OT: 1 Kings
Coming into 1 Kings, we have behind us the background of the nation of Israel. From the creation to the call of Abraham, from the increase of the peoples in Egypt to the exodus, from the giving of the Law to the conquest of the Land, from rule by Judges to rule by Monarchy, we’ve seen the nation of Israel come into being.
At the end of 2 Samuel, Israel was ruled by King David, whom Jews now look back on as the best earthly king the nation ever had. Yet David’s rule was not the apex of the nation’s glory. It is under the rule of David’s son Solomon that the nation will reach the zenith of it’s splendor. It is also under Solomon that decline from that high point will begin.
We know there must be decline for in the time of Jesus, Israel is a nation occupied by a foreign power, Rome. How did that happen? What happened to the nation that was to be an example to the world of what it looked like to worship Yahweh? 1&2 Kings will tell us that story.
A brief outline of 1 Kings will look like this.
- Solomon’s reign (1-11)
- Division of Kingdom (12-14)
- Decline of Israel (15-16)
- Elijah (17-22)
There is a lot of history here, and many lessons worth learning. In many ways the book is the story of the decline of a nation. What I want us to focus on will involve that decline, but I want to primarily focus on the two main characters, Solomon and Elijah, and the contrasts between them.
These last several books have been stories of contrast between different characters. We saw most vividly the contrast between Saul and David.
Saul’s heart was concerned with what people thought, concerned with himself and his standing in the eyes of men. This led to arrogance and pride on his part.
David’s heart was humble before God. He was concerned with what God thought, not what man thought. He was concerned with his standing before God, not men.
As we look at 1 Kings, and the stories of Solomon and Elijah, we’ll contrast the two men’s responses to the surrounding culture.
At the end of 2 Samuel, the 12 tribes are united under the rule of King David. In 1 Kings chapter 1, we see the transfer of rule to Solomon.
As David aged, one of his other sons, Abonijah, attempted to set himself up as king. This was not the divine plan. This was not David’s plan. David had promised that Solomon, the son of Bathsheba would rule after him. Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet remind David of this, and inform him of Abonijah’s actions. David then gives instructions for the transfer of power to Solomon.
32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so. 37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” (ESV)
Once these instructions are carried out, Abonijah’s party ends and the nation is united under Solomon peacefully. Notice the three men involved in this function: Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the “mighty man”.
In chapter 2 though, David gives Solomon some tips for seeing to it that he remains in power. This involves dealing with everyone who was disloyal to David. Solomon shows wisdom even here. After David’s death, his brother Abonijah makes one more play for the throne. He asks for David’s last concubine in marriage. Solomon knows this is politically motivated and has Benaiah put Abonijah to death.
Later in the chapter Benaiah also executed Joab, the commander of the army who was a problem for David, and Shemi, a man who had cursed David publicly. Benaiah is Solomon’s strong man and the commander of his army.
At the end of this chapter, the traitors and disloyal people have been dealt with and the Scripture states,
So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. - 1 Kings 2:46
There is no dispute who is king.
In chapter 3 we find the famous story of Solomon’s prayer for wisdom. This is an important section in the story for several reasons.
In verse 5, God appears to Solomon and offers to give him whatever he asks for. Solomon wisely asks for discernment and judicial wisdom.
6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (ESV)
Solomon knows how much he doesn’t know and asks God for a gift, not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others. He asks God to equip him to better serve in the position God has placed him in. Good prayer.
God is pleased with the request and honors the prayer, promising to make Solomon the wisest of kings. What follows is the famous story of a dispute between two women over a child. Solomon wisely discerns the identity of the child’s true mother.
But let’s rewind a bit and notice the nature of Solomon’s relationship with God here in chapter 3.
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. (ESV)
Solomon loved God. There is one problem though. He has polluted the worship of God. God had given the Israelites the tabernacle, but Solomon is offering sacrifices in the “high places.” The high places were the tops of mountains and hills. The Canaanites and other pagans would build their alters there, believing that the closer they got to the heavens, the more likely it was that their prayer would be heard.
Solomon, along with the entire nation, has engaged in what we call syncretism. That is, he has taken aspects of the non-Israelite culture and imported them into, synchronizing them with, the practices of Yahweh worship.
