronomy, joshua, judges, and 1 and 2 samuel, belong to the group of historical books deuteronomic history written during the babylonian exile c. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of first kings in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.