God’s Miraculous Power

³⁰ Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the (old) altar of the LORD that had been torn down. ³¹ He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel (Jacob), ³² and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the Name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. ³³ He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.” ³⁴ After they had done this, he said, “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said, ³⁵ and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench. ³⁶ At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), prove today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant. Prove that I have done all this at Your command. ³⁷ O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that You, O LORD, are God and that You have brought them back to Yourself.” ³⁸ Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! ³⁹ And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—He is God! Yes, the LORD is God!” 1 Kings 18:30-39 (NLT)

The Elijah and Elisha narratives found in the great middle section of the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings reveal the living God’s miraculous power and presence in His world. The Holy Bible does not use a single word to define miracle but blends three terms: wonders, mighty works, and signs. Miracles include striking events such as childbirth, food provisions, bodily healings, future predictions, and resurrection (e.g. see 1 Kings 17:1, 17-24; 2 Kings 4:1-7; 2 Kings 5:1-15; Jeremiah 25:11-12; Matthew 1:18-25; John 11:38-44).

In the Holy Bible, God’s miracles are nearly all clustered during Israel’s great Exodus from Egyptian slavery, the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, and the ministries of Jesus the Messiah (Christ) and His faithful apostles (e.g., see Exodus 13:17-14:31; Deuteronomy 34:10-12; 1 Kings 18:16-39; 2 Kings 4:42-44; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 23:8). However, God’s miracles are revealed throughout the Old and New Testament (e.g., Exodus 7:3; Deuteronomy 4:34-35; Daniel 6:25-27; John 4:48; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 19:11-12; Rom. 15:17-19; Hebrews 2:4). Signs, wonders, and miracles confirmed God’s true prophets and servants (e.g. see Exodus 4:1-9; 1 Kings 17:24; John 10:38; John 14:11-14; Acts 14:3; 2 Corinthians 12:11-13; Hebrews 2:3-4). Miracles are a gift of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:10-11, 28-29).

In fact, miracles are at the heart of the Christian faith. The Holy Scriptures’ greatest miracles were Jesus’ incarnation as God in human flesh and resurrection from complete death (e.g., see John 1:1-5, 14; Luke 24:1-12). Without Jesus’ miraculous birth and miraculous resurrection, there would be no Christmas, no Easter, and no Christian faith. The Holy Scriptures reveal that Jesus the Messiah was accredited by God with miracles, wonders, and signs (e.g., see John 2:1-11; John 4:48; Acts 2:22). God did miracles through Jesus to authenticate Jesus as the Christ and His Son (see John 20:30-31; John 21:25). After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, Jesus’ faithful apostles and disciples continued His miraculous ministry as God’s power – the Holy Spirit – worked mightily through Jesus’ faithful followers (e.g., see Acts 5:12-16; Acts 6:8; Acts 7:35-36; Acts 14:3; Acts 15:12; Romans 15:17-19). Truly, the living God is all powerful!

Usually, miracles reveal God’s power and activity (Acts 2:19; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; Acts 8:9-13; 14:3; 15:12). Sometimes miracles and wonders are the work of Satan and his evil representatives and false prophets (e.g. see Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Deuteronomy 18:9-13; Matthew 24:24-25; Mark 13:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; Revelation 13:11-14; Revelation 16:14; Revelation 19:19-20). These evildoers and false workers produce bad fruit and seek to draw people’s hearts and minds away from wholehearted allegiance and faithfulness to the only true and living God (see Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Matthew 7:15-20; Acts 8:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

Miracles by the living God’s power are always redemptive and eschatological. Divine miracles and wonders always point and draw people to belief, faithfulness and love of the living God (e.g. see Exodus 4:1-5; Exodus 10:1-2; Psalm 65:8; Psalm 72:18-19; John 4:43-54). Miracles from God always lead to His glory. Even more, miracles point toward the future restoration and renewal of the heavens and earth at Jesus’ second coming. Miracles anticipate the renewal of the heavens and earth and paradise restored. In paradise restored, there will be no more want, hunger, pain, or fear. Keep in mind that miracles in the Holy Bible restore to pristine condition and rectify wrongs in our world. An example of miracles restoring a wrong condition is found at 2 King 2:19-22 where the prophet Elisha brings restoration to bad water and unproductive land. In Elisha’s healing of the waters and restoring the land, we have a foretaste of restoration of paradise and the removal of the curse of which creation was subjected through Adam and Eve’s original sin (see Genesis 3:1-24). Miracles not only bring restoration and redemption for people but also to creation itself. Adam and Eve’s original sin subjected creation to decay and frustration. Creation longs for its redemption (see Romans 8:20-22).

