Virtual Vestry ~ The Books of Kings

The warfare between Yahweh and the belief in Baal, described in 1 Kings 17, was intimate, personal: ravens stealing from those who had bread and delivering to one who did not; water flowing from the mountains; a small house; a tiny family. The scene spotlighted a group who by Baal belief criteria was cursed to penury and starvation – and miraculously blessed by the covenant God of a foreign county.

The scenes of 1 Kings 18 play out on very different, much bigger, much louder stages. They still portray the "Mesopotamian" battle of the gods for same audience of readers but a very different group of characters – and lessons.

As you are reading, I think it would be helpful to track the names of God.

• The Lord – Yahweh
  The covenant builder and protector.
• God – Elohim
  Supreme power, majesty, creator of all things, authority over all creation. The word is grammatically plural but used with singular verbs throughout the Old Testament.
• The Lord of Heaven's Armies
  The Hebrew phrase is Yahweh Sabaoth or Adonai Tseva'ot. Tseva'ot means armies or hosts.
• Adonai
  Lord or master signifies God's absolute sovereignty or authority

1. Israelites had an interest in numbers. What do you think they made of the fact that Elijah arrived back in the third year of famine?
2. What do you make of "go make an appearance before Ahab so I can send rain on the surface of the ground". Do you think it was a statement of covenant or merely predictive? If you believe this was written in the Babylonian captivity, why would the author put it in? I think this is one of those phrases that are about the character of God.
3. Why would Ahab summon Obadiah? Why him? Why make him part of the search team?
4. Do you think Ahab secretly knew Obadiah was saving prophets? What do you make of that?
5. What do you make of Ahab (translation meaning father's brother) being a team of two and doing half the territory himself?
6. I find Obadiah an interesting character upon whom Uncle Arthur spent little time. He is an undercover member of the resistance. He saves at least 100 lives. That's got to take guts. And yet he says in vs 7 "the Lord your God". It looks like he thinks God is some sort of Loki who's going to spirit Elijah off and leave Obadiah holding the bag. What do you make of him?
7. To answer this brave and terrified undercover rescuer Elijah uses the phrase Yahweh Tseva'ot. What does that say about Elijah?

8. Vs. 16 – What are 3 or 6 reasons why Ahab would have talked to Elijah alone?
9. What do you think are some of the reasons why Ahab obeyed Elijah?
10. Mount Carmel was a sacred site for Baal worship. Oddly enough its beauty is described in the Song of Solomon. What are three or four reasons why Elijah would have picked that site?
11. Do you think Elijah made a mistake in vs. 22? If so, what was it? Do you think there might be lessons for us in that choice of his?
12. Vs. 24. Elijah's name for the Deity is interesting here: He calls on Yahweh but says the fire will show the true God... why use those names? ...I think it's absolutely deliberate.
13. Do you think it's Elijah's personality that sets up the drama in verses 25-30? Do you think that is how Yahweh would have set up the scene? What are your reasons for thinking this?
14. Vs. 30 – What are 2 or 4 reasons why Elijah might have said "approach me?"
15. Just a note on vs. 36: the name for God Elijah uses here is the name the Deity first used in Genesis 2. It's the name the Deity used to talk to Adam, Eve, and then the original folks who started Israel.
16. Between vs. 36 and 39 Elijah gives uses the names of the Deity very specifically. We can talk about them if we get here...and I will ask what was he trying to teach Israel right there, right then about the priorities of God?
17. Vs. 46 – which iteration of God energized Elijah?

What are the ways we have read or discussed or been taught this lesson in the past that might have blinded us to what else was going on in this part of the story?

I am looking forward to all the ideas and different opinions we'll share in our discussion.

I do hope, in the midst of so much going on, that you find unexpected gentle blessings.

Catherine

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This chapter is packed.

To understand our story it will be helpful for us to remember Mesopotamians believed what happens between powers on earth is representative of and caused by battle between gods in the heavens. This text is about such a battle.

I think it will be helpful to remember that Hebrew is a language and a culture based in metaphor.

As a caveat, I think you already know that I live in great controversy theology where the issue for me is "Do I believe God is a God of love or a God focused and power and ways to use it". I think it's important to know the biases of authors.

• Elijah: My God is Yahweh. Yahweh is the covenant iteration of the Deity.
• Tishbe: Can sometimes just mean the place name but has the connotation of "captivity."
• Baal: husband or lord (note that Yahweh uses the same metaphors to describe Their relationship with Israel) Baal is the god of storms, fertility, and thunder.
• Asherah: chief female or mother goddess of fertility, love and war. Her worship was promoted by Ahab. Worship often included sexual rituals.
• Eastward – can mean before times/antiquity.
• Kerith – winter storm.
• Sidon – ruled by Ethbaal (note the name within the name) whose daughter was Jezebel.
• Jezebel – "Baal exalts", "unexalted", "without cohabitation". Sometime considered a priestess of Baal and certainly a supporter of that god's worship.

1. His representative goes to the titular head of Baal worship as well as of Israel and declares war. Baal is in charge of rain and fertility. It will be shown that Baal is not the one in charge.
   
   I think that if Ahab had repented at that point there would have been no drought and looks forward to hearing your thoughts on that matter.
2. In a show of Yahweh's power for believers, Their representative will be fed and watered in the midst of drought.
3. When the river dries up Yahweh sends Elijah straight into the core of enemy territory.
4. Where there, in the middle of Baal worship, there is a widow and her child.
5. In a place supposedly ruled by Baal where there is no food, this person of Sidon chooses to be generous to a stranger and is rewarded with food (which Baal, the God of fertility did not provide).
6. The writer points the power of this out in Elijah's words. "The Lord the God of Israel will feed you until the covenant God brings rain upon the land." The covenant is not just with Israel but with those who believe.
7. The boy comes down with a potentially fatal illness. And that tests Elijah's faith.
8. Elijah called on the Diety with Whom he has chosen to make a covenant relationship... not once but three times.

