1. The Story of God
Kings # 2

2. At the beginning of Kings
The promises made to Abraham (Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17) are being fulfilled
They live in the land of promise (Genesis 12.1)
They have become a great nation—dominating surrounding nations. Genesis 12.2; I Kings 4.21

3. Kings are Abraham’s descendants, Genesis 17.6
And through Abraham’s descendants, the world is being blessed. I Kings
His name is great. Genesis 12.2; I Kings 4.31 (“fame” is “name”).

4. Solomon Builds the Temple: An “Eden” like structure
It took 7 years to build ( 6.38), in which some see an echo of the creation
God dwelt there: I Kings 8.10
His reign is a preview of Christ’s kingdom. I Kings 4.25; I Kings

5. But Solomon is no Christ
And time—the great tester of our faith—reveals his weakness. I Kings
So now what?
Poised to become a blessing TO the world, Israel becomes entangled WITH the world
Instead of paradise, there is exile

6. There is, in fact, a structure to Joshua through Kings
Joshua: an obedient people conquer the land. Defying human wisdom secured great victories
Judges: there is no king, and anarchy reigns
Samuel: God raises up a king, and order returns
Kings: a disobedient people lose the land. Pursuing human wisdom destroys the nation

7. Kings reveals God’s faithfulness to His word
Not only are the blessing portions of the Abrahamic covenant in force
So are the cursing portions of the Mosaic covenant in force
Deuteronomy
In Kings—as in all things with God—the prerequisite to blessing is obedience to the Word of God

8. David instructed Solomon to walk in the commands of the Law. I Kings 2
Every king is measured by his obedience or disobedience to the word
The prophets serve to proclaim and illustrate the faithfulness of God to His word

9. The Word of God was Jeroboam’s mercy—he ignored it
I Kings ;
I Kings
The story pivots on one theme—the word of the Lord. 13.1; 2; 5; 9; 17; 18; 20; 26; 32
The Word of God was Jeroboam’s mercy—he ignored it
The Word of God was the prophet from Judah’s safety—he ignored it
The Word of God was the calling of the old prophet—and he abused it
This outline is from DRD’s book on I Kings: “The Wisdom and the Folly”

10. I Kings 14: it was the prophecy of Ahijah that brought about the death of the son of wicked king Jeroboam
It is Elijah and Elisha who wage war on the false god Baal—in the name of the Lord, through the Word of the Lord
And the Babylonians came, “according to the Word of the LORD,” II Kings 24.2