A SURVEY OF THE BIBLE
(“The Book of First Kings”) (II)
I Kings 11:9-40 (selected); 12:20, 26-30;
14:7-10; 16:29-33 (NASU)
31“(Ahijah) said to Jeroboam, ‘Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes.”’” (I Kings 11:31)
28“So (Jeroboam) … made two golden calves, and … said to (the people), ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem (to worship); behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” (I Kings 12:28)
10“… behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.” (I Kings 14:10)
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
(1) The Book of First Kings covers the history of Israel over a span of about 120 years.1 However, its focus is very specific – in that it deals primarily (as its name suggests) with the reigns of the various kings who ruled, first over the united kingdom of Israel, and then later over the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah – from the last days of David’s reign (c.f. I Kings 1:1-2:12) to the reigns of Ahaziah and Jehoshaphat (c.f. I Kings 22:41-53).
(2) Nor is First Kings merely a history book, or a book about politics. Rather, it’s basically a theological book2 – first, because the author clearly sees God’s hand at work in the events he records – and second, because each king is evaluated, NOT on the basis of his military victories or political accomplishments, but on his faithfulness to the Lord, as measured by whether or not he obeyed God’s laws and commands.2 Both points are reflected in the passage we read moments ago from chapter eleven, where the Lord told Solomon (in verse eleven): “Because you have … not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I … commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and … give it to your servant” (c.f. I Kings 11:11).
(3) First Kings can be divided into two major sections of eleven chapters each – with chapters one through eleven essentially summarizing the reign of King Solomon, which lasted “forty years” (11:42) (c.f. I Kings 1-11) – while chapters twelve through twenty-two tell us about the various kings who ruled over Israel and Judah for the next eighty years, after the united kingdom split in two (c.f. I Kings 12-22).
(B) THE DIVIDED KINGDOM (I Kings 12-22)
(1) Last time we looked at Solomon’s reign as outlined for us in the first eleven chapters.3 So, tonight I want to start with an overview of the last half of the book, beginning with chapter twelve (c.f. I Kings 12) where a major historical event in the life of the nation of Israel occurs – namely, the dividing of the kingdom into two separate nations.
(a) Back in chapter eleven, we’re told that “the Lord” became “angry with (King) Solomon” because his heart “turned away” from following the Lord to “go after other gods” (c.f. I Kings 11:9-10). As a result, God swore He would “tear the kingdom” from Solomon, and give it to one of his servants. However, because of the Lord’s covenant promise to David, to establish his throne forever (c.f. II Samuel 7:16), He would not tear the entire nation away – but would leave “one tribe” (c.f. I Kings 11:11-13), which turned out to be the tribe of Benjamin, in addition to the tribe of Judah (c.f. I Kings 12:21-24).
(b) None of this happened during the reign of King Solomon, however (c.f. I Kings 11:12). Rather, it took place during the reign of his son, Rehoboam, who followed him to the throne – and who, in one of his first official acts as king, refused to heed the wise counsel of the elders (who advised him to lighten the work load Solomon had put on the people of Israel during his reign), and swore instead to make their burdens even greater, saying (in verse fourteen of chapter twelve): 14“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions” (c.f. I Kings 12:13-14). After which, we’re told (in verse fifteen) that this “was a turn of events from the Lord”, in order to bring about the division of the kingdom just as He had sworn to do (c.f. I Kings 12:15). This does not excuse Rehoboam’s foolish decision, or relieve him of his personal responsibility in the matter4 – but it does show how God sovereignly works through the actions of men to bring about His own plans and purposes.
(c) And so, ten tribes “revolt” against Rehoboam, and make Jeroboam their king (c.f. I Kings 12:20), in keeping with a prophecy made earlier by the prophet Ahijah (c.f. I Kings 11:19-31). These ten tribes become known, from that day forward, as the nation of “Israel” – while two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, remain loyal to the house of David, and become known from that day forward as the nation of “Judah”. Moreover, it should be noted that these two nations never reunite – making this a very significant and painful moment in Old Testament history5 – while also raising the question of how God can possibly fulfill His covenant promises to His people now that they are two separate nations.
(d) Before leaving chapter twelve, we should note that because Jeroboam feared that if the people continued going to Jerusalem to worship God it might eventually lead to the reuniting of the two nations (thereby jeopardizing his own reign as king) (c.f. I Kings 12:26-27), (therefore) one of his first acts as king was to institute a rival system of worship,6 by making two golden calves – placing one in Dan and the other in Bethel – and then saying to the people of Israel (in chapter twelve, verse twenty-eight): 28“It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem (to worship); behold, (here are) your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt” (c.f. I Kings 12:28-29). We’re also told that he made high places all around the country, where people could go and worship – that he “made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi” – that he made a separate central altar on which sacrifices could be offered – and that he instituted a new feast day to rival those in Judah (c.f. I Kings 12:31-33) – thereby leading his people away from the acceptable worship of the true God, into idolatry.
