1 & 2 Kings follow immediately upon the history recorded in 1 & 2 Samuel. Together, the four books cover the entire history of the kings of Israel and Judah. 1 & 2 Kings covers four centuries of that history. This would range from the time of King Solomon to the time of the Babylonian exile.
1 & 2 Kings were written to provide the Hebrew people in the Babylonian exile with a prophetic interpretation of their history. The record was to give them the reason for the dividing of the nation, why the northern kingdom of Israel was defeated in 722 BC and also why the Davidic kingdom and Jerusalem were defeated in 586 BC. The book emphasizes that the division and defeat of Israel and Judah were the direct and unavoidable results of idolatry and unrighteousness on the part of the kings and the nations as a whole. Thus, he evaluates the success or failure of each king according to his faithfulness or unfaithfulness to God and the covenant. No matter what success a king had politically or economically, he was judged a failure if he did not uphold the covenant. This prophetic understanding was presented so that the captives might forever turn away from idolatry, turn to God and obey His commands in future generations.
1 Kings divides into two major parts. Part one describes the reign of King Solomon (chapters 1-11). Part two describes the dividing of the kingdom under Solomon,s son, Rehoboam. Then it records the next 80 years of the political and spiritual decline of both kingdoms under their separate succession of kings.
Four major features characterize 1 Kings. 1. It presents the prophets as God's representatives and spokesmen to the kings of Israel and Judah - Ahilijah, Shemaiah, Micaich and especially Elijah. 2. It emphasizes prophecy and its fulfillment in the history of the kings. 3. It contains many well-known Bible stories - the wisdom of Solomon, the dedication of the temple, the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem and the ministry of Elijah. 4. It includes large amounts of chronological data about the Kings of Israel and Judah.
The New Testament records what Jesus said to His generation that the importance and purpose of His life and His kingdom was greater than the wisdom, authority, glory and splendor of Solomon and his reign: "now one greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12:42). Moreover, the glory of God that filled Solomon's temple at its dedication came to live among the human race in Jesus, the One and only Son of the Father. The Holy Spirit of God now lives within each believer through God's Son, Jesus Christ.
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