“First Kings is not so much a book of history as a book of religion,†says Dr. Simon J. DeVries. “Through the historic events it relates, the religion of the Hebrew people was being shaped.â€
Dr. DeVries’s thorough overview of the world of 1 Kings―its geography, its culture, its politics, and the religious situation―brings the biblical record alive in its time and place. Upon this foundation is superimposed a comprehensive, lucid discussion of sacred history as theological testimony, and responsible consideration of 1 Kings as literary composition.
In this commentary, Dr. DeVries provides keen insight into the intricacies of both the events and the textual difficulties of 1 Kings:
- The throne succession from David to Solomon
- Solomon’s reign―his influence and his failings
- The building of the Jerusalem temple and its significance
- The division of the United Kingdom
- The puzzling chronology of the Hebrew kings
- The problem of heathen shrines and cult objects
- The role of the prophets in Elijah’s time.
For this second edition, he has updated and expanded the bibliography.
Prophecy, a burgeoning new religious impulse of the period of 1 Kings, receives special emphasis as a particularly rich source of profound theological truth communicated in the effective linguistic forms of prophet-narratives.
“Whether appearing as historiography or as pious story, the contents of 1 Kings offer themselves as testimonies to the ways of God with men,†Dr. DeVries notes. “The scene is history; the players are kings and prophets; behind the curtain is the Lord of history, challenging his players to make history the scene of salvific revelation.â€