1 Kings

Date Written: 561BC – 539BC

Author: Unknown, but thought to be Jeremiah or a group of prophets

Setting:I Kings begins with a nation united under David, the most devout king in Israel’s history. The book ends with a divided kingdom & the death of Ahab, the most wicked king of all. What happened? The people forgot to acknowledge God as their ultimate leader. They appointed human leaders who ignored God & then they conformed to the life styles of these evil leaders. Occasional wrongdoing gradually turned into a way of life. Their blatant wickedness could be met only with judgment from God, who allowed enemy nations to arise & defeat Israel & Judah in battle as punishment for their sins.

Key People: David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel

Purpose:To contrast the lives of those who live for God & those who refuse to do so through the history of the kings of Israel & Judah. To show the value of obeying God & the danger of disobeying God.

Key Verses: So give Your servant a discerning heart to govern Your people & to distinguish between right & wrong. 3:9

“As for you, if you walk before Me in integrity of heart & uprightness, as David your father did, & do all I command & observe My decrees & laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said,  “You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel”. 9:4-5

Chapter Outline:

1-4 King Solomon’s Reign

5-8 Temple Construction

9-10 Queen of Sheba

11-16 Kingdom Splits

17-22 Prophet Elijah

Importance of reading I Kings:

What we read: Solomon was the wisest king in the history of Israel, but he allowed his  wives to bring their false gods & false worship into Israel. What we can learn: It isn’t enough to have wisdom if you don’t obey God. What you allow in your life will affect you.

What we read: Even though the Israelites had God’s law & experienced His presence among them, they turned to other gods. Their hearts became cold to God’s law. What we can learn: Unless we serve the one true living God, we can not be saved.

What we read: It was the prophet’s responsibility to confront & correct the people if they weren’t obeying God’s law. Elijah’s messages & miracles were a warning to the evil & rebellious kings & people. What we can learn: The Bible, preachers who preach truth & the wise counsel of believers are warnings to us if we are straying from God. Anyone who points out how we deviate from obeying God’s Word is a blessing to us. Changing our lives in order to obey God & get back on track takes discipline.

What we read:Whenever the people repented & returned to God, He heard their prayers & forgave them. What we can learn: God hears us & forgives us when we are willing to turn from our sin & repent.

What we read: In chapter 1:11-14, when Nathan heard about Adonijah’s conspiracy, he immediately tried to stop it. He was a man of both faith & action. What can we learn: We often know what is right but don’t act on it. Maybe we don’t want to get involved or we are fearful. Pray & ask God if He is wanting you to take any action to correct the situation.

What we read:Marriage between royal families was a common practice in the ancient Near East because it secured peace. Although Solomon’s marital alliances built friendships with surrounding nations, they were also the beginning of his downfall because these wives brought their pagan practices & gods to Jerusalem & eventually lured him into idolatry. He had a weak spot & that is where the enemy struck. What we can learn: God gives us standards to follow for all of our relationships, including marriage. We are not to be unequally yoked. Know what your weak spots are because that is where the enemy will strike. Strengthen & protect your weak areas.

What we read: Solomon didn’t turn away from God all at once or in a brief moment. His spiritual coldness started with a minor departure from God’s laws. Over the years, that little sin grew until it resulted in his downfall. What we can learn: A little sin can be the first step in turning away from God. It’s the sins we excuse that cause us the most trouble. We must never let any sin remain, no matter how small we think it is.

What we read: Chapter 8:56-60, Solomon praised God & prayed for the people. What we can learn: His prayer can be a pattern for our prayers. He had 5 basic requests: 1) for God’s presence 2) for the desire to do God’s will in everything 3) for help with each day’s need 4) for the desire & ability to obey God’s decrees & commands 5) for the spread of God’s kingdom to the entire world.

What we read:Chapter 12:1-32, this prophet had been given strict orders from God not to eat or drink anything while on his mission. He died because he listened to a man who claimed to have a message for God. What we can learn: If what God says & what man says contradicts each other, always follow what God says.

What we read: Chapter 16:1-7 God destroyed Jeroboam’s descendants for their sins, yet Baasha repeated the same mistakes. He didn’t learn from the example of those who went before him. What we can learn: Make sure you learn from the past mistakes of others & don’t repeat those mistakes. There are many examples in the Bible of what not to do.

