THE first book of Kings embraces the period extending from David to Ahaziah, son of Ahab. It presents to us the establishment of a king over God's people, in glory, power, and peace; but, through the kilt g's unfaithfulness, the rapid fall and ruin of the kingdom. The history of the kings of Israel is here taken up, with some allusion to those of Judah. The book strikingly gives us a further proof of man's failure whenever placed under responsibility to God.
The throne is established by Solomon in righteousness and judgment, thus typifying the introduction of the kingdom by the Lord Himself. The self-willed Adonijah, who said, "I will be king" (chap. 1:5) is the first that is destroyed; and Joab, the mighty one, in league with him, soon shares the same fate. (Chap. 2)
Solomon is humble and dependent at first (chap. 3:7-11), but when his heart is turned away from the Lord God of Israel by his many wives, and he sacrifices to strange gods, he so provokes the Lord God of Israel to anger that the kingdom was rent. (Chapter 11:1-9). Two tribes continued under the name of "the house of Judah," and ten tribes under the name of "the house of Israel." (Chapter 12:21.) This was the fall and ruin of the kingdom of the twelve tribes; and, though there were afterward occasional times of revival and special blessing, yet the kingdom was never restored to its former unity and glory, nor will it be until a greater than Solomon come whose right it is.
The apostate course of the house of Israel was very rapid. King after king chose a path of infidelity. Jeroboam, the first king after the division of the kingdom, set up idols, and brought in a totally false character of worship. He made calves of gold, which he placed in Bethel, and sacrificed to them, and made priests of the lowest of the people. (Chapter 12:28-33.) God protested against it to the king by sending a man of God to Bethel, but he returned not from his evil way. (Chapter 13:1-33.)
Jeroboam was succeeded by Nadab, who also "did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father, who made Israel to sin." (Chapter 15:25, 26) Baasha reigned after him, who also "did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin." (Verse 34.) This so provoked God to anger, that He declared that "him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat." (Chapter 16:4) Elah his son succeeded him, but only for two years for his servant Zimri conspired against him, and killed him, and reigned in his stead. Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, but afterward he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, that he died for the sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. (Verse 19) Half of the people then followed Tibni to make him king, and half followed Omri. Tibni, however, was prevailed against, and. Omri reigned. But we are told that “Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him. (Verse 25) After him Ahab his son reigned over Israel; but Ahab "did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him." (Verse 30)
At this time, after all this long-continued infidelity, Elijah the prophet is raised up to testify for the living God, the Lord God of Israel, the Lord of hosts, who declares that there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to His word. (Chapter 17:1) After proving the power of God with him in retirement, he is sent to meet Ahab King of Israel face to face; but notwithstanding God's answer from heaven in sending fire to consume the burnt sacrifice, and the summary execution of judgment upon the priests of Baal, the wicked king still, pursues his evil course, so that Elijah is sent to him again to protest against his evil ways, and those of his wicked wife Jezebel. Scripture tells us that "there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up." (Chapter 21:20-25) Ahab, however, was killed in battle (chap. 22:34), and was succeeded by his son Ahaziah, and his also is a dark history, for " he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; for he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done." (Chapter 22:52, 53)
What a dark picture the history of these kings of Israel presents! What a bitter and an evil thing sin is, and what terrible consequences are connected with departing from the living God! This book, however, also makes some mention of the kings of Judah, who lived at this time. Here also there is failure, but the heart is afterward relieved by seeing faithfulness to God, which we have not seen in the kings of the house of Israel. In the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, we are told that "Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done." (Chapter 14:22) Again we read that the heart of Abijam, the son of Rehoboam, was, not perfect with the Lord his God as the heart of David his father, yet we find it recorded, "Nevertheless for David's sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem." (Chapter 15:4) Hence we read of Asa who succeeded him, that “Asa did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, as did David his father (verse 11). He was emphatically a man of faith, and devoted to the service of God. So also was his son Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, though his league with wicked Ahab, nearly cost him his life. (Chapter 22) It is, however, remarkable, even with such faithfulness as these kings showed, that neither by. Jehoshaphat nor by Asa his father were the high places taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense still in high places. (See chap. 15:14, and 22:43) Alas what is man when placed in responsibility to God!