Tag Archives: 1 Kings

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

#6 Post of 2016 – Commentary on 1 Kings 11 (Death of Solomon)

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Under Solomon, Israel reached its historical pinnacle with regards to geography, peace with her neighbors, and material wealth for the king and his administration. Solomon also established a large military, trade with nearby nations, and an impressive bureaucracy to administer the kingdom of Israel.

For many years, Solomon more or less obeyed the Torah, as his father David did. But as time passed, Solomon accumulated hundreds of wives who would become his downfall. This is where chapter 11 of 1 Kings picks up the narrative.

In verses 1-3, we learn that Solomon has married hundreds of foreign women, most of them for the purpose of making treaties with other nations. It was common practice for kings of this era to marry princesses from other nations to stabilize political relations. However, Solomon was not the king of a typical nation. Paul R. House, in 1, 2 Kings: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (The New American Commentary), describes Solomon’s errors:

First, he has disobeyed Moses’ law for marriage, which constitutes a breach of the agreement Solomon makes with God in 1 Kgs 3:1–14; 6:11–13; and 9:1–9. Moses says in Deut 7:3–4 and Exod 34:15–16 that Israelites must not intermarry with noncovenant nations. Why? Because God says ‘they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods’ (Deut 7:4). Judgment will then result. Second, Solomon has broken Moses’ commands for kings (cf. Deut 17:14–20). Moses explicitly says, ‘He must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray’ (Deut 17:17).

In verses 4-8, the author of Kings reports that Moses’s dire predictions all come true with Solomon. Solomon not only tolerates his wives’ gods, he builds worship centers for them. Thus the Lord punishes Solomon in verses 9-13.

Because of Solomon’s sins against God, Solomon’s son would lose part of the kingdom. God tells Solomon,

I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.

Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, would rule over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but another king would rule over the other 10 tribes of Israel. Who would this other ruler be? The answer lies in verses 26-40.

One of Solomon’s own administrators, Jeroboam, is met on the road out of Jerusalem by the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah tells Jeroboam that God is going to make him king over the 10 tribes of Israel, excluding Judah and Benjamin. The reason he is taking this part of the kingdom away from Solomon’s son (and David’s grandson), Rehoboam, is because Solomon has worshipped other gods and has not followed the Law (or Torah) as his father David did. God promises Jeroboam that if he obeys the Torah, as David did, God will bless him with a dynasty. Solomon learns of this promise to Jeroboam and he tries to kill him, but Jeroboam escapes to Egypt until Solomon dies.

Chapter 11 ends with the death of King Solomon. He ruled 40 years and his son, Rehoboam, succeeded him. What can we learn from chapter 11 about God? Paul R. House writes,

Theologically, the passage reemphasizes God’s faithfulness. This time the author depicts the Lord as the God who keeps promises even when the person who is the object of the promise fails to be righteous. For David’s sake, and for the sake of Solomon, the Lord refuses to obliterate the nation. Despite this mercy, however, Israel must still face the consequences of idolatry. God does judge.

House also emphasizes what the chapter says about leaders who sin:

Further, the text stresses how a leader’s sin can impact others. Although it is doubtful that Solomon can be held responsible for introducing idolatry into Israel (cf. the Book of Judges), his religious open-door policy serves to legitimize the practice in a way that no commoner’s similar actions could. Just as one holy person, such as Abraham or Moses, can bless a whole people, so one significant idolater can create spiritual cancer in a people. Had Solomon continued to seek God’s favor rather than wealth and power, he could have helped Israel continue to enjoy prosperity. Instead, he illustrates the principle that sin always affects others.

A final point to be made is that God still expects obedience even in a multicultural, pluralistic society. Solomon could not use the excuse that he needed to bend the rules of the Torah to survive in the ancient near east. Likewise, we can’t expect God to bend the rules for us today when His principles become unpopular. He simply will not do that.

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 1 Kings 17-18 (Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah)

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In the nation of Israel, since the division of the kingdom, there have been 7 kings and 4 different dynasties (successions of rulers who are of the same family). The year is 874 BC and the eighth king of Israel comes to the throne. His name is Ahab and his reign begins at about the time King Asa of Judah’s reign is ending.

