1 & 2 Kings: Desultory Musings

1 & 2 Kings:  Some desultory musings on the text in consultation with four volumes:

The Book of Common Prayer. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Davis, John D. (Ed.) The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. “Kings.” Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.

Engelbrecht, Edward (Ed.) The Lutheran Study Bible. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.

Sproul, R.C. (Ed.) The New Geneva Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

Historically and liturgically, that is, for the Church of England, 1 & 2 Kings were/are read 14 May through 17 June.  Selections from Chronicles, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah periodically interrupt and punctuate the divine services of Morning and Evening Prayer.  However, these two books are to be read entirely and fully—congregationally—at least once per year.  Like Israel of old, however, the practice falls far, far short of reality. These days we get snippets, clippettes, and sermonettes largely bereft of indications that the book is read.  These days, one would hardly know that the books exist.

The authorship of 1 & 2 Kings was attributed, traditionally, to Jeremiah.  As such, 1 & 2 Kings, Lamentation, and Jeremiah are attributed to the prophet.

The two volumes were traditionally one volume, until the Septuagint and Vulgate.  Yet, the narrative is a national religious history beginning with Joshua and ending with the Exile (2 Kings 25). 

It is generally believed that these 2 volumes (or, actually 1 volume) were brought together during the Exile (560-550).  However, there were earlier works that were noted, used and incorporated:

1. “Book of the Acts of Solomon” (1 Kg.11.41)
2. “Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” (1 Kg. 14.19), distinctive from the canonical Chronicles
3. “Chronicles of the Kings of Judah” (1 Kg. 14.29)
4. Use of the terms describing pre-exilic times of conditions “that continue to this day” (1 Kg. 8.8; 9.20-21; 12.19; 2 Kg. 8.22)

One theory of composition was that an Exilic editor picked up a Josianic document and provided the Deuteronomist-update.  2 Kings comes to a climax with Josiah’s reforms with a tightly argued chronology of the fall (2 Kg. 25). The ending is somewhat abrupt and reminds one of the ending to Acts

The New Geneva Study Bible offers four themes:

1. God and Israel’s election by grace (1 Kg. 8.53; Dt. 7.6; 26.18-19). Israel’s statehood and status as God’s people was not based on merit, but grace.  The solidarity of all Israel is maintained, generally, even after the fall of the north to the Assyrians (B.C. 722)
2. The crucial role of the prophets as God’s spokesmen.  Some prophets mentioned in the Kings: Elijah, Elisha, Nathan, Ahijah, Shemiah, Micaiah, Jonah, Isaiah, and Huldigh. The governing themes in the prophets: Israel’s marriage to God, the Abrahamic-Mosaic-Davidic covenant, God and the pagan nations, false teachers and prophets, and the Messianic Branch of David.
3. God and the sanctuary, notably, the building of the Temple by Solomon. This was the sign and seal of God’s Presence.  It was sacred space with sacred times.  As The Lutheran Study Bible helpfully notes, the “high places” were throughout the land. The wind would blow, whistle through the trees, blow the hair and garments.  Some would call on Yahweh while others would invoke Baal—a religion of nature-worship, commerce-worship and sex-worship.  Some would burn incense.  Some would do homage to the Asherah.  Bamot, or “the high place,” is mentioned 100 times in the OT, mostly occurring in 1 & 2 Kings. Solomon builds something spectacular—something confirming the revelation to Moses in the tabernacle.  We might add an off-hand note from the 1599 Geneva Bible, to wit (in essence), “ignorance and indifference are the mothers of idolatry, error and superstition.” Syncretism was the grand error of the northern Churchmen soon to be rooted out by Assyria.
4. The Covenant of Grace. The kings and the people were not absolute but were under divine authority.  A contrast develops from within the 2 volumes:  (1) Northern Israel has 20 kings from 9 families for just over 200 years, a picture of instability, disorder and divine judgment, and (2) Southern Israel, or Judah, has 20 kings from 1 family (David) for over 350 years.  Of the 8 favorable mentions for southern Kings, 2 are noteworthy: (1) Hezekiah who removes the high places and survives in faith during Sennacherib’s invasion (2 Kings 18) and (2) Josiah who initiated sweeping reforms (2 Kings 23).
5. A working chronology:
    
   970:  End of David’s reign
   970—930:  Solomon’s glorious reign but his massive descent to abominations
   930: The Monarchy Splits into the North and South
   722: The Northern Tribes Fall to Assyria
   586: The Fall of the Southern Kingdom to Babylon

The Lutheran Study Bible offers us a lovely (as usual) quote from Bruder Martin Luther:

“Elijah had killed the 800 prophets with great courage (1 Kings 19.1-3), and no one’s power was so great that he feared it; but when Jezebel threatened him, he is struck with such fear that he flees.  Before this he was not afraid of the king; now he runs away from a woman.

“Accordingly, all this seems to be foolish; but it shows great understanding and is very helpful, because it is recorded for the comfort of the churches, in order that we may know how merciful God is.  We may indeed be evil and weak, provided that we are not found among those who persecute, hate and blaspheme God.  God wants to have patience with our weakness.

“I am neither able nor willing to excuse the fathers, as others do. Indeed I am glad to hear about the failings and the weaknesses of the saints. But, I do not praise these failings and weaknesses as good deeds or virtues…Nor are these things recorded for the sake of hard, the proud and the obstinate.  No, they are recorded in order that the nature of the kingdom of Christ may be pointed out. In His small flock He has poor and weak consciences that are easily hurt and are not easily comforted.  He is a King of the strong and the weak alike; He hates the proud and declares war on the strong” (AE 5:25-26).