Reign of Solomon | Israel Divided | Elijah Begins Ministry |
c. 970–930 BC | c. 930 BC | c. 875 BC |
The book of 1 Kings portrays the lives of both godly and ungodly individuals during a defining period in the life of the nation of Israel. People such as King David (1Ki 1:24–30), King Solomon (1Ki 3:1–15) and the Queen of Sheba (1Ki 10:1–13) sought after God, though they were far from perfect in this quest. Others such as Ahab and Jezebel notoriously rebelled against God’s commands and suffered the just consequences for their actions (2Ki 9:30–37; 10:1–10). As a whole, the book demonstrates the implications of choosing between these two paths through the lives of good and bad kings, true and false prophets and an assortment of others whose lives shaped Israel’s spiritual odyssey. The ever-present backdrop of God’s unchanging faithfulness provides hope and confidence to those who seek him.
The unknown author of this book recounts Israel’s history beginning with the death of the great King David in the tenth century and concluding in 2 Kings, nearly 400 years later, with Jerusalem’s destruction and the bitter exile of God’s divided people. The author highlights the spiritual successes and failures that defined the nation, including Solomon’s demise and the nation’s successive, nearly immediate splintering—with ten tribes in the north aligning under Jeroboam and two tribes in the south under the rule of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. From that time forward, the author juxtaposes the spiritual apostasy of the two kingdoms against the small glimmers of faithfulness still seen among the people.
Though 1 Kings is a historical narrative, it is much more than a mere recounting of factual events. Rather, the author’s purpose was theological—he wanted to demonstrate that obedience to God was, and is, the proper response to God’s consistent and grace-filled faithfulness. The people had been warned—both before they entered the promised land and throughout their time in the land—that those who failed to honor God and obey his word would face stark consequences. And, time and again, the people of Israel learned the truth of this lesson the hard way. The continued inability of the people to obey points forward to humanity’s need for the long-awaited Messiah.
Jesus Christ would do what the nation of Israel was unable to do—he would perfectly obey the law of God. His wisdom, miracles and faithfulness are foreshadowed, though imperfectly, through exemplary figures such as Solomon, Elijah and Elisha. The stories of God’s grace seen in these godly individuals provide believers today with a model of the worshipful obedience that should still be seen among God’s people today.
LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.