1 KINGS 1
DAVID KEEPS HIS PROMISE TO ANOINT SOLOMON AS KING
David is old in age and cannot keep warm, so a beautiful young woman named Abishag is sent to keep David warm. Although this job is very strange, it is not implied to be a sexual relationship.
After Absalom’s death, Adonijah is David’s oldest son. Adonijah put the cart before the horse, literally, and appointed himself as king over Israel. Adonijah gathers the Israelites to exalt him as king, but does not include David, Solomon, or anyone else who did not encourage him to take the throne.
Nathan and Bathsheba warn David about Adonijah’s actions, knowing David’s promise to God to make Solomon king. David intervenes and appoints Solomon, sending him into town riding on David’s mule. Solomon’s beginning as king is similar to the humble entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21).
Adonijah realizes that Solomon was appointed and becomes afraid. Adonijah fears that Solomon will have him killed for his attempt to take the throne. Instead, Solomon forgives Adonijah and lets him live.
1 KINGS 2
THE DEATH OF DAVID + REIGN OF SOLOMON
David shares his final words of advice and instruction with Solomon, encouraging him to follow God’s commands and keep the law. David wants Solomon to be strong and prosperous, letting God establish his plans.
Although David was a righteous king, David instructs Solomon to kill those who had opposed him throughout his reign, including Shimei and Joab.
After David’s final instruction to Solomon, he dies and is buried in Jerusalem. After David’s death, Solomon’s kingship is firmly established.
Adonijah wants to take Abishag, David’s servant who kept him warm, as a wife. Solomon sees this action as disrespectful or an attempt to overthrow him as king. Adonijah already attempted to take the kingship from Solomon once and Solomon is not taking any risks. Solomon has Adonijah killed, as well as Shimei and Joab as David instructed.
1 KINGS 3
GOD GRANTS SOLOMON GREAT WISDOM, WEALTH, + A LONG LIFE
In a political alliance, Solomon marries Pharaoh's daughter. After the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites, this was not a righteous or wise decision for Solomon. At this time, the temple has not been built and the Israelites are making sacrifices at the high places.
Solomon has a dream where God promises to provide anything he requests. Solomon chooses the wisdom to discern good and evil. God is pleased by this request and gives Solomon wisdom as well as wealth and a long life. After the dream, Solomon brings a sacrifice directly to the ark of the covenant, instead of the high places. Solomon desires to be near God and know His ways. This account is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 1.
In order to settle a dispute, two prostitutes meet before Solomon. The women explain that they each had a child, three days apart, but one of the children died. They both claim that the living child is their own. To discern who is the mother, Solomon suggests slicing the child in two with a sword.
One woman cries out, asking Solomon not to kill the child, but the other woman demands that if she could not have him, neither of them could. Solomon knows that the child’s real mother would respond with compassion, wanting the child to live. Solomon uses his wisdom in an efficient, although odd, display of authority and discernment. Israel is in awe of Solomon’s leadership!
1 KINGS 4
SOLOMON GROWS IN STATUS AND WEALTH
Solomon appoints officials and leaders to serve with him and lead the nation of Israel.
Solomon is extremely wealthy and the whole nation thrives. They eat and drink like there is no tomorrow. Solomon accrues over 4,000 horses! In Deuteronomy 17, God forbids Israel's kings from amassing three things: wealth, women, and horses. Solomon has already gained great wealth and horses, and if he's anything like his father David, women will be next.
Solomon’s wisdom covers many topics, including animals and nature, songs and proverbs. News of Solomon’s wise words travel, and people come from all nations to hear Solomon’s wisdom.
1 KINGS 5
KING HIRAM PROVIDED SOLOMON MATERIALS FOR THE TEMPLE
As Solomon prepares to build the temple, he consults King Hiram of Tyre to obtain the highest quality materials. King Hiram had a close relationship with David and recognizes the great work that God had done in Israel. Hiram rejoices with gladness that God provided David a wise and faithful son.
