The narrator continues the chronological account
of Israel and Judah’s kings. Each of Israel’s kings is more evil
than the previous, and Northern Israel gradually loses its territories
to Assyrian pressure from the northeast. Assyria finally invades
the northern kingdom of Israel entirely and captures the Israelites,
removing them to Assyria. God’s presence leaves the people of Israel,
and scattered Near-Eastern groups populate the promised land, worshipping
their own gods.
A handful of Judah’s kings make a brave attempt
at reform in the southern kingdom. Two kings embark on repairing
the decaying Temple in Jerusalem. When Hezekiah assumes the throne,
he destroys all of the altars and idols in Judah—the first such
policy since Rehoboam introduced the idols into the land. With the
help of the great prophet Isaiah, Judah thwarts heavy economic and
military threats from Assyria. Finally, Judah’s king Josiah directs
a national program of spiritual renewal. He reads the Laws of Moses
in front of all the people, and the people reaffirm their commitment
to God’s covenant, celebrating the Passover for the first time in
centuries. Despite these attempts to turn the religious tide in
Judah, however, evil rulers regain power after Josiah’s death. The
king of Babylon invades the southern kingdom of Israel, burning
Jerusalem and destroying the Temple. Like their northern brothers,
the people of Judah are exiled, settling in Babylon far away from
their homeland.
Analysis
The two volumes of Kings continue the story of
Israel’s tumultuous monarchy begun in Genesis and continued in the
books of Samuel. The history spans almost four hundred years of
events in ancient Israel. From the beginning of Solomon’s
reign in around 965 b.c. to
the fall of the northern and southern kingdoms in 722 b.c. and 567 b.c.,
respectively, the nation of Israel dominates the international affairs
of the Near East. As a result, many of the events described in the
biblical account of Israel’s divided kingdom can be authenticated
historically. However, the authors of Kings do not simply list Israel
and Judah’s kings, but arrange their stories in a way that highlights
the direct connection between Israel’s religious infidelity and
its radical political demise.
Solomon’s temple is a monolithic symbol that changes
to reflect the changing fortunes of the Israelites. The author interprets
the temple’s construction as a sign that Israel, the land originally
promised to Moses, has arrived. By noting that Solomon builds it
in “the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came
out of the land of Egypt,” the narrator suggests that all of Israel’s
struggles to enter and conquer the promised land have prepared this
moment (6:1). The
Temple’s large, solid structure is a physical manifestation of Israel’s
secure position in the land. God proves a spiritual manifestation of
Israel’s security when he promises to reside in the temple, placing
his “name there forever” (9:3).
The fact that the Temple is a man-made object that can decay foreshadows
the eventual spiritual decay of Israel. Furthermore, the importance
of a physical object to Solomon and the people contrasts with the
importance in earlier biblical books of incorporeal spiritual elements.
The temple also reflects the downfall of Israel. After the author
spends four chapters detailing its construction and dedication,
the Temple disappears from the narrative just as Israel’s religious
commitment to God fades from the minds of its rulers. Its final
destruction at the hands of the Babylonians mirrors Israel’s total
neglect of God’s covenant.
Part of the purpose of the books of Kings is to provide
a cultural history of Israel that the Israelites can read to understand
the history of their people. The authors and compilers of the books
use rhetorical devices to reflect this purpose. One such device
is the simultaneous telling of the histories of Israel and Judah.
Accounts of Israelite kings always accompany accounts of contemporary
kings in Judah. The narrator then describes how God views each king. This
rhetorical device labels each king’s reign as good or evil, and provides
a moral evaluation of Israel and Judah’s history. Judah appears
generally more good than Israel since it has more good kings, a
trend that reflects God’s promise to Solomon that he will bless
Judah because it is the site of King David’s legacy in Jerusalem. On
the whole, however, both Judah and Israel have a majority of evil
kings. In spite of Hezekiah and Josiah’s laudable reforms in Judah,
the attacks by Assyria and Babylon appear to be punishment for the
religious deterioration of the Israelites.
As the books’ religious protagonists, Elijah and Elisha
illustrate that the nature of prophets has changed throughout the
Old Testament. Moses, Joshua, the judges, and David are all leaders
of the Israelites, and, as the people’s representatives, they meet
with God on mountains or in religious centers to intercede on behalf
of the people for their wrongdoing. Elijah and Elisha, however,
are located on the outskirts of communities, and they utter mystical
warnings or oracles to Israel that are fatalistic at best. Rather
than leading the people to greatness, Elijah’s contest with the
priests of Baal is merely an attempt to diminish the people’s ongoing
evil, and Elisha’s healing of the peasant boy only helps to ease
pain. The narrator mentions Elisha’s death only in passing, and
Elijah is not actually buried in Israel. He is, instead, taken straight
into heaven by supernatural means, an event that suggests that the
land is too evil for God’s prophets. Whereas God formerly presents
himself to Moses using thunder and lightning, God’s small, gentle
whisper to Elijah shows that the people’s worship of other deities
has effectively quelled God’s voice in Israel.