Each of the previous kings of Israel has led the nation further and further from God, but Ahab is worse than all of them. Ahab marries a Phoenician princess named Jezebel in order to secure a trade alliance. Although this alliance helps Israel economically, it leads to spiritual disaster.

Jezebel is a devoted follower of the Phoenician god, Baal-Malquart (referred to as Baal hereafter). Baal is a storm god who is supposed to have power over the weather. Baal worshippers believed that he was responsible for the rain which enabled their crops to grow.

Jezebel’s intention was to have Baal worship replace worship of Yahweh in Israel. Her husband Ahab helped her by building a worship center for Baal in the capital of Israel, Samaria. He also built wooden poles for Asherah, the consort of Baal. Jezebel imported hundreds of Baal prophets into Israel to replace the prophets of Yahweh, whom she murdered.

At the peak of this crisis enters the greatest prophet of the Old Testament (after Moses), Elijah. In chapter 17, verses 1-6, we meet Elijah for the first time when he suddenly appears before King Ahab and tells him that, as a representative of the true God of Israel, there will be a severe drought in Israel for the next few years. Since Baal is supposed to control the rain in Israel, this is meant as a direct challenge to the growing Baal religion.

God then tells Elijah to hide from Ahab for the next few years, lest he be murdered by the king or his wife. God supernaturally sustains Elijah by first leading him to a secret water source and providing him food through ravens. Once the brook dries up, God tells Elijah to travel into the heart of Baal-worshipping Phoenician territory and stay with a widow and her son. Again, God miraculously provides all three of them food during the drought.

While he is staying with the widow and her son, the boy dies and the widow begs Elijah to help. Elijah prays to God and lies on top of the boy three times, after which the boy comes back to life. The widow rejoices, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.” This is the first recorded incident of a person being brought back to life in the Bible.

In the third year of the drought, God commands Elijah to once again confront Ahab. Ahab has been searching for Elijah for three years, but he has been unable to find him. When Ahab sees Elijah, he asks, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” Elijah then issues a challenge to Ahab that he cannot refuse.

“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Mount Carmel is evidently a place that held religious significance for both Yahweh and Baal worshippers. It is right on the border of Israel and Phoenicia, on the Mediterranean coast. What better place to have a showdown between these two gods? Once the prophets of Baal and Asherah are assembled on the top of Mount Carmel, in the sight of a large number of Israelites, Elijah explains the contest that is about to take place.

I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God.

Everyone agrees and the prophets of Baal place their bull on an altar and begin praying for Baal to answer with fire. For three hours they shout, but nothing happens. At noon, Elijah begins to taunt them.

“Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

Elijah’s mocking of the Baal prophets illustrates just how certain he is that the God of Israel is the only true God. Only a man of great conviction would stand in front of a hostile crowd of hundreds and make fun of their most sacred religious rituals!

For three more hours, the prophets of Baal shouted louder and even cut themselves in an attempt to get the attention of Baal. After 6 hours, the supposed storm god of Phoenicia, the god who controls the wind, rain, and lightning, does absolutely nothing.

Elijah tells the prophets of Baal to step aside, for it is his turn. He builds up an altar made of 12 stones, for the 12 tribes of Israel. He then digs a trench completely around the altar. He places some wood and a bull (chopped into pieces) on top of the altar and then instructs bystanders to pour 12 large jars of water on the altar so that the excess water fills up the trench around the altar. If the bull catches fire, there will be no doubt that it is from God.

In one the most dramatic moments in all the Bible, Elijah steps forward and offers this prayer:

O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.

Immediately, “the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”

The assembled people of Israel loudly proclaim that Yahweh is the true God and they seize the false prophets of Baal and execute them. Elijah then tells Ahab to hurry home because a huge rainstorm is coming. Ahab does as he is told and shortly afterward, the first major rainstorm in years drenches Israel in a downpour, proving that Yahweh is God and Baal is a complete fiction.

Paul R. House, in 1, 2 Kings: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (The New American Commentary), aptly summarizes the victory of God over Baal:

God sustains and protects his prophets, while Baal lets his die. Yahweh feeds the orphans and widows and raises the dead, while Baal lets the needy suffer and requires Anat to raise him from death. Yahweh can send fire or rain from heaven, but Baal cannot respond to his most valiant worshipers. A god like Baal is no God at all. A God like Yahweh must be God of all. Rain is not just rain here but evidence of the Lord’s absolute sovereignty over nature and human affairs.

