1 Kings

First Kings picks up right where Second Samuel leaves off. In First and Second Samuel, the Hebrews got their first king, Saul, and their second king David. In the first half of First Kings, David’s son Solomon takes over the throne, and boy what a throne he made of it. King Solomon was like a superstar in Israel. He was as rich as a rock star, as glamorous as a movie star, and as smart as a Wall Street millionaire. He could wheel and deal and network and schmoose with the best. 

The last half of First kings tells the other side of the story. After Solomon’s reign, the kingdom started falling to pieces. What was a united kingdom became two separate kingdoms with their own kings and their own big mistakes. 

The purpose of 1 Kings once again tells us that it is especially important for leaders to be fully committed to the Lord. The theme is the lessons from the dividing of the united kingdom and the date of writing is 590-570 BC.