Structures and Outlines
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A Detailed Overview of 1–2 Kings David Gooding Myrtlefield House Study Notes www.myrtlefieldhouse.com David Gooding has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. Copyright © The Myrtlefield Trust, 2019 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the English Revised Version (1885) or from the King James Version. Sometimes Dr Gooding gives his own translations or paraphrases. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce this document in its entirety, or in unaltered excerpts, for personal and church use only as long as you do not charge a fee. You must not reproduce it on any Internet site. Permission must be obtained if you wish to reproduce it in any other context, translate it, or publish it in any format. Published by The Myrtlefield Trust PO BOX 2216 Belfast, N. Ireland BT1 9YR w: www.myrtlefieldhouse.com e: [email protected] Myrtlefield catalogue no: kgs.030 Contents Preface 4 1. Overview 5 2. A Record of Disobedience, Apostasy and Judgment 6 3. Major Revivals 7 4. The Problem Raised by the Death of David 8 5. The House of God 10 6. The House: The First Set of Plans 13 7. The History: The Division of the Kingdom After Solomon 15 8. The House: The Second Set of Plans 21 9. The History: The Reigns of Rehoboam, Abijam and Asa of Judah and of Baasha of Israel 22 10. The House: The Third Set of Plans (1) 25 11. The History: The Reign of Ahab of Israel and the Ministry of Elijah 27 12. The House: The Third Set of Plans (2) 30 13. The History: The Ministry of Elisha 32 14. The House: The Fourth Set of Plans 42 15. The History of Israel: From Jehu King of Israel until the Deportation of the Ten Tribes of Israel to Assyria by Shalmaneser King of Assyria 44 16. The History of Judah: From Athaliah to Ahaz 46 17. The House: The Fifth Set of Plans the Furniture for the Court 53 18. The History: From King Hezekiah to King Zedekiah and the Carrying Away of Judah into Exile in Babylon 59 19. Two Revivals 61 20. Epilogue 64 About the Author 65 Preface The biblical authors used the literary conventions of their day to convey their message. These included structures and patterns that are less obvious to us in an age of typesetting and digital display. David Gooding has brought his considerable experience of reading and teaching ancient literature to bear on the biblical text, and these study notes represent his thinking about the structure, patterns and thought–flow of 1 & 2 Kings. He has often said to groups of Bible students, ‘When it comes to Bible study, there is structure, pattern and thought–flow, and the greatest of these is thought–flow. Here are the thoughts of God expressed. Our job is to follow the thought–flow’. The most important thing to grasp is the way the author develops his argument or message, and discovering the structure and patterns that the text exhibits should always be to that end. The study notes have been developed over a number of years and were distributed at talks he gave in various places publicly and privately. Audio recordings and transcripts of some of these talks are available for free download from myrtlefieldhouse.com. These study notes are not meant to be the last word on 1 & 2 Kings, and may not cover the entire book. They are offered publicly to help Bible students, preachers and teachers to stimulate further thinking about the book, so that its message may be understood. The Myrtlefield Trust 2019 1 Overview Major Theme God’s provision for the maintenance and, where necessary, for the restoration of his people: the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, the place where God put his NAME. Major Lesson When the people looked to God and his provision in the house, they prospered. When they neglected, disobeyed and forsook the house, they suffered, and in the end came to disaster. When they repented and looked toward the house, they experienced revival. Major Plans for the House of the Lord 1. Structural details: house, side-rooms, windows, porch (1 Kgs 6:1–10). 2. Special plea for obedience (1 Kgs 6:11–13). 3. Internal decorations and installations; and the inner court (1 Kgs 6:14–38). 4. The king’s house and the great court (1 Kgs 7:1–12). 