1 & 2 Kings Lesson 1
I Kings
“Disobedience leads to Division”
Key Verse: 1 Kings 11:11 “Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.”
Theme: The human failures seen in the action of the kings and people compared to the Divine interest revealed through the prophets and their messages.
Date: Written during the Exile 588-538. Covers a period of approximately four hundred years from 977 to 577 B.C. (Ascension of Solomon to captivity)
Writer: Jewish tradition says Jeremiah was the human author. There is a striking similarity in style between the books of I and II Kings and Jeremiah. No one was better fitted to record these sad events than the Weeping Prophet.
Written: As a book of Hebrew history. Like I and II Samuel, I and II Kings also were originally one book The division came with the translation of the Septuagint for convenience.
The Book: -Number in the Bible: 11th of 66 books -Number of chapters: 22 -Number of verses: 816 -Number in order of writing: 6th book of history.
Purpose: To give the history of the glorious kingdom of Solomon, the division, and the defeat of both the northern nations of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.
Divisions: 1. The Reign of Solomon 2. The Realm of Two Kingdoms 3. The Rise of the Prophets
Facts: 1. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, was comprised of ten tribes. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, had two. 2. The capital of Israel was Samaria and Judah’s is Jerusalem. 3. The Northern Kingdom had nineteen kings in two hundred= fifty-six years form 977-721 B. C. 4. The Southern Kingdom had twenty kings in three hundred ninety years form 977-721 B. C. 5. Israel had been united for one hundred twenty years: forty under Saul, forty under David, now forty under Solomon until the split.
Outline: I. David’s Last days and the crowning of Solomon (Chapters 1- 2:11) II. Solomon’s glorious reign. His failure and end. (Chapters 2:12- Chapter 11) III. The Divided Kingdom (Chapters 12-16) IV. The Prophet Elijah and King Ahab (Chapters 17-22)
Miscellaneous: I. The Years of Strength – The Unified Kingdom (Ch. 1-12:19) 1. The Death of David (Ch. 1:1-2:10) 2. The Days of Solomon (Ch. 2:11-11:43) 3. The Decree of Rehoboam (Ch. 12:1-19) II. The Years of Struggle – The Divided Kingdom (Ch. 12:20-22) 1. Israel– Jeroboam to Hoshea 2. Judah—Rehoboam to Ahaz Solomon’s kingdom encompassed 60, 000 square miles, or ten times what David had inherited. He began with a blaze of glory and ended with a divided kingdom. His work included building the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. It was dressed in gold silver and precious stones. A modern estimate of the cost is $600,000,000. It was ninety feet by thirty feet by forty-five feet high. Solomon wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. He formed alliances with foreign nations and brought idolatry to Israel. God raised enemies to vex him. He reigned for forty years.
II Kings
“The Divided Kingdom”
Taken into Captivity
Key Verse: 2 Kings 17:9 “And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.”
Theme: No nation can prosper and have success if it forsakes God and disregards His Word.
Date: Written during the Exile in Babylon 588-538 B.C.
Writer: Jeremiah speaks directly from God.
Written: To show human failure as seen in the kings and the people. To show Divine workings through the prophets and their messages. The key phrase in the book is “according to the Word of the Lord.” Giving Divine inspiration and authenticity, the phrase is found twenty-four times in the book.
The Book: -Number in Bible: 12th of 66 books -Number of Chapters: 25 -Number of Verses: 719 -Number in order of writing: 7th book of History.
Purpose: To give a historical account of the division of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and the conflict between them that weakened them. Assyria overran Israel, and the Babylonians then conquered Judah and carried the people into captivity.
Divisions: Chapters 1-10 Events of Israel — The Northern Kingdom Chapters 11-17 Events to Assyrian Captivity of Israel. Jonah, Amos, and Hosea prophesied in Israel. Chapters 18-25 Events of Judah — The Southern Kingdom. Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah prophesied.
Facts: The book covers… 1. The Divided Kingdom 2. The Ministry of Elisha 3. The last one hundred years of the Northern Kingdoms 4. The last two hundred fifty years of the Southern Kingdom 5. The captivity of Israel (Ten Tribes) by Babylon 6. The captivity of Judah (Two Tribes) by Babylon -II Kings is a continuation of I Kings -Events begin about eight years after the Division -This book covers the last twelve kings of Israel -This book covers the last sixteen kings of Judah -The phrase “Did evil in the sight of the Lord” is found twenty-one times in the book.
Outline: I. Elijah finishes his ministry and is taken to heaven. (1-2:11) II. Elisha begins his ministry and works twice the miracles. (2:12-9:10) III. Israel drifts into apostasy and is taken into captivity. (9:11-11:17) IV. Judah’s revival under Hezekiah (18-21) V. God’s blessings on the reign of Josiah (22-23:30) VI. Judah falls into idolatry and is taken into Babylonian captivity. (23:31-25)
Miscellaneous: Israel covered an area of 9,500 square miles, or three times the area of 3, 500 square miles in Judah. When the division came, hostility lasted for sixty years, then an alliance was formed for thirty years. The hostility flared again for one hundred sixty-nine more years. The Northern Kingdom also was the location of the School of Prophets. In spite of this, they remained much farther from God than Judah. Judah had Jerusalem, the center of everything for the Jew. Solomon’s Temple was also there. Judah attempted to conquer Israel but failed, leaving both kingdoms in a weakened state. Thus, they were prey to Assyria and Babylon. God preserved the Davidic line of genealogy throughout this period.
-Outlines for both books were written by Dr. Tom Wallace
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