Week 22, May 25–31: 1 Kings 12–2 Kings 9; Psalms 66–72

• Sun      May 25            1 Kings 12–14 Ps. 66
• Mon     May 26            1 Kings 15–16 Ps. 67
• Tue      May 27            1 Kings 17–19 Ps. 68
• Wed     May 28            1 Kings 20–22 Ps. 69
• Thu      May 29            2 Kings 1–3     Ps. 70
• Fri        May 30            2 Kings 4–6     Ps. 71
• Sat       May 31            2 Kings 7–9     Ps. 72

We finish 1 Kings this week and continue reading into 2 Kings. As with 1–2 Samuel, the narrative moves along without a major disruption as we turn the page from 1 to 2 Kings. Together, these books tell the stories of the successions of kings in what is now a divided kingdom, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The books of 1–2 Chronicles will retell the same basic history, but it will do so with more of a focus on the kings of Judah, the line of David. Here in 1–2 Kings, we read of the southern kingdom and its kings as well, but there is also quite a bit of attention given to the northern kingdom, Israel, and its kings.

As we read through these accounts it may be helpful to keep in mind points of similarity and difference between Israel and its kings and Judah and its kings. In Judah, the kings all descend from David’s line and continue the dynasty established back in 2 Samuel 7. While there is one dynasty through all of Judah’s history, all the way up to the exile of Judah into Babylon, there are 10 different dynasties in Israel. The throne is not always passed down to a successor from the same family line, like in Judah. In fact, kings in Israel are often displaced through violent takeover, with the new king killing the previous king and all potential heirs to the throne. Both Israel and Judah see the reign of 20 kings over the course of their existence as a divided kingdom, but in Judah, they all descend from David’s line.

Of the 20 kings in Judah, eight of them are said to be somewhat faithful, more or less following the Lord and walking in the ways of David to one degree or another. Only two of the kings of Judah, Hezekiah and Josiah, are fully faithful. This contrasts with the kings of Israel, all of whom are unfaithful and seem to grow progressively more idolatrous and sinful from one to the next. Judah’s kings also rebel against God and lead wicked lives, and even David’s time as king was marked by horrible sin. Generally speaking, however, Judah’s kings are more obedient to the Lord than the kings of Israel.

While we don’t necessarily want to get ahead of ourselves, we do know from Deuteronomy where the sequence of events in Israel and Judah’s history is all heading. Both Israel and Judah will eventually end up in exile out of the land because of their sin. We will read about this next week. Israel will be defeated by Assyria and brought into exile there (2 Kings 17). Then at the end of 2 Kings, Judah will be defeated and brought into exile in Babylon (2 Kings 25). This perspective helps inform our reading of each successive king, both in Israel and in Judah. Their sin and the sin of the people under these kings’ leadership will lead to tragic consequences eventually.

In the books of Samuel and Kings, the kings obviously play a prominent role. Prophets are also important figures in these narratives. They sometimes serve as contrasting characters to the kings. In fact, the prophets are often directly at odds with the kings. Whether its Samuel to Saul, Nathan to David, or Elijah to Ahab, the prophets are the ones tasked with the difficult job of rebuking the wayward kings with words from God. They are responsible for calling Israel and Judah and their kings to repent and turn back to covenant faithfulness and to walk in the ways of the Lord. Sadly, they are often unsuccessful in these efforts.

As spokesmen (and sometimes spokeswomen) for the Lord, they highlight the fact that God is unchanging and faithful to his word and his promises. When things are going badly for Israel and Judah, it might look like God’s promises are failing. But really things are playing out exactly as he said they would. The trouble they are facing is because of their sin and it lines up exactly with what God had said would happen back in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Later in our reading, when we get to the books of the writing prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), we will see repeated and developed many of these themes that arise in these narrative accounts of Israel and Judah’s history. The messages of those later prophetic books will reflect back on what we have read in these historical books and give additional prophetic perspective on the decline and eventual exile of Israel and Judah.

All of this demonstrates the need for something different—a new reality. For God’s people to experience the blessings of relationship with him, and for them to be redeemed to him as his people after generations of rebellion and sin, there must be a new covenant and a new king to rule over God’s people. The authors of these books of Israel’s and Judah’s history wrote in such a way, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that develops a gradually building anticipation for a coming Davidic king who will reign forever on the throne of God’s kingdom. In this way, reading 1–2 Kings as Christian Scripture helps us see more clearly the good news of the gospel of Christ.