These books of history, continued from the accounts of Samuel, in that, though God had not intended for there to be a monarchial system set in place over Israel, because they demanded it God allowed it. Israel had gained extraordinary power and prestige under the rules of Saul and David and that would continue to some degree under Solomon, the only difference being that while Saul and David focused on the need of expanding outside of the borders of Palestine, Solomon would then turn inward and expand within the borders of Palestine. To do so Solomon initiated a vast building project that spanned several decades. “Although best known for the Temple which he built, Solomon built and enlarged many other structures in Jerusalem and elsewhere. He spent thirteen years on his palace and administrative complex (I Kings 7:1-12). Solomon expanded the Jerusalem fortifications and built fortresses in strategic parts of the country.” However, wherein these building projects were intended with the right purposes, Solomon’s enthusiasm for building his vast empire proved to be a reason for the eventual split of the nation.
In order to build as he did, Solomon procured labor from anywhere he so desired, and though each worker was only made to spend one month out of each quarter each year away from home, the concept of forced labor took its toll on his reign in later years. In addition to that was the great expense that mounted from all of the material and labor. It has been estimated that the temple alone, by today’s standard and exchange, would have cost many, many billions of dollars. And wherein Israel, in addition to its internal wealth, received tribute money from states subject to them, the debts accrued from all of the work were difficult for Solomon to pay and drastic steps had to be taken in order to pay down what was owed. It was all of the hardships Solomon placed upon the people in order to accomplish what was done that lead to the terrible events of I Kings 12.
After Solomon died his son Rehoboam was to be anointed as the succeeding king of the nation. Prior to his ordination, Rehoboam was called upon by a representative group of the people and counseled him to ease the yoke of service placed upon them by his father and they would loyally serve him all the days of his reign. However, forsaking theirs’ and his father’s counselors’ advice, and accepting the advice of his peers to place heavier burden upon the people, Rehoboam increased the chastisement of the nation. The result of this was that the northern ten tribes revolted and made Jeroboam, one of their representatives, their king, forming a separate nation from henceforth referred to as Israel. Then remaining two tribes of the southern region of Palestine, Judah and Benjamin, remained under the control of Rehoboam and were henceforth known as Judah. With the nation dividing, the unified Israel led by the direction of God and bound for blessings, now, is no more.
The remainder of I Kings and all of II Kings records the history of the two individual nations and the actions of their kings. The northern kingdom of Israel, who under the reign of Jeroboam rejected God’s prescribed worship, had a total of nineteen kings before their demise and departure into Assyrian bondage in 721 B.C., none of which are described by the scriptures as good. The southern kingdom of Israel had a total of twenty kings before their demise and departure into Babylon in 606 B.C., only three of which the Bible described as good.
Though the author of I and II Kings are not claimed in scripture, Jewish tradition ascribes their writings to Jeremiah the prophet. And while this cannot be certain, it likewise is not easily proven wrong. However, what is proven true is the authenticity of the two books. The inspired writers and speakers of the first century appealed to these books as authoritative by virtue of the fact that they quoted from them and made reference to them (Matthew 12:42; Luke 4:25ff; Matthew 5:17; Romans 11:4; etc.). Ultimately, it is known that God authored the books by inspiration and that information is enough.
Christ, as He is pictured in every other Old Testament book, is seen in I and II Kings as the “King of kings.” Of all the kings written of in these books (40 in all), God exercises His power over them all and through the distinguished seed-line, never broken, He sent forth Christ to be the King over and above all kings past, present and future.
Though books of history, which turn many people off, I and II Kings, in addition to all Biblical history, are documents that aid one’s understanding of the overall picture of the scriptures, and give additional proof to the truth of the Bible, Old and New. Given these facts, I and II Kings should hold a special place in the Christian’s heart for what they provide in knowledge.