Book introductions contain charts, maps and timelines that are best seen on the scanned pages: p. 507, p. 508, p. 509.
page 507
<EY PLACES IN
1 KINGS
Mediterranean
kingdom. Rehoboam returned to Judah
from Shechem and prepared fo force
the rebels into submission, but a
prophet’s message haited these plans
(12:21-24).
4 Jerusalem Jerusalem was the capital
city of Judah. Its Temple, built by Soto-
mon, was the focal point of Jewish
worship. This worried Jeroboam. How
coutd he keep his people loyal if they
were constantly going to Rehoboam’s
capital to worship (12:26, 27)?
5 Dan Jeroboam’s solution was to set
up his own worship centers. Two gold
calves were made and proclaimed to
be Israel's gods. One was placed in
Dan, and the people were told that they
could go there instead of to Jerusalem
to worship (12:28, 29).:
6 Bethel The other gold calf was placed
in Bethel. The people of the northern
kingdom had two convenient locations
for worship in their own country, but
their sin displeased God. in Jerusalem,
meanwhile, Rehoboam was also ailow-
ing idolatry to creep in. The two nations
were constantly at war (12:29—15:26).
7 Tirzah Jeroboam had moved the capi-
tal city to Tirzah (
1 Kings 14:17). Next,
Baasha became king of Israel after
assassinating Nadab (15:27—16:22).
8 Samaria _|srael continued to gain and
lose kings through plots, assassina-
tions, and warfare. When Omri became
king, he bought a hill on which he built
a new capital city, Samaria. Omri’s son,
Ahab, became the most wicked king
of Israel. His wife, Jezebel, worshiped
Baai. Ahab erected a temple to Baal in
Samaria (16:23-34).
9 Mount Carmel Great evil often brings
great people who oppose it. Elijah
he tte anced Gham an memnte nbn nf Mn! mead
Phe broken lines (—-~--) indicate modern boundaries. Stomon; David's son, brought Israel into its golden age. His Wbaith and wisdom were acclaimed worldwide. But he ignored Gad in his later years (1:1—11:43).
#Shechem After Solomon's death, Israel assembled at Shechem to inaugurate his son Rehoboam. However, Rehoboam foolishly angered the people by threatening even heavier . burdens, causing a revolt (12:1-19). 2 Israel Jeroboam, leader of the rebels, was made king of israel, Row called the narthern kingdom. Jeroboam made Shechem his capital city (12:20, 25). 3 Judah Only the tribes of Judah and part of Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam. These two tribes became the southern
i ees es ins A iia: hie
challenged the prophets of Baal and
Asherah at Mount Carmel, where he would prove that they were false prophets. There Elijah humiliated these prophets and then executed them (17:1— 18:46). 40 Jezreel Elijah returned to Jezree!. But Queen Jezebel, furious at the execution of her prophets, vowed to kill Elijah. He ran for his life, but God cared for and encouraged him. During his travels he anointed the future kings of Aram and Israel, as well as Elisha, his own replacement (19:1-21). 11 Ramoth-gilead +The king of Aram declared war on Israel and was defeated in two battles. But the Arameans occupied Ramoth-gilead. Ahab and Jehoshaphat joined forces to recover the city. In this battle, Ahab was killed. Jehoshaphat later died (20:1—22:53).
page 508
David
becomes
king
1010 B.C.
Solomon
becomes
king
970
Temple
completed
959
The
kingdom
divides
930
Shishak
invades
Jerusalem
925
VITAL STATISTICS
PURPOSE:
To contrast the lives of those who
live for God and those who refuse
to do so through the history of
the kings of Israel and Judah
AUTHOR:
Unknown. Possibly Jeremiah
or a group of prophets
ORIGINAL AUDIENCE:
The people of Israel
SETTING:
The once great nation of Israet
turned into a land divided, not only
physically, but also spiritually.
KEY VERSES:
“As for you, if you will follow me
with integrity and godliness, as
David your father did, obeying
all my commands, decrees, and
regulations, then I will establish the
throne of your dynasty over Israel
forever. For I made this promise
to your father, David: ‘One of your
descendants will always sit on the
throne of Israel’” (9:4, 5).
KEY PEOPLE:
David, Solomon, Rehoboam,
Jeroboam, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel
SPECIAL FEATURE:
The books of 1 and 2 Kings were
originally one book.
“I DON’T CARE what anyone says, I’m going
to do it!” the boy yells at his mother as he
storms out of the house.
This is a familiar scene in our society. The
words change, but the essential message is
the same: A person is not open to advice be-
cause his or her mind is closed. Some advice
may be sought, but it is heeded only if it re-
inforces the decision already made or is an
easier path to take. It is human nature to reject help and to do things our way. A much wiser approach is to seek, hear, and heed the advice of good counselors. Solomon, the world’s wisest man, urges this in Proverbs (see 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). How ironic that his son and successor, Rehoboam, listened instead to foolish advice, with devastating results. At Rehoboam’s inauguration, he was petitioned by the people to be a kind and generous ruler. The older men counseled him to “be a servant.... and give them a favorable answer” (12:7). But Rehoboam agreed to the cruel advice of his peers who urged him to be harsh. As a result, Rehoboam split the kingdom. Learn from Rehoboam’s mistake. Commit yourself to seeking and following wise counsel. The main events of 1 Kings are David’s death, Solomons reign, the aivision of the kingdom, and Elijah’s ministry. As Solomon ascended the throne, David charged him to obey God's laws and to “follow ail his ways” (2:3). This Solomon did; and when given the choice of gifts from God, he humbly asked for wisdom (3:9). As a result, Solomon’s reign began with great success, including the construction of the Temple—his greatest achievement. Unfortunately, Solomon took many pagan wives and concubines who eventually turned his heart away from the LORD to their false gods (11:1—4).
