Authorship

Like most books of the Bible, the author of Kings is unknown. Most believe that the book is a compilation of records, with some scholars believing priestly writers to be responsible and others attributing it to prophets.

The complaint of a priestly writer being responsible is where in the northern kingdom, which had turned away from God, was there a suitable priest to keep track of the history?[1]

I understand the unlikelihood of a God-fearing priest present in the northern kingdom, however I don't think this rules out the possibility of a priestly author. Even in the midst of Sodom and Gomorrah, God found Lot and in the midst of the whole earth, God found Noah; this is evidence that even in dismal situations there's always at least one person shining for God. Perhaps there was at least one priest in the north that had not lost his way. Further, we've seen countless examples of God using non-believers to fulfill his purpose. It is quite possible that the person was in sin but God blessed them to keep accurate records simply because He wanted us to have those records. We can't say for sure one way or the other whether this was the case in the authorship of Kings.

Scholars conclude that if the compilation is priestly, Ezra was the final editor, but if the compilation was written by prophets, either Jeremiah or Ezekiel would have been the final editor.[1] Some lean heavier toward Jeremiah due to the similarities between 2 Kings 24-25 and Jeremiah 52.[2]

Dating the Book

1 Kings begins with the death of David in 970 BC and 2 Kings ends with the release of King Jehoiachin from prison in 560 BC. The book is a compilation of records detailing the history of Israel during this time. While it is impossible to identify when each record was written, we know that final compilation could not have been completed before the release of Jehoaichin in 560 BC, since that event is covered in the text. However, 2 Kings does not discuss the return of the Jews to their land, which occurred in 536 BC. This is too major of an event to exclude had the book been compiled after the fact. Thus, it is assumed that the text must have been completed before the return in 536 BC. This gives us an estimated date of completion between 560 and 536 BC.

Themes

The Book of Kings focuses on the kings of Israel (hence the name of the book) and the prophets the serve during each king's reign. In this set of books, we learn the role of each of office, as well as, a bit about revival.

Kings

Through the Davidic covenant, kings were seen as the moral representative of the nation. Blessings and punishments flowed based on the kings action. This pattern continued through the king Azariah (or Uzziah).

Prophets

Prophets were not all the same. Some were miracle workers like Elisha, but others were simply delivering information like Gad or Micah. Kings establishes them before we dive into their writings found later in the Bible.

Revival

Revivals of the kings happened on an individual level and occasionally had a few effects on society as a whole, but the effects never lasted. The nation always returned to idolatry.

Chapter by Chapter Breakdown

1 Kings

2 Kings

Important People

1 Kings

2 Kings

Kings Discussed in 1 Kings

Kings Discussed in 2 Kings

Lessons Learned: Corrupt Leaders Corrupt Society

I think it's quite fitting that I'm reading 1 & 2 Kings at the beginning of Trump's tenure as president of the United States. We're only nine days in and he's already causing quite the commotion. The leader of a nation has the power to effect how their citizens behave, as well as, the people in surrounding nations. When I was younger, I believed people were not likely to give up their morals for "the powers that be." However, that's exactly what happened just before the Holocaust. The Nazi's took over and suddenly everything changed for the Jews. Hate crimes have been on the rise since President Trump's campaign took off and now Muslims have been banned from re-entering the country. We want to believe the best about people, but bad leadership brings out the worst in people and unfortunately, the worse is there to be brought out.

1 Kings follows the monarchs of Israel, both as a united kingdom and as a divided kingdom. While there are a few decent leaders, most of the kings (particularly in the northern kingdom) are idolators who drive the Israelites into paganism. When these kings sanction pagan sacrifices and worship, the people follow suit. It probably started with those who just wanted a seat at the table, so to speak. Like in the world today, there are people who will easily give up their morals for money or power. Once the powerful players are corrupted, society follows suit from peer pressure. Suddenly, those who are trying to do the right thing are the minority and ostracized for their beliefs. In Israel, prophets like Elijah were hunted down for staying true to God, just as people who try to adhere to God's word today are often criticized.

Over the next four years (if we make it that far), I expect to see the hate that Donald Trump has been normalizing to spill into our day-to-day lives. However, we must be like Elijah and stand firm in the love and compassion God has given us through His spirit.

Lessons Learned: The Kings of Israel

The book of kings takes us from the appointing of Saul as king, to the division of Israel, through the fall of both kingdoms. A major focus is the Israelites' constant struggle with idolatry. Idolatry has always been mankind's weakness and plays heavily in the events of the end days. The reason idolatry is so prominent, I believe, is that we are easily able to convince ourselves that things like stealing, murder, and lying are wrong, regardless of where we stand with God. However, pagan festivities (like Halloween) appear harmless and “fun,” which means it requires a deeper relationship with God to reject such things. However, the more we indulge in such activities, the weaker our relationship with God becomes (making it harder and harder to reject idolatry).

Kings of Israel

Keeping the kings of Israel straight is difficult, especially when several of them share a name. Below, I'm provide a table with information on each kings rule for reference. Estimates of the years in which each king reigned were taken are cited below and are based on E.R. Thiele's calculations.[3]

References & Footnotes

1. William MacDonald. Believer's Bible Commentary, pg. 350. 1995
2. David Malick. "An Introduction to the Books of First and Second Kings". Bible.org. June 30, 2004
3. Edwin R. Thiele. "The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings". Wikipedia; visited April 2017
4. William MacDonald. Believers Bible Commentary, pg. 407. 1998
5. "Pekah". Wikipedia; visited April 2017