King Solomon and the Divided MonarchyPage | 1
King Solomon and the Divided Monarchy
The Books of Kings
Like First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings were originally onework that was divided into two when it was translated into Greek in ancienttimes. Since they form a unit, this introduction will discuss both booksas one. The Books of Samuel concern the creation of the monarchy and itsearly growth. In the Books of Kings, monarchy is an established fact, but thenarrative continues to question its value. The narrative presents the historyof the monarchy until the destruction of the northern kingdom in 701 BC and of the southern kingdom and Jerusalem in 587 BC.
First and Second Kings include many different literary forms, such asprophetic stories, battle narratives, and short notices concerning royal achievements.Some of this material was evidently drawn from sources now lost to usbut mentioned in the text: “the book of the chronicles of Solomon” (1 Kings11:41), “the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel” (1 Kings 14:19), and“the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah” (1 Kings 14:29). The propheticstories and other narratives may derive from oral tradition or now unknownwritten sources. The narrative structure is episodic; the many brief storieshave no obvious relationship to one another. Consequently, many readers thinkof First and Second Kings as a loosely edited collection of various narratives.However, the attentive reader will find many patterns that hold the diverse narrativestogether and indicate the care with which the whole was compiled.
The Reign of Solomon
During the reign of Solomon, monarchy appears to be working out well. Israelbecomes a populous and prosperous nation governed by a kingrenowned for his wisdom (1 Kings 5:1–14). InJerusalem, Solomon constructs a palace forhimself and a temple for God. The buildingof the Temple is a significant event markedby a chronological notice uniquely datedfrom the Exodus from Egypt (1 Kings 6:1).The importance of the Temple is furtherunderscored by the detail with which it isdescribed and the elaborate ceremonies atits dedication (1 Kings, chapters 6—8).Solomon places the ark of God in the Templeand God’s presence is manifested in acloud like the one that appeared in thewilderness (1 Kings 8:10–11; Exodus 16:10, 24:18, 33:9, 40:34–50; Numbers 17:7). Solomon’s prayerin 1 Kings 8:22–54 indicates the role of theTemple in Israel’s religious life. This interestin the Temple continues throughout thenarratives of Kings (1 Kings 14:25–26, 15:16–21; 2 Kings 12:5–17, 16:10–18, 22:3–9).
Although Solomon is presented as a greatand wise king to whom God appears threetimes (1 Kings 3:5–14, 9:1–9, 11:11–13), he isnot perfect. Contrary to the Law of Moses(Exodus 34:16, Deuteronomy 7:1–4), he takes foreign wivesand begins to worship other gods (1 Kings11:1–10). Consequently, God punishes Solomon by declaring that the kingdom ofIsrael would be divided after his death. Thisdivine punishment comes to fruition in1 Kings, chapter 12, when the northerntribes form their own kingdom becausethey object to the high taxes they had to payto David’s dynasty to fund Solomon’s ambitiousbuilding program (1 Samuel 8:10–18).The explanation for how the kingdom ofSolomon becomes two kingdoms involvesdouble causation. The division comes fromGod, but it has mundane or human causesas well. This same double causation was evidentin Absalom’s rebellion, which wasGod’s punishment of David but also motivatedby a lack of justice in David’s rule. Thebiblical narrative repeatedly shows howGod acts through human agency.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Once the kingdom divides into twoparts, a new pattern emerges in thenarrative. The southern kingdom (calledJudah) retains Jerusalem and the Davidicdynasty and is presented as the more faithfulof the two kingdoms. The northernkingdom (called Israel) is presented asless faithful because of the illegitimate cultestablished by its first king Jeroboam atBethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:26–32). Nevertheless,the Books of Kings, unlike theBooks of Chronicles, narrates the historyof both kingdoms. This decision indicatesthat in spite of the political separation andits religious implications, the narrative understandsboth kingdoms as part of God’sPeople. This decision raises the problem ofhow to narrate two simultaneous histories.The narrative resolves this problem by followinga simple system for determiningwhen the focus shifts from one kingdom tothe other. When, during the reign of a givenking, his counterpart in the other kingdomdies, then the narrative shifts to theother kingdom to give an account of thenew king. Thus, the kings are treated inthe order in which they come to power, regardlessof whether they reign in Judah orIsrael. This procedure can result in somenarrative peculiarities. For example, thewar that Baasha wages against Asa is narratedin the reign of Asa (1 Kings 15:16–22)because Asa’s reign begins before Baasha’s.The effect, however, is that thenarrative relates Baasha’s war before narratingthe fact that Baasha has becomeking of Judah (1 Kings 15:33–34). By thismeans, the narrative tells the history oftwo separate yet connected nations.