Amazingly, the Elijah and Elisha narratives from the Old Testament overflow with miracles of God. The Elijah and Elisha narratives are found in the great middle section of the book of Kings from 1 Kings 17:1 through 2 Kings 13:25. The miracles of Elijah and Elisha do not make them carnival magicians. Instead, the miracles testified to Elijah and Elisha’s divine message from the living God. The preceding book of Deuteronomy promised prophets after Moses that would also perform great miracles, signs, and wonders and their words would always come true (see Deuteronomy 18:14-22). Through His faithful prophets, God revealed His providential hand and lordship into His world (e.g., see 1 Kings 17:24; 2 Kings 4:42-44).

Elijah and Elisha were Old Testament prophets that ministered to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The living God raised up the prophets Elijah and Elisha to combat the unfaithfulness and idolatry of Israel. The living God had called His people Israel to exclusive allegiance and worship to Him (see Exodus 20:1-3, 23; Exodus 34:14) and to tell the world about Him as the only true God (see Deuteronomy 4:5-8). From the moment that God chose Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, Abraham and his descendants were to bring God’s blessings to “all peoples” (e.g., see Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8). God intended Israel to be His witnesses to the nations (see Deuteronomy 4:5-8). God chose Israel as a “kingdom of priests” and a “treasured possession” to reflect His goodness and righteous standards to the world (see Exodus 19:5-6).

Sadly, the Northern Kingdom of Israel started mixing devotion to the living God with made-up gods and other foreign religions. Starting with evil reigns of King Jeroboam and his successor kings such as Omri and Ahab, Israel’s faithfulness to the living God was threaten with the worship of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, creation of high places, and the worship of foreign gods such as Baal and Asherah (see 1 Kings 1 Kings 12:25-33; 1 Kings 16:25-26, 31-33).

During the ninety-century BC, Omri and Ahab claimed the foreign god Baal had dominion over the rains, waters, and fertility. The ancient Israelites begin worshipping Baal believing Baal ensured fertility of the land and the production of crops. In ancient Canaanite mythology, Baal was depicted as the “rider of the clouds” holding a thunderbolt in his right hand living on a mountain in the north, a Mount Zaphon. The Canaanites believed Baal rode the clouds as the “rider of the clouds,” and they considered Baal a warlike weather god. The billowing dark clouds of a storm were viewed as Baal’s battle chariot in which Baal rode, thundering forth his voice and carrying lighting as his spear.

However, the miracles of God’s prophets Elijah and Elisha revealed that the true and living God was the true “Rider of the Clouds.” The Elijah and Elisha narratives proclaimed the true and living Lord God of Israel (also known as Yahweh,  El Shaddai, and Elohim) ruled the rains, fertility, and fire and that Baal was only a false delusion and dead (e.g., see 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:25-29; 2 Kings 1:2-17; 2 Kings 2:11-12). The contest of the living God verses Baal at Mount Carmel demonstrated Baal had no command over storm, rain, fire, or fertility as those powers belong to Yahweh (see 1 Kings 18:16-39, 41-46)!

The Old Testament repeatedly declared that the title “Rider of the Clouds” rightly belongs to the Lord God (see Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalm 68:4; Isaiah 19:1). The Lord God of Israel rides the heavens in His storm chariot as the Head of the heavenly armies (see Psalm 68:17; Psalm 104:3; Ezekiel 1:4-9; Joel 2:5; Habakkuk 3:8; Zechariah 6:1-2; 1 Chronicles 28:18). The living God’s chariot is in the clouds and whirlwind (see Isaiah 66:15; Jeremiah 4:13), and He controls storm, the fire, and the clouds (see Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalm 68:4; Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1; Jeremiah 4:13; Ezekiel 1). The glory cloud, that pillar of fire and smoke that attested to the presence of the living God, preceded Israel into battle and during their wilderness wander (e.g., see Exodus 13:21-22; Joshua 10). God and the armies of heaven fought on Israel’s behalf from within the cloud at the Red Sea (e.g., see Exodus 15:4, 19). The Holy Bible proclaim to have God’s prophets means to have the presence and power of the living God’s heavenly armies (e.g., see 2 Kings 3:14-19; 2 Kings 6:8-12, 17).

Even more, Elijah and Elisha’s miracles pointed to Jesus’ coming miracles found in the Gospels. For instance, the multiplication of loaves and fishes by Jesus reflected the miracles of Elijah multiplying the widow’s bread and oil (see 1 Kings 17:7-16) and Elisha multiplying the oil supply for the widow and her two sons (2 Kings 4:1-7; see also Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:5-13). Jesus was the prophet like Elijah and Elisha, but even greater because Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God (see Mark 1:1; John 20:-3031). With His Son Jesus as well as for His faithful prophets, God multiplies what His prophets were already given to supply the need of others for His glory. Even more, the true and living God stands ready to multiply and help everyone in need who faithful love and seek Him first (see Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:7-11).