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 1 Kings 12 (Division of the Kingdom)

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Solomon has died, so now his son Rehoboam is going to take over as king of all Israel in 931 BC. Rehoboam travels to a place called Shechem to meet with the leaders of the 10 northern tribes, where he presumes that he will be coronated king (Judah and Benjamin are the other 2 tribes in the south).

Recall that Shechem has a lot of history with the people of Israel. Thomas L. Constable, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Old Testament:), writes,

Shechem afforded a fitting site for the coronation of a king of Israel. At Shechem Yahweh first appeared to Abraham in the land and promised to give him all of Canaan (Gen. 12:6–7). Jacob later settled there (Gen. 33:18–20) and Joseph was buried there (Josh. 24:32). After they had entered the Promised Land the Israelites, at Shechem in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, dedicated themselves to keep the Mosaic Law (Josh. 24:1–27). This sacred spot now reminded the Israelites of their divinely revealed destiny as a nation and of God’s faithfulness.

Unfortunately for Rehoboam, a surprise awaits him at Shechem. The northern 10 tribes select a former administrator under Solomon, Jeroboam, to speak for them. Jeroboam complains to Rehoboam that Solomon placed a heavy tax burden on the northern tribes, including forced labor for construction in Jerusalem and other places in the territory of Judah. David and Solomon were from the tribe of Judah, and so Rehoboam is continuing their dynasty. The northern tribes demand that Rehoboam lighten the burden before they will accept him as king.

In verses 6-11, Rehoboam consults for three days with two different groups of advisors. The older advisors, who served under Solomon, advise that he tell the northern tribes that he will lighten their tax burden. The younger advisors, who are contemporaries of Rehoboam, advise the opposite. They want him to tell the northern tribes that his tax burden will be far heavier than his father’s. Their idea is to instill fear into the northern tribes so that they will back down.

Rehoboam unwisely follows the advice of the younger generation. Instead of the northern tribes being cowed, they rebel against Rehoboam and declare their independence from the tribe of Judah and from the dynasty of David. Rehoboam sends one of his labor administrators to meet with the rebellious leadership, but he is stoned to death and Rehoboam has to flee Shechem to avoid the same fate. The author of 1 Kings notes that “Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.”

Jeroboam is made king over the 10 northern tribes, which comes to be called Israel, and Rehoboam is made king over the two southern tribes (Judah and Benjamin), which comes to be called Judah. Rehoboam gathers an army to attack Israel immediately after his return to Jerusalem, but the prophet Shemaiah tells Rehoboam that he should not attack Israel, for the rebellion of Israel was God’s doing. Recall that God had promised to split the kingdom in two because of Solomon’s idolatry.

In verses 25-33, we learn that Jeroboam builds shrines and altars throughout Israel so that he can prevent his people going to the temple in Jerusalem to worship. He is afraid that if they go to Jerusalem, they will want the two kingdoms to reunite, with Rehoboam in command. Two of the shrines, placed in Bethel and Dan, feature golden calves. The calves, themselves, are probably not meant to be worshipped, because the invisible God is supposed to “stand” upon the backs of the calves, but this distinction is quickly lost on the people of Israel, who start worshiping the calves themselves.

In addition, Jeroboam replaces the Levite priests with illegitimate priests from other tribes, and even commissions new religious festivals for Israel. The Levites would eventually leave Israel and migrate down to Judah because of Jeroboam’s actions.

The splitting of the kingdom leads to serious consequences that would unfold over the next several centuries. First, neither Israel nor Judah would ever gain the prestige of the united kingdom. They would both be attacked by neighboring nations and suffer through numerous wars.

Second, the religious reforms instituted by Jeroboam would lead Israel further and further from obedience to the Law. As the decades went by, the true lovers of Yahweh would stream out of Israel down to Judah to worship and live. Israel’s kings are noted again and again for their disobedience to God’s laws.

Third, the prophetic movement gained importance. God would appoint prophets over the next several hundred years to challenge the rulers of Israel and Judah to follow the Law. This would cause many of the prophets to be hated by the kings and people of Israel and Judah, who did not want to hear about their sins.

See this chart to understand the succession of kings and prophets from 930 BC to 586 BC in both kingdoms. Israel is conquered and destroyed as a nation in 722 BC, while Judah suffers the same fate in 586 BC.

