1 and 2 Kings cover the timer period from David’s last days (971 B.C.) through the fall of Jerusalem in 562 B.C. It covers the breakup of the nation into two parts during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, and the subsequent fall into idolatry under Jeruboam, king of Israel. In a way you can see David as the pinnacle, the closest Israel ever got to a nation ruled by a godly king. From here the roller coaster begins to slope downward under Solomon, then more steeply, splitting off into two branches with one going continuously down into the ground, as Israel was carried off by the Assyrians never to return (722 B.C.). The other branch has a few upward bumps, but on a general downward trajectory until carried off into exile by the Babylonians.

The text even gives us a scorecard for each king. When it says “he did evil in the sight of the Lord” you know this is an evil king. When it says “and he did good in the sight of the Lord” then you know this king (at least for a while or in part) followed God. In the end, it is still all about whether they had a visible relationship with Yahweh, just as it was in the days of David. Who they served was who they acted like. If they served the Baals then they acted like Baal, when they served Yahweh then that was the character that came out.

Yes, there are a lot of bad people who do a lot of bad things in these books, but there are bright spots, and we certainly have a lot to learn by contrast, just as we did through the life of Saul.

The Jews considered these two books to be one narrative. This book is a compilation of the official court records of Judah and Israel, some memoirs (David, Ahab, Elijah, Elisha), records from the prophet Isaiah, and some historical abstracts.

It shows signs of one author or editor, who may have put together and analyzed the sources, and wove the details into one integrated document, all inspired by the Holy Spirit, of course. Circumstantial evidence points to Jeremiah the prophet as the author. He is the grandson of Abiathar, who we will see in chapter 1. He would have had access to the royal court records like no other prophet, and no one else would have been so intimately involved in the final years of Judah. He could have written all but the last appendix (perhaps added by his servant Baruch) and may have penned the majority (through 2 Kings 23:30) during the reign of Josiah.

Throughout the book we can see God in control of world governments, moving them around like chess pieces to do his will, which is to eventually discipline his people for repeatedly walking away from Him as their God.

Due to the varying ways that years were counted, depending on a king’s reign and nothing external, it is hard to place a good chronology on the book. We basically have to use external data to determine dates, but that data does exist.

Chapter 1

1 – 4

David is only 70 years old but has fallen very feeble. But David has been through a lot. Interestingly, it wasn’t the many wars and enemies he fought that ended up sapping David’s strength, but the many personal crises he faced after sinning with Bathsheba. We meet Abishag for two reasons, to show David’s feebleness and thus Adonijah’s thinking he can successfully overthrow his father and become king, and then why his actions later with Solomon bring such a strong reaction (Chapter 2). Abishag came from Shunem, a town 7 miles northwest of Nazareth. She was more nurse than anything else.

David’s feeling of cold is something fairly common to an aging human. Often it is due to “diminished capacity for the peripheral vasculature to vasodilate.” It can also occur due to the body’s inability to maintain normal body temperature because of the drop in metabolic rate.

5 – 10

Adonijah, apparently thinking that his father’s weakened condition meant he could not think properly or act, just out and out calls himself king. He is no subtle chess player like Absalom, who spent years currying favor and putting the pieces into place. Adonijah, the eldest now of David’s sons, is an opportunist.

He does, however, need allies. So he gets Joab (not the most loyal person to David’s wishes anyway) and, surprisingly, Abiathar the priest, to support him. It was God’s will and David’s expressed wishes to make Solomon king (2 Samuel 12:24-25, 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 28:4-7). David apparently never disciplined Adonijah properly, and that may have contributed to the problem. As we’ve seen before, David was a mighty warrior, an incredible king, a wonderful worship leader, but as a dad, not so great.

Abiathar had come to David as the only survivor of Saul’s massacre of the priest and his family (1 Samuel 22, 23). He’d been with David in the tough times and seemed faithful, but now opposes God’s and David’s wishes.

Not everyone goes along with this. Zadok as a descendant of Eleazar, Aaron’s third son. He was listed as a warrior and who came to David at Hebron to offer him kingship over all Israel. Beaiah, son of Jehoiada was one of David’s greatest mighty men (2Sam 23:20-23). Remember the lion in a pit on a snowy day? He was in charge of David’s body guard.

Nathan the prophet played in vital role in David’s life. It was he who called David on his relationship with Bathsheba, who David went to with his desire to build a temple, and who relayed the Davidic covenant. Nathan came to David when Solomon was born and approved of him (“And the Lord loved him” 2 Samuel 12:24) and it is implied there chose him as king. The other two guys we know next to nothing about.

En Rogel is slightly southeast of Jerusalem at the confluence of the Kidron and Hinnom valleys.

11 – 14

Nathan acts quickly but also shows tact and ingenuity as he did when David sinned with Bathsheba. He knew that Bathsheba would be welcomed into David’s presence and listened to. Nathan would then come along and confirm David’s intentions.

15 – 27

Bathsheba comes in and lays out what has happened and that Abiathar and Joab have sided with Adonijah and that all the king’s sons but Solomon have gone along with it. The key verse is 20 that Israel is looking to you to make a move. She tells David, correctly, that her and Solomon will be killed if Adonijah takes the throne, as was the custom in the world in that day to destroy any rivals to the throne.

Then Nathan comes along and tells David who is still on his side and urges him to take action.

28 – 31

David declares without question whom he wants to be king after him.

32 – 40

Gihon was a spring located in the Kidron Valley. Riding on David’s mule signaled the king’s blessing. If David had not acted the people might have sided with Adonijah. Instead they respect their king and when they know of his decision, they accept it with great joy. This isn’t such great news for Adonijah.

41 – 48

Jonathan adds to the story that royal officials had already gone to David to congratulate him, thus putting the official seal on Solomon’s rise to kingship and the rejection of Adonijah as rival king.

49 – 53

Adonijah runs to the altar, as his co-conspirators run for cover (to avoid being connected with Adonijah and killed). The grasping the horns of the altar apparently signified that as God was gracious to receive man’s sacrifices on the altar, so should one man be gracious to another.

Adonijah apparently expected to be cut down as he would have done to Solomon, but Solomon is actually gracious and tells Adonijah that he will live as long as he supports Solomon as king and does nothing to erode that claim.

Conclusions

Don’t mistake the existence of a circumstance as a final outcome. This is really Nathan’s chapter. It’s amazing what a man in tune with God can do to affect the future of a nation, and even the world. Once again the line of the Messiah hangs by a thread. If Nathan had ignored the Lord what might have happened?

Don’t mistake approval from supporters as support from God. Adonijah had a priest (religious backing), a general (military backing) and sons of the king (political backing). What he did not have was a prophet (the Lord’s backing). The first three don’t matter without the fourth. We can gather around us all the support we want for the thing we want to do, but unless we seek the Lord we will have no idea if is the right thing to do.

Don’t mistake physical feebleness for spiritual weakness. David was not strong physically, but that should not have signaled to Adonijah that he was weak spiritually. We see here and also in the next chapter that in the Lord, David is as strong as ever. Just because someone (or even you) might be pushed down because of tragedy, sickness, or life circumstance, does not mean you are unable to serve the Lord mightily.