The New Testament notes many parallels between the life of Jesus and that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Not the least of these is the account of Jesus’ ascension into heaven by the glory cloud as the prophet Elijah was received into God’s glory cloud (see 2 Kings 2:11-12; Acts 1:9-11). When the prophet Elisha saw the whirlwind, the fire, and horses, the symbolism was unmistakable (see 2 Kings 2:11-12). The warrior God, the captain of the armies of heaven, had come to retrieve His servant and catch Elijah up into His war chariot. The living God’s angels reminded Jesus’ disciples of what Jesus had already taught them, that “this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven” (see Acts 1:11). Jesus will come again as the Son of Man “coming in the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (e.g., see Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 24:30; Matthew 26:64; Mark 13:26; Mark 14:62; Luke 21:27). 

When Jesus returns in the glory clouds, He will come as the Divine Warrior in His storm chariot as the Head of the armies of heaven. The clouds will be dark, laden with flashes of fire and a ripping wind as the resurrected Jesus will return to judge the earth and to establish His kingdom (see Revelation 1:7). The resurrected Jesus is not only the great Prophet and Son of God but He is also the Captain of the Lord’s armies (see Revelation 19:11-16). God and His Son Jesus stands ready to fight any battles of His faithful servants as He goes before His faithful servants, God’s children, in any battle. Jesus has already defeated Satan, death, and the grave (see 1 Corinthians 15:56-58).

In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God most often appears as the Spirit that empowers and enables prophecy. Many passages associate the gift of prophecy with the possession of the Holy Spirit (e.g., see Numbers 11:25-26; 1 Samuel 10:6, 10; 1 Kings 22:22-23; 2 Kings 2:15; Joel 2:28; Zechariah 7:12; Luke 1:67; Acts 2:17-18). The Holy Spirit often “clothed” God’s prophets (e.g., see Judges 6:34; 1 Chronicles 12:18-19; 2 Chronicles 24:20). With the coming of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus brought God’s abundant Spirit (see John 1:14, 18), and He has graciously poured out the Holy Spirit to all faithful believers. The true and living God and His Son Jesus freely and graciously gives salvation and the power of God’s transforming Spirit to anyone through faith and acceptance of Jesus and the Gospel message (Galatians 3:2, 5, 14; see also Acts 2:38-39; Acts 11:15-18; Romans 8:9-11; Romans 10:14-17; Ephesians 1:13-14). In the church today, God’s Spirit is not given to just a few, but to all through faith in God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah (e.g., see 1 John 4:13-15). All believers of Jesus have been given God’s prophetic function to tell the world about the living God and His Son, Jesus (see Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8). God has graciously given believers not a spirit of timidity but a Spirit of power (see 2 Timothy 1:7). Faithful believers of God are shielded by His power (see 1 Peter 1:4-5).

Is there idolatry today? A great part of the Old Testament is concerned with idolatry. Idolatry means worshipping any object, person, and thing other than the true and living God. During the Old Testament, the ancient Israelites had a hard time seeing that worshipping a few statutes or carved images interfered with their relationship with the one true God. Sadly, the ancient Israelites worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (also known as Israel), but they mixed their worship of the true God with other gods from foreign countries as well as golden calves and high places. The ancient Israelites ignored God repeated warnings through His prophets that God hated this “mixed” religion. The first commandment demands our exclusive allegiance and loyalty to God (see Exodus 20:3) and to His Son, Jesus the Messiah (see Luke 9:57-62). The living God and His Son Jesus are One (see Deuteronomy 6:4; John 10:30; John 14:9; John 17:11, 22). Jesus is God (see e.g., John 1:1-5, 14; John 14:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Philippians 2:6). The living God is a jealous God, and He will not share His worship with any other humans nor other gods (e.g., see Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24). The living God is a consuming fire, and He demands our wholehearted allegiance to Him first (see Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:28-29). To a generation looking for signs and wonders, “we preach Christ,” who is the wisdom and power of the living God (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

The New Testament broadens the definition of idolatry. The Apostle Paul said that greed is idolatry (see Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5). Things that people get greedy for – money, sex, power, and even food – functions as little gods. If anything or person comes before the living God, we are guilty of idolatry. As Jesus taught, we must seek God FIRST (see Matthew 6:33). In our lives, when circumstance seems overwhelming and the difficulties seem beyond our ability to overcome or even cope, God then shows us His miraculous power. God’s power is shown most clearly in our weakness (see 1 Corinthians 1:25; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Where our resources and efforts are insufficient, the miraculous power of God comes to our rescue. As the Elijah and Elisha narratives reveal, God’s care and blessings are available to all people, both rich and poor (e.g., see 2 Kings 4). Just ask God if you need God’s miraculous power today (see Matthew 7:7-11). There is no room for double-mindedness and no room for doubt (1 Kings 18:21, 39; see also James 1:7-8). No one can serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God demands a single-minded and wholehearted commitment to Him as one’s only God!

