The books of I and II Kings cover the history of the covenant people from David to the captivity of Judah.

These were one book before translators split them, and they tell one continuous story: from the death of Solomon to the day the last king of Judah is led away in chains. About four hundred years, and it does not end well.

The shape is simple and worth having in your head before you start. Solomon dies around 930 BC and the kingdom splits in two. The ten northern tribes keep the name Israel; Judah and Benjamin hold Jerusalem and the temple in the south. Two kingdoms, two lines of kings, running side by side for two centuries and mostly at odds. In 722 BC Assyria takes the north and it never comes back. In 587 or 586 BC Babylon takes the south, burns the temple, and carries the people off.

This is a very important part of our study of the Old Testament, because it is against this background that the prophets spoke. When we come to study the prophetical books we will be referring back to the history of the kings, and that history is what will make the prophets come alive to you. In these studies we also have an in-depth look at the two prophets Elijah and Elisha.

Two kingdoms, and only one of them carries the promise

As you read these two books, be very aware of the split that took place. Israel is the northern kingdom; Judah is the southern. All promises regarding the Messiah were made to the descendants of David, who ruled over Judah. The ten tribes of Israel had no claim to the Messianic prophecies.

How to read the kings

The stories of Elijah and Elisha show the faithfulness of God made manifest in very human people.

And as you read the stories of the kings, remember that the keeping of the Law of Deuteronomy was the touchstone of a king’s faith in God. Refer back to your readings in that book. It is the measure the writer is using, even when he does not say so.

One thing to watch as you read. The writer judges every one of these kings, and he judges them all by the same question — not whether they were competent, not whether they won their wars, not whether the country prospered. Some of the most effective kings get the worst verdicts. He is asking one thing only: did this man keep the covenant, or did he not.

You will also find dates that disagree with other books you read. The reigns overlap, fathers ruled alongside sons, and the years have to be reconstructed — so different scholars land on different numbers. Now you know why.

Start with I Kings, and keep the kings-and-prophets chart open beside you.

The split, and the sin that named a kingdom

God tells Solomon what is coming, and says plainly why the whole thing is not lost “I will certainly tear the kingdom away from you… However, I will not tear the whole kingdom away from you.” (I Kings 11:11-13).

It happens under Rehoboam, and the north walks out with a slogan: “What share do we have in David’s kingdom?… To your own tents, Israel!” (I Kings 12:16).

Then Jeroboam, the new northern king, does the thing that defines the next two centuries. His reasoning is quoted as inner monologue, and it is nakedly political “He said to himself, “…if they go to sacrifice in the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem… they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” (I Kings 12:26-29).

Two calves, one at each end of his territory, so nobody needs to cross the border to worship. He restructured worship to secure a throne — and his dedication speech is almost word for word what Aaron said at Sinai (Exodus 32:4). The narrator’s verdict is one sentence: “Worshiping them became Israel’s sin.”

From here on, “the sin of Jeroboam” is the fixed measure of every northern king.

The formula to watch for

Both books run on a repeated verdict, and once you see it you cannot unsee it. God’s Word renders the old idiom “in the eyes of the LORD” as what the LORD considered:

How to read the kings

As you read, remember that keeping the law of Deuteronomy was the touchstone of a king’s faith. That is not an idea imposed on the books; it is written into the job description:

When he becomes king, he should have the Levitical priests make him a copy of these teachings on a scroll. He must keep it with him and read it his entire life. He will learn to fear the LORD his God and faithfully obey everything found in these teachings and laws. Then he won’t think he’s better than the rest of his people.

Deuteronomy 17:18–20  ·  God’s Word

And notice the payoff. The two kings commended without reservation are the two who acted on that book — Hezekiah removed the high places, and Josiah reformed the nation on the strength of the law scroll rediscovered in the temple (II Kings 22). “Josiah did what the LORD considered right. He lived in the ways of his ancestor David and never stopped” (22:2).

Why the north fell — the text says so outright

At the fall of Samaria the narrator stops the story and delivers the verdict himself. It is the most explicit “why” in either book:

The LORD had warned Israel and Judah through every kind of prophet and seer, “Turn from your evil ways…” But they refused to listen… The Israelites followed all the sins Jeroboam committed and never turned away from them. Finally, the LORD turned away from Israel as he had said he would through all his servants, the prophets.

II Kings 17:13–23  ·  God’s Word

Assyria is the instrument; the LORD is the agent. And judgement is not sudden — it follows centuries of warning that was ignored. Then comes the line aimed straight at the southern reader: “Even Judah didn’t obey the commands of the LORD their God but lived according to Israel’s customs” (17:19).

Which is why the ending lands as it does, a hundred and thirty-five years later “He burned down the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem.” (II Kings 25:9-10).

Elijah and Elisha

Against that background stand the two prophets these books give most room to, and they show the faithfulness of God worked out through very human people. Elijah’s challenge on Carmel is the question the whole northern kingdom refused to answer “How long will you try to have it both ways? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.” (I Kings 18:21).

Elisha asks for a double share of his master’s spirit and watches him go (II Kings 2:9–11).

Where to go from here

Read the text itself: II Kings 17:7–23 — the autopsy on the northern kingdom, and the best five minutes you can spend before starting the prophets.

Read next: Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah — the chart that places every prophet against the king he spoke to.