Elijah makes a sudden appearance in 1 Kings’s depressing chronicle of idolatry, unfaithfulness, war, and death. In chapter 16, there’s a rapid turnover of kings, two military commanders who rebel against their masters, a suicide, Baal-worship and a temple of Baal. Turn the page, and . . . . Continue Reading »
Bede ( Bede: On the Temple (Liverpool University Press - Translated Texts for Historians) ) knows that the temple is a type of Christ, and a type of the church. But he doesn’t stop with that generic identification. Specific details of the temple construction foreshadow specific features of . . . . Continue Reading »
The vine and fig tree are symbols of Israel’s safety from enemies during the days of Solomon (1 Kings 4). The fact that each Israelite has his own orchard and vineyard is a sign of national prosperity and widespread distribution of wealth, as well as a sign that there are no invaders coming . . . . Continue Reading »
1 Kings 10: When the queen of Sheba perceived the wisdom of Solomon, the house he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, there was no more spirit in her. As Pastor Sumpter has said, wisdom is a royal virtue. . . . . Continue Reading »
“In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah . . . Eval-merodach king of Babylon . . . released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison” (2 Kings 25:27). Jehoiachin was elevated above other kings, given royal robes, and allowed to sit at the table of the king of . . . . Continue Reading »
There are several parallels between the story of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21) and the account of Hezekiah’s sickness and the visit from the Babylonians (2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39). First a list of the connections: 1) When Naboth refuses to sell his vineyard, Ahab lays down on his bed . . . . Continue Reading »
Solomon’s first wife was an Egyptian princess (1 Kings 3:1). She was Solomon’s mare among the chariots of Egypt (Song of Songs 1:9). We can imagine Pharaoh showing Solomon around the capital, displaying his court and his stables and gathering his army to make an impressive military . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh describes only a handful of people as “My servant” - Abraham, Moses, and David. In 1-2 Kings, the title is almost exclusively reserved for David, and in almost every case the title is used in places where the Lord is reminding a king that His care for Israel is because of David . . . . Continue Reading »
The chronology of the later kings of Israel is confusing. Hoshea, the last king of Israel, seized power from Pekah, who had reigned fro 20 years (2 Kings 15:17). That was in the third (perhaps fourth) year of Ahaz of Judah, since Ahaz began to reign in Pekah’s seventeenth year (16:1). Yet, . . . . Continue Reading »
Why did Yahweh send Israel to exile? Appealing to 2 Kings 25 and Ezekiel 17, Jon Levenson suggests that “Subjugation to the Babylonian emperor was indeed punitive, but the purpose of the punishment was to train the vassal in the ways of covenant fidelity. . . . We see here a chastened royal . . . . Continue Reading »
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