1 and 2 Kings

Question 1

Argument for 1 Kings

Answer 1

earliest genuine historiography in world literature

Question 2

1 Kings point of view

Answer 2

Israel’s past is presented here from a prophetic and theological point of view not a political one.

Question 3

events included in 1 Kings

Answer 3

Only events that have universal redemptive qualities are included. Therefore we can read each historical event as having something to do with our spiritual walk with God

Question 4

Editor’s goal of 1 Kings

Answer 4

The editors went through the list of Israel’s kings carefully and systematically, with the goal of critiquing each one’s faithfulness to God’s covenant.

The books trace the consequences of sin and the benefits of obedience.

Question 5

1 Kings-Type of theology

Answer 5

theology of retribution based on the Sinai covenant, especially as expressed in Deuteronomy

Question 6

Salvation History

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Israel’s rise to power

Answer 7

Only during Solomon’s reign did Israel become a major player in the arena of international power politics.

But Israel’s brief period of strength and prestige was ruined by Solomon’s religious apostasy.

Question 8

Territory under Solomon’s reign

Answer 8

Under Solomon’s reign was the only time when the territory promised to Abraham was actually under Israeli control.

Question 9

1 Kings theological principle

Answer 9

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 10

Solomon’s reign is a symbol of

Answer 10

thought of as a symbol of the messianic age.

Question 11

Solomon’s contribution

Answer 11

wisdom was Solomon’s contribution to Israelite religion

Question 12

Number of Dynasties

Answer 12

The northern Kingdom of Israel had 9 dynasties

The southern Kingdom of Judah had only one dynasty; The Dynasty of King David.

Question 13

Prophets purpose

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Ahab’s view of prophecy

Answer 14

For Ahab, prophecy was a 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 15

Jehoshaphat’s view of prophecy

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What did Samuel establish?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Israel’s kings with their prophetic counterparts

Answer 17

Saul and Samuel
David and Nathan
Ahab and Elijah
Hezekiah and Isaiah

Question 18

Function of Prophecy in Israel vs Near East

Answer 18

Other peoples had prophets, but they were clairvoyants whose purpose was to appease or manipulate the deities.

Israel’s prophets were messengers of God who 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 19

Amount of material of Elisha

Answer 19

The events relating to Elisha receive a disproportionate amount of attention (about 2/5 of the whole book), especially since Elisha is not a king in a book devoted to the history of Israelite kings. The amount of Elisha materials is due 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 20

2 Kings, praise for kings

Answer 20

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

Question 21

point of Elijah-Elisha narratives

Answer 21

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 22

Reason Israel failed

Answer 22

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 23

Mixtures of people’s produced

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Two most important themes of 1 and 2 Kings

Answer 24

1) The Deuteronomistic History

2) The Role of Prophecy

Question 25

Only measure of successful living

Answer 25

personal covenant faithfulness and obedience to God

Question 26

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

Answer 26

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