5. The furniture for the court of the Lord’s house: the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, and their capitals; the great sea and the ten subsidiary lavers (1 Kgs 7:13–51). 2 A Record of Disobedience, Apostasy and Judgment The Plans for the House of the Lord The History 1. First set: structural: only ONE house, though 1. Jeroboam of Israel sets up other houses many side-rooms. (1 Kgs 12:25–33). 2. Second set: the special plea for obedience. 2. Baasha of Israel destroys the dynasty of Jeroboam, but persists in Jeroboam’s sin (1 Kgs 15:25–16:7). 3. Third set: chief installation: THE ARK OF THE 3. Ahab of Israel installs Baal as Israel’s chief COVENANT: you shall have no other god but me. God (1 Kgs 16:29–34). 4. Fourth set: the king’s house. 4. a. Jehu of Israel destroys the royal house of Ahab (2 Kgs 9–10). b. Athaliah destroys all the royal house of Judah, except one little boy (2 Kgs 11). 5. Fifth set: 5. a. Ahaz of Judah cut off the borders of the a. The sea and the lavers. bases of the laver; took down the sea off b. The pillars. the oxen and put it on the pavement (2 Kgs 16:17). b. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon smashes the sea and the pillars and takes the copper to Babylon (2 Kgs 25:13). 3 Major Revivals First Revival 1 Kings 18 Led by Elijah on Mount Carmel. Issue at stake: who is the true God: Baal or Jehovah? Second Revival 2 Kings 11 Led by Jehoiada, the high priest. Issue at stake: who is the true king: Athaliah or Joash? Third Revival 2 Kings 18 Led by King Hezekiah at the time of the siege of Jerusalem by the forces of the king of Assyria. Issue at stake: is the Lord God just one more god among the many gods of the Gentile nations? Or is he the unique, transcendent, Lord God? Fourth Revival 2 Kings 22 Led by King Josiah upon finding the book of the law in the house of the Lord. Issue at stake: will the nation repent and return to obeying the word of God and all its commandments? 4 The Problem Raised by the Death of David How to Keep Things Going for God David the King A. David’s Achievements: 1. Rescued the nation by defeating Goliath (1 Sam 17). 2. All the nation loved him (1 Sam 18:1–9, 16, 20, 30). 3. Sympathy created by his enforced flight from Saul (1 Sam 19). 4. His return and unification of the nation (2 Sam 5). 5. His founding of Jerusalem as the nation’s capital city (2 Sam 5). 6. His bringing up of the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6). 7. His conquest of all Israel’s enemies (2 Sam 8). 8. His preparations for the temple (1 Chr 28–29). 9. His poetry and psalms. 10. His organizing and training of the Levites to sing (1 Chr 25). B. The people’s understandable, but unsuccessful, efforts to keep him alive (1 Kgs 1:1–4). C. The immediate instability caused by his approaching death: Adonijah’s attempt to seize the throne (1 Kgs 1:5–53). D. The Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:11–17): 1. Its promise: to maintain the Davidic dynasty. 2. Fulfilled, in part, through Solomon and his heirs. 3. But note its limiting conditions: a. 2 Samuel 7:14–15; and b. 1 Kings 8:25; 9:4–9. 4. Its full fulfilment only in Christ (see Heb 1:5). E. What happened in history to David’s successors: 1. Some were wise, good and strong, some of the time; but at other times not. 2. None was as good and eminent as David. 3. Some were more bad than good. 4. In the end they were so bad that they brought the nation to disaster at the Babylonian captivity (2 Kgs 25). Questions Arising 1. If God could raise up one David, why could he not, and why did he not, raise up a succession of great and brilliant men like David? 2. The same question can be asked about church history: a. At the beginning God raised up great powerful men like Peter, Paul, John and James. b. Since the apostles, there have been many good men; but none so powerful as the apostles. c. And there have been many far weaker men; and all too many bad men. d. THEREFORE WE MAY ASK: if God could raise up one Paul, why not a succession of Pauls? God’s Main Provision for His People 1. Not the raising up of a succession of great men but; 2. The building of the house of God at Jerusalem. It was to be the cure for all ills (1 Kgs 8:22–66). 5 The House of God I. Its Basic Concept: Jacob’s Experience at Bethel Genesis 28:10–22 Features to Notice: A. The ladder, or staircase, was not: 1.