First and Second Kings.
Name. The name is taken from the Kings whose deeds they narrate.
Contents. It takes up the history of Israel where Second Samuel left
off and gives the account of the death of David, the reign of Solomon,
the Divided Kingdom, and the captivity.
Purpose. The political changes of Israel are given in order to show
the religious condition. Everywhere there is a conflict between faith
and unbelief, between the worship of Jehovah and the worship of Baal.
We see wicked kings who introduce false worship and righteous kings
who bring about reforms and try to overthrow false worship. Israel
yields to evil and is finally cut off, but Judah repents and is
restored to perpetuate the kingdom and to be the medium through
which Jesus came.
The Kingdom of Solomon. Solomon began in glory, flourished a while and
then ended in disgrace. He sacrificed the most sacred principles of
the nation in order to form alliances with other nations. He attempted
to concentrate all worship on Mount Moriah, probably hoping that in
this way he might control all nations. He finally became a tyrant and
robbed the people of their liberty.
The Two Kingdoms. This is a sad story of dissension and war and
defeat. Israel or the northern kingdom was always jealous of Judah. It
was by far the stronger and possessed a much larger and more fertile
land. There were nineteen king, from Jeroboam to Hoshea, whose names
and the number of years they reigned should be learned together with
the amount of scripture included in the story of each. Judah or the
southern kingdom was always a little more faithful to the true
worship. There were twenty kings, from Rehoboam to Zedekiah, whose
lives with the number of years they reigned and the scripture passages
describing each, should be tabulated and learned.
The Captivity. It is made clear that the captivity is because of sin.
God having spared them for a long time. (1) Israel was taken captivity
by the Assyrian Empire, whose capital was Nineveh. This marks the end
of the northern tribes. (2) Judah was captured by the Babylonian
Empire, but after a period of seventy years, the people were restored
to their own land.
Analysis of First Kings.
I. The Reign of Solomon, Chs. 1-11.
1. His accession, Chs. 1-4.
2. Building the Temple, Chs. 5-8.
3. His greatness and sin, Chs. 9-11.
II. The Revolt and Sin of The Ten Tribes. Chs. 12-16.
III. The Reign of Ahab and the Career of Elijah, Chs. 17-22.
Analysis of Second Kings.
I. The last days of Elijah, Chs. 1-2.
II. The career of Elisha, Chs. 3-8.
III. The dynasty of Jehu, Chs. 9-14.
IV. The fall of Israel, Chs. 15-17.
V. The Kingdom of Judah, Chs. 18-25.
For Study and Discussion (1) Contrast the character of David with that
of Solomon. Give the ideal elements and the defects of each. Also
compare them as rulers. (2) Contrast the character of Elijah with that
of Elisha. Point out the elements of strength and weakness in each.
Compare the great moral and religious truth taught by each as well as
the great deeds performed by them. (3) Study this as the cradle of
liberty. Note Elijah's resistance of tyrants and Ahab in the vineyard
of Naboth. Look for other instances. (4) Consider the place of the
prophets. Note their activity in the affairs of government. Glance
through these books and make a list of all prophets who are named and
note the character of their message and the king or nation to whom
each spoke. (5) Make a list of the kings of Israel and learn the story
of Jeroboam I, Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Jeroboam II and Hoshea. (6) Make a
list of the kings of Judah and learn the principal events and the
general character of the reign of Rehoboam, Jehoshaphat, Joash,
Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah and Zedekiah. (7) The fall of
Judah. (8) The failure of human governments, (a) the cause, (b) the
manifestation and result.
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