(e) Moreover, whenever later kings of Israel are said to have “walked in the sins of Jeroboam” (c.f. I Kings 16:26 31), it means they continued his practice of encouraging the people of Israel to worship false gods – in direct violation of God’s covenant with His people (c.f. Exodus 20:3-6; 34:12-17). What’s more, it’s this sin in particular that eventually results in Israel going into Assyrian captivity (c.f. I Kings 14:15-16) – a captivity from which she never returns! Hence, we read in Second Kings chapter seventeen that: 22“The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them 23until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day” (c.f. II Kings 17:22-23).
(2) Chapters thirteen and fourteen (c.f. I Kings 13-14) tell us about the reigns of Jeroboam and Rehoboam. We also learn that both kings receive a negative evaluation. For example, the prophet Ahijah tells Jeroboam that because he lead Israel into idolatry, God is going make “a clean sweep” of his house, cutting off every male, so that he has no heir (c.f. I Kings 14:7-11). We’re also told that King Rehoboam failed to provide proper spiritual leadership for the people of Judah, so that they ended up “provoking the Lord to anger by worshipping on high places and in front of sacred pillars, and allowing male cult prostitutes to flourish”. Hence, we’re told (in chapter fourteen, verse twenty-four) that, 24“they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord (had) dispossessed” before them (c.f. I Kings 14:22-24).
One writer notes that the problem in both nations was not that God’s covenant people worshipped other gods to the EXCLUSION of the Lord – but that they tried to mix the worship of the true God with the worship practices of the pagan peoples in the land5 – thereby creating a kind of SYNCRETISTIC worship, if you will. Later, through the prophet Isaiah, God will say that He is not willing to share His worship with any other gods (c.f. Isaiah 42:8).
(3) From chapter fifteen onward, the content of First Kings shifts back and forth between a record of the Kings of Israel and a record of the Kings of Judah – with the various reigns of these kings overlapping – so that we find ourselves reading about one king one moment, and another king the next. Hence, we have to stay alert to keep it all straight.
(a) There is, however, an obvious pattern to the way the material is presented – in that each king is identified by name, as in (chapter fifteen, verse one), “Abijam became king over Judah” (c.f. I Kings 15:1) – the beginning of his reign is then dated by the year of his contemporary in the other kingdom, as in (verse one), “in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam (of Israel) … Abijam became king over Judah” (c.f. I Kings 15:1). Next comes the length of his reign, along with his mother’s name, as in (verse two), “He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacha, the daughter of Abishalom” (c.f. I Kings 15:2) – followed at some point by a divinely inspired evaluation, as in (verse three), “he walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David” (c.f. I Kings 15:3). After that, we may (or may not) be told about some particular incident that occurred during his reign, like (verse seven), “there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam” (c.f. I Kings 15:7) – and finally, after telling us where a record of the rest of his acts can be found (in this case, “in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah”) (c.f. I Kings 15:7), we have a record of his death and burial, as in (verse 8): “And Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place” (c.f. I Kings 15:8). After which the pattern repeats itself with a new king (albeit sometimes with minor variations) (c.f. I Kings 15:9-23).
(b) Chapters fifteen and sixteen, then, give us a very brief account of the first several kings who reigned over Israel and Judah, following the division of the kingdom in the days of Jeroboam and Rehoboam (c.f. I Kings 15-16). Only one of the eight kings mentioned in these chapters receives a favorable evaluation, however – and that’s Asa, king of Judah, of whom it’s said (in part) (in chapter fifteen, verse eleven) that he 11“did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father” – and, that his heart (verse fifteen) 15“was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days” (c.f. I Kings 15:11-15). None of the kings of Israel receive a favorable evaluation (c.f. I Kings 15:26, 34; 16:19, 25).
(c) Toward the end of chapter sixteen we’re introduced to King Ahab of Israel, who plays a prominent role in the rest of the book – while also setting new standards for wickedness. Hence, we’re told (starting in verse thirty-one) that, 31“It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam … that he married Jezebel the daughter of (the) king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. 32So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (c.f. I Kings 16:31-33).
(4) In chapters seventeen through twenty-two (c.f. I Kings 17-22) we meet one of the great figures in Old Testament history – namely, the prophet Elijah, whom God uses to oppose the worship of Baal in Israel.7
(a) Elijah does this (in part) by challenging 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah (who were all being supported by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel from public funds) (c.f. I Kings 18:19) to a kind of spiritual contest, to see whose god really is God. Hence, when all the people of Israel gathered at the contest sight on Mount Carmel, Elijah asked this question (in chapter eighteen, verse twenty-one): “How long will you (continue to) hesitate between two opinions?” (note the reference to religious syncretism!) “If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal (is god), (then) follow him” (c.f. I Kings 18:21) (but don’t keep trying to follow them both).