References

J.I. Packer. Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993).

Butler, Trent C. Holman Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1991).

New Student Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992).

Dillard, Raymond B. Faith in an Age of Apostasy: Gospel According to Elijah and Elisha (P and R Publishing, 1999). 

Death of a Nation

⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and for three years he besieged the city of Samaria. ⁶ Finally, in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign, Samaria fell, and the people of Israel were exiled to Assyria. . . . ⁷ This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. ⁸ They had followed the practices of the pagan nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the practices the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹ The people of Israel had also secretly done many things that were not pleasing to the LORD their God. They built pagan shrines for themselves in all their towns, from the smallest outpost to the largest walled city. ¹⁰ They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles at the top of every hill and under every green tree. ¹¹ They offered sacrifices on all the hilltops, just like the nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of them. So the people of Israel had done many evil things, arousing the LORD’s anger. ¹² Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the LORD’s specific and repeated warnings. ¹³ Again and again the LORD had sent His prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey My commands and decrees—the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the LORD their God. ¹⁵ They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their ancestors, and they despised all His warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the LORD’s command not to imitate them. ¹⁶ They rejected all the commands of the LORD their God and made two calves from metal. They set up an Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of heaven. ¹⁷ They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the LORD’s anger. ¹⁸ Because the LORD was very angry with Israel, He swept them away from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land. ¹⁹ But even the people of Judah refused to obey the commands of the LORD their God, for they followed the evil practices that Israel had introduced. ²⁰ The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He punished them by handing them over to their attackers until He had banished Israel from His presence. ²¹ For when the LORD tore Israel away from the kingdom of David, they chose Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. But Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin. ²² And the people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam. They did not turn from these sins ²³ until the LORD finally swept them away from His presence, just as all His prophets had warned. So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where they remain to this day. 2 Kings 17:5-23 (NLT)

The Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings describe the highest and lowest period of ancient Israel history from 970 to 586 BC. The books open with King David ruling the united kingdom of Israel with the living God as the true King of Israel. However, the book of Kings finishes with a divided nation and the Jews deported from their Promised Land into to foreign exile. Because of the people’s continual disobedience and unfaithfulness to the living God and His covenant, God allowed the Jewish nation to be divided into two nations with Israel in the North with ten tribes and Judah in the South with two tribes (see 1 Kings 12). 

Similar to the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Chronicles, the Hebrew text originally treated 1 and 2 Kings as one book, called in the Hebrew tradition simply “Kings.” Another Old Testament book, 2 Chronicles, covers the same historical period as the book of Kings. Moreover, the book of Kings forms the background for other Old Testament prophetic books of the Bible, including Amos, Hosea, Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk. During Israel’s period of the Kings, God graciously sent His prophets to warn and correct the rulers of Israel.

Together 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings relate the whole history of Israel’s kingdom from its rise under the ministry of the prophet Samuel, the kingship of David and Samuel, and to its fall at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians.  The author of the book of Kings arranged his material in a manner that provides a sequel to the history found in 1 and 2 Samuel. In general, the book of Kings describes the history of Israel and Judah’s rulers in relationship to their faithfulness to God and His covenant. The guiding theme of the book of Kings is that the welfare of Israel and its rulers depended on their submission to and faithfulness to God and obedience to the Sinai covenant. 

Many scholars believe 1 and 2 Kings were created and later edited from 539 to 330 BC during Israel and Judah’s foreign exiles. A review of the book of Kings suggests the author wrote the book to explain to God’s people living in foreign exile why God allowed their defeat and exile from the Promised Land (see 2 Kings 17:7-23; 2 Kings 18:9-12; 2 Kings 21:12-15). The Judah’s reformation attempts to turn the people’s hearts and minds to God and His covenant under King Josiah is viewed as too little and too late (see 2 Kings 23:26-28; 2 Kings 24:3). The reason for Israel and Judah’s exile came because of Israel’s stubborn persistence in unfaithfulness and disobedience to God and His covenant.  God patiently and graciously endured His people’s disobedience and sinfulness for centuries in the Promised Land. After much patience and grace, God imposed His covenant curses upon His people for their repeated disobedience and unfaithfulness to Him and His commands (see Leviticus 26:27-45; Deuteronomy 28:58-68). From the very beginning, the living God wanted a relationship with His people, an inward heart faithfulness and love to Him, and obedience to His righteous commands (e.g., see Exodus 19:1-Exodus 23:33).

