MacArthur - 1 Kings 1 to 11, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: the rise and fall of Solomon

MacArthur Bible Studies

1 Kings 111, Proverbs & Ecclesiastes: The Rise and Fall of Solomon

2016 by John MacArthur

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Originally published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc. Original layout, design, and writing assistance by Gregory C. Benoit Publishing, Old Mystic, CT.

Unleashing Gods Truth, One Verse at a Time is a trademark of Grace to You. All rights reserved.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Some material from the Introduction, Keys to the Text and Exploring the Meaning sections taken from The MacArthur Bible Commentary, John MacArthur, Copyright 2005 Thomas Nelson Publishers.

ISBN 978-07180-3475-7

ISBN 978-07180-3487-0 (eBook)

First Printing January 2016

CONTENTS

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

D avid was one of Israels greatest kings. During his reign, he unified the tribes of Israel, drove out invaders, conquered Jerusalem, and set the standard by which all kings that followed would be judged. He followed God all his days and was known as a man after the Lords own heart. Yet David was also a great sinner. After ascending to the throne, he committed adultery with a woman named Bathsheba. Then, when he found out she was pregnant with his child, he conspired to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle.

David soon made Bathsheba his wife, and she bore him a son. However, Davids sinful acts displeased the Lord, and in time He sent Nathan the prophet to confront the king about what he had done. David admitted his guilt and was forgivenbut there were consequences. The child born of the unlawful union between David and Bathsheba soon became ill. David pleaded with God for seven days to spare the childs life, but in the end his son died.

After this, Bathsheba bore David a second son, whom God named Jedidiah, meaning beloved of the Lord. David and Bathsheba named him Solomon. One might expect, given this family background, that he would not make a wise king. Yet Solomon became the wisest man who ever lived, and people from all over the world traveled to Jerusalem to learn from him. This demonstrates that wