The Writings of 1 Kings

Sometimes the title of a book tells the reader a great amount of information.  I Kings does just that.   This is one of numerous books telling the history of Israel for a nation that is rebuilding itself.

Imagine being able to start all over.  Imagine a fresh start.  It’s a new time.  It’s a new age. It’s a chance to build your life and your nation all over again. Israel had been in existence for centuries.  Their nation began with Abraham, although their history is told from creation, including Moses. 

For centuries they have tried to follow God, often unsuccessfully.  Israel was in captivity in Egypt. Then God delivered them through Moses, but they rejected God and spent a generation wandering in the wilderness. Finally they entered the Promise Land and with King David, Saul and Solomon they tried to build a nation that worshiped God.  Often they were unsuccessful.  Sometimes they were good.

How would you pick which stories to tell? The goal of the author is to give instruction to Israel who after years in captivity is ready to start their nation all over again.  A few authors, putting together the stories of God’s interaction with Israel, so the lessons for a better future could be learned by Israel, probably wrote this book.

Each story is connected to the next but each story also stands alone with a lesson to be learned.  Each story teaches who God is, how He wants to be followed and how not to behave.  Each story also points to Jesus, the coming Messiah.  Read each story, thinking the lesson you can learn about the nature of God and the lesson for you to learn in living a life that honors Him.