What we read: God uses ravens to feed Elijah. What we can learn:God has help where we least expect it. He provides for us in ways we would have never expected.

What we read:Chapter 18, the prophets of Baal called to their god all afternoon, but no one answered them. Their god was silent because it wasn’t real. What we can learn:We may not have idols of wood or stone, but anything you depend on instead of God is your idol. Power, status, money, etc, can become your gods. But when you are in a crisis & call out to them, there will only be silence.

Things to think about as you read I Kings:

• Remember that you are reading about the lives of real people. Observe the opportunities God gives them, His instructions to them & how they respond. Watch when they succeed & when they fail & notice why & learn from it.
• Have you seen God’s graciousness & long-suffering? God doesn’t retaliate, but instead He seeks to bring us to repentance & obedience.
• Have you seen how a person can start well in their walk with the Lord & then turn away? What do you think causes this? What can you do to prevent this in your own life? What lessons have you learned from the kings & their relationship with God that you can apply to your life?
• Notice the sovereignty of God & how He turns hearts, directs spirits, raises up & puts down kings & others in order to accomplish His purpose & will.
• Have you been thinking that you had to be perfect before God could use you? Did you see how Elijah was a man of like passions just like us, yet God used him? When David’s life was over, God called him a man after His own heart. Failures & all, David was a man of God because he believed & obeyed God & repented when he sinned.

II Kings

Date Written: 561BC – 539BC

Author: Unknow, but possibly Jeremiah or a group of prophets.

Setting: The once united nation of Israel has been divided into two kingdoms, Israel & Judah, for over a century. II Kings opens with Elijah being carried to heaven. But the book ends with the people of Judah being carried off to foreign lands as humiliated slaves – the result of failing to follow God. II Kings is an illustration of what happens when we make anything more important than God, when we make the wrong alliances, when our consciences become desensitized to right & wrong & when we are no longer able to discern god’s purpose for our lives. We may fail, like the people of Judah & Israel, but God’s promises do not. He is always there to help us straighten out our lives & start over. And that is what would happen in the book of Ezra. When the people acknowledged their sins, God was ready & willing to help them return to their land & start again. 

Key People: Elijah, Elisha, Shunammite woman, Naaman, Jezebel, Jehu, Joash, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Isaiah, Manasseh, Josiah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar

Purpose: To show the fate that waits those who refuse to make God their true leader.

Key Verses: The Lord warned Israel & Judah through all His prophets & seers. “Turn from your evil ways. Observe My commands & decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey & that I delivered to you through My servants the prophets.” But they would not listen & were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 17:13-14

And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven & earth. 19:15

Chapter Outline:

1-8 The Prophet Elisha

9-16 Kings of Judah & Israel

17-21 Fall of Israel

22-23 King Josiah

24-25 Fall of Judah

Importance of reading II Kings:

What we read: The purpose of Elisha’s ministry was to restore respect for God & His message & he stood firmly against the evil kings of Israel. By faith, with courage & prayer, he revealed not only God’s judgment on sin, but also His mercy, love & tenderness toward faithful people. What we can learn: Elisha’s mighty miracles showed that God controls not only great armies, but also events in everyday life. When we listen to & obey God, He shows us His power to transform any situation.

What we read: God had been patient with His people for hundreds of years. He sent many prophets to guide them. He gave them warnings of coming destruction. But even God’s patience has limits. What we can learn: God is patient with us. He gives us many chances to hear His message, to turn from sin & to believe Him. His patience doesn’t mean He is ok with how we live. At some point, His patience will end & we will be judged.   

What we read: 80% of the kings were evil. They allowed & followed pagan religions instead of following God. What we can learn: We are living in a corrupt world not much different than they were back then. True worship of God seems rare.  But we must choose to be a David, an Elijah or an Elisha, who were devoted to God’s high honor & moral law. We must make up our mind that we will not be moved by the things of this world & remain faithful & true to living our lives for the glory of God.

