Episode 1: 1 Kings 1-11: God's Kingdom
It's a new season, and we're launching into the first 11 chapters of 1 Kings together! Come and join us as we talk through how we've got going with it, and what it's going to look like to study this important Old Testament narrative together.
The texts mentioned in todays episode can be found here: Deuteronomy 17: 14-20 and 2 Samuel 7: 11-16. You can also read ahead for next week in 1 Kings.
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What's been your experience of reading 1&2 Kings up to this point?
Take time to read through 1 Kings 1-11. Are there any big themes that stood out to you?
Take time to pray for the Lord to be at work as you make your way through 1 Kings 1-11.
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This episode is sponsored by Dwell Bible app.
Bring the teachings and stories of Scripture to life, not just reading the words, but hearing them read over you and transform your daily moments, such as exercise or chores around the house, into divine encounters, helping you to build consistent routines.
Head over to dwellbible.com/twosisters for more information.
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The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.
Felicity: You're listening to the Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea podcast, the Bible Study podcast for everyday life. We're here for a 20 minute burst of Bible chat over a cup of tea and an English style biscuit as we make our way through a Bible book over the course of the season and drive it to our hearts. And this season we're delving into the first 11 chapters of One Kings. Whether you've been listening for a while or have just found us, we're so pleased you're here. Over the course of this season, we're looking forward to sharing some resources with you. We're grateful for the partnerships we have with different sponsors. And as ever, we choose our partnerships very carefully and only choose to recommend resources that we ourselves are enjoying and benefiting from.
Sarah: This episode is sponsored by Dwell. Around here, we're always talking about getting into our Bibles, even if it's just for a few minutes. Sometimes though, the busyness of life takes over and it gets to the end of the day and we've struggled to sit down and soak up any of the Bible, or our time that morning just seems like a distant memory. The Dwell Bible app has been a game changer for us as it allows us to listen to God's word while we're on the go. Whether it's doing the laundry or in the car or on my walk back from the school drop-off, I pick my Bible book, choose my favourite voice, I love David Suchet, and before I know it, I've listened to a good chunk of One Kings. You can even change the speed, the background music and the voice. We love it and we highly recommend it as a way of getting into your Bible at any time and in any place. Now the folks at Dwell are giving Two Sisters listeners a 25 % discount. So go to dwellbible.com/twosisters. That's dwellbible.com/ twosisters for your 25 % discount on this outstanding resource.
Felicity: Welcome to Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea. My name is Felicity and I'm in America and I'm here as ever with my sister Sarah. She's in the UK and we are so excited to be getting into a brand new season and a brand new Bible book. We're in One Kings or First Kings as it's called over here. We're going to be doing chapters one through 11. Sarah, it's great to be back, isn't it?
Sarah: It is a joy to be back. I am delighted to be here with my turmeric active tea no less.
Felicity: Tumoric active. It's rare to hear active in the title.
Sarah: What do you think it's gonna do? I know!
Felicity: Well, in my mind that's definitely activating the tumeric rather than activating you.
Sarah: Hopefully it does both in some way. I don't know. What have you got in your cup?
Felicity: I've got a delicious cup of tea actually that a listener sent, lovely decaf royal grey rooibos, loose leaf no less and you know what? I'm enjoying it a lot. It's become a daily occurrence.
Sarah: Daily, very good. That is high praise indeed. Very good. Felicity, we are here and we are getting into the first 11 chapters of First Kings, or One Kings. Why? Why are we going for this? Give us a little snapshot of our kind of thinking over the last few months as we've kind of arrived at this decision.
Felicity: Well, we want to read a variety of Bible books. We want to encounter all the different genres that God has put into this collection of books in the Bible and we haven't spent a lot of time in history and narrative like this and so that's one of the reasons. We were thinking of doing the whole of one Kings and then a very kind and very clever person told us that actually one and two Kings they are one scroll. So if you're do one Kings you probably should do all of it and then we were like, ooh, we should definitely slow down and so chapters 1 through 11 is actually the life of Solomon and so that's where we're at. What have I missed? Why else are we in this?