1. Given its history, why send such a powerful prophet to Israel?
2. What do you see of the character of God in that decision?
3. Why do you think Yahweh's message to Elijah sends him to the Kerith Valley for protection? He could have gone anywhere. Why here and with this diet and its servers?
4. Why send Elijah to Sidon? What was the message to Elijah? What was the message to the readers?
5. From this story, how would you describe the author?
6. What do you think the author wants us to learn?
7. When Elijah could clearly talk to royalty, why send him to a widow?
8. What might that assignment have to do with Yahweh vs Baal?
9. Given all that's going on in regional Mesopotamian politics, why would Elijah use the phrase "The Lord God of Israel" in verse 14?
10. What are the ways vs. 20 can be a comfort to us?
11. What might be an instruction in vs. 21?
12. In verse 24, why do you think it took this event for her to say "I believe"? Do you think it had anything to do with local Baal worship?

For our own selves:

1. What was your favorite part of this story?
2. Were there any lessons for your personal journey?

It's a joy for me to think about these things with you. I look forward to seeing you and hearing your thoughts soon.

Catherine

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This week's chapter is a bit of a 'nothing'. More kings did bad things, and those bad things are catalogued in the oft-referenced "The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel" (vv 5, 14, 20 and 27) which, sadly, has never been found.

It is a placeholder that covers the events in the minimum of detail and sets us up for the epic Ahab vs Elijah confrontation that follows.

As described in last week's study by Jim, the kingdom of Israel is more unstable that its southern neighbour. We have Basha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and finally Ahab.

A snippet of the Leningrad Codex, from c1008CE, containing part of the Book of Kings

1. Baasha's Judgment (vv. 1–7)
   • God's word through the prophet Jehu (note that this Jehu is a different character from the king Jehu who follows in 2 Kings) condemns Baasha for continuing Jeroboam's sins.
   • Despite being chosen by God, Baasha repeats Jeroboam's idolatry and suffers the same fate: his dynasty will be wiped out.
2. Reign of Elah and Zimri's Coup (vv. 8–14)
   • Elah (Baasha's son) reigns only two years.
   • Zimri, a commander, assassinates him during a drunken episode and fulfills Jehu's prophecy by killing Baasha's entire household.
3. Zimri's Seven-Day Reign (vv. 15–20)
   • The army rejects Zimri and declares Omri king. Facing defeat, Zimri burns the palace down around himself.
4. Omri's Reign and the Division of the People (vv. 21–28)
   • Israel splits between Omri and Tibni before Omri prevails.
   • Omri builds Samaria — a politically strategic capital that will remain Israel's seat of power.
   • However, his reign is no improvement on his predecessors: he "did worse than all who were before him."
5. Ahab's Reign and the Height of Apostasy (vv. 29–34)
   • Ahab marries Jezebel, a Sidonian (ie Phoenician) princess, and establishes Baal worship in Israel.
   • He builds a temple for Baal in Samaria.
   • The chapter ends with the curse of Hiel of Bethel, who rebuilds Jericho at the cost of his sons.

• Read vv 1-4. We've sort-of taken for granted that the tales told in Samuel and Kings reflect God speaking directly, or directly through a prophet, to a king or ruler.
  • Does that happen today?
  • If not, why not?
  • If yes, then give an example
• How does God interact with rulers today?
  • Is it different from back then? Why? In what way?
  • Were Israel and Judah 'special' in God's eyes? Is that 'fair'?
  • What do you think (gut reaction please!) when you hear a modern ruler claim that they were acting on instuctions from God?
• What do you think were God's interactions with, say, the kingdoms of China at the same time?
  • I realise that this is complete conjecture, but! It might force us to acknowledge some unacknowledged assumptions
  • What would you consider to be a fair and reasonable way for God to deal with peoples far removed from Israel/Judah?

This is the end of a section of Kings, and we begin a new section next week with Ahab, Jezebel and Elijah.

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You can also have a look at 2 Chronicles chapters 13 to 16.

It may be of interest to you to examine two Tables which accompany the notes for this week.

The first (below) gives a timeline of the kings of Judah and Israel from the time of Rehoboam and Jeroboam through to the elimination of Israel by the Assyrians, but it continues the timeline of Judah, until after the return from exile.

In the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, there was the development of 'Higher Criticism', prompted by the enlightenment. Chief proponent of this critical thinking was a German scholar by the name of Julius Wellhausen, who regarded much of the Old Testament as myth.

Since his time, both archaeological discoveries and extra historical sources, have established that the biblical record is to a large extent authentic. What has fascinated me is that the biblical account of the kings, the length of their reign, and the simultaneous accounts of the histories of Judah and Israel, largely does not contradict these extra biblical sources of evidence. It adds to our confidence in a scientific age of the reliability of scriptures.

The second table reflects the loyalties of the various kings to Yahweh. In Israel's case, apart from one or two short periods, it was evil all the way through. In Judah's case it was much more mixed.

It really prompts us to ask the question, did Israel disappear from the map because there was no hope of it returning to the Lord? Is there a point of no return?

If you look at the history of Judah, it was much more chequered. God never gave up with them.

How vital was it for Judah to survive?

1. Abijah 'committed all the sins his father had done before him'. It could be argued that Abijah was shaped by the idolatrous actions of his father.

   As a son, how much responsibility did my parents have for shaping me? As a father how much responsibility did I have in ensuring my children walked in the footsteps of the Lord?

2. Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong'.

   This was done, according to a literal interpretation of the text, because David did what was right in the Lord's eyes. Discuss!

3. Asa inherited the throne from Abijah. He was the son of Rehoboam and the grandson of Solomon. He did 'right in the eyes of the Lord'.

   In the King James version, verse 10 states his mother's name was Maacah. In the NIV it states his grandmother's name was Maacah.

