05 / 10 / 2011 + A COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS By FR. TADROS Y. MALATY ------------------- AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF THE KINGS The Holy Book is not a historical record of certain events concerning a specific nation or people, but it is a talk that touches the kingdom of God among His people, and His kingdom within every human soul. Even if it parades the history of Israel before and after the division, it actually parades God’s dealings with us, and reveals to us a fact that touches our depths, namely, to receive God our Savior – a King over our hearts, to ordain our whole life, until we reach the fellowship of His glories. We know from the book of Genesis of the presence of kings of Edom before the existence of Israel; but, while the glory of this world goes away like grass, the kingdom of God endures forever, as the Lord Christ, the Son of David, came to reign forever, and to set His believers, kings who enjoy the fellowship of His glory. The first and second books of Samuel came as an introduction to the two books of the kings, to tell us the origin of the royal government in king Saul, and the origin of the royal household in David, for which the first and second books of kings specifically cared, as from it, the Word of God came incarnate. The topic of the first and second books of the kings: The first and the second books of the kings are originally one book, that tell us the story of the royal household of David, with the realization of the divine promise to David to set his son Solomon a king, who would build the temple of God. But the unfaithfulness of Solomon, and the foolishness of his son Rehoboam, led to the division of kingdom. These two books cover a period of 455 years from the year 1015 to the year 560 B.C.; namely, from the enthronement of Solomon until the reign of Evil-Merodach king of Babylon (son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar) (2 kings 25: 27-30). This period could be divided into three stages: (1) The first stage: (1015 to 975 B.C): covers the reign of king Solomon on a united kingdom that embraced the twelve tribes of Israel (1 Kings 1-11). a- The beginning of his reign (1 – 2) b- The growth of his power and glory (3: 1 – 5: 14); Building and dedicating the temple (5: 15 – 9: 9); Caring for establishing a commercial maritime fleet (10); And the extension of his reputation and wealth on an exalted world-wide level (10). c- The beginning of his rolling down because of his marriage to a multitude of foreign women, and of idol-worship (11), which caused his heart to turn away from God. And ended up in the rebellion of ten tribes of Israel against the house of David. (2) The second stage: (975 to 722 B.C.): that begins by the division of the kingdom into two kingdoms that lived side by side, sometimes in controversy and struggle, and other times in alliance; a period that ended up by the collapse of the kingdom of Israel (of the ten tribes) on the hands of the Assyrians. This period began by the revolt of the ten tribes against David’s royal kingdom, and the establishment of an independent kingdom. The two kingdoms (Israel and Judah) passed through three stages: a- Enmity between the two kingdoms from the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel (12: 1 – 28: 16). b- Friendship and intermarriage between the two royal kingdoms in the days of Ahab and his children, until the perdition of Joram, king of Israel and Ahaziah, king of Judah on the hand of Jehu (16: 29 – 2 Kings 10). c- Renewal of the enmity between the two kingdoms from the day Jehu reigned over Israel, and Athaliah over Judah, until the destruction of the kingdom of Israel in the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah over Judah (11 – 17). (3) The third stage: (722 560 B.C.), embracing the period of continuity of the kingdom of Judah until its total destruction on the hands of the Babylonians who carried the people captives to Babylon, It extended until the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin in captivity. Important historical events: The four centuries covered by the first and the second books of the kings constituted a period of continuous disturbances in the old world, and of transfer of the world powers. The Assyrian threat has been extremely violent through the last fifty years of the kingdom of Israel (the Northern kingdom). The Assyrian state in the days of ‘Tiglath Pileser the third’ carried out three destructive attacks against Israel in the years 732, 733, and 734 B.C. And the kingdom of Israel utterly fell under the Assyrian dominion, and was captivated ten years later (722 B.C.) in the days of ‘Sergon the second’. Concerning the kingdom of Judah, although Syria and Assyria threatened it every now and then, yet the most destructive and violent enemy has been Babylon, that captivated it three times in the years 605, 597, and 588 B.C. The last siege lasted two years, and ended up in the utter falling down of Jerusalem in the year 587 B.C., the destruction of the temple, and the captivation of thousands from Judah to Babylon. The two books of the kings: 1- The first book of the kings starts by King David, and the second book ends up by the reign of Babylon. 2- The first book of the kings starts by building the temple of the Lord; and the second book ends up by its destruction. 3- The first book of the kings starts by the first successor of king David – Solomon – and the second book ends up by the last one – Jehoiachin – who was taken captive to Babylon. The prophetic work in the era of the kings: The first and the second books of the kings actually constitute a parade of God’s dealings with His people, on the level of the leaderships, as well as that of the common people. According to some, the two books of the kings are in their depths, two prophetic and instructive books. Beside being historical books, their goal, through history, is to present prophecy and instruction; Although that period of four centuries, has been the era of the kingdom, whether united or divided; yet, according to the prophets, it was the period of the reign of God Himself through the kings; the period of the divine reign. A theocratic royal system: God is the true unseen King of a people, who enjoy His covenant, and ought to abide to it. God commanded the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul the first king over Israel; then to anoint David a king in his place, on account of he that “he was a man after God’s own heart”. … God sent the prophet Nathan to king David with a divine promise “to establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7: 13). And when David committed iniquity, Nathan came to threaten him with punishment from the Lord; Yet, when David confessed his sin and repented, he proclaimed the divine forgiveness and blessings (2 Samuel 12: 1-15; 24: 11-19)…. And through the prophet Nathan, Solomon was chosen a successor of his father David on the throne (2 Samuel 12: 25); and had a role in resisting Adonijah, Solomon’s eldest son, who attempted to take the throne by force (2 Kings 1). “The Lord is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land” (Psalm 10: 16). “For the kingdom is the Lord’s; and He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22: 28). “Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in. Who is the king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates, and lift them up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Psalm 24: 7-10). “The Lord sits as King forever” (Psalm 29: 10). “You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob” (Psalm 44: 4). “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth” (Psalm 47: 2). “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne” (Psalm 47: 8). By that, God draws our attention to His kingdom in us, to see all races worship Him. + All races of the world will worship Him inside their hearts, “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations”. The kingdom is the Lord’s, and not that of the proud man. (St. Augustine) The growth of the prophets’ role: Prophets had a vital and prominent role in the life of the good and wicked kings: They supported the former, and daringly and strongly resisted the later; proclaiming the will of God to kings and people, that it was said about Elija and Elisha “The chariot of Israel, and its horsemen”. When a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, “Elisha saw it, and he cried out: ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen; and he saw him no more” (2 kings 2: 11, 12).