King Hiram has access to beautiful cedar and cypress and supplies Solomon with everything he needs to build the temple. Solomon arranges for over 180,000 men to be laborers in constructing the temple—this was no small task! They lay the foundation of the temple, building it on large, costly stones.
1 KINGS 6
SOLOMON BEGINS CONSTRUCTING THE TEMPLE
By the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, 480 years had passed since the Israelites escaped Egypt.
Solomon spends seven years building the temple, taking time to add beautiful details. It is designed with an abundance of gold and cypress and cedar wood made with intricate carvings of palm trees, flowers, and cherubim.
Solomon makes two cherubim, gigantic angel-like figures, from olivewood. He places them in the innermost part of the temple, serving as guards in front of the curtain that separated the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies.
1 KINGS 7
SOLOMON’S PALACE + THE TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION
The narrative shifts from Solomon building the temple to Solomon building his own palace. This was no humble abode—Solomon builds an extravagant palace considerably larger than the temple.
Similar to Moses, who built the tabernacle in Exodus 31, Solomon hires the most skilled and wise craftsmen to construct the temple. Hiram is chosen to build the furnishings and interiors for the temple, including bronze pillars and latticework covered in pomegranates.
1 KINGS 8
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT TRANSPORTED TO THE TEMPLE
Solomon gathers the Israelites for a feast before transporting the ark of the covenant into the temple. Earlier in 2 Samuel 6, when moving the ark of the covenant to the tabernacle, David allows the ark to be carried incorrectly and a man named Uzzah is killed in the process. Solomon follows God’s instructions carefully and appoints the priests to correctly carry the ark of the covenant.
Once they arrive, the ark of the covenant is placed inside the innermost part of the temple, called the holy of holies or most holy place. God’s presence arrives in the form of a thick cloud and becomes so overwhelming that the priests could no longer stand.
Solomon offers a blessing over the temple and thanks God for allowing him to build His dwelling place. Solomon prays for the nation of Israel, desiring for them to honor God’s authority and turn their hearts towards God. Solomon prays that people of all nations would come to know God.
Solomon acknowledges that God’s presence is far too vast to be contained by the temple, but Solomon is amazed that God wants to dwell among His people. An abundance of sacrifices are offered and the Israelites feast, rejoicing over all that God had done for them.
1 KINGS 9
GOD’S PROMISE + WARNING TO SOLOMON
After the buildings are completed, God appears to Solomon to share that His presence would dwell in the temple. God promises to support Solomon’s kingship, as long as Solomon remains faithful and lives according to the law. God warns Solomon that if the Israelites betray God, the temple will end up in ruins.
Solomon thanks King Hiram for supplying cypress, cedar, and gold for the temple. Solomon builds twenty cities in Galilee for King Hiram, but he was not pleased with this gift.
In Leviticus 25, God forbids forced labor among the Israelites. Instead, Solomon finds a way around this law and used the Canaanites as forced labor.
1 KINGS 10
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA AMAZED BY SOLOMON’S WEALTH
After completing the temple, news of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth travel quickly. The Queen of Sheba travels to Jerusalem to test Solomon’s knowledge with difficult questions. She is left speechless by Solomon’s wisdom and accomplishments. Although she does not know God, she praises Him and acknowledges Him as the source of Solomon’s wisdom!
Solomon’s wealth is growing rapidly. He has amassed great wealth and an abundance of horses, a direct disobedience to the laws of Deuteronomy 17.
1 KINGS 11
SOLOMON’S DOWNFALL + AHIJAH’S PROPHECY
Solomon has over a thousand women in his life with seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Because many of these women worship other gods and idols, Solomon is gradually influenced away from following God. Solomon, after building the temple, builds sites to make sacrifices to false gods, some of which condone child sacrifice.
God raises up two adversaries to the nation of Israel, Hadad and Rezon. Both of these men are political leaders who hate the nation of Israel and oppose the nation throughout Solomon’s life.