Rehoboam succeeded Solomon and had the opportunity to be a wise, compassionate, and just king. Instead, he accepted the poor advice of his young friends and attempted to rule with an iron hand. But the people rebelled, and the kingdom split with 10 tribes in the north (Israel) ruled by Jeroboam, and only Judah and Benjamin remaining with Rehoboam. Both kingdoms wove a path through the reigns of corrupt and idolatrous kings with only the clear voice of the prophets continuing to warn and call the nation back to God.
Elijah is surely one of the greatest prophets, and chapters 17 through 22 feature his conflict with wicked Ahab and Jezebel in Israel. In one of the most dramatic confrontations in history, Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. In spite of incredible opposition, Elijah stood for God and proved that one plus Godis a majority. If God is on our side, no one can stand against us (Romans 8:31).
page 509
Asa
becomes
king of
Judah
910
Elijah
begins
his
ministry
875
Ahab
becomes
king of
Israel
874
Jehoshaphat
becomes
king of
Judah
872
Ben-hadad
attacks
Samaria
857
Ahab
dies in
battle
853
THE BLUEPRINT
A. THE UNITED KINGDOM
(1:1—-11:43)
1. Solomon becomes king
2. Solomon's wisdom
3. Solomon builds the Temple
4. Solomon’s greatness and downfall
B. THE DIVIDED KINGDOM
(12:1—22:53)
1. Revolt of the northern tribes
2. Kings of Israel and Judah
3. Elijah’s ministry
4. Kings of Israel and Judah
Solomon was a botanist, zoologist, architect, poet, and philosopher. He was the wisest king in the history of Israel, but his wives fed to the introduction of false gods and false worship in Israel. It is good for us to have wisdom, but that is not enough. The highest goal in life is to obey the LORD. Patient obedience to God should characterize our lives.
When the northern kingdom of israel was being led by wicked kings, God raised up a prophet to proclaim his messages. Elijah single-handedly challenged the priesthood of the state religion and had them removed in one day. Through the dividing of the kingdom and the sending of Elijah, God dealt with the people’s sin in powerful ways. Sin in our lives is graciously forgiven by God. However, the sin of an unrepentant person will be handled harshly. We must turn from sin and turn to God to be saved from judgment.
MEGATHEMES
THEME
The King
The Temple
Other Gods
The Prophet's
Message
Sin and
Repentance
EXPLANATION
Solomon’s wisdom, power, and achievements
brought honor to the Israelite nation and to God.
All the kings of Israel and Judah were told to
obey God and to govern according to his laws.
But their tendency to abandon God’s commands
and to worship other gods led them to change
the religion and government to meet their
personal desires. This neglect of God’s law led
to their downfall.
Solomon's Temple was a beautiful place of wor-
ship and prayer. This sanctuary was the center
of Jewish religion. It was the place of God’s
special presence and housed the Ark of the
Covenant containing the Ten Commandments.
Although the Israelites had God's law and
experienced his presence among them, they
became attracted to other gods. When this
happened, their hearts became cold to God’s
law, resulting in the ruin of families and govern-
ment, and eventually leading to the destruction
of the nation.
The prophet’s responsibility was to confront and
correct any deviation from God’s /aw. Elijah was
a bolt of judgment against Israel. His messages
and miracles were a warning to the evil and
rebellious kings and people.
Each king had God’s commands, a priest or
prophet, and the lessons of the past to draw
him back to God. All the people had the same
resources. Whenever they repented and
returned to God, God heard their prayers and
forgave them.
IMPORTANCE
Wisdom, power, and achievement do not
ultimately come from any human source;
they are from God. No matter what we lead
or govern, we can’t do well when we ignore
God’s guidelines. Whether or not we are leaders,
effectiveness depends upon listening and
obeying God’s Word. Don’t fet your personal
desires distort God’s Word.
A beautiful house of worship doesn’t always
guarantee heartfelt worship of God. Providing
opportunities for true worship doesn't ensure
that it will happen. God wants to live in our
hearts, not just meet us in a sanctuary.
Through the years, the people took on the false
qualities of the false gods they worshiped. They
became cruel, power-hungry, and sexually
perverse. We tend to become what we worship.
Unless we serve the true God, we will become
slaves to whatever takes his place.
The Bible, the truth in sermons, and the wise
counsel of believers are warnings to us. Anyone
who points out how we deviate from obeying
God’s Word is a blessing to us. Changing our
lives in order to obey God and get back on track
often takes painful discipline and hard work.
God hears and forgives us when we pray—if
we are willing to trust him and turn from sin.
Our desire to forsake our sin must be heartfelt
and sincere. Then he will give us a fresh start
and a desire to live for him.
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