   The challenge is to clear up this confusion. Irrespective of his upbringing, why do you think he did 'right in the eyes of the Lord'?

4. Asa was in conflict with Baasha, king of Israel. Asa sent the silver and gold from the treasuries of the temple to the king of Aram to switch allegiances, which he duly did. Was this a lack of faith that the Lord would protect him against Judah, or was he being realistic and helping the Lord to ensure that Israel would survive as a separate entity?

   Does the Lord do things to us, or with us in order to ensure that His will is realised?

5. Verses 29 and 30 state that as soon as Baasha 'began to reign, he killed Jeroboam's whole family... because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel to anger'.

   Does the Lord use the works of an evil, murderous, ambitious man to carry out retribution?

This tables shows the reigns of each of the Kings of Judah and Israel, together with the dates and lengths of the reigns, and the prophets who were active at that time. Because I find it hard to think about BC dates, I've also included the number of years since the end of Solomon's reign, so that we have a scale of increasing year numbers.

This ties together all the other material: consult the separate tables for more details of the individual monarchs and prophets.

...with an assessment of their loyalties.

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During the week I read about something counsellors call the 'Solomon Paradox'. How wise and knowledgeable people may lack understanding or wisdom in regards to their own lives. It might be worth thinking about this in our study of Kings.

I'm not a theologian but I do try to get at the essence of the text, even if I and see things a bit differently. Having said that...

Abijah: Jeroboam's son, falls ill. I wonder if he was going to be the heir, seeing as we are given his name? He doesn't get to see his mother again after she leaves.

Jeroboam: my Google search found that in seeking the Prophet of Yahweh, Jeroboam was kind of admitting his own set up didn't cut it and doing this would undermine his power. Also, sending his wife may have been a vain attempt at avoiding Divine scrutiny.

The prophet Ahijah, who is now old and blind, gave the original prophecy that Jeroboam would be king over Israel. God tips off Ahijah about the subterfuge of Jeroboam's wife and, under instruction from God, now declares a harsh edict against the house of Jeroboam.

The Wife of Jeroboam is never given a name. It is her son, Abijah, who is sick. As instructed, she comes with gifts and in disguise, which is a bit strange seeing as Ahijah is basically blind. But it is others Jeroboam doesn't want to know he is seeking the prophet of God. She never speaks and never makes it home before her son dies.

• Choose a character and walk in their shoes for a bit. What did you learn?

God informs Ahijah (who is old and nearly blind by now) that Jeroboam's wife is coming in disguise regarding her son. And Ahijah issues an irrevocable edict against the dynasty (vs 7-11), stating that Jeroboam has not been like David after God tore Israel away from David's house and gave it to Jeroboam.

The prophecy doesn't hold back – everyone is going to die and not be buried but rather be eaten by dogs and birds – a dishonourable death. Except for Abijah – who God is going to allow to be buried properly because he's the only good one in the family.

God states that Jeroboam has done evil above all who were before him (v9). The text implies that idolatry is far more evil than genocide, rape and forced labour (to name but a few things).

• Discuss

Commentaries emphasise Abijah's death as a judgement against Jeroboam and his divisive religious system. The prophecy points to the Asherah poles and other gods that Jeroboam has set up. In one translation the prophecy states that Jeroboam has thrust God behind his back. Verse 15-16 includes a prophecy regarding Babylonian captivity (Israel will be uprooted and sent to a place beyond the Euphrates).

• Discuss

Ahijah tells Jeroboam's wife that her son will die the moment she gets home. That he will be mourned and buried but he will be the only one because he's the only one in whom God found something good.

Again, the death of a child is portrayed as a judgement against the King that sins (see also David's first son to Bathsheba). The way this is portrayed, God has no problem killing children as a disciplinary measure against the parents.

• Is the problem that God is harsh with those who disobey or is the problem with us and the way we (including the author) view God?

Down in Judah, things aren't much different than they are in Israel. Idolatry and other practices abound.

They do give Rehoboam's mother a name though, Naamah, and his son, who succeeds him, is also called Abijah.

The meaning of Naamah. I decided to look this up given the text seems to make a point of it by mentioning it twice. The meaning of the name in Hebrew is 'pleasant'. In Jewish mysticism, Naamah is the name of a demon who seduces men. The human Naamah earned her name because she was able to seduce men with the play of her cymbals. It bugs me that this is yet another example of how female sexuality is presented as evil compared to male sexuality.

• How should we think about sexuality in the bible?

In this chapter, Shishak, King of Egypt, loots Jerusalem, taking pretty much everything back to Egypt. I find this an interesting turnaround, given that the Israelites "looted" Egypt when they left with Moses, when many Egyptians gave them their valuables. There is a certain level of irony in this.

• Discuss

Rehoboam tries to restore some of Solomon's glory by making bronze shields – but they only ever get them out when Rehoboam came by (and probably needed an ego boost). This seems ridiculous to me, but then, Rehoboam has just lost his father's massive fortune.

I'm not sure I want to comment too much on the remaining text here. However, I would like to discuss the issue of idolatry. We touched on it earlier, but I would like to expand. Both kingdoms fall into idolatry pretty quick after David.

I would like to ask, what is the problem with idolatry? The books of Samuel and Kings and Chronicles seem to contain a whole range of evil and awful stuff that people did, but it is made clear that the big issue God is displeased with is idolatry.

Why is idolatry such a problem? The first and third of the ten commandments deal with it specifically and Israel goes into captivity because of it. We tend to just agree that idolatry is bad, do it and God will get mad – so what is the big issue?

• Discuss

I see the Books of Samuel and Kings as a mirror on human nature. I see a lot of lack of personal insight. Thinking of the 'Solomon Paradox', how do we gain personal insight or is it beyond us? Given that Solomon eventually saw all his excess as vanity I would say there was some personal insight there. David also seemed to have a personal insight.

• Discuss

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We might start off this week with a look back to 1 Kings 12 where Jeroboam set up two golden calves. We didn't have time to discuss this last week but it is important background to this week's study.

Well, this is an unusual story! The history of the kings and the interactions between the various leaders is paused for this rather strange narrative. What is it saying to us? How are we supposed to interpret this story - does it have anything to say to 21st century Christians?

Setting the Scene

After the kingdom divides, Jeroboam, king of Israel, establishes alternative worship centres at Bethel and Dan to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem. This act directly violates God's command for centralized worship. Into this scene, a 'man of God' from Judah is sent by the Lord to deliver a message of judgment.

Passage Summary

Key Themes and Lessons

• The Authority of God's Word: God's commands are not to be altered, even by another "prophet". The man of God's downfall came from disregarding God's clear instruction. (cf. Deut 13:1–5; Gal 1:8)
• The Danger of Spiritual Deception: The old prophet's lie shows that disobedience can stem from misplaced trust in human authority rather than God's revealed truth. Test every message by Scripture (1 John 4:1)
• Partial Obedience = Disobedience: The man of God courageously confronted a king but failed in a simple command. God expects complete obedience (1 Sam 15:22–23).
• Divine Justice and Mercy: God restored Jeroboam's hand but judged the prophet's disobedience. His justice is impartial and holy.
• The Power and Reliability of Prophecy: The prophecy of Josiah's coming was fulfilled over 300 years later (2 Kings 23:15–16) proving the reliability of God's word.

Discussion

1. There are two unnamed prophets in this chapter. Exactly how do you get to be a prophet? From a simple reading of these texts it would seem that being a 'prophet' was something like being a 'king'. You know it when you see it. Thoughts?
2. How does this story show the importance of obeying God's word? Does anything strike you as being a bit, well, arbitrary? (I'm thinking of other stories, eg David and the shew bread, where it seemed that God wasn't concerned at all about the apparent breaking of the rules)
3. The 'man of God' is killed by a lion, a miraculous sign of divine justice. Or is it? Does this sound a bit harsh to you? What do you think is going on in vv 23-30?
4. What can we learn about discernment from the two prophets? I think the 'man of God' was unfairly dealt with. He believed the 'old prophet' when the old prophet told him a lie, and for that he was killed. In my harsh summary, above, under "The Danger of Spiritual Deception" we read that we should test every message by scripture. Exactly how should the 'man of God' have done this?
5. What does Jeroboam's reaction reveal about repentance? Jeroboam continues in idolatry, sealing his dynasty's doom - why is this? Has he not understood the 'wrath of God'? Do you think that if the events were as obvious to Jeroboam as they appear to be in this chapter then he would behave differently? Could it be that the author of this chapter is perhaps not telling the whole story? Or, maybe, the 'spin' of the author is oversimplifying the story?
6. How can believers today guard against deception and disobedience? I want real answers to this question!
7. Is this another example of my maxim about the books of Samuel and Kings - "God did things and things happened, and people wrote them down"? Interpretation is in the mind of the reader?
8. I'm fairly sure that were the traditional Adult Sabbath School Quarterly to cover this chapter that the interpretation given would be similar to the "Key Themes and Lessons", above. Do you buy that interpretation? If not, give me an alternative!

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This story begins about 80 years after David is crowned king.

List of Names and Places:

1. Rehoboam – Solomon's son.
2. Jeroboam – son of Nebat an Ephriamite. Superintendent of building projects in Milo. Learned about discontent over Solomon's extravagances. Began to plan an overthrow. Was discovered. Ran to Egypt. Stayed under the care of the Pharoh Shishak.
3. Schechem – an ancient city in the hill country of Samaria, located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. (You might want to look up those two places and their significance.) Here are some major events in Israel's history that happened here.
   1. God first appeared to Abraham and promised the land to him.
   2. Abraham built an altar to the Lord.
   3. Jacob settled there after returning from Mesopotamia.
   4. There he rid his house of foreign Gods.
   5. Dinah and the massacre of the local men.
   6. Joseph's bones were buried there.
   7. Joshua gathered the tribes there before his death to give them his final words.
   8. Joshua erected an altar on Mount Ebal.
4. Ahijah the Shilonite – A Levite prophet of Shiloh. In the days of Solomon he foretold Jeroboam that he would be king. In 1 Kings 11 he announced the separation of the ten tribes from Soloman's United Kingdom of Israel. A bit later than our study, he will foretell to Jeroboam's wife the death of the king's son and the fall and captivity of Israel beyond the River. The book of Chronicles says he authored he authored a book: "The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite".
5. Shemaiah - A local prophet.
6. Peniel – definition "face of God". It's the name Jacob gave to this place where he wrestled with a Divine Being all night.
7. The iteration of the Deity used here is Yahweh... the covenant maker. I think it is particularly important to understand the text.

The one who prophecies speaks to the people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:3

They did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, and their sexual worship of idols.
Revelation 9

1. What do you think of Rehoboam's choice to go to Shechem instead of Jerusalem to be crowned king "for all Israel has gone there to make him king"?
2. Why do you think Rehoboam consulted both the elders and the "young men?"
3. What do you think might be a modern-day equivalent for Jeroboam?
4. There is a subtle note vs. 18: Jeroboam had been in charge of building projects for Solomon. Adoniram was in charge of forced labor. Why do you think Rehoboam sent Adoniram out to Israel?
5. What do you make of verses 22-24? It's a very unusual event.
6. Do you think Shemaiah's use of Yahweh had anything to do with the reaction of the people?

7. Why do you think Jeroboam went out to build up Peniel?
8. After all that has happened in the previous 25 verses what do you think happened to Jeroboam that he would do this? He knew what happened to the golden calf?

