Sermon Tone Analysis

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.