Yet, despite Israel and Judah’s foreign exiles, the author of Kings reveals God kept His promises to all of Israel and David’s eternal kingship. God is faithful to His promises (e.g., see Joshua 23:14-16; 1 Kings 8:56). The author of Kings affirmed the promise of the Davidic covenant, which promised David a “lamp,”  who will always sit on his throne from the line of family line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah (e.g., see 2 Samuel 7:14-16; 1 Kings 11:36; 1 Kings 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 1 Chronicles 17:4-14). In the final four verses of the book of Kings, God maintained an heir from King David’s family line that eventually leads to Jesus the Messiah, the true King of Israel and all nations (2 King 25:27-30, see also 2 Samuel 7:14-16). Ultimately, the Davidic covenant was fulfilled in the birth of Israel’s greatest King and Savior, Jesus the Messiah (see Matthew 2:1-2; Matthew 16:16; Luke 1:32-33). Matthew’s genealogy presents Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises to David to be the King of all (Matthew 1:1-17; see also Isaiah 49:6). The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 9 through 11 reveals God’s eternal love and faithfulness to His covenant people of Israel (see Romans 11:1-2).

God’s promises to King David at 2 Samuel 7 makes the ultimate difference throughout much of the books of Kings and makes the Judean dynasty from King David unshakable even while the dynasties of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were like reeds “shaken in the water” (see 1 Kings 14:15). Kingship in the Northern Kingdom was afflicted with instability and violence.  Twenty different kings reigned in the Northern Kingdom until the Northern Kingdom’s fall in 722 BC by the Assyrians. In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, there were also 20 different rulers spanning a period of about 345 years until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC by the Babylonians.  These Judean rulers were all descendants of King David, except Queen Athaliah.  Queen Athaliah was from the family line of evil Ahab and Jezebel, and she briefly reigned in Judah after the death of King Ahaziah.  God graciously kept King David’s family line. Good likes like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah were included from David’s family line while the Northern Kingdom of Israel has no good kings.

There is little conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of Kings.  The Jewish Talmudic tradition credits the prophet Jeremiah as the author of the book of Kings. However, few today accept Jeremiah as the author because the book of Kings does not specify Jeremiah’s authorship.  Other biblical scholars argue the book of Kings were written by Levites, priests, wise men of Jerusalem, or possibly another unknown prophet. Whoever were the original author or authors of 1 and 2 Kings, these two books were deeply influenced by the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, often called the “second law.”  The book of Deuteronomy essentially summarizes the Mosaic Law Code that included the Sinai covenant. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy influenced many of Israel and Judah’s prophets. 

Deuteronomy’s influence of 1 and 2 Kings is clearly signaled in the opening section of the books with King David’s last instructions to his son, Solomon. King David instructed his son Solomon to seek and obey the living, to walk in all God’s ways, and keep God’s statutes and His commandments with all his heart and with all his soul (e.g., see 1 Kings 2:1-4; referencing Deuteronomy 4:6, 23-31; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Deuteronomy 8:6; Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 30:15-20). Then almost all the succeeding rulers of Israel and Judah are weighed in relation to obeying the One true and living God and the Mosaic Law Code as reflected in Deuteronomy (e.g., see 1 Kings 12:25-33; 1 Kings 14:1-16; 2 Kings 16:1-4). For this reason, biblical scholars refer to the author or authors of the book of Kings as “Deuteronomists.”

The author of Kings never intended to present the book of Kings as a social, political, nor economic history of Israel’s kingship under principles of modern day history.  The author repeatedly refers the readers to other sources for more detailed information about the reigns of the various rulers (e.g., see 1 Kings 11:41; 1 Kings 14:19, 29; 1 Kings 15:7, 31). Moreover, the author emphasized a king’s commitment to God and His commands rather than the king’s social, political, or economic assessment.  For instance, world history considered King Omri one of Israel’s most important rulers.  Omri established a powerful dynasty and made Samaria the capital city.  According to the ancient Moabite Stone, Omri was the ruler who subjugated the Moabites to the northern kingdom.  Long after Omri’s death, Assyrian rulers referred to Jehu as the “son of Omri.”  Yet despite Omri’s political importance, the author of Kings discussed Omri’s reign in only six verses (see 1 Kings 16:23-28) along with the statement that Omri “did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him” (see 1 Kings 16:25).

Nevertheless, the author of Kings gave the most attention to those kings whose reigns were either important deviations from or obedience to God’s covenant. For example, the book of Kings provides extensive treatment of King Ahab’s reign not so much of Ahab’s extraordinary political importance, but because Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel caused widespread Baal worship in Israel (see 1 Kings 16:29-22:10). Moreover, the author of Kings uses the life and reign of King David as a standard by which the kings were measured (e.g., see 1 Kings 9:4; 1 Kings 11:4, 6, 33, 38; 1 Kings 14:8; 1 Kings 15:3, 5, 11; 2 Kings  16:2; 2 Kings 18:3; 22). King David was faithful to God and His covenant, and he encouraged Israel and its leaders to seek faithfully and obey the Lord God (e.g., see 1 Kings 2:1-4; 1 Chronicles 28:8-10, 20-21). As the Old Testament reveals, David had complete trust and confidence in God’s power, sovereignty, and justice.

First and Second Kings were written in the form of a historical narrative, specifically, a record of kings succession. The main rhetorical format of the Kings’ history is the summary of individual kings’ careers, consisting of the name of each king, what kingdom the king ruled (Israel or Judah), the date of the king’s accession to the throne, the length of his reign, his religious and other policies, the details of his death, and the name of his successor. However, the book of Kings is as much theological as historical. The authors of Kings wrote the book not to provide every historical detail. The book of Kings seeks to interpret the history of Israel and Judah along theological lines, showing what happens when political and spiritual leaders foolishly choose to worship false gods or man-made gods, such as Baal and Asherah, instead of wholeheartedly loving and obeying the One true God of heaven and earth. As a result, the author of Kings present Israel and Judah’s history not as an interplay of human action but as the unfolding of Israel’s historical destiny under the guidance of an omniscient and omnipotent God, who rules all of history in accordance with His sovereign plans and promises (e.g., see 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Kings 10:10).  The God of Israel is indeed in control of all nature and all history.

Also, the author of Kings stressed the importance of God’s prophets.  The Lord God sent a long succession of His divine representatives to call the kings and His people back to covenant loyalty. The book of Kings gives particular attention the prophets Elijah and Elisha. In the book of Kings, Solomon is the dominant character in the first half of 1 Kings. However, the prophets Elijah and Elisha ministering to the Northern Kingdom of Israel dominate the great middle section of 1 and 2 Kings.  The Elijah and Elisha narratives are discussed from 1 Kings 17:1 through 2 Kings 13:25. Almost a third of the book of Kings are devoted to God’s efforts through His prophets to turn Israel away from idolatry with its worship of Baal and other foreign gods back to wholehearted faithfulness to Him as their true and living God (see 1 Kings 12:25 – 2 Kings 17:41). A host of miracles and vignettes controls the great middle section of 1 and 2 Kings with the ministries of Elijah and Elisha. The author of Kings wanted readers to know that God’s prophets were not merely preachers or poets, but they were channels of God’s power on earth, through word and deed.

The book of Kings is unified by the choices that each king (along with the nation itself) must make between worshipping and obeying the One true God or worshiping so-called gods or idols, such as Baal, Molech, and Asherah. The book of Kings establishes the benefits of worshipping and obeying God and the disaster that follows unfaithfulness and disobedience to the living God. First and Second Kings warns the readers the one true and all-powerful God will punish sin and wickedness, but He also stands ready to forgive those who are repentant (e.g., see 1 Kings 8:22-61; 2 Kings 17:7-23). There is no other god more powerful than the true and living God of Israel, who is the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 8:4). 

The overall theme of the book of Kings is to affirmatively proclaim that the God of Israel is the only true and living God, and He is the Lord and Creator of heaven and earth (e.g., see 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27; 1 Kings 18:15, 36-39; 2 Kings 5:15; 2 Kings 19:15). The one true and living God is not to be confused with the various so-called gods worshiped in Israel and other foreign nations, for these so-called gods are false and simply human creations (e.g., see 1 Kings 12:25-33; 2 Kings 17:16-17; 2 Kings 19:14-19). These so-called other gods are powerless and useless before the true and all-powerful God of Israel (e.g., see 1 Kings 16:13; 1 Kings 18:22-40; 2 Kings 17:15). The true and living God of Israel is powerfully active within His world by His Holy Spirit, and He controls all of nature (e.g., see 1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 1:2-17; 2 Kings 4:8-37; 2 Kings 5:1-18; 2 Kings 6:1-7, 27).

Moreover, the author of book of Kings wrote to affirmatively declare that the true and living God of Israel controls all of world history and not an idol god, king, military army, nation, or false prophet (e.g., 1 Kings 11:14, 23; 1 Kings 14:1-18; 1 Kings 22:1-38; 2 Kings 5:1-18; 2 Kings 10:32-33; 2 Kings 18:17-19:37). God’s control of the world is illustrated most clearly in the way in which His true prophets function within the book of Kings (e.g., see 1 Kings 11:29-39; 1 Kings 13:1-32; 1 Kings 16:1-4; 1 Kings 20:13-34; 2 Kings 19:6-7, 20-34). Much of the book of Kings focuses on wholehearted alliance, love, and faithfulness to the Lord God and no other so-called gods and images such as Baal, Asherah, Chemosh, Molech, and two golden calves (e.g., see 1 Kings 11:1-40; 1 Kings 12:25-13:34; 1 Kings 14:22-24; 1 Kings 16:29-33; 2 Kings 16:1-4; 2 Kings 17:7-23; 2 Kings 21:1-9). As the only true God, the God of Israel, also known as “Yahweh,” demanded exclusive worship! The true and living God of Israel will not take His place alongside the gods. The true and living God of Israel is the only God entitled to our wholehearted love, faithfulness, and worship (e.g., see 1 Kings 8:41-43, 60; 2 Kings 5:15-18; 2 Kings 17:24-41).