He then proposed that the prophets of each god build an altar, put a sacrifice on it, and call on their god to send down fire from heaven – with the point being that (verse twenty-four), 24“the God who answers by fire” will prove Himself to be the true God (c.f. I Kings 18:22-24). As you know, only one God answered with fire, and that was the Lord (c.f. I Kings 18:38-39) – after which Elijah order that all the prophets of Baal to be seized and killed for being false prophets, in accordance with Old Testament Law (c.f. Deuteronomy 13:5), which the people obediently did (c.f. I Kings 18:40).
(b) This did not put an end to idolatry in Israel, however – for Ahab and Jezebel were thoroughly committed to promoting the worship of false gods, despite how things turned out on Mount Carmel. Elijah becomes so discouraged, that in chapter nineteen he bemoans the fact that (at least as he sees it) he is the only one left in Israel who is zealous for the Lord and His covenant (c.f. I Kings 19:9, 14). Whereupon, God reveals that He has 7,000 people IN ISRAEL who have not bowed the knee to Baal (c.f. I Kings 19:18) – thereby introducing what one writer has called, the concept of a faithful remnant,8 which will become an important theme among God’s prophets in the future (see for example: Isaiah 11:11; Jeremiah 31:7).
(c) In chapter twenty-one, Jezebel uses religion to have a man named Naboth murdered, so King Ahab can have a vineyard he has been coveting (c.f. I Kings 21:1-16). This prompts an immediate prophetic response from Elijah, to the effect that Ahab’s house will become like Jeroboam’s, in that the Lord will sweep away all his heirs so that his dynasty dies (c.f. I Kings 21:17-22) – while of Jezebel it is said (in verse twenty-three) that, “the dogs will eat (her body) in the district of Jezreel” (c.f. I Kings 21:23) (which is exactly what happens in Second Kings chapter nine) (c.f. II Kings 9:30-37).
Interestingly, Ahab shows signs of repentance by putting on sackcloth and fasting (c.f. I Kings 21:27) – whereupon God does something absolutely unexpected and amazing, in that He graciously delays the judgment He has promised to bring upon Ahab’s house until after his death (c.f. I Kings 21:28-29). Such is the grace and mercy, and kindness and goodness of our God – that He would show that kind of mercy and kindness to a man like Ahab (c.f. I Kings 21:25-26)!
(C) LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
(1) I want to draw this message to a close, then, by pointing out a couple of lessons we can learn from what we’ve seen the past two weeks – starting with the importance of having a world view that sees God’s hand at work in historical and personal events.
(a) As we said earlier, the author of First Kings clearly sees God at work in the events he records. Hence, King Solomon says, for example (in chapter two, verse twenty-four): “THE LORD … HAS ESTABLISHED ME and set me on the throne of David my father” (c.f. I Kings 2:24) – while in chapter four, verse twenty-nine, the author says that, “GOD GAVE SOLOMON WISDOM and very great discernment and breadth of mind” (c.f. I Kings 4:29).
In chapter eleven (verse fourteen), we’re told that “THE LORD RAISED UP an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite … of the royal line of Edom” (c.f. I Kings 11:14) – and again (in verse twenty-three), that “GOD ALSO RAISED UP another adversary to (Solomon), Rezon the son of Eliada …” (c.f. I Kings 11:23).
When Rehoboam refuses to listen to the counsel of the elders, thereby setting in motion the events that lead to the division of Israel into two nations, chapter twelve (verse fifteen) says: “it was a turn of events FROM THE LORD” (c.f. I Kings 12:15) – nor did Jeroboam become king over the Northern Kingdom of Israel by accident, for God says (in chapter fourteen, verse seven): “I EXALTED YOU … and made you leader over My people …” (c.f. I Kings 14:7). The same thing is said of Baasha, one of Israel’s more wicked kings, who only lasted two years because of his excessive evil (c.f. I Kings 16:1-2).
In chapter seventeen, it is THE LORD who commands the ravens to provide for the prophet Elijah in the wilderness (c.f. I Kings 17:4-6) – in chapter nineteen, it is THE LORD who has preserved 7,000 people in Israel who have not worshiped Baal (c.f. I Kings 19:18) – and in chapter twenty-two, it is the “THE LORD (who) put(s) a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all (Ahab’s false prophets)”, who promise he will be victorious in battle, when God has determined that this will be the battle in which he dies (c.f. I Kings 22:23).