What we read:In chapter 2, God granted Elisha’s request because Elisha’s motives were pure. He wasn’t wanting to be better or more powerful than Elijah, but he was wanting to do more for God. What we can learn: If our motives are pure, we don’t have to be afraid to ask great things from God.

What we read:Chapter 4 tells of the widow & her sons. They collected jars from their neighbors & the oil kept filling up the jars. It only stopped when they no longer had any jars. What we can learn: God could have just kept filling up the widow’s jar that she had, but instead her sons had to go out & collect jars to be filled. That showed faith, that they believed they would be filled. We have to put action to our faith & live like we believe God will do what He has said He will do.

What we read: Chapter 5 – Naaman had leprosy. He became angry  when Elisha told him to wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River. The Jordan River was small & dirty & he felt this was beneath a man of his position. But he had to humble himself & obey Elisha’s commands in order to be healed. What we can learn: Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by obeying, you will receive His blessing. Remember, God’s ways are best, He wants our obedience more than anything else & He can use anything to accomplish His purposes.

What we read: Chapter 7, when Elisha prophesied God’s deliverance, the king’s officer said it couldn’t happen. The officer’s faith & hope were gone. What we can learn: If you keep your eyes on the situation, you will convince yourself that it is impossible & you will lose all hope. Keep your eyes on God & build your faith up by reminding yourself that nothing is impossible for God.

What we read: Chapter 10, Jehu went far beyond the Lord’s command with this bloodbath. The prophet Hosea later announced punishment upon Jehu’s dynasty for this senseless slaughter. What we can learn: Many times in history, “religious” people have mixed faith with personal gain, power or cruelty, without God’s consent or blessing. When people attack Christianity because of atrocities that “Christians” carried out, help them to see that those people were using faith for  their own political ends & not following God.

What we read: Chapter 12, Joash didn’t go far enough in removing sin from the nation, bet he did much that was good & right. What can we learn: Is partial obedience good enough? Is that all that God requires? When you aren’t sure if you are in complete obedience or only partial, ask yourself: 1) Does the Bible prohibit this action? 2) Does this action take me away from loving, worshiping or serving God?  3) Does it make me its slave? 4) Is it bringing out the best in me, consistent with God’s purpose? 5) Does it benefit other believers? 6) Is the Holy Spirit convicting me?

What we read: Chapter 17:9, ruin came upon Israel for both their public sins & their secret sins. Not only did they condone wickedness & idolatry in public, but they committed even worse sins in private. What we can learn: Sins done in private aren’t secret to God. He sees & He knows.

What we read: The new settlers in Israel worshiped God without giving up their pagan customs. They treated Him as another idol to add to their collection. What we can learn: Many people today do the same thing. It isn’t that they don’t believe in God, they may even pray to Him, yet they haven’t given up & turned away from their other false religions. Jesus is the only way, not one of many ways.

What we read: Chapter 19, Sennacherib, whose armies had captured all the fortified cities of Judah, sent a message to Hezekiah to surrender. Realizing the situation was hopeless, Hezekiah went to the temple & prayed. God answered his prayer & delivered Judah by sending an army to attack the Assyrian camp. What we can learn: Prayer should be our first response in any crisis. But don’t wait until things are hopeless, pray daily for God’s guidance.

What we read: Manasseh was an evil king & he angered God with his sin. He practiced the occult, sorcery, divination & he consulted mediums & spiritists. What we can learn: These things open the door to demonic influences. Don’t let the enemy convince you that these things are harmless. They are counterfeits of God’s power & have at their root a system of beliefs totally opposed to God.  

Things to think about as you read II Kings:

• As you read about the lives of Elijah & Elisha, what do you learn about faith & trusting God?
• As you think about the captivity of Israel & Judah & the reasons for their captivity, what do you learn about the necessity of living a righteous life? What practical applications can you make to your own life? Remember, walking your own way may be pleasurable for a while, but a just God must hold you accountable.
• As you studied I & II Kings you saw that what God says will happen eventually comes to pass. Since His Word stands & none can alter it, can you see how critical it is that you believe God & hold to His Word no matter what others say or do?

Video Link: https://youtu.be/7OIWszQ6wEc?si=o8A4mm3pRGYN8-ty

Blessings,

Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry