Author
– Uncertain
Time – 1000 – 586 B.C.
Summary
– In the original Jewish texts, these books were regarded
as one book. The two books contain the history of the Jewish
monarchy from the death of David (around 970 B.C.) to the
Babylonian exile (586 B.C.). They trace the division of the
Jewish nation into the Kingdom of Judah in the south and the
Kingdom of Israel in the north. 1 & 2 Kings record Israel’s
history from a religious, rather than a civil, viewpoint.
As such, they record the religious progress of the nation
and show the various steps in the moral growth and decay of
the kingdom. 1 Kings opens with Israel in its glory, and 2
Kings closes with Israel in ruins. The purpose of the Book
of Kings is to record the lives and characters of the nation’s
leaders as a warning and exhortation to all subsequent generations
of believers.
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The
united kingdom from Solomon to Rehoboam
– Chapter 1 v 1 to 11 v 43
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|
Passage
|
Subject
|
|
Chapters 1 & 2 |
Solomon’s ascension to the throne |
|
Chapters 3 & 4 |
The
wisdom and wealth of Solomon |
| Chapters
5 to 9 |
Solomon’s building activity |
| Chapter
10 |
The golden age of Solomon |
| Chapter
11 |
Solomon’s
false religion, decline and death |
|
The
divided kingdom (Part 1) – Chapter 12 v 1 to 22
v 53
|
|
Passage
|
Subject
|
| Chapter
12 v 1 to 16 v 28 |
Early
antagonism between Israel and Judah, from Jeroboam to
Omri. |
| Chapter
16 v 29 to 22 v 53 |
From
Ahab to the accession of Ahaziah |
|
The
divided kingdom (Part 2) – Chapter 1 v 1 to 17
v 41
|
|
Passage
|
Subject
|
| Chapter
1 v 1 to 9 v 10 |
From
Ahaziah to the accession of Jehu |
| Chapter
9 v 11 to 17 v 41 |
From
Jehu to the destruction of Israel |
|
The
Kingdom of Judah to the final destruction of the southern
kingdom – Chapter 18 v 1 to 25 v 30
|
|
Passage
|
Subject
|
| Chapters
18 to 20 |
The
kingdom under Hezekiah |
| Chapter
21 |
The
reigns of Manasseh and Amon |
| Chapter
22 v 1 to 23 v 30 |
Reform
in Judah and Israel under Josiah |
| Chapter
23 v 31 to 25 v 26 |
The
last days of Judah |
| Chapter
25 v 27 to 30 |
Epilogue
: The release of Jehoiachin |
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