1 Kings Survey Summary
1. The history of King Solomon; 2. The history of the divided kingdom; 3. The history of the final years of Judah.
1 Kings is divided into 3 major topics. What are these 3 topic divisions?
The sources used by the author to write 1 Kings are all annals from the royal archives---annals of the kings of Israel, annals of the kings of Judah, and annals of Solomon.
What sources were used to write 1 Kings?
Chapter 22 relates Ahab and Jehoshaphat consulting professional prophets to discern the outcome of an upcoming battle with Damascus. For Ahab, prophecy was a form of magic in which the prophet manipulated God. The professional prophets merely repeated the king's desire in the form of prophecy in an attempt to ensure the desired outcome. But for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, the prophet was a mouthpiece for God. The word of the prophet made the will of God known to humans, regardless of the king's desires. Ahab's death vindicated Micaiah, the true prophet of the Lord, and proved the professional prophets wrong.
Contrast and compare the office of the professional prophets with those of the true prophets. How do these forms of prophecy relate to 1 Kings?
Retribution Theology is exposed in Deuteronomy and listed in blessings & curses of the covenant (Deut. 28). Obedience to God's commands brings blessing while disobedience brings failure. 1 & 2 Kings is the foundaiton on which this theology is based.
Define retribution theology.
Probably Jeremiah, but better to view the author as anonymous. The books cover mostly historical narrative. The books trace the consequences of sin as opposed to the benefits of obedience.
Describe the authorship of Kings.
The tragedy of Solomon's life is that he failed to remain faithful to God in spite of God's obvious provisions for his kingdom. Instead of Solomon, David is the Bible's ideal king of Israel, though he never attained the political heights reached by his son. God's Word is more interested in faithfulness to the covenant than in international prestige.
From a biblical standpoint, why is the reign of Solomon seen as a tragic event?
1 & 2 Kings was completed after 561 BC, sometime during the last 22 yrs of the Babylonian exile.
From what historical perspective does the author of Kings write?
Over 4 centuries, outlining the Israelite's monarchy from Solomon to the end. It traces the failure of the Israelite nation to maintain covenant with God.
How much time is covered by 1-2 Kings?
historiography
In the Books of Kings, we find the earliest genuine ________ in world literature. For the first time in human history, a nation produced a continuous narrative organizing documents in an orderly presentation with a single overarching purpose.
Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
Solomon's empire was divided into two smaller kingdoms. They are _________ and __________.
The regnal formula
The method used to write the Book of 1 Kings is regnal formula, in which every king is evaluated in terms of his faithfulness to the covenant and his willingness to follow the example of King David.
retribution
The theology of _____________ is the main topic of the book of 1 Kings. Obedience to God's commands brings blessing while disobedience brings failure. For the author of Kings, history is the foundation on which this theology is proved.
The office of prophecy began to emerge based on the ministries of Elijah and Elisha. Prophets become God's instruments of warning to the king and the nation. Doom was imminent because of their sin. Elijah appears on the scene with no instroduction. He reminded Ahab that Yahweh, not Baal, is God of Israel. His announcement that dew and rain would cease was a direct challenge to Baal, the Canaanite god of storm and rain--a challenge issued by Yahweh, the God of the desert.
What important biblical office began to emerge during the time of 1 Kings?
Traces the failure of the Israelite nation to maintain its covenant with God. The Book of Kings tells the sad story of Israel's tragic destruction because the people were not faithful to God.
What is the overall theme of 1 Kings?
The overarching concern of the author was to illustrate the two paths of life between which all of us must choose. The one path pursues God in heart as well as religious forms, while the other fails to obey God because of a lack of devotion and is ultimately self-destructive.
What is the overarching concern?
The regnal formula contains an evaluation of each king, based on his faithfulness to the covenant and his willingness to walk int he ways of King David. The author's primary concern is covenant faithfulness and loyalty to God.
What is the regnal formula?
His unfaithfulness to the covenant.
What overshadowed Solomon's great political and military accomplishments?
Elijah issued a challenge to the hundreds of Baal prophets and the nation (1 Kings 18:19). They would all meet at Mt. Carmel and determine once and for all who is the God of heaven. Mt. Carmel was believed to be sacred to Baal, so Elijah challenged Baal on his own turf. Because of the severe drought, Elijah was in control and ale to force Ahab and the nation to make a choice. He soundly condemned their double-minded religion: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him" (18:21). Devotion to God requires single-hearted commitment to his truth. Any compromise is wavering "between two opinions."
What took place on Mt. Carmel?
With wisdom, Solomon solved legal disputes, administered the nation, and conducted a building program.
What was the benefit of Solomon's wisdom?
The influence of his foreign wives caused Solomon to add the worship of other gods to his worship of Yahweh.
What was the influence that caused Solomon to compromise his faith in God?
He requested wisdom, and that pleased God because Solomon did not request riches or a long life or victory over his enemies.
When God first appeared to Solomon, what was Solomon's request?
When Elijah became God's spokesman to warn the nations.
When were prophets introduced in 1 Kings?