Inevitably, worship of these so-gods lead to moral wrongs and disregard for the Lord God’s commandments, which is our wisdom (e.g., see Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 4:6; 1 Kings 21). The true and living God brings His just punishment on violations of His moral commands, whether the sinner be king (Solomon in 1 Kings 11:9-13; Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14:1-18), or prophet (the unnamed Judean in 1 Kings 13:7-25; the disobedient man in 1 Kings 20:35-43), or ordinary Israelite (Gehazi in 2 Kings 5:19-27). The Holy Scriptures clearly teaches we must obey God’s righteous commands from our whole hearts (e.g., see 1 Kings 2:1-4; 1 Kings 11:38). Even in our disobedience, the true and living God is gracious, forgiving, and compassionate to everyone who repents of their sins and turn to Him in faith and obedience (e.g., see 1 Kings 21:25-29; 2 Kings 13:23; 2 Kings 14:27). God’s grace is found everywhere in 1 and 2 Kings (e.g., see 1 Kings 11:9-13; 1 Kings 15:1-5; 2 Kings 8:19). Nevertheless, 1 and 2 Kings do reveal that our sins can accumulate and ultimately leads to God’s just punishment and judgment, not only on individuals but whole nations (e.g., see 2 Kings 17:1-23; 2 Kings 23:29-25:26).

God’s original purpose in establishing Israel had been to bring His blessing to the whole world through Israel’s covenant love, faithfulness, and obedience to Him as their only God (see Genesis 12:1-3). However, the ancient Israelites failed to stay wholeheartedly loving and faithful to God. The book of Kings reveals the tragedies of a nation’s unfaithfulness to the true and living God: the rupture of the kingdom!

Outline:

I.        The reign of Solomon (1 Kings 1:1-11:43)

II.       Rehoboam and Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:1-14:31)

III.      The divided kingdom (1 Kings 15:1-22:53)

IV.     Alliance between Israel and Judah (2 Kings 1:1-9:37)

V.      Israel’s prosperity and fall (2 Kings 10:1-17:41)

VI.     Judah survives Assyrian domination (2 Kings 18:1-23:30)

VII.    Judah defeated and absorbed by Babylon (2 Kings 23:31-25:30).

References

ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008).

New Student Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992).

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008).

Love and Faithfulness to God

¹ As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge (instruction, commands) to his son Solomon: ² “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man (be a strong leader). ³ Observe (obey) the requirements of the LORD your God, and follow all His ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. ⁴ If you do this, then the LORD will keep the promise He made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow Me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’”. . . ¹⁰ Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David (Jerusalem). ¹¹ David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established. 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 (NLT)

The Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings teaches readers about the importance of an individual and a nation’s faithfulness and obedience to God and His covenant. First Kings opens with King David, Israel’s greatest human king, giving final instructions to his son Solomon on the importance of remaining wholeheartedly faithful to God and His covenant. As guardian of the covenant with God, Israel’s rulers came to symbolize the spiritual health of the nation. All kings after King David would be judged by their faithfulness to God and His covenant. First and Second Samuel describe King David’s life and his kingship.

Israel reached its Golden Age under the kingships of David and Solomon.  However, the book of Kings concludes with the true and living God allowing His people’s defeat by foreign powers and their exile into the foreign lands of Assyria and Babylon. The Old Testament book of Lamentations expresses the pain and grief of this tragic period (e.g., see Lamentation 1:1).

What brought about Israel’s defeat? As 1 and 2 Kings reveal, Israel failed to wholeheartedly love and obey God and His commandments and statutes. First Kings 9 warned Israel of destruction if they refused to obey God faithfully and walk in all His ways: 

⁶ "But if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, ⁷ then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My Name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations." 1 Kings 9:6-7 (NLT)

The Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings describe the highest and lowest period of ancient Israel history from 970 to 586 BC.  The Hebrew text originally treated 1 and 2 Kings as one book, called in the Hebrew tradition simply “Kings.” Another Old Testament book, 2 Chronicles, covers the same historical period as the book of Kings. Moreover, the book of Kings forms the background for other Old Testament prophetic books of the Bible, including Amos, Hosea, Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk.  God’s faithful prophets continually warned each ruler and the people about the dangers of God’s judgments if they did not repent and wholeheartedly love and obey the living God.

