| 1 KINGS |
| page 4 |
| Solomon brought peace and prosperity to the nation. But he also sowed the seed for the calamities to follow. Chapter 12 marks the beginning of a civil war that ruptured Israel into two nations. Israel in the North and Judah in the South. The rest of Kings describes, ruler by ruler, the reigns of 19 kings in the North and 19 kings and one queen in the South. Another book, 2 Chronicles, covers the exact same historical period as the book of Kings. In some cases, 2 Chronicles adds more detail, so if a story interests you, read the parallel account there. These books of history form the background for 17 other books of the Bible: the Prophets. Famous prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Amos preached during the time of Kings. Keeping 39 rulers straight can seem hopeless, especially since the book jumps back and forth between two countries. Remember: - Israel was the Northern Kingdom, with its capital in Samaria. Its kings were all unfaithful to God. - Judah was the Southern Kingdom, with its capital in Jerusalem. Almost half of its rulers remained somewhat faithful to God: the others proved disobedient. If you read "A Lineup of Rulers," you can trace the rise and fall of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Use this handy reference as you read the history. While reading your Bible, you may find it helpful to underline the various rulers' names using different colored marking pens (for example, red for Judah and blue for Israel). Add a star by those kings cited as "doing what was right in the Lord's eyes." First Kings mentions two such kings: Asa and Jehoshaphat. By marking the kings and queen with some visual scheme, you can quickly refer back to them when you read refences to them in the books of prophets. |
 |