First and Second Kings

by Fretheim, Terence E.

• ISBN13: 9780664255657
• ISBN10: 0664255655
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Presbyterian Pub Corp

Summary

Old Testament scholar Terence Fretheim identifies the theology in the dramatic accounts of the books of Kings, which chronicles the reigns of more than forty kings over a period of nearly four hundred years. Interspersing theological reflections throughout, Fretheim trace's God's words of judgement and promise for Israel--and for us--accross the entirety of Kings.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance for faithful living today. These books are ideal for individual study and for Bible study classes and groups.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword	ix
Introduction	1	(16)
FIRST KINGS	17	(210)
The Reign of Solomon
1 Kings 1:1-11:43	19	(1)
Solomon Succeeds David (1:1-2:46)	20	(10)
David's Succession Resolved (1:1-53)	21	(4)
Solomon Consolidates His Reign (2:1-46)	25	(1)
Politics as Usual and Narrative Justification	26	(1)
Divine Purpose and Human Intrigue	27	(1)
Davidic Convenant: Conditional or Unconditional?	28	(2)
A Royal Paradigm (3:1-15)	30	(3)
Praying for Wisdom	32	(1)
Solomon's Wisdom Demonstrated (3:16-5:18)	33	(6)
Wisdom in Judgment (3:16-28)	33	(2)
God and Political Structures	35	(1)
Wisdom in Administration (4:1-28)	36	(1)
Wisdom as Breadth of Knowledge (4:29-34)	37	(1)
Wisdom in Temple Building (5:1-18)	37	(2)
On the Use and Abuse of Wisdom	39	(1)
Solomon and the Temple (6:1-8:66)	39	(15)
Solomon Builds the Temple (6:1-38)	40	(2)
The Temple and Faithfulness	42	(1)
Other Solomonic Projects (7:1-12)	43	(1)
Temple Furnishings (7:13-51)	43	(1)
The Temple and the Importance of Place	44	(1)
Dedication of the Temple (8:1-66)	45	(5)
Sin, Judgment, and Salvation	50	(1)
God and the Prayers of Insiders and Outsiders	51	(1)
The Ark, the Temple, and the Presence of God	52	(2)
God Appears Again to Solomon (9:1-9)	54	(3)
God and the Future	56	(1)
Solomon's Wisdom and Wealth, One More Time (9:10-10:29)	57	(4)
Solomon's Dealings and the Narrator's Ideology	59	(2)
The Fall of Solomon and the Division of His Kingdom (11:1-43)	61	(9)
Solomon's Sins and God's Response (11:1-13)	62	(2)
Divine Judgment and Its Amelioration	64	(1)
God Raises Up Adversaries (11:14-25)	65	(1)
God's Activity among Outsiders	65	(1)
Jeroboam and the Prophet Ahijah (11:26-43)	66	(2)
The Prophetic Word and Jeroboam's Future	68	(2)
The Division of the Kingdom
1 Kings 12:1-16:34	70	(1)
The Northern Tribes Secede (12:1-24)	71	(3)
The Division of the Kingdom and Divine Action	73	(1)
Jeroboam's Sin (12:25-33)	74	(3)
Jeroboam and the Will of God	76	(1)
God's Word against Bethel (13:1-34)	77	(5)
The Prophets and the Word of God	81	(1)
God's Word against Jeroboam (14:1-20)	82	(5)
The Coarse Language of God and Prophet	86	(1)
The Early Years of Judah and Israel (14:21-16:34)	87	(7)
Judah's Early Years (14:21-15:24)	88	(2)
Israel's Early Years (15:25-16:34)	90	(2)
The Jealousy and Anger of God	92	(2)
Prophets and Kings I
1 Kings 17:1-22:53	94	(1)
Elijah and Ahab; Yahweh and Baal (17:1-19:21)	95	(17)