This still happens today. I remember hearing a missionary to Africa speak last year and talking about the problem of syncretism in Africa. The pagan religions of the are teach that goat milk offers protection from evil spirits. So when the Africans become Christians and hear that they are to be baptized, they synchronize the two practices and baptize with goat milk instead of water. Not only does this make a mess, it doesn’t honor Yahweh. It gives in to the prevailing superstitions of the culture.
That is what Solomon has done here. He’s worshiping Yahweh, but practicing that worship in sync with the pagan superstitions of the surrounding culture.
Now ask yourself, how pure is your worship of Jesus? Have you engaged in syncretism? What aspects of our culture have you taken and wrongly incorporated into your worship of Jesus?
Let me give you an example.
The prosperity gospel.
There is a picture of American syncretism. The American culture worships success and material possessions. Certain men, calling themselves preachers, have taken that aspect of culture and brought it into Christianity and perverted the worship of Jesus into an offense against God almighty. God doesn’t want you to treasure prosperity! He wants you to treasure Christ!
Perhaps more subtle is the “get rich quick” mentality applied to Christianity. I call it the “get spiritual quick” teaching. This is the book, or the video, or the teaching that gives you “4 simple steps to know God better” or “
1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (ESV)
minute Bible” or whatever it is. This is the microwave mentality that tells you that building a relationship with God is quick and easy. Building a relationship takes time! This is going to mean spending more time than 1 minute a day with God!
Those are just two examples to get you started. Ask yourself, “Am I worshiping God the way he prescribes in Scripture? Or am I worshiping God the way my culture worships money? Or Success? Or Food? Or whatever it is that culture worships?”
And this isn’t the only mistake Solomon makes. Look at the beginning of chapter 3.
3:1 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. (ESV)
Solomon did something here that we in America are very prone to do. That is, he went about his relationship and his obedience to God, with a secular and pragmatic world view. Pragmatism says that you need to look at the world around you and behave in a way that makes practical sense. Marrying the daughter of Pharaoh made practical sense. It would keep Egypt from being an enemy of the nation. But it was disobedience to God.
God had commanded that the Israelites refrain from marrying the daughters of the surrounding nations. Solomon excused his disobedience because it was a practical political move.
We do the same thing all the time. We excuse our own disobedience to God because it’s practical or expedient.
Maybe you tell a little lie to keep the peace in the family. It’s practical. It’s for a good purpose, peace. But it’s disobedience to God.
Examine your life. In what areas are you acting out of pragmatism rather than obedience.
Now don’t get me wrong. Solomon loves the Lord. But his love is soon to be misguided because he wasn’t paying attention to details.
“Sure, he did such-and-such. But he loves the Lord!”
I don’t know how many times I heard a statement like that. I think in the American church we are prone to syncretism, and too quickly to excuse disobedience, because “we love the Lord.”
So did Solomon, but his story doesn’t have a good end.
Chapter 4 tells of his wealth and wisdom. In chapter 5 he prepares to build the temple. He builds it in chapter 6. In chapter 7 Solomon builds a palace. In chapter 8 the temple is dedicated. And in chapter 9 God visits Solomon for the second time. Now this is right after the temple has been dedicated, and God warns Solomon, at some length, against idolatry.
4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’” (ESV)
Idolatry?! I thought Solomon loved the Lord? He’s just dedicated the temple. This warning seems very harsh and out of place at first glance.
Here’s the deal. Solomon did love the Lord, but his syncretism and his pragmatic disobedience is going to result in tragedy very soon.
Chapter 10 serves as a summary of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth. For a quick summary of what his reign looked like at it’s height, look at
21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 25 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. (ESV)
If we could stop there, the story of Solomon would be one of splendor and majesty. Unfortunately, the story continues into chapter 11.
Remember Solomon’s disobedience in chapter 3? One foreign wife. A matter of political expediency. Now look at where it has lead.
11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. (ESV)
What started as a small pragmatic act of disobedience, grew into outright rebellion, which ends in a heart grown gold toward Yahweh, and ultimately idolatry.
These marriages are pragmatic. These women are princesses! By marrying them, Solomon has forged peace with other nations. But he has disobeyed God and his heart has turned away. His love, for which we excused him in chapter 3, has grown cold. Suddenly that warning in chapter 9 makes sense.
