AN INTRODUCTION TO 1&2 KINGS AND 1&2 CHRONICLES (Part I)

The Bible is the only all-time relevant book in both the history and present of our world.

This is not a conclusion born out of a cognitive bias but rather an objective position to which it might cost one too much to disprove than to believe. I say this after spending 20 years reading many books (the Bible inclusive) and I cannot help but say that there is something about the Bible for it has something to say just about anything that was, is and probably to be and as it does that, it keeps in focus its theme and demonstrates the relationship of every dot to the main subject it addresses.

The Hebrew name for the book of Kings is Malachim which means: Kings, and that of the book of Chronicles is Davari Hayamim, which means: words of the days/Journal. First and Second Kings/Chronicles is not the same as the New Testament first and second Timothy.

While the second epistle of the Timothy is not a continuation of the first, in the Old Testament, each pair of these books (1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles), were originally a single entity but when those scrolls were translated into Greek (Septuagint), they were split into two parts each, to enable readability.

Chronologically, Chronicles is the last book of the Old Testament, not Malachi as we see it in our Bibles. Even that chronological positioning matters because in the recording the events of the Bible, even the positioning of the books is important to the Jewish chronicler (historian).

The book ends with an incomplete sentence in 2Chronicles 36:23 and the meaning is that what the Old Testament has addressed will continue through the Intertestamental Period (time between Old and New Testament), and will eventually be fulfilled in the New Testament times.

We have entered volumes that directly deal with the Political History of Israel. This is one of the most difficult parts of the Bible to understand but I want you my readers or listeners to follow me closely.

I will try to simplify it but I want you to focus on the fact that the books we are handling are dealing with the Political History of Israel and how that affected their relationship with God. We need to bother ourselves and read these books and you don’t have to have certified papers to be a Theologian. I know that every worshipper is a Theologian.

The difference is that some are professional (active) theologians while other theologians are the laity (passive).

1-2Kings and 1-2Chronicles is a directly political section of the Bible and therefore these books are for everyone in the world, you do not need to be a professional politician to study or concern yourself with these books. We are all involved in the politics of our respective nations and common life. Aristotle said ‘man is a political animal’ and am sure he was right.

It matters that we study these books. Our lives effectuate governance and leadership and in the process, we become products of the governance and leadership which we subscribe to. Governance issues touch all of life. Good governance is a child of good people and gives birth to the success of all the people it superintends over.

The books of Kings and Chronicles teach us that there is a code between a leader and a deity, and that code goes through that leader and connects to the people too.

However, once the leader connects to a wrong deity, or disconnects himself from the right deity, the nation suffers. Again, when leaders disconnect themselves from the experiences and reality of those they lead, they become dictators and oppress the people they lead. In addition, it is a fact that when people are bad, they have no other source of leadership except choosing leaders from amongst themselves.

A group of bad people has no option but to choose a leader who is no different. These books teach us that the fault does not always lie with the kings (leaders) but also the people can bring tyranny upon themselves.

For instance, the political history of Israel begins not with a bad leader but with a bad people who woke up one morning and decided to change their theocratic model of leadership and governance and decided they wanted an autocratic system (1Samuel 8). The leader they had then (Prophet Samuel) tried to convince them out of their resolution but they insisted. He went to the Lord and the Lord told him they have not rejected you but me (Vs.7). God tried to warn the Israelites about the danger of Politics (Vs. 9), Militarism (Vss. 11-12) and the Economic hit man (Vss. 12-18) but the people refused (Vss. 19-22) and here we are today.

Joseph de Maistre in his Maistre, Lettres et Opuscules, letter 76 (27 August 1811) said:

“Every nation gets the government it deserves,”

After this world rejected the theocratic leadership and opted for an autocratic political system disguised in the deception of what we know as democracy, the leader that we got was Saul.

Let me pause here and ask:

How different is your current leader from Israel’s King Saul?

Finally, we should answer one final question;

How did this idea of switching from a theocracy to an autocracy disguised in a democratic monarchy develop? What is its Israel history?

This Political History began long ago at the first six mixed tribes of the amphictyony at Hebron.

The name ‘Hebron’ in Hebrew means “purposeful association” or “league”. After the capture of Canaan, however, some of the Israelite tribes like Judah and Simeon, together with other non-Israelite (Canaanites and Egyptian origin) tribal heads like Caleb, Jerahmeel, Cain and Othniel were already in a political coalition and under a governance, they all agreed upon and fought for (Joshua 1:16).

This is the earliest political amphictyony ever since Israelites captured Canaan (Judges 1:1-20).

Hebron is the historical site where the political ideology of Israel was born. While in the wilderness the spies did their scouting expedition in Hebron (Numbers 13:22). Later, it was captured by Joshua (Joshua 10:36-39, 11:21-23), and finally, it became the headquarters of the earliest six mixed-tribes Amphictyony headed by Caleb (Judges 1:20, Joshua 14:12, 15:13-15).

There was an Israelite political amphictyony at Hebron (Judges 1:1-20) before there was a religious amphictyony that was launched at Shechem which later was transferred to Shiloh (Joshua 24, Deuteronomy 11:26-32, 27:1-26, Joshua 8:30-35, Deuteronomy 31:9-13). I discussed this some time back at the fellowship.

After Israel, through the second religious amphictyony at Shechem, had founded a formidable religious coalition, they moved on from mere tribal confederates and worked towards MONARCHISM. The elders who went to Samuel requesting for a King (1Samuel 8:4) had their request framed and influenced by the type of governance at Hebron.

They anointed Saul as the first king of the United Kingdom of Israel, but after Saul’s death, the first region to defect from the United Kingdom were Judah and Simeon who were part of the original political amphictyony at Hebron. Judah broke off from Israel and anointed the rebel David as the King of Judah at Hebron (2Samuel 2:11) and after the death Saul’s son Ishbosheth (Eshbaal) the other ten tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron where he made a covenant with them and he was anointed King over all Israel (2Samuel 5:1-5).

Israel, a former theocratic nation, has become a political autocratic (monarchism) and the books of Kings and Chronicles are here to tell us what the dethroned God is going to do, to ensure that his will comes to fruition through the choices of his people. I will say more in the next part of the introduction to these books.

God bless you I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Pr. I. T WHITE
The Gospel Hawker
iTiS Well of Worship Ministries (John 4:24)