Kings of Israel 1
My Bible study this week took me through two of the most confusing books in the Bible. The Books of 1 & 2 Kings.
So what is so confusing?
Not only do we have a number of kings, but during most of Israel’s history she had 2 kings ruling at the same time: one over Israel and the other over Judah.
BOOK OF KINGS
§ Written in the Hebrew as one unbroken book.
§ Follows as a sequel to 1 and 2 Samuel, which was also originally a single book.
o Samuel traces the history of Israel up to the final days of David’s reign.
§ 1 Kings begins—with the death of David and the succession of his son, Solomon, to the throne.
§ The first half of the Book of 1 Kings describes Solomon’s reign.
o accounts about his vast wealth,
o his great wisdom,
o his marriage to foreign wives,
o his completion of the temple in Jerusalem.
Also recounts
o how the people grew restless and rebellious because of the king’s excesses
o And the high taxes required to support his ambitious projects.
At his death the people in the northern part of the empire rebelled and formed their own nation, known as the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Those who remained loyal to the house of David and Solomon continued as the Southern Kingdom, or the nation of Judah.
So far so good.
From this point on in the Books of 1 and 2 Kings, the narrative grows complex and difficult to follow. The writer of Kings traces the history of a king of Israel, then he switches over to the administration of the king of Judah. And then back again to Israel. I had to make a chart. Handout: Kings of Israel
Before I go on I want to point out that First and Second Kings also contains some of the best stories in the Bible including the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha.
Fortunately for us the kings are presented in chronological order.
§ Their reign spans about 400 years.
§ The last event mentioned is Judah entering captivity in Babylon.
§ Which means the book was probably written @ 586 b.c.
Jewish tradition says Jeremiah was the author.
o Siting similarities between 2 Kings 24–25 and Jeremiah 39–42; 52
o The problem with this theory is Jeremiah never went to Babylon (Jer. 43:1–7)
The compiler of the book reveals the sources he used.
o “the chronicles of the kings of Israel” (1 Kin. 14:19)
o “the chronicles of the kings of Judah” (1 Kin. 14:29).
Needless-to-say, the four centuries covered by Kings were times of change and political upheaval. Power shifted from one nation to another. Enemies included Syria, Assyria, and Babylonia.
§ 19 different kings ruled the nation of Israel,
§ 22 different kings (if David and Solomon are included) occupied Judah’s throne.
§ Some of these kings were honest, ethical, and morally pure.
o HOWEVER good kings were the EXCEPTION.
§ The majority of the rulers led the people astray, some even openly encouraging them to worship false gods.
o The most repeated line in Kings is the phrase, “He did evil in the sight of the Lord”
I also want to point out that although Kings begins with Solomon, all the kings that follow him are actually compared to David.
Why? Because David is seen as the supreme king having united to Kingdom.
Other repeated lines
§ “and he walked in the ways of his father David.”
§ Or “and he did not walk in the ways of his father David.”
So let’s look at the kings of Israel & Judah
Turn to 1 Ki 11
11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.
7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
Rabbit trail: We read the names of three pagan gods again and again in Kings. Who were they?
Ashtoreth:
§ the moon goddess of the Phoenicians, frequently associated with Baal, the sun-god
§ goddess of love and fertility,
§ called the “queen of heaven”
§ Jezebel’s 400 priests were employed in its service
Molech: (or Molek)
§ chief god of the Phoenicians,
§ mentioned as the god of the Ammonites,
§ known to the Israelites before King Solomon.
§ Referred to as detestable because as a corruption of the practice of first fruits, firstborn children were offered to him as human sacrifices,
§ victims were slowly burned to death in the outstretched arms of this idol, which were metal, hollow and could be heated on the inside.
§ Solomon erected an altar to this god on one of the summits of Mount Olivet.
Chemosh:
§ Known as the destroyer, subduer, or fish-god, and “the abomination of Moab,”
§ was introduced at Jerusalem by Solomon
§ sacrifice of children as a burnt offering was customary
1 Ki 11:14 Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.
19 Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage.
So Hadad has an alliance with Egypt. Is Egypt an ally or an enemy of Israel?
23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.
25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram [Syria] and was hostile toward Israel.
26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.
King Jeroboam (Israel)
29 About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh [Ephriam] met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.
35 I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.
37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38 If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 39 I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”
I said earlier that this section contrasts David with Jeroboam. Notice that God gave them both the same conditions for kingship.
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon’s death.
Obviously Solomon heard about the anointment. In his eyes Jeroboam was guilty of treason.
42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 43 Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
King Rehoboam (Judah)
12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
So Rehoboam gathers all his father Solomon’s advisors together and asks them what to do. They basically say, “go for it”. Then he asks his buddies what to do and they say, “squash them like bugs”.
Faced with every harsher treatment, the people of Israel reject Rehoboam as king. And we have a divided kingdom.
We have 10 tribes in the North referred to as Israel and 1 tribe in the South referred to as Judah. How many tribes were there? 12. Who’s missing? Benjamin. For the most part Benjamin remained loyal to the house of David (that would be Rehoboam at this point). However, some of Benjamin’s cities were physically located in the Israel, so Benjamin was split between the two kingdoms.
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.
Naturally Rehoboam isn’t too happy about this and calls Judah & Benjamin to war against Jeroboam and Israel. But before they can march out, the prophet tells them not to go to war against their brothers. So the men go home.
Back in Israel
Forgetting what God had said to him, and ignoring the fact that God had stopped Rehoboam from going to wasr with him…
26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”
28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves.
Where do you think he got this great advise from? Probably the same guys who told him to squash Israel like a bug, (the advise that led to the nation being divided).
28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
Have we heard this before? Mt. Sinai (Ex 32).
29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there.
31 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.
In 13, Jeroboam is making one of these offerings when a prophet announces that Israel would have a king named Josiah who would slaughter the false priests instituted by Jeroboam. When Jeroboam stretches out his hand to point to the man, so the guard can nab him, his arm shrivels up, and the altar splits apart. Jeroboam then asks the man to pray for him and his hand is restored.
Jump down to 13:33
33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. 34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.
In 14 Jeroboam’s son Abijah becomes ill and the doctors of the day can’t do anything for him. So Jeroboam tells his wife to disguise herself and go ask the prophet what will happen to the boy.
Why do you think she needed to disguise herself? She might be recognized. I say might be because the prophet was blind. It didn’t matter because God tells the prophet who she is. The prophet tells her to tell Jeroboam that He has seen all the evil things Jeroboam has done.
10 “‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. 11 Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!’
Then the prophet tells Jeroboam’s wife, when set sets foot in the city, her son will die.
13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good.
20 [Jeroboam] reigned for twenty-two years and then rested with his fathers. And Nadab his son succeeded him as king.
Back to Judah
21 Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.
22 Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than their fathers had done. 23 They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 24 There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
Sounds a little like Israel, doesn’t it?
25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.
You may remember that Jeroboam had an alliance with Egypt.
26 [Shishak ] carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 28 Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.
Rehoboam took what was sacred and made it for common use.
31 And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.
Where did we see that name before? Abijah was also the name of Jeroboam’s son, the one who died at the beginning of this chapter.
Abijah (Judah)
15 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.
4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.
6 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout Abijah’s lifetime.
8 And Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.