As the narrative shifts from one king toanother, the shift is clearly marked by aformulaic notice about the death of oneking and the accession of another. Thesenotices either introduce a king’s reign(1 Kings 15:9–11) or conclude it (1 Kings15:23–24). These formulas have severalfunctions. They indicate political continuity;neither kingdom is ever without aleader, as in the time of judges. They correlatethe chronologies of the two kingdomswith each other (as opposed to somefixed point like the Exodus) in order torelate events in the two kingdoms moreclosely. Most significantly, the introductoryformulas evaluate the kings as good orbad. The evaluations of Judean kings comparethe kings to David, while the Israelitekings are compared to Jeroboam. SeveralJudean kings are evaluated positively andthe sins of the remainder are overlookedfor the sake of David and Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:12–13,23–36; 15:4; 2 Kings 18:19, 19:34, 20:6). By contrast, all the northern kingsare evaluated negatively because they donot abolish the illegitimate cult establishedby Jeroboam. This failure ultimately leadsto the destruction of the northern kingdom(2 Kings, chapter 17). The southernkingdom suffers annihilation because Manassehintroduces Israelite sins into Judah(2 Kings 21:10–15; 22:16–17).
Kings and Prophets:Bridging the Gap
These evaluations of the kings are importantfor evaluating the monarchy.Many notices for northern kings indicatethat they imitated Jeroboam in “the sin hehad caused Israel to commit” (e.g., 1 Kings15:34). This expression indicates the influenceof the king on the people. In the timeof the judges, the people were punished fortheir own sin. Under the monarchy, thepeople follow the leadership of the kingrather than that of God. Consequently, thefate of the whole people becomes subsumedunder the conduct of one man. Inthis way, the king comes between God andthe people and the institution of monarchyincreases the distance between God andthe people. The intervention of the kingbetween Israel and God can be beneficial ifthe king is good but disastrous if the kingis bad.
In addition to switching the focus fromone kingdom to the other, the narrativealso switches between political andprophetic stories. The many stories aboutprophets may appear at times unrelated tothe generally political concerns of the history.The relationship is clear when aprophet is confronting a king about an injustice(1 Kings, chapter 21), but at othertimes the prophetic stories seem to be narratedfor their own sake (2 Kings, chapters 1—8). The stories about prophets,however, seem to be arranged in significantways around the political history.Prophecy becomes common during the periodof the monarchy, whereas it was rarebefore (1 Samuel 3:1).
Why would prophecy become frequentwhen Israel is ruled by kings? The biblicaltext seems to understand both prophecyand monarchy as institutions that originatein the people’s desire for distance fromGod. The people fear God’s revelation atMount Sinai and therefore ask Moses toserve as intermediary (Deuteronomy 5:22–31). Thisrequest establishes the pattern by whichGod speaks to his people through selectedmessengers rather than directly (Deuteronomy 18:15–18). God grants the Israelites’ requestfor prophecy because it shows theirfear of God and desire to obey. God reactsdifferently to the request for monarchy,perhaps because it does not give evidenceof the same disposition to obedience (1 Samuel 8:7). The effect of monarchy is to increasethe distance between God and the people.If the king is obedient and close to God,then he can bridge this distance. If theking is disobedient, however, then prophecyis all the more needed to bridge the gapbetween God and Israel.
During the reign of Solomon, there areno prophets because God communicatesdirectly with the king. Subsequent kings,however, are farther from God, and Godcommunicates with them through prophets.Furthermore, the majority of propheticstories concern prophets in the northernkingdom (like Elijah and Elisha), becauseIsrael is less faithful than Judah. Indeed,most of these stories occur during the dynastyof Omri, which was the worst of thenorthern dynasties. Omri’s son Ahab marriesthe Sidonian princess Jezebel and introducesBaal worship into Israel (1 Kings16:29–33).
Prophecy and the Fulfillment of God’s Will
The stories about prophets also connectto another pattern in the Books ofKings. The narrative shows significant concernwith the connection between prophecyand fulfillment. Prophets announce whatGod will do, and the prophesied eventscome to pass. The events are often describedin terms that evoke the originalprophecy (1 Kings 22:17,36). Sometimes, thenarrative specifically notes when an eventis the fulfillment of a previous prophecy(1 Kings 14:12,18). This prophecy–fulfillmentpattern can link widely separated texts(1 Samuel 2:27–35 and 1 Kings 2:26–27, Joshua 6:26and 1 Kings 16:34, 1 Kings 13:2 and 2 Kings23:16–18). The explicit relationship betweenprophecy and history indicates thathistory unfolds according to God’s will. Forinstance, God decrees the many dynasticchanges in the northern kingdom (1 Kings14:10–11; 15:29; 16:1–4,12–13; 21:21–22;2 Kings 10:8–11,30; 15:12). Since God is ultimatelyIsrael’s king, God’s control of historyresembles the control exercised bykings over their courts (2 Samuel 15:32–37, 16:15—17:16).
Through the interplay of prophecy andpolitics, Israel struggles to negotiate its relationshipto God. The people seek stabilitythrough monarchy at the expense ofdistancing themselves from God, and Godseeks to overcome the distance throughprophecy.
(This article is from “Introduction to the Historical Books,” by David A. Bosworth, PhD, in The Saint Mary’s Press® College Study Bible, New American Bible [Winona, MN: Saint Mary’s Press, 2007], pages 414–417.)