Jeroboam, who was previously a servant of Solomon’s, stands up against Solomon’s leadership. Solomon respects Jeroboam’s strength and sees him as a valuable worker.
Ahijah, a prophet, tells Jeroboam that God would rip the kingdom out of Solomon’s hands and give him ten of the twelve tribes. Ahijah demonstrated this by ripping his robe into twelve pieces and giving ten of them to Jeroboam.
When Solomon hears this prophecy, he wants Jeroboam killed. To avoid Solomon, Jeroboam hides in Egypt until Solomon’s death. After a forty-year reign, Solomon dies and Rehoboam becomes the next king over Israel.
1 KINGS 12
THE NATION OF ISRAEL SPLIT INTO TWO KINGDOMS
After Solomon’s death, Rehoboam reigns and Jeroboam returns to Israel after hiding from Solomon in Egypt.
Jeroboam confronts Rehoboam about the heavy burden of forced labor that is created under Solomon’s reign. Rehoboam takes three days to decide what to do and during that time seeks advice from two groups of people, his elders and his peers. The older men encourage Rehoboam to have mercy and lighten the workload for the laborers, but the younger men encourage Rehoboam to increase their burdens and overwork them. Rehoboam makes the cruel decision to increase the labor of the workers, who compare his leadership to the sting of a scorpion.
Because of Rehoboam’s poor leadership and unrighteousness, the Israelites rebel against him and follow Jeroboam, splitting the nation in two. Two of the tribes remain loyal to Rehoboam, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, known as the southern kingdom of Judah. The other ten tribes, led by Jeroboam are referred to as the northern kingdom of Israel.
Jeroboam worries that his people in the northern tribes would travel south to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. As an alternative, he set up golden calves as sites of worship and excluded the priests. This act of false worship was the same mistake made by the Israelites in Exodus 32.
1 KINGS 13
JEROBOAM’S REBELLION + WORSHIP OF FALSE GODS
God sends a messenger to rebuke Jeroboam for creating false places of worship. When the messenger claims that the idols will be destroyed, Jeroboam reaches out his hand to have the man seized. As Jeroboam pointed towards the man, his hand immediately withers! The messenger prays for Jeroboam to restore his hand as a sign that he is from God. Jeroboam offers to bring the man food and drinks, but the man is instructed by God not to accept any food or drink on his mission.
Instead of obeying God’s instructions, the man is later deceived by a disobedient prophet who serves him food. During his travels, the man is eaten by a lion. Even with this warning from God and graphic reminder of disobedience, Jeroboam continues making places of false worship.
1 KINGS 14
THE DEATH OF JEROBOAM + REHOBOAM
Jeroboam’s son Abijah is very ill, so Jeroboam sends his wife to visit the prophet Ahijah in a disguise. Ahijah earlier prophesied that the kingdom would be torn in two, with ten tribes being given to Rehoboam. Abijah recognizes Jeroboam’s wife in disguise and tells her that Abijah would die and the kingdom would fall apart.
After a twenty-two-year reign, Jeroboam dies and his other son Nadab rules the northern kingdom of Israel.
Meanwhile, the southern kingdom is also living in sin and destruction. The king of Egypt plunders and steals valuable treasures from the temple, including golden shields. After a seventeen-year reign, Rehoboam dies and is succeeded by his son Abijah. (Rehoboam’s son and Jeroboam’s son are both named Abijah, but are two different people. Jeroboam’s son dies, but Rehoboam’s son is his successor.)
1 KINGS 15
ASA RULES FAITHFULLY, ABIJAH RULES REBELLIOUSLY
After Rehoboam’s death, his son Abijah takes the throne. Similar to his father, Abijah continues to live in sin and is not faithful to God. Because Abijah is David’s great-grandson, God allows him to remain on the throne. Throughout his entire life, Abijah is at war with Jeroboam. After Abijah’s death, he is followed by his son Asa.