(b) As Christians, you and I need to adopt a similar world view regarding the historical and personal events we see unfolding around us – from the election of presidents, to the passage of universal health care – from the repercussions that come as a result of the choices we have made, to whether or not our plans for tomorrow turn out the way we hoped.
This is not an excuse to act irresponsibly, or justify ourselves when we have done wrong. But it is to say that we would do well to learn to see every aspect of life through the lens of God’s sovereignty – whereby nothing comes to pass that He has not ordained in some manner.9
(2) Second, not only political leaders – but even ordinary citizens like ourselves, going about our everyday lives – need to learn that, in the end, God is NOT going to judge us on the basis of our personal accomplishments or societal awards, but on whether or not we obeyed His laws and commands.
(a) Hence, in evaluating the life and reign of each of Israel and Judah’s kings, we’re told (for example) that the heart of Abijam, King of Judah, “was NOT wholly devoted to the Lord his God” (c.f. I Kings 15:3). On the other hand, we’re told that Asa, King of Judah “did what was RIGHT in the sight of the Lord” (c.f. I Kings 15:11).
Likewise, we’re told that Nadab, King of Israel, “did EVIL in the sight of the Lord” (c.f. I Kings 15:26) – as did King Baasha of Israel (c.f. I Kings 15:34).
It’s also said of King Omri of Israel that he “did EVIL in the sight of the Lord, and acted MORE WICKEDLY than all who were before him” (c.f. I Kings 16:25) – while his son, King Ahab, “DID (EVEN) MORE to provoke the Lord God of Israel than (his father, and) all the (other) kings of Israel who were before him” (c.f. I Kings 16:33).
(b) I’m not suggesting for a moment that you and I shouldn’t be involved in the life of our community, or strive to contribute to well-being of the society in which God has placed us. But I am saying that we need to understand God is not going to judge us by how many plaques we have on our wall, or how many certificates of appreciate we’ve received – He’s not going to measure us by how many trophies line our shelves, or the number of records we hold, or how many championships we have won, or how commendations we’ve received at work! None of these things will carry any weight with Him (like they often do with us). What WILL matter, is whether or not we have made every effort (by Christ’s enabling grace) to keep His laws and commands (c.f. John 14:15; I John 5:3) – and fled to Him in repentance, seeking His cleansing and forgiveness when we fell short (c.f. I John 1:8-10).
(3) Finally (although we have only scratched the surface when it comes to the lessons we can learn from the Book of First Kings), as Christians we need to guard against the natural, fallen tendency toward spiritual decline that can occur in the life of any nation, as well as our own personal lives.10
(a) The nation of Israel reaches its spiritual zenith under the reign of King Solomon – especially with the building and dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, as the place where God was to be exclusively worshipped. Indeed, we’re told (in chapter eight, verse eleven) that “the glory of the Lord (once again) filled the house of the Lord” (c.f. I Kings 8:11), just like it had in the days of Moses (c.f. Exodus 40:34).
(b) But, that pinnacle is quickly followed by the beginnings of spiritual decline – some of it instituted by Solomon himself, who, in the last days of his own life, started worshipping other gods in addition to the God of Israel (c.f. I Kings 11:4-8). His son Rehoboam passively misled Judah even further, by not putting a stop to the peoples’ worship of other gods on every high place throughout the land (c.f. I Kings 14:22-24). King Asa would temporarily stem this downward slid (c.f. I Kings 15:9-15) – but after him the decline continues, until God eventually sends Judah off into Babylonian captivity.
In Israel things deteriorate even faster, as each succeeding king contributes to the downward spiritual spiral of that Northern Kingdom, into ever greater apostasy and idolatry – so that God eventually sends that nation off into an Assyrian captivity from which they never recover.
(c) The warning for us is clear – both from Solomon’s example, as well as the example of the nations of Israel and Judah. No matter how well we begin, we must strive (by Christ’s enabling grace) to persevere all the way to the end. Regardless of how well we start out, we must strive to finish strong. Hence, Paul (using the imagery of a race) exhorts us in one place to “run in such a way that (we) may win” (c.f. I Corinthians 9:24) – while in another place he says: “let us run with perseverance the race (God has) marked out for us” (c.f. Hebrews 12:1, NIV).
1Mathison: From Age to Age (The Unfolding of Biblical
Eschatology); pgs. 98-99.
2Ryken: Ryken’s Bible Handbook; p. 149.
3http://www.wpcpca.org/Archive/05-09-10-pm.html
4The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on I Kings 12:15;
p. 494.
5Ryken: Ibid; p. 156.
6The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on I Kings 12:25-33;
p. 495.
7The English Standard Study Bible: Footnote on I Kings
17:1-22:40; p. 632.
8Mathison: Ibid; p. 103.
9The Westminster Confession of Faith; Chapter V – Of
Providence; paragraph 1.