9. Jeroboam knew the history of the golden calf. What was he thinking?
10. What do you think of him building shrines on the high places?
11. What do you think of him instituting a festival. Note the others: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kipper, New Moon, Sukkot, Passover.
12. What do you think of him picking priests who were not Levites?

From our perspective...

1. What qualities do we have that might be somewhat like any of the players in this tale?
2. What would we need to do or to be different or have different outcomes.

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I don't want to get into a dispute over the number of Solomon''s wives and concubines. Even although Ancient Israel's number system was based on base 10, the one observation I would like to note, is the sheer coincidence that he appeared to stop with wives and concubines when he reached nice round numbers. Last week we noted how Solomon's wealth and perhaps military strength reflected his prestige both nationally and internationally. Undoubtedly the 300 concubines and 700 wives quoted may again reflect prestige and wealth rather than reality.

There are a significant number of other important issues from this chapter which I am keen to explore with you.

They are the following:

• 1 Kings 11:1-3

  "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter."

  "Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines."

  Conceptually, this is beyond me. Is this hyperbole? Was his libido so sky high that he could accommodate all of these women? This is where I lean on Virtual Vestry members to help me out of my conceptual hole!

• 1 Kings 11:4

  "As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods"

  So, it was the women to blame for the demise of Solomon's loyalty to Yahweh! Sounds a bit like the Adam and Eve story.

  The broader question, without taking away personal responsibility, should we be cognisant of influences in our life that affect our relationship with Christ?

• 1 Kings 11:5-10

  "As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods"

  Was the cause dementia setting in, or the loss of his gift of wisdom, or a lack of application of the gift, or was he so love struck that his love haze caused an inability to think straight? The last part of this question some of you may recognise from your youth when you first fell in love.

• 1 Kings 11:12-25

  A number of issues from this passage:

  1. Does God literally arouse a pagan nation to violently overthrow those who are generally classed as His own people, when they are disloyal to Him?
  2. If so, is it not likely to establish the pagan god as being more powerful than Yahweh, therefore, reinforcing idolatry?
  3. Does Israel under Solomon, replicate the example of many powerful nations throughout history that become decadent and complacent, resulting in a loss of power, prestige, and in some cases, much, if not all of their resident land?

• 1 Kings 11:26-40

  Ultimately, this passage prefigures the future for the nation of the twelve tribes.

  Was this deserved and was it because of one man's inability to choose the right partner?

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1 Kings 10 (see also 2 Chronicles 9) reads as a bragging sheet of all of Solomon's wealth and greatness. The visit of the Queen of Sheba serves to show how great Solomon was. I looked about for a few points to set the scene of the visit of the Queen of Sheba, except that it's not clear where the Queen of Sheba came from. Some hypothesise the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen) and others say she came from Africa somewhere. One thing we do know though is that, by the end of his life, Solomon was not that impressed by all his wealth, declaring it meaningless (for example, see Ecclesiastes 5:10).

• Why do you think this account of Solomon's wealth and greatness is written down here, i.e. what purpose does it serve?
• What would you think, as an Israelite/Jew, looking back on these descriptions of Solomon's wealth and greatness?

• Discuss. Consider also what Jesus said in Luke 12:27.

• Discuss

• Is there a Godly purpose and use for wealth?
• How does this compare to the prosperity gospel that says that you have to be blessed by God through wealth?

• What do you think is a danger of all this wealth? (compare verses 28-29 with Deuteronomy 17:16)
• To avoid the temptations of wealth, should we seek to be poor or is there something else we should ascribe to? Compare with Philippians 4:11-13.

• Feel free to discuss what God ruling in heaven might look like for you.

• PDF of these notes

Linguistic and Cultural Reminders:

1. The Lord – Yahweh – the covenant God – interpersonal intimate relationship – corporate intimate relationship between the Divine and we humans.
2. Divine-Human contracting.
3. The Sinai mandate for Israel to be a nation that lives by different mandates:
   1. One deity.
   2. Example of worship, generosity, and care for others.
   3. Israel was the be an example of Edenic principles and their attendant blessings.
   4. If Israel chose to live differently from the above then the normal patterns of national interactions would apply without Divine intervention – Solomon's warning.
4. Hermeneutics – God meets us where we are and works to get us elsewhere more beneficial.
5. It may be helpful to keep in mind the spiritual stages of development of the people involved.
6. It might be helpful to read each text with the understand of the reason for writing it... 2 Chronicles a comfort/I Kings... a warning?
7. One's name in Hebrew generally referred to a quality of, or totality of their character.

1. Can you think of any other stories in the Bible where God appeared to a specific person at the beginning and at the end of a project or series of projects?
2. Why do you think he appeared to Solomon at the end of the projects in the same way as he did the first?
3. Why do you think the Deity is coming as Yahweh for this conversation.
4. Solomon "consecrated" the temple with the sacrificial death of thousands of animals. In the conversation Yahweh says He has consecrated the temple in perpetuity by "placing my name there" – Or "my eyes and my heart will be there all of the days"". What do you make of the difference in methods of consecration?
5. What do you think are the levels of meaning when Yahweh says to Solomon "you must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did"?
6. "But if you or your sons, turn away from me, and fail to obey the rules and regulations I have given you and decide to serve and worship other gods, I will remove Israel, abandon the temple, and you will be ridiculed among the nations". Either choice, they are a lesson. What do you make of that?
7. NOT IN THIS TEXT there is a very unusual way some did obey and Yahweh kept Yahweh's end of the bargain... As promised. What story do you think it is...? Pam knows this, so she won't give you clues.

1. What do you make of the story of Soloman and Hiram of Tyre?
2. What do you think it says about each man?
3. Vs. 15 and 16 talks about the workers that built the Yahweh's temple and the palace. How does that description compare with the story of the sanctuary builders in Exodus.
4. What do you think Yahweh thought about this process?
5. Why do you think the author of Kings talked about the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Do you think there are comparisons here with Saul's choices?

1. For you, what was the most important part of this chapter?
2. Why?

I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

I wish you gentle blessings,

Catherine

• PDF of these notes
• Audio recording of class discussion (password protected)

These notes focus on 1 Kings 8 but please refer to 2 Chronicles 5,6 as well.

Last week, I was a little confused by the description of the temple so here are a couple of pictures of artist models of the temple for us to refer to if needed.

Click on an image for a larger version

In this chapter, everything is done and set out, most likely in the order of the original tabernacle. There is no record of God actually saying "build it like this" as he did with Moses and the tabernacle. God essentially leaves it up to Solomon to design the thing according to his original instructions to Moses. God seems less hands on, while Solomon seems to oversee everything.

• Why do you think God was happy to step back and let Solomon do his thing, while, with Moses, he gave much more detailed instructions?

Then the dark cloud of God's presence fills the temple. In verses 12 and 13, Solomon sees this presence of God and declares that he has built a magnificent temple for God. The transfer of all things from the tabernacle to the temple goes smoothly.

In the New Testament, it states that we (believers) are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.

• Discuss parallels between Solomon's temple and the idea of the believer now being the temple of the Holy Spirit.

• Reflect on how God keeps promises.

Solomon's prayer of dedication is interesting and I wanted look at certain aspects of his prayer. In verse 27 Solomon asks how can the Temple, or the Earth, contain God. He asks God to be merciful towards him and the people of Israel and to hear their prayers when they pray in or towards the temple and forgive. I was interested in how Solomon goes through what the purpose of the temple is, not for personal or national aggrandisement, but a place where the people can meet with God and bring their petitions. Solomon's prayer turns the ways that people will need to come to the temple and asks God to forgive:

• When someone wrongs their neighbour and asks God to condemn the guilty and vindicating the innocent.
• When they have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned. Solomon asks that God forgive and bring the people back to their nation.
• When there is a drought because of the people's sin. He asks God to forgive and teach them the right way to live to relive the drought and bring rain.
• Solomon lists a range of afflictions, such as locusts and plagues, and likens them to the afflictions of the human heart and asks God to forgive.
• To hear their prayers in times of war.

• Discuss Solomon's focus on the confession and forgiveness of sin in his prayer of dedication

• Discuss

One of the things that struck me was that Solomon here is taking on the role of not just king but of prophet and priest as well. He is both a political and religious leader.

• Given that we live in a world where theocracy seems to be a negative thing, what is the difference (if any) between the theocracy of Solomon and many of the theocracies we see today?

• PDF of these notes
• Audio recording of class discussion (password protected)

Today's section of 1 Kings is a tour guide, particularly in the NLT version referenced above. We are taken around the Temple that Solomon built and we are expected to utter appreciative noises at all the grand things that can be found there.

I'm a bit of an armchair architect. I have a great weakness for those hideously expensive architecture tomes published by the likes of Phaidon and Taschen.

I think I would have rather enjoyed my tour of Solomon's temple...

But why is it in my Bible? What does it bring to the story? Are we to take any lessons from it?

I live in Europe and Europe is full of spectacular churches. St Paul's in London; the magnificent cathedrals of Salisbury and Lincoln. I wept when Notre Dame in Paris burned, and I've devoured every TV documentary and magazine article on the restoration - I will visit one day. Sagrada Familia in Barcelona; the mighty edifices of Koln and Chartres; St Giles and St Mary's in Edinburgh. The list goes on. I once spent a memorable night taking part in the 'Night of the Adoration' in Sacre Coeur in Paris and got to sit, all alone at 1am, in the cathedral to stare at the ceiling and drink it all in.

The modern stuff is pretty good, too. And I really rather like my local Crieff Adventist Church, which dates back 50-some years and was built by the Maranatha group of volunteers who give generously of themselves to build churches in all sort of places.

Do you ever wonder what God makes of these monuments? Do you think the creator of, say, the rings of Saturn, would be wowed by a gothic steeple? If not, then why do you think we build them?

In one of my amblings across Spain on the Camino de Santiago I spent a day in Leon, home of a very spectacular church. I paid my 6 Euros to visit and made this comment in my notebook:

The audio guide said that in the 13th century, when the cathedral was built, the town was a mere 5000 people. That's smaller than my home town in Scotland. I'm never entirely sure if this is a genuine sacrificial act of community worship or some feudal game of "who has the best cathedral" played by the ruling classes, whilst the peasants would really rather just have some more food. I suspect the latter but I suppose we'll never know. In any case the cathedral is magnificent.

I recall a rather good joke from the 1980s about a terrible fire that consumed part of the ancient York Minster, in England.

Two days before the fire the Anglican Church had consecrated a new Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins. Jenkins, famously, didn't really seem to believe in God - apparently not an impediment to career advancement in the Church of England - and a section of the British press took great delight in positing that the fire was divine intervention.

One day, went the joke, God was floating by, and as he hovered above the burned roof of York Minster he thought to himself, "Hmmm! It looks rather nice in there; I must go in sometime..."

• Do you like church buildings? What do they do (or not do) for you?
• Is it sensible for a community to build something like Leon cathedral, when there's a good chance that the peasants would rather eat?
• In amongst the tour guide of 1 Kings 6 there is an interruption (vv 11-14). God says 'Concerning this Temple you are building...'.
  • The Temple you are building...?
  • Is this Temple not God's idea?
  • Whose idea is it?
  What is God saying to Solomon?
• Read this...

  I am sick of your sacrifices. Don't bring me any more of them. I don't want your fat rams; I don't want to see the blood from your offerings. Who wants your sacrifices when you have no sorrow for your sins? The incense you bring me is a stench in my nostrils. Your holy celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath, and your special days for fasting-even your most pious meetings—all are frauds! I want nothing more to do with them. I hate them all; I can't stand the sight of them. From now on, when you pray with your hands stretched out to heaven, I won't look or listen. Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are those of murderers; they are covered with the blood of your innocent victims.
  
  Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let me no longer see you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways. Learn to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows.

  ..and compare the sentiments with 1 Kings 6 and 7. How do you reconcile the two?
• I once attended a seminar on church growth where the speaker said that if a church spends more than 50% of its income on itself then it has no right to exist and should close down. Discuss!

• PDF of these notes
• Audio recording of class discussion (password protected)

Solomon's Reign

Traditional biblical dating places it around 970-931 BCE (based on 1 Kings. 11:42). Some historians suggest c960-929 BCE. Dates for the construction of the Temple: 957-950 BCE.

This period was one of the weaker periods for Egyptian rule and empire building. However, Solomon formed an alliance with Egypt.

No archaeological proof of Solomon but his reign aligns with 'The United Monarchy' period, ie before the split.

Possible references in later Egyptian and Assyrian records.

He wrote approximately 3000 proverbs, and 1000 songs.

Traditionalists also credit him with writing Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.

These last few statements reflect the fact that he was a man of some intellectual substance as well as a keen observer of human behaviour.

1. Ch 4:7 gives an insight into Solomon's rule. What is the wisdom of this form of delegation?
2. Each district had to supply one month's provision to Solomon. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this formula?
3. Ch 4:21. 'These Countries brought tribute and were Solomon's subjects all his life'. How would you interpret this?
4. Does Ch 4:26 support the adage: 'If you want peace prepare for war'?
5. What do you understand by having the gift of Wisdom?
6. Are verses 29 to 34 reflecting only one dimension of wisdom? What would you add?
7. In modern politics, it's reckoned that the best way to establish peace between nations is to ensure good trading links. Is this supported in 1 Kings 5?
8. Ch 5 is effectively devoted to the building of the Temple. The planning was meticulous and looking at the logistics, the building of it was very expensive. What does this inform you about the importance of having a Temple devoted to Yaweh?
9. 2 Chronicles 2:12 indicates that Hiram acknowledged that the God of Israel had given David a wise son endowed with intelligence and discernment because he was to build a Temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. Do you agree?
10. What do you make of 2 Chronicles 2:17-18?
11. We have now studied 1 Kings chapters 1 to 5. Do you recognise any pitfalls in the narrative so far that could lead to Solomon's downfall?

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David has died. In the narrative, Solomon has carried out his father's wishes against those who had been traitors to his father's reign. Benaiah, one of David's inner circle of warriors, has executed Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei. Abiathar and his family have been removed from the priesthood – the last of the descendants of Eli. He has taken "firm control of the kingdom" I Kings 2:46. This next chapter in both books marks the beginning of his own decisions as a ruler.

Egypt is being ruled by the 21st dynasty. Psusennes II is often cited as the Pharoah who was contemporary to Solomon. Most historians agree that this is a time of relative stability in lower Egypt.

High Places: Complicated.

Lord: Yahweh – the iteration of the Deity that makes covenants with individuals, rulers, and nation.

God: Elohim – Majesty. Plural in form; singular in meaning. Power.

In Hebrew writings the combination is to be noted. In the Genesis story it is the Lord God who works with Adam and Eve. When the serpent tempts them, he only uses the majesty form. The focus of the evil one is power without loving covenant. It seems that safety for Hebrew thinking is to have the committed relationship before the power. Use of Yahweh Elohim is also a way of saying their God is above all the other deities worshiped by the countries around them.

The plan is to spend time talking about what acts of Solomon were indicative of a strong relationship with the beliefs of Israel and which were not.

Questions:

1. Why do you think Solomon married Pharoh's daughter?
2. In terms of Hebrew notions of legacy of that time, what might be some problems with that marriage?
3. In terms of Israel's mandates could there be other problems with Solomon's marriage.
4. What do you think Solomon might have told himself about the marriage?
5. Why do you think Solomon decided to offer sacrifices on the high places?
6. Why do you think the author of 1 Kings pointed out that Solomon went against David's example with sacrifices on the high places?
7. At this point in time why do you think God decided to make him the dream offer?
8. What do you think might have been some of God's goals in making this offer?
9. What do you think it means that after the dream Solomon went to Jerusalem to offer his sacrifices?
10. Why do you think the writer of this story or the Author of this particular situation had two prostitutes be the example of Soloman's wisdom?
11. What do you think are the parallels between this story and how Jesus dealt with prostitutes?
12. What do you think are the most important learning opportunities in today's text?
13. What part of the story did you like best?
14. What do you think are the most important lessons in this story for people who consider themselves Christian?

I wish for you gentle, unexpected blessings.

Catherine

• PDF of these notes
• Sorry! Technical problem - so no audio recording of class discussion this week

The Succession

1 Kings 2 is the story about the succession from one monarchy to another.

It is not healthy for any country to go through a period of instability. However, if you read Susan Wise Bauer's book, "The History Of The Ancient World", you will realise that when there was a change of king, not just in the Middle East, but across the ancient world, it frequently created a crisis, with resulting instability, because of the ambitions of potential successors. These potential successors were frequently either relatives, or close comrades-in-arms, who would stop at nothing to gain what they thought rightfully belonged to them.

The narrative, particularly in 1 Kings 2 is set in a 'succession' context. The various steps that the ageing David and his young intended successor Solomon take, to ensure a smooth transition, is because of these competing ambitions. Sometimes these steps were brutal and bypassed due process.

The threats and context are quite authentic, which lends to the credibility of this narrative. However, it leaves us with a major dilemma!

In a conflict between political priorities and personal values, does the former take precedent over the latter?

Having read through 1 Kings 2, this tension comes very much to the fore.