The two-part book of Kings can be confusing and hopeless to keep straight.  The book of Kings lists 39 rulers: 38 kings and one queen.  Beginning with Solomon’s reign (approximately 971 BC), 1 Kings traces the history of Israel as one nation after David’s death. Chapters 3 through 11 of 1 Kings describe Solomon’s reign of the united kingdom of Israel, including the building of the Temple of God (also known as the First Temple).  Despite Solomon’s success, Solomon’s heart turned away from wholeheartedly loving and obeying the true and living God, and he began to worship other gods as result of his many foreign wives (see 1 Kings 11:1-8).

After Solomon's death, 1 Kings 12 marks the beginning of a civil war that ruptured Israel into two nations: Israel in the North and Judah in the South.  Beginning with 1 Kings 12, Israel is divided into two nations (Israel in the North with ten tribes and Judah in the South with two tribes).  King Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeeded him as king of Israel. However, Rehoboam was immature and reckless, and he lost the ten northern tribes to Jeroboam. Jeroboam, son of Nebat, led Northern Israel into independence from Solomon’s son Rehoboam and Judah (1 Kings 12:1-24). So the ten northern tribes of Israel revolted against Rehoboam forming two separate nations. Nevertheless, God was faithful to Rehoboam and allowed him to keep two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, in the south. Thereafter, the two kingdoms were known as Israel in the North and Judah in the South (see 1 Kings 12:18-24).  In all, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were united for 120 years under kings David and Solomon. Then the kingdoms were divided for approximately 200 years after Solomon’s death. Starting with 1 Kings 13, the book of Kings tells of the dark days for Israel and Judah.

All of the Northern kings were unfaithful and disobedient to the true and living God and not one Northern king followed the ways of God.  The Northern Kingdom brought institutionalized idolatry and corruption into their religion with the worship of gods manufactured by Jeroboam, two golden calves at Dan and Bethel (see 1 Kings 12:25-30). Moreover, Jeroboam institutionalized the creation of shrines on high places and the appointment of unlawful priests (see 1 Kings 12:31-33). The worship of the two golden calves, the shrines on high places, and the unlawful priests became known as the “sin of Jeroboam.” Israel’s worse rulers, King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel, introduced the terrible practice of Baal worship.  Of the 19 Northern rulers, eight kings either were murdered or committed suicide. One king, Zimri, lasted only seven days. 

Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness and idolatry, the true and living God raised up the prophets Elijah and Elisha in the Northern Kingdom to lead Israel. During Elijah and Elisha’s ministries, mighty miracles broke out with unusual frequency.  Through these two mighty prophets, the true and living God led and controlled the Northern Kingdom of Israel because of Israel’s ineffective kingship.  The prophets Elijah and Elisha appeared at a crucial point in the history of the Northern Kingdom, just as evil King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel were changing the official religion from the worship of God to the worship of Baal, a foreign god of Canaan (see 1 Kings 16:29-34). Israel’s idolatry and unfaithfulness to the living God ultimately led to Northern Israel’s exile into Assyria (see 2 Kings 17).

However, almost half of Judah’s rulers remained somewhat faithful to God “doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord” while the others proved wicked and disobedient to God.  Such good kings as Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah in the Southern Kingdom of Judah were godly kings and walked faithfully with God. Despite some good kings, overall Israel and Judah and its people failed to faithfully follow God and walk in all His ways. Idolatry and sinfulness also plagued Judah (see 2 Kings 21:10-16). Many of Judah’s rulers failed to have a wholehearted allegiance to God. 

So, God allowed the North Kingdom of Israel to fall to the Assyrians. Israel disappeared in approximately 722 BC with the Assyrian’s defeat of Israel, and the people of the Northern Kingdom were carried into Assyrian captivity (see 2 Kings 17). After Israel’s defeat by the Assyrian, Judah lasted alone for 135 years until the Babylonians destroyed Judah along with Jerusalem in approximately 586 BC and carried the people of the Southern Kingdom into the Babylon captivity (see 2 Kings 25). Although judgment may appear to be slow, God will judge evil harshly.

The book of Kings ended with a bleak picture: refugees picking through the rubble of Jerusalem, the Jewish people enslaved by foreign powers, and the Jerusalem Temple of God laying in ruins with its treasures carted off to Babylon. At the end of the book of Kings, the Jewish people were scattered across the earth, not to be united as an independent nation for 25 centuries. No independent Jewish nation existed until the 20th century. All along, God’s faithful prophets repeatedly warned Israel and Judah to return to God and His righteous commands. Ever since the Jewish people looked to 1 and 2 Kings when everything fell apart. However, the book of Kings ends with Israel’s hope and restoration as the One true and living God remains ready to forgive all who repent! Despite the destruction of Israel and Judah, God maintained His promise to King David. The line of David continued until the arrival of Jesus the Messiah (see Matthew 1:1-17)!

References

Amplified Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987).

ESV Study Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008).

New Student Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992).