1 & 2 Kings

Question 1

It may be argued that these books are? (what is it)

Answer 1

this is the earliest genuine historiography in world literature.

Question 2

How is Israel’s history presented? (point of view)

Answer 2

from a prophetic and theological point of view not a political one.

Question 3

What is special about the events that are included? (URQ)

Answer 3

universal redemptive qualities

Question 4

Why did the editors go through the list of Israel’s kings carefully and systematically?

Answer 4

They had the goal of critiquing each one’s faithfulness to God’s covenant.

Question 5

What does the books trace ? (sin)

Answer 5

consequences of sin and the benefits of obedience.

Question 6

What is the Retribution Theology based on?

Answer 6

the Sinai covenant, especially as expressed in Deuteronomy.

Question 7

What is “salvation history”?

Answer 7

It is the divine revelation of historical events recorded in Scripture to promote faith.

Question 8

Only during Solomon’s reign did Israel?

Answer 8

become a major player in the arena of international power politics.

Question 9

But Israel’s brief period of strength and prestige was ruined by?

Answer 9

Solomon’s religious apostasy.

Question 10

Under Solomon’s reign was the only time when?

Answer 10

the territory promised to Abraham was actually under Israeli control.

Question 11

The theological principle demonstrated in Solomon is?

Answer 11

that even with God’s promise through a covenant to his people, God’s people must walk in faith and obedience to him in order to receive all the blessings of those promises and covenants.

Question 12

Solomon’s reign to be thought of as?

Answer 12

a symbol of the messianic age.

Question 13

Wisdom was Solomon’s?

Answer 13

contribution to Israelite religion.

Question 14

The northern Kingdom of Israel had how many dynasties?

Answer 14

nine

Question 15

The southern Kingdom of Judah had how many dynasties?

Answer 15

only one dynasty; The Dynasty of King David.

Question 16

Prophets were?

Answer 16

God’s instruments of warning to the king and the nation.

Question 17

For Ahab, prophecy was a?

Answer 17

form of magic in which the prophet manipulated God. The professional prophets merely repeated the king’s desire in the form of prophecy in an attempt to ensure the desired outcome.

Question 18

For Jehoshaphat, the prophet was?

Answer 18

a mouthpiece for God. The word of the prophet made the will of God known to humans, regardless of the king’s desires.

Question 19

Samuel established the?

Answer 19

future role of the prophet as the messenger from God who held the king in check.

Question 20

many Israelite kings had their prophetic counterparts, name them. (4)

Answer 20

1) Samuel and Saul
2) David and Nathan and Gad
3) Ahab and Elijah
4) Hezekiah and Isaiah.

Question 21

The function of prophecy in Israel was what compared to other nations?

Answer 21

unique among nations of the ancient Near East.

Question 22

Other peoples had prophets, but they?

Answer 22

they were clairvoyants whose purpose was to appease or manipulate the deities.

Question 23

Israel’s prophets were messengers of God who?

Answer 23

confronted the king and the entire society with his holy word. Nowhere else in the world could a reigning monarch be held accountable to such a prophetic voice.

Question 24

The amount of Elisha materials is due to?

Answer 24

to the author’s purpose. He wanted to write not a just a survey of the events as they happened, but an explanation for the destruction of both kingdoms.

Question 25

The events relating to Elisha receive a disproportionate amount of attention in this book, how much was it?

Answer 25

about 2/5 of the whole book

Question 26

In the Books of Kings, the greatest single cause for the failure of Israel and Judah was?

Answer 26

was the policies of their kings and their lack of obedience to the prophetic word.

Question 27

In 2 Kings, why does the author praises only Hezekiah and Josiah?

Answer 27

because of their high regard for the word of God. All the other kings were neglectful at best, and evil at worst.

Question 28

The point of the Elijah-Elisha narratives, then, is that?

Answer 28

the kingdom succeeded when it followed the leadership of the prophets. Failure and destruction resulted when the kings rejected the word of God offered through the prophets.

Question 29

Why did the nation fall?

Answer 29

The nation did not fall simply because it had a smaller army. Israel broke the Lord’s statutes and commandments. They “followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless”. Ultimately it was God who was responsible for Israel’s fall.

Question 30

Who did the people that were put in Israel become?

Answer 30

The mixtures of peoples produced the what would be called the Samaritans, who would become future enemies of Judah. The Samaritans and their religion continued into New Testament times.

Question 31

The Two Most Important Themes of 1 and 2 Kings are?

Answer 31

1)The Deuteronomistic History
The Books of Kings teach that personal covenant faithfulness and obedience to God is the only measure of successful living.

2)The Role of Prophecy