An Introduction to the Book of 1st Kings

Reading: , , 1:28-31

Solomon Builds up his Kingdom and gains great fame.

Solomon Builds up his Kingdom and gains great fame.

Solomon Builds up his Kingdom and gains great fame.

The first half of 1st King traces the life of King Solomon. Under his leadership Israel rises to the peak of her size and glory. Why? Because Solomon asked for great wisdom, Solomon did what was pleasing to God, because Solomon was constantly seeking God every day.

Please pay close attention her to my sermon today. You will see the application for today’s living.

Solomon’s zeal for God diminishes in his later years, as Solomon takes pagan wives, (about 860) they believe) these wives pulled him away from God and to their pagan god’s.

So, why would Solomon take these wives? In Solomon’s day, it was customary to gain land and fortune, Kings would marry daughters of Kings of other nations. This was for peace, for great wealth, for military strength. This is what Solomon fell into. Result: The king with the divided heart (between God and wealth) lives behind a divided kingdom.

Survey of 1st Kings: The first half of 1st Kings concerns the life of one of the most amazing men who ever lived, King Solomon. More than any man before of since, he knew how to amass and creatively use his great wealth God had blessed him with.

With the sole exception of Jesus Christ, Solomon is the wisest man in human history!

Did you all hear that? The wisest man ever except Jesus Christ.

Again, the author of 1st and 2nd Kings is not totally known at this time. Evidence supports that both Books were written by the Prophet Jeremiah. Both 1st and 2nd Kings focuses God’s righteous judgment on idolatry and immorality.

Date and Setting: writing took place somewhere around 646-570 B.C. Kings is a record of disobedience, idolatry and ungodliness which sends the land of Israel into chaos.

Theme and Purpose: We have already established the dates however the two books of Kings supply a pictured that traces the monarchy from the time of Israel’s greatest prosperity under Solomon to its demise and destruction when Assyria and Babylonia took Israel in war.

The lives of these kings and how they ruled are used to teach several basic principles that apply to our lives today.

1) Man cannot properly rule himself without conscious dependence on the total help of God;

2) The kings had great responsibility as God’s administrators, because the circumstances of the nation depended in large part upon their faithfulness to Yahweh (God)

3) The kings were illustrations of the people as a whole-just as the kings disregarded God’s prophets and laws, so did the people; (Leaders and followers)

4) Observance of God’s law produces blessings, but ignoring God’s laws are rewarded by judgement and circumstances.

Key Chapter: The critical turning point in 1st Kings occurs in chapter 12 when the united kingdom become the divided kingdom. (People just cannot get along) This is where Israel divides into two separate kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom which is Israel and the Southern Kingdom which is called Judah.

This “hatefulness” towards each other usually results in great hardship just as it does today. So the nation is ripped apart and end as enemies. 1st Kings records the history of the two kings, two capitals, and two religions.

Fast forward: You must read 1st Kings to see how God works when we are obedient to Him. Of all the northern and southern kings listed in the book of 1st Kings only King Asa and King Jehoshaphat (King Asa’s son) do “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

9 Reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. 11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.

10 He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. 11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.

11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.

12He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.

“9 Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. 10 He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. 11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.

9Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel.

10 He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.

Soooooo, was

“41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to rule over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign in Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there."

11Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa began to rule over Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign in Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.

Amen

42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 43 Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.

12He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.

43Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the example of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.