All the way back in Deuteronomy, Moses had warned against this.
17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. (ESV)
And this comes true with Solomon. The man who love the Lord. The man who built the temple of the Lord.
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. (ESV)
Solomon has become an idolater. The king of the nation God set up as an example to the world of what it was supposed to look like to worship and serve Yahweh, is now worshiping and serving the demon gods of the surrounding culture.
And so God acts in judgment on the nation.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” (ESV)
In chapters 12 through 16 we see the nation torn in two. The norther tribes rebel against Solomon’s son Rehoboam. God raises up another to be king in the north. The line of David rules in Judah, the tribe of David. And so the nation is split into Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom. It is to remain this way until the Babylonian captivity at the end of 2 Kings.
We don’t have time to go into all the details of the various kings, but the the northern kingdom is torn by strife and contention. Each king succeeding his predecessor by treachery and blood. Very few inherit the throne from their father, and the ones that do, don’t live long.
In Judah, we do see a couple good kings. Kings whose hearts are true to Yahweh. But they become increasingly rare as the story continues.
What Solomon started continues to get worse and worse, especially in the northern kingdom.
Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom, goes beyond the syncretism of Solomon by creating two golden calves and proclaiming that they were gods. He claimed they were the gods who brought the people out of Egypt. And he set them up at either end of the kingdom so the idolatry would be readily accessible for everyone.
As one king takes another’s place, they continue to engage in acts of idolatry that anger the Lord, until we get to the end of chapter 16, where we meet Ahab.
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. (ESV)
He leads the people into the worship of Baal. And things are bleak in Israel.
Then, in chapter 17, we are introduced to a loan character who stands against the prevailing idolatry of the culture. A man who engages in no syncretism and brooks no disobedience in the name of pragmatism. Elijah the prophet.
17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (ESV)
Elijah comes bursting onto the scene. To really understand this you need to know that Baal was the preeminent Canaanite god who supposedly controlled the rain and fertility. So the god they are worshiping, who controls the rain, is confronted by Elijah as soon as he appears.
So Elijah says there will be no rain for three years, and their isn’t. God miraculously provides for Elijah during this time. And one person is even raised from the dead after Elijah prays for him. Elijah is connected with Yahweh. His name means “my God is Yahweh” and lives up to the name.
After three years of drought, Elijah shows up again before king Ahab and confronts the prophets of Baal.
God then sends rain on the land. In chapter 19 Elijah is given the task of anointing his successor, Elisha. And in the last few chapters we see Elijah continuing to confront Ahab and Jezebel and the eventual death of both king and queen.
But what I want us to see about Elijah is the stance he takes when surrounded by a pagan culture.
Notice the situation in this story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal in chapter 18. You may have read this story before, but look at it one more time with me.
20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. (ESV)
There are 450 prophets who serve Baal. Elijah is by himself. And he stands alone in a hostile culture where it would have been easy, even pragmatic, to go along with the crowd. Elijah spends much of his story on the run because the king and queen are hunting his head.
In stark contrast with Solomon, Elijah does not make the pragmatic choice which leads down the path to idolatry, instead he chooses to do the hard thing. He stands against a sinful culture, and worships Yahweh with his life.
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (ESV)
Now, who would you rather be? Solomon, who loved God, but ended his days as an idolater because he excused sin in the name of pragmatism and polluted the gospel with the idolatrous practices of the surrounding culture?
Or Elijah, who jealously guarded his worship of Yahweh so that he obeyed even when no one else did. It was hard. I’m sure the peer pressure was great. He was alone much of the time, with a price on his head. But Elijah stood firm in his dedication to God. And God provided for him, protected him, and in the end gave him Elisha as a companion.
Like Elijah, we have all been called to stand up in the midst of a pagan culture and proclaim the pure worship of the true King, Jesus.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)
It won’t always be easy. Sometimes you will feel very alone, but consider the words of Paul.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (ESV)
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (ESV)
All authority belongs to Jesus. Just like the Lord’s demonstration of power in the face of the Baal worship of Elijah’s day, Jesus has triumphed over the gods of this world by his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the grave.