Asa is a faithful and God-fearing king who conducts himself in honorable and righteous ways. Asa removes temple prostitutes and destroys idols and false gods. Asa goes as far as removing his own grandmother, Maacah, from her royal position because of her creation of false idols.
After Jeroboam’s reign in Israel, he is succeeded by his son Nadab. Baasha, Ahijah’s son, attacks Nadab, kills him, and takes over the throne. This fulfilled the prophecy of the previous chapter, spoken by Ahijah.
Asa and Baasha are at war with each other throughout their reign.
Asa becomes allies with Ben-Hadad, a leader in Aram, by making a treaty with gold and silver. Together, Asa and Aram overpower Baasha. Baasha reigns in Israel for twenty-four years and is openly evil and disobedient to God.
1 KINGS 16
THE REIGNS OF BAASHA, ELAH, ZIMRI, OMRI + AHAB
God delivers a message to Jehu, the son of Hanani, to give to Baasha. The message says that because of Baasha’s rebellion, he would be destroyed and killed. Jehu’s news came to pass and Baasha is killed. After his death, his son Elah is the next king over Israel.
Elah was only king for two years before he was killed by his chariot captain, Zimri. After Zimri murders Elah, he becomes king of Israel. During his reign, he fulfills what Jehu predicted and murders all of Baasha’s remaining family.
Zimri was only king for seven days, the shortest recorded reign. Because of Zimri’s violent attacks, Omri, the commander of the army, replaces Zimri as king. Omri and his army go after Zimri, but Zimri, accepting defeat, sets his house on fire, killing himself inside.
Omri reigns for twelve years and builds the city of Samaria. Omri is an evil king who disobeys God and leads others to sin. After his death, Omri’s son Ahab becomes king of Israel.
Ahab is the most evil king to date, following in his father’s footsteps. Ahab marries a non-Israelite, Jezebel. Not only does he disobey God, he denies God completely and worships another god, Baal. Ahab builds a temple to worship Baal and a shrine for Asherah, a sexual goddess. Ahab is worse than all the other kings combined and offers two of his sons as child sacrifices.
1 KINGS 17
GOD PROVIDES FOR THE PROPHET ELIJAH
A prophet named Elijah warns Ahab that there would be a severe drought in Israel. God tells Elijah to hide out east of the Jordan River. There, God would provide him with fresh water from a brook and food delivered by ravens. Eventually, the brook dries up because of the drought, so God instructs Elijah to go to Zarephath where God has prepared a widow to care for Elijah.
Upon finding the widow, Elijah asks her for food and water. The woman tells Elijah that she barely has enough flour and oil to feed herself and her son. They are so impoverished that they are about to die from starvation. Elijah encourages the woman to make food for him despite their scarce supply. Elijah knows that God will provide. Once the woman makes food for Elijah, her jar of flour and bottle of oil never run out!
Later on, the widow's son becomes ill and stops breathing. Elijah prays for him and asked God to heal him. When God restores his life, the widow recognizes Elijah as a man of God and trusts in the Lord!
1 KINGS 18
ELIJAH’S EPIC DUEL WITH AHAB
During the third year of the drought, God instructs Elijah to return to King Ahab and reveals that the drought would soon end.
Back in Israel, Ahab calls for Obadiah, one of the palace leaders. Obadiah is a faithful man who loves God. Earlier, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, wants to kill the prophets, but Obadiah hides one hundred faithful people in a cave and provides for them.
Ahab asks Obadiah to help him search for springs and streams to provide water for their livestock. In their search, Obadiah found Elijah. Because Elijah has been hiding, Obadiah is shocked to see him. Not long afterwards, Elijah confronts Ahab, telling him that his wickedness was the cause of Israel’s troubles.
Elijah challenges Ahab, summoning him to gather his false gods, idols, and prophets for a duel. Elijah plans to show Ahad the power of the one true God! In the duel, Ahab would pray to Baal and his other false gods, while Elijah would pray to the Lord. Whoever responds with fire is deemed the true God.