Go to this link to see a map of ancient Israel and Judah.

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 1 Kings 11 (Death of Solomon)

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Under Solomon, Israel reached its historical pinnacle with regards to geography, peace with her neighbors, and material wealth for the king and his administration. Solomon also established a large military, trade with nearby nations, and an impressive bureaucracy to administer the kingdom of Israel.

For many years, Solomon more or less obeyed the Torah, as his father David did. But as time passed, Solomon accumulated hundreds of wives who would become his downfall. This is where chapter 11 of 1 Kings picks up the narrative.

In verses 1-3, we learn that Solomon has married hundreds of foreign women, most of them for the purpose of making treaties with other nations. It was common practice for kings of this era to marry princesses from other nations to stabilize political relations. However, Solomon was not the king of a typical nation. Paul R. House, in 1, 2 Kings: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (The New American Commentary), describes Solomon’s errors:

First, he has disobeyed Moses’ law for marriage, which constitutes a breach of the agreement Solomon makes with God in 1 Kgs 3:1–14; 6:11–13; and 9:1–9. Moses says in Deut 7:3–4 and Exod 34:15–16 that Israelites must not intermarry with noncovenant nations. Why? Because God says ‘they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods’ (Deut 7:4). Judgment will then result. Second, Solomon has broken Moses’ commands for kings (cf. Deut 17:14–20). Moses explicitly says, ‘He must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray’ (Deut 17:17).

In verses 4-8, the author of Kings reports that Moses’s dire predictions all come true with Solomon. Solomon not only tolerates his wives’ gods, he builds worship centers for them. Thus the Lord punishes Solomon in verses 9-13.

Because of Solomon’s sins against God, Solomon’s son would lose part of the kingdom. God tells Solomon,

I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.

Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, would rule over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but another king would rule over the other 10 tribes of Israel. Who would this other ruler be? The answer lies in verses 26-40.

One of Solomon’s own administrators, Jeroboam, is met on the road out of Jerusalem by the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah tells Jeroboam that God is going to make him king over the 10 tribes of Israel, excluding Judah and Benjamin. The reason he is taking this part of the kingdom away from Solomon’s son (and David’s grandson), Rehoboam, is because Solomon has worshipped other gods and has not followed the Law (or Torah) as his father David did. God promises Jeroboam that if he obeys the Torah, as David did, God will bless him with a dynasty. Solomon learns of this promise to Jeroboam and he tries to kill him, but Jeroboam escapes to Egypt until Solomon dies.

Chapter 11 ends with the death of King Solomon. He ruled 40 years and his son, Rehoboam, succeeded him. What can we learn from chapter 11 about God? Paul R. House writes,

Theologically, the passage reemphasizes God’s faithfulness. This time the author depicts the Lord as the God who keeps promises even when the person who is the object of the promise fails to be righteous. For David’s sake, and for the sake of Solomon, the Lord refuses to obliterate the nation. Despite this mercy, however, Israel must still face the consequences of idolatry. God does judge.

House also emphasizes what the chapter says about leaders who sin:

Further, the text stresses how a leader’s sin can impact others. Although it is doubtful that Solomon can be held responsible for introducing idolatry into Israel (cf. the Book of Judges), his religious open-door policy serves to legitimize the practice in a way that no commoner’s similar actions could. Just as one holy person, such as Abraham or Moses, can bless a whole people, so one significant idolater can create spiritual cancer in a people. Had Solomon continued to seek God’s favor rather than wealth and power, he could have helped Israel continue to enjoy prosperity. Instead, he illustrates the principle that sin always affects others.

A final point to be made is that God still expects obedience even in a multicultural, pluralistic society. Solomon could not use the excuse that he needed to bend the rules of the Torah to survive in the ancient near east. Likewise, we can’t expect God to bend the rules for us today when His principles become unpopular. He simply will not do that.

Bible Interpretation, Books of the Bible, Sunday School

Commentary on 1 Kings 3 (Solomon Asks for Wisdom)

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The books of 1 and 2 Kings were originally a single work, but were separated into two parts when they were translated into the Greek New Testament (the Septuagint). The Septuagint also combined Samuel and Kings into a four-part history of the monarchy of Israel (First, Second, Third, Fourth Book of Kingdoms).

