1 Kings: Looking Back (Part 3)
I’ve started reading a new book to my son recently. But whilst it’s new to me, he’s actually read it before, and so wants us to jump in half way through the story, where apparently it starts to get more exciting. All well and good for him, with main characters, a plot and the scene set. But for me? I’ve got a ton of questions, and I could really do with starting back at the beginning!
We’re jumping into 1 Kings, but it’s pretty hard to do that without looking back to what’s come before. In fact, it would be foolish not to. This scroll has been written assuming that you know the main characters in the story so far (cue Adam, Abraham, Moses and David), and that you’re aware of some of the big chapters in the story so far (cue the Exodus, the Wilderness years, conquering the Promised Land, and God establishing his King on the throne).
In particular there are two key texts that King Solomon would have known intimately, as God’s king. And so we need to know them too, if we’re going to grasp a fuller picture of this story as it starts to unfold. The first is from Deuteronomy 17, and the second is from 2 Samuel 7. Taking a moment to read them, not only now, but periodically as we go through 1 Kings 1-11, will really serve you as you continue to dig for treasure with us.
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’””