After setting up altars, it is Ahab’s time to call upon Baal to bring fire on his offering. All morning long, Ahab and his people call out to Baal, praying and pleading for fire. They become desperate, jumping and stomping in frustration. As time passes, Elijah taunts Ahab, asking why his gods haven’t responded. Ahab and the Baal worshippers start cutting themselves with knives, offering their blood to Baal. After attempting everything they could fathom, there is still no response, not even a flicker of fire.
Now it is Elijah’s turn. Elijah builds his altar with twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah has so much confidence in God that he soaks the wood with water, making it even less likely to catch on fire. Not only is this a bold move, it is an insult to Ahab’s leadership, since his rebellion was the source of the drought. By pouring the water, Elijah was also mocking Baal, who was believed to be god over rain and weather.
Elijah prays to God, remembering his ancestors and calling Him the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Elijah asks God to answer him boldly and prove that He is the one true God. Immediately upon Elijah’s prayer, God brings fire to the altar, burning up the offering! God did what only God can do! Everyone sees what happened and falls to the ground in awe and reverence, proclaiming that God is the one true God.
All of the prophets of Baal are killed, while the followers of God celebrate in victory! Just as God told Elijah, a cloud starts forming above Israel, showing that rain was on the way and the drought was over.
1 KINGS 19
GOD SPEAKS TO ELIJAH IN A SUBTLE WHISPER
After attempting to flee, Ahab reports back to his wife, Jezebel, telling her of the altar battle and the death of the prophets of Baal. Jezebel is furious and sends a death threat to Elijah.
Elijah is afraid and flees to Beersheba, a city at the far south end of Judah. Elijah is so distraught, he no longer wants to live and asks God to take his life. Exhausted, Elijah falls asleep under a bush. He is awakened by an angel, who brings him bread and water. A snack and a nap can go a long way! Elijah is ready to continue his journey. He continues traveling for forty days and ends in a cave in Mount Horeb.
Elijah cries out to God, saying that despite his efforts, the people of Israel abandoned God. God instructs Elijah to stand on the mountaintop to hear more from God. On top of the mountain, there is a hurricane, great winds, and fire, but Elijah does not hear from God. After the hurricane, winds, and fire, Elijah hears from God in a gentle whisper. God does not show up in the way Elijah expects, but instead speaks in a smaller, more subtle way.
God tells Elijah that he is to make Hazeal ruler of the kingdom of Aram, Jehu the ruler of the kingdom of Israel, and Elisha to succeed Elijah as a prophet. God tells Elijah that he is preserving the seven thousand who never worshiped Baal or other gods.
Elijah goes to Elisha, summoning him for his new role as a prophet. Elisha shares a meal with his family before following Elijah and becoming his successor.
1 KINGS 20
AHAB DEFEATS THE ARAMEANS
Ben-Hadad, the King of Aram, builds up his army and prepares for war. Ben-Hadad submits his requests to Ahab, the king of Israel. Ben-Hadad demands all of his wives and sons, as well as his gold and silver.
Ahab is outraged by this demand and denies Ben-Hadad of his request. Ben-Hadad is angered and tells Ahab that the city of Samaria will be turned to rubble. Ben-Hadad drinks heavily and makes the impaired decision to attack Israel’s capital city.
A prophet tells Ahab that God will provide for them and not allow them to be overthrown. God instructs Ahab to attack first, starting the battle between Aram and Israel. Ben-Hadad and the Arameans are defeated by Ahab and Israel’s army, despite being larger in size.
The two nations battle again, this time in the hills where chariots are less effective. Israel is victorious in the valley, but Aram is confident they would win in the mountainous terrain. Just as the prophet told Ahab, Israel wins the battle once again, killing off a great number of Ben-Hadad’s army. Despite corrupt leadership, God provides for the Israelites.
God tasks Ahab with killing Ben-Hadad, but instead lets him live. Because of his disobedience, a prophet tells Ahab that he will be the one to die instead.