The author of Kings is unknown, but most scholars believe it was finally written and edited around 550 BC during the Babylonian exile by a Judahite. The author claims to use at least three sources for his information, although there are probably additional sources he does not mention. The three sources are 1) the Book of the Annals of Solomon, 2) the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel, and 3) the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah. These books were either part of the official royal archives, or they may have been written by Hebrew prophets during the 400 year span from Solomon’s rule to the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

The primary purpose of the author is to explain why the Jews are in exile by examining the kings who ruled Israel and Judah. Each king is evaluated based on whether they obeyed God’s commands in the Book of Deuteronomy, which is the summary of the Law given to Moses. The kings of the northern kingdom, Israel, disobeyed God so egregiously that they were overrun by the Assyrians a full 136 years before the southern kingdom of Judah was overrun by the Babylonians. Although there were a handful of kings who followed the Law, the vast majority did not, and so both Israel and Judah fell to foreign powers.

Chapter 3 of 1 Kings begins Solomon’s official reign as king of Israel in 970 BC. In verse 1, we learn that Solomon immediately forges an alliance with Egypt, his powerful southern neighbor, by marrying the daughter of Pharaoh. He brings her to Jerusalem and puts her in temporary quarters until his building projects are completed.

There is some debate among biblical interpreters as to whether Solomon is violating the Law with this marriage. Deuteronomy 7 prohibits marriage with Canaanite women, but Deuteronomy 21 allows for marriage of foreign (non-Canaanite women) captured in battle. It appears that Pharaoh’s daughter willingly accepted the worship of Yahweh and she is nowhere criticized by the writer for turning Solomon away from adherence to the Law.

In verses 2-3, the writer alerts us to the fact that the Israelites are worshiping at “high places,” which are shrines set up at various elevations to conduct worship of a deity. The reason given is that there is no central worship center for the Israelites yet. At this time, the Ark of the Covenant has been moved to Jerusalem, but the rest of the tabernacle still resides at a high place called Gibeon, which is about 5 miles north of Jerusalem.

Solomon travels to Gibeon to make sacrifices to God, probably during one of the seven annual festivals. That night, he encounters God in a vivid dream. God asks Solomon what he wants and Solomon answers that he desires a “discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” Why? Because he is an inexperienced king (he was about 20 years old at the time) and he is expected to govern an enormous number of people.

Recall that a primary role of a king was to render judicial decisions in especially difficult cases where local judges were not able to settle a dispute. Years before, King David’s son Absalom undermined his authority by accusing David of neglecting his judicial role. Solomon knows he needs God’s help to do this job well.

It is also important to note that God is the source of all wisdom, and thus Solomon will only be truly wise and discerning if he follows the commands of God, given in the Law. Solomon cannot be wise without knowing and obeying the commands of God.

God is pleased with Solomon’s request and grants it. He will make Solomon the wisest man who ever lived. In addition, God will give Solomon those things he did not ask for: riches and honor. Solomon will also have a long life if he obeys the Law as his father David did.

Now that God has officially blessed Solomon’s reign, Solomon returns to Jerusalem and hosts a feast with sacrifices before the Ark of the Covenant. His rule is off to a great start!

To prove to his readers that God truly blessed Solomon with supernatural wisdom, the author of 1 Kings, in verses 16-28, relates the most famous example of Solomon’s discernment at work. Two prostitutes, who live in the same house, each bear a child within 3 days of each other. One prostitute carelessly smothers her child while she sleeps. When she discovers what she’s done, she takes her dead baby and swaps it for the live baby who belongs to the other sleeping prostitute.

The next morning, the woman wakes with a dead baby beside her, but upon closer inspection she realizes it’s not her child at all. She figures out that the other prostitute has stolen her child to replace the one she lost. Of course, both women claim that the other is lying and that the live baby truly belongs to each of them. How can Solomon possibly decide who the mother of the living baby is?

Solomon’s solution is to announce that he will cut the baby in half with a sword so that each woman can have half a baby, the only “fair” solution. At this point, one woman speaks up and pleads for Solomon to give the baby to the other woman instead of killing him. The other woman tells Solomon to go ahead and kill the baby so that neither woman will have him. Solomon rightly discerns that the true mother must be the first woman who offered to give the baby up.

Verse 28 summarizes the reaction of the nation to Solomon’s ruling: “When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.”