Sarah: Yeah, because I think as you were saying at beginning, just that conviction that the whole of God's Word is worth dwelling on, isn't it? It's worth studying. It feels understudied, this. I don't feel like there's a bunch of resources out there. It's not your kind classic sermon series that you'd kind of naturally put on, I don't think. I think in my Bible read-throughs, I come to this each time and I think, oh, this feels a little confusing. There's a lot of names that sound the same and who's king of where and what's going on and I think like my temptation is to think there's not there's not much for me here and actually no that's not true is it so we're going for it because we want to dig and we want to see what's here.
Felicity: Yeah, I think that's right. Because we have, as we've been reading it through, Sarah and I have a kind of ongoing voice note kind of world going on and there have been some where we're leaving messages saying, did you even know that this happens? Especially when you get into the later Kings in Second Kings. so, yeah, and so we're excited to dig in, we, and find the treasure and really coming to see the King is one of the big things there.
Sarah: Yeah, there's some crazy stories going on.
Felicity Carswell: We're not gonna spoil, let's not give spoilers too soon.
Sarah: Yeah. No. So this episode today is all about kind of setting up one Kings one to 11, isn't it? And we're just going to talk through some of the context. We're going to, well, we've come up with a few different kind of headings of how we're going to do it. So we're going to look up, we're going to look down, we're going to look back and we're going to look forward to just try and help us kind of get our bearings to root ourselves so that when we come to actually start opening it up next week we've got our feet on the ground and we know what to be looking for and that kind of thing.
Felicity: Absolutely. So Sarah, why don't you kick us off looking up how do we come to this part of the Bible?
Sarah: Looking up, so yeah I think just it's just really really important to remember as we come to a part of the Bible that is less familiar and that can feel quite confusing to remember what the Bible says about God's Word in general and so looking up what does God say actually we're to come expecting delight so we've you know we know in Psalm 119 that he says that his Word is like treasure that it's something to delight in that it's going to be sweeter than honey and that this is more precious than gold. And so actually just coming to this part of God's Word, expectant that we are going to find that, I think is a really important kind of heart posture to come with. And that doesn't mean that we're going to necessarily find the gold immediately. I think we're going to have to work hard. We are going to have to work hard to work out what's going on. But actually there's true delight here when we come knowing that this is gold and that this has been put here so that we may delight in God all the more. So yeah, we're to come expecting delight, but I think that also means we come with humility, doesn't it? Because actually, as we were saying, this is a part of scripture that we're not overly familiar with. It's kind of on the Bible read through kind of thing, but it's not necessarily something you immediately go to. And it does feel a bit confusing. And yet, this is something, this has been chosen for us. This is in the canon of scripture so that we may delight in Jesus and delight in the Lord. So we come prayerfully and humbly. We ask him to be at work. And so that's how we have started to approach it in the sense that we've prayed and we've read and we've listened to it. We've talked, we've prayed some more. We've changed our mind on how to approach it and what to do with the length of it. And we keep praying that it wouldn't just be an intellectual thing for us, that actually it would be spiritually formative in us and for those who are going to come with us on the journey and get into One Kings together.
Felicity: Yeah, absolutely. And so as we're then approaching it like that, we're going to just consider, we're just going to look down. So this is kind of thinking about how we put it into context with a bird's eye view of one and two kings. What do we see? And really we need to understand first of all that these scrolls or this one scroll that covers over 400 years of history in around 50,000 words. So what that means is that the writer has been really selective. What he's included is exactly what he wants to include. It's very deliberate. And so as we're reading it, we're to be listening really carefully to what the author is telling us and considering why. And in terms of like salvation story, what we have is this being written for those who are already in exile. So this is after all the events that are described in one and two kings. The readers are sitting after that in history. They're in exile, the kingdoms have come crashing down. And so what it must have felt like for them, well, this feels like maybe the promises haven't been fulfilled. I mean, we've got people, place, king, but actually that's the promises of Genesis 12, that's the promises that we've been recurring all throughout scripture. And here they are sitting in exile. It looks like, feels like that it's all come tumbling down. And so what's going on? Where is God in all of this? Has he given up on God's people? Why are things are as they are now? And so as we're reading it, we wanted to sit a little bit in the shoes of the exiles. How does the story unfold? What are they told? How does it feel to be them? And where's the hope? What are they to be looking forward to? And in terms of the first 11 chapters, these first 11 chapters, they're the biggest chunk on one king. So we've got Solomon kind of in the spotlight. And these 11 chapters then, they help us, they're integral to understanding the narrative as a whole. So we're digging down deep into King Solomon. And what we're gonna see is a glorious picture of God's king. I mean, this is like pinnacle kind of stuff, isn't it? It's like celebratory, but there are then just some shadows. I've been thinking about it in terms of major and minor keys and in terms of music you have like major kind of triumph happy, yes this is the best but then there are just minor moments, minor keys, shadows that just there's a bit of ambiguity. Is Solomon really all that he was cut out to be and what does that mean? So that's the kind of the context.
Sarah: That's really helpful. That's really helpful with the major and minor keys actually, just that kind of distinction isn't it? I've been thinking about it in terms of sunbeams and shadows. I mean, there we go. Works alright. Both work okay. Yeah. Really, really helpful what you were just saying as well there, just alluding to the Genesis 12 because I think one of the important things that we need to do with every Bible book, but particularly kind of history in the Old Testament, is that we're aware that we're obviously just parachuting into this and studying this right now, but actually there's been a story leading up to this. There's been major characters in the Bible and major plots and scenes and chapters that have kind of led to this point, haven't there? Felicity, could you just give us a flavour of the kind of major things that have happened leading up to First and Second Kings.
Felicity: In terms of the salvation history like what's been the action yeah okay so we've had back in Genesis we at Genesis 12 we had the promise and Abraham and that was the start of God saying, I'm gonna create this people and they're gonna be my people and they're gonna be in my place with my King and in perfect relationship with me. And that's where we're headed. And what we've had is Israel in the meantime, we've had Israel multiplying in number and they were in Egypt and they were under slavery, they were under the rule of Pharaoh. And we have the big Exodus and so Moses and then eventually Joshua leads them out and they're heading towards the promised land and it's all looking good, but there's just loads of problems along the way, essentially because of sinful grumbling hearts. But the people by this point, they have made it into the promised land. There's been a whole set up of priests, there's a tabernacle, there's a means of worship, relationship, but in the midst of all that, the people have been asking for a king and they've had Saul and they've had David and just as we're getting into One Kings David, at the very start of One Kings, he's on his deathbed essentially. And we then are entering into a series of kings who, the question of what's God doing with this people and the kingship of that, and yeah, that's kind of where we're at.
Sarah: Really, really helpful. I think what we're saying is as we get into 1st and 2nd Kings, it's really important to look back, isn't it? Like this doesn't sit in isolation. We need the backstory. And actually there are two particular kind of texts in the Old Testament that King Solomon would have known intimately, like they would have been really, really kind of on his mind, on his heart. And so we're going to read those now because we think it's really important to give that context.
The first one comes in Deuteronomy chapter 17, when instructions are given about the introduction of kings into the life of God's people. So I'm going to read it from verse 14.
14 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,” 15 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. 16 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.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.18 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. 19 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 20 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.
Felicity: Thank you, Sarah. Worth just remembering Deuteronomy in the sense of that is what the standard is for the king, isn't it? And so as we're watching these kings over the course of these two scrolls, we wanna actually be kinda almost measuring it, measuring them against that. The other part is the covenant promise that the Davidic covenant promise made back in 2 Samuel chapter seven. And this is God speaking to David through Nathan the prophet and he says this:
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 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. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 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. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’”
So God is promising that there will be someone in the line of David on his throne forever.