Stories of Elijah (17:1-24)	95	(3)
God's Use of Means and Issues of Life and Death	98	(2)
Yahweh and Baal and Their Prophets (18:1-46)	100	(5)
What Kind of God Is This?	105	(2)
A Still Small Voice? (19:1-21)	107	(4)
On the Tenacity of God's Call	111	(1)
Ahab, Aram, and Prophets (20:1-22:53)	112	(19)
Ahab's War with Aram (20:1-43)	112	(3)
God and Ahab's Future	115	(1)
Naboth's Vineyard (21:1-29)	116	(3)
Judgment and Reprieve for Ahab	119	(2)
Micaiah and the Death of Ahab (22:1-53)	121	(5)
God's Use of Deception	126	(5)
SECOND KINGS
Prophets and Kings II	131	(45)
2 Kings 1:1-10:36
Elijah Denounces Ahaziah (1:1-18)	131	(4)
Is It Because There Is No God in Israel?	134	(1)
From Elijah to Elisha (2:1-25)	135	(6)
On Symbolic Narrative	139	(2)
War and Wrath in Moab (3:1-27)	141	(3)
Great Wrath Came upon Israel	143	(1)
Elisha's Wondrous Deeds (4:1-44)	144	(6)
Miracles of Life in the Midst of Death	148	(2)
The Healing and Confession of Naaman (5:1-27)	150	(5)
Salvation and the Universal Grace of God	154	(1)
Elisha and the Arameans (6:1-7:20)	155	(7)
An Ax Head Brought to the Surface (6:1-7)	156	(1)
The Prophet Blindsides the Arameans (6:8-23)	156	(1)
The Prophets, Power, and Foreign Affairs	157	(1)
The Arameans Foiled Again (6:24-7:20)	158	(2)
Sieges, Famines, and Hope in God	160	(2)
Elisha Follows Through (8:1-15)	162	(3)
The Shunammite Woman, Once Again (8:1-6)	162	(1)
The Accession of Hazael (8:7-15)	163	(1)
Prophecy and International Affairs	164	(1)
The Zeal of Jehu (8:16-10:36)	165	(11)
Two Kings of Judah (8:16-27)	166	(1)
Anointing Jehu King over Israel (8:28-9:13)	166	(2)
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah (9:14-29)	168	(2)
The Death of Jezebel (9:30-37)	170	(1)
Jehu Destroys the House of Ahab and Baal (10:1-36)	170	(2)
Zeal for Yahweh and Violence	172	(4)
The Endangered Promise	176	(6)
2 Kings 11:1-12:21
Athaliah and Joash (11:1-21)	176	(3)
The Reign of Joash (12:1-21)	179	(3)
A Promise Endangered and Renewed	180	(2)
King Come and Go	182	(8)
2 Kings 13:1-16:20
The Renewed Fortunes of Israel (13:1-14:29)	182	(4)
The Decline of Israel (15:1-38)	186	(2)
Royal Deeds and Divine Action and Evaluation	187	(1)
The Reign of Ahaz (16:1-20)	188	(2)
The Destruction and Exile of Israel	190	(6)
2 Kings 17:1-41
The Fall of Samaria (17:1-6)	190	(1)
Theological Interpretation of the Fall (17:7-23)	191	(2)
Resettlement in Samaria (17:24-41)	193	(3)
The Story of God and Divine Judgment	194	(2)
Judah: Reform and Fall	196	(31)
2 Kings 18:1-25:30
The Reign of Hezekiah (18:1-20:21)	196	(12)
Evaluation of Hezekiah (18:1-12)	196	(1)
Hezekiah and Sennacherib (18-13-19:37)	197	(7)
The Illness of Hezekiah (20:1-11)	204	(2)
Hezekiah and the Babylonians (20:12-21)	206	(1)
Trust and Prayer in the Face of Disaster	206	(2)
Two Evil Kings of Judah (21:1-26)	208	(3)
Infidelity, Grace, and Promise	210	(1)
The Reign of Josiah (22:1-23:30)	211	(9)
The Book of the Law (22:1-20)	212	(2)
The Reform of Josiah (23:1-30)	214	(4)
Covenant, Reform, and Prophecies of Judgment	218	(2)
The End of Judah (23:31-25:30)	220	(7)
Do God's Promises to David Still Hold?	224	(3)
Works Cited and Select Bibliography	227