Also, as we read through this chapter, we are faced by fear, betrayal, ruthlessness, ambition, hate and assassination. When I read through this initially, I certainly didn't feel uplifted or enlightened. When I read through some of the commentator's interpretation of some of the events and statements, it occurred to me that they were going through interpretative contortions to arrive at positive spiritual lessons. To the contemporary mind, their interpretations are hard to swallow.

When I was studying English literature during my school days in Glasgow, my learned English teacher often said, it is sometimes more useful to read the last chapter of a novel first. The book then makes much more sense as you can track how the narrative arrives at a conclusion of which you are already aware. I am inclined to apply this lesson to biblical writings. When I read the gospels and the likes of the wonderful epistles which we have just studied, it helps me to understand where the human activities that we read in these books will lead. The revelation of a loving God through inspired biblical writings is only enhanced because the scriptures include such stories as found in Samuel and Kings. They inform us that His chosen nation was made up of those who betrayed His values, and broke His covenant. These stories don't need to be sanitised to project the thought that the 'heroes' were carrying out some special judicial commission on behalf of our Lord.

The inspiration of the biblical story is magnified because God reached the desired end, in spite of the flawed nature of those who played their part in assisting the Divine mission.

1. Does verse 3 give a sufficient template for living out a Christian experience?
2. Does verse 4 explain why the land of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 587 BCE?
3. Concerning Joab, in verse 6 it states that Solomon should deal with him according to his wisdom, but do not let his grey head go down to the grave in peace. Should we be critical of David's advice?
4. Concerning Shimei, in verses 8 and 9: "I will not put you to death by the sword. But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do with him. Bring his grey head down to the grave in blood." So at the point of death, are we absolved from our oaths to the Lord?
5. Adonijah wanted Abishag the Shunammite as his wife. What was he up to? Do verses 22-25 illustrate the wisdom of Solomon?
6. Verses 26 and 27. Did Solomon deal in an appropriate way with Abiathar the priest?
7. Joab was struck down in a sacred place of Sanctuary. Does this illustrate the foolishness, through impulsiveness, of Solomon?
8. Shimei was also executed. Verse 44 indicates it was not for breaking his promise but because of all the wrong he had done to David. "Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing". Was it the Lord or was it Solomon?
9. "The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands". Does that justify the killings?
10. After reading 1 Chronicles 28 and 29, how important was the building of the temple to the Jewish people as a nation, and as part of their religious mission?

• PDF of these notes
• Audio recording of class discussion (password protected)

Welcome back to the rousing times of the kings! As you know, there will be parallel stories from Chronicles in our studies, after this chapter. As you also know, from the articles on our chat, Chronicles was written later and for a very different purpose. Since most of our Virtual Vestry group had a hard time with violence and heartbreak during the Samuel studies, you can well imagine how much Israel would have needed encouragement when Chronicles was written.

So, here are some notes:

Shunamites: This is the first mention of a woman from this village. Just wait till a few kings from now! This place nurtures interesting people.

Haggith: Her name means festive. She is a wife of David and appears earlier in 2 Samuel 3:4.

Adonijah: David's fourth son, born to Haggith in Hebron while David was fighting Saul. If he was born during that time period he is late 30s or early 4os at the time of our story. His name means "My Lord is Yahweh". I find this ironic given his work to depose a covenant-based king.

Joab; I see this as his first time in open rebellion.

Abiathar: High priest at Nob, forth in descent from Eli, and the last of Eli's house to be High Priest. He is the son of Ahimelech, the high priest who escaped Saul slaughter at Nob.

Conspiracy against David: Adonijah, Joab, Abiathar (son, military leader, High Priest)

Zadok: a descendant of Eleazar son of Aaron. (You might want to take a quick google of Eleazar and his role in early Israel to get a sense of how Zadok might view his heritage and responsibility). Remember legacy is key to this culture. He will become high priest soon.

Benaiah: was one of David's mighty warriors. He'll get a promotion.

Nathan: Yes, that one. If you don't remember him, I recommend getting extra sleep and more vitamins.

Shimei: This is the one who pelted David and all the king's officials with stones. This appears to be the same Shimei that was a counselor to Solomon and pressured him not to marry foreign wives. Take a look and see if you research this differently.

Rei – his name means "my shepherd, my companion, my friend." He appears to be one of the mighty men.

Support for David: Zadok, Beniah, Nathan, Shimei, Rei (priest, prophet, mighty warriors)

Bathsheba – Finally!!

The Stone of Zoheleth: Translation from Hebrew serpent or crawling thing.

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think the writer of Kings started their scroll with the story of Abishag?
2. In the face of the proverb "The definition of crazy is trying something over after it has failed and expecting different results", why do you think Adonijah believed he could succeed?
3. I saw a triumvirate of rebellion and a triumvirate of loyalty. It seemed like a metaphor of larger Biblical lessons to me. What do you think?
4. What do you see in the histories of these players in verses 5-8 that might have affected their decisions?
5. Why do you think the author noted that David had "never corrected him"?
6. Why do you think it was noted that he was handsome?
7. In verse 9; what do you think of Adonijah's sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel?
8. Vs. 11 What do you make of Nathan's announcement Bathsheba?
9. What do you think of his advice to her?
10. What do you think of the way Nathan and Bathsheba addressed the issue with David?
11. What do you think this interaction was like for Bathsheba? Vs. 28
12. Vs. 36,37 – What do you think might be the significance of Benaiah using the name Yahweh in confirmation of his support for Solomon?
13. Vs. 36 to 40 – What would it have been like for you to be in this scene?
14. Vs. 41 to 48 – what do you think it would have been like for Adonijah and his followers to hear this news?
15. Vs. 49 to 53 – Why do you think Solomon pardoned Adonijah?
16. What do you think is the most important part of this story?
17. What part did you like best? Why?

As always, I wish for you gentle, unexpected blessings.

See you soon.

Catherine

• PDF of these notes
• Audio recording of class discussion (password protected)