Sarah: Really helpful and I think it's just really helpful to have those as the backdrop, isn't it, as we go into this and we're going to be referring back to these texts time and again I think as we come through this. So I'm looking forward to kind of studying this with that context but of course the next big thing, so we've kind of looked up, we've looked down, we've looked back just now but we do need to look forward because we know Jesus tells us himself on that road to Emmaus with his followers that every part of scripture actually concerns himself. So Felicity, give us a flavour of what that's gonna look like for us to look forward and help us to see Christ in these pages.
Felicity: Well, it's the best, isn't it, when a gospel writer actually gives you the lens through which we can read this Old Testament scripture. And in Luke chapter 11 verse 31, we hear Jesus himself say, something greater than Solomon is here. And in that moment, he's really talking about himself. And so this is our key lens, both in the highs and the lows of Solomon's reign. We're going to look for the ways in which Christ is greater than Solomon. So in that sense, Solomon becomes a foreshadow, a picture of God's King who is to come, for the original readers who is to come, but for us gives us an even clearer view of Jesus. And so as we're in this story, we want to be asking the question, well, how is this story teaching me about Jesus and his saving work and his kingship? And when we see Solomon fall short, and we definitely are going to see that, and how the glories of that kingdom, while as glorious as it is for Solomon, it is even more glorious, all the better in Christ. And so all the potential we see in Solomon, well, that is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. So it's such a gift to spend some time with Solomon because our eyes, our gaze is going to be pointed towards the Lord Jesus and we're going to love him more as a result I think.
Sarah: Yeah and I think it's going to be challenging on our hearts as well isn't it? It's going to challenge our allegiance to God's King, it's going to challenge how we view God's King. I think hopefully our desire to be with this King and to be in his Kingdom is going to grow. I think I'm really looking forward to just seeing how this word is going to land for our hearts. And I think one of the things we've been talking about in our own conversations is what does it look like not to go to us straight away in this, but actually know we need to go Solomon, King Jesus, and then how does this apply to us rather than thinking that we can have tally with Solomon in terms of how we apply it. So actually just having that kind of the lens of the King being really important as we seek to then drive this to our own hearts. I'm looking forward to it. Felicity, give us a couple of pointers of what would it look like to get into this well over the coming weeks? Like how can we best help ourselves as those listening along on the journey to make the most of it?
Felicity: Well, I think we need to just really take note of the genre. This is a narrative, this is a story and you've got to read chunks of a story. Like if you just read a sentence or two you're going to feel a bit lost and it's not going to make much sense. So give yourself some time to read chunks of this scripture. Like if you can, sit down and read chapters one through 11. You've got like a complete narrative there, the story of Solomon. Listening to it, I mean we all love Poirot, David Suchet, like give it a listen. We're gonna be reading it in the NIV as ever and I think it reads really well. As I kind of, love reading, I love stories, I'm loving reading this actually because the author's just, you know, he's kind of taking us with us on this journey. As ever, grab a friend. Why not read it with someone? Why not read it with someelse that would be a great encouragement I'm sure to be what we've been doing chatting to one another as we've been in this narrative and saying can you believe it look what Solomon did there or look what they said doing it with someone else really helps so give it some space treat it as a narrative and why not grab a friend to do that with you Sarah you want to pray for us as we get into this together
Sarah: I would love to you. Let's Heavenly Father we do just thank you for the privilege of being able to open your word. We thank you so much that your Spirit is the one who lures us on and helps us to understand it. We pray, Lord, for understanding and insight as we get into this part of scripture. We pray, Lord, please, would you thrill our hearts with your purposes, with your plans that are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Lord, we pray, please, would you do that work that only you can do in all of our hearts as we enjoy this next part of scripture together. And to the praise of your glory, we pray, amen.
Felicity: Amen. Well, it's good to be back, isn't it Sarah? So we'll see everyone next week as we dig into chapters one and two.
Sarah: Absolutely. Next week is chapters one and two. Do have a read before you listen to us. God's word is the most powerful thing you want to be listening to. And do grab a friend. Ask a friend to read it with you. So, so valuable for opening up these kinds of conversations and we look forward to seeing you next week.
Felicity: Yeah, we'll see you then. Bye bye.
Sarah: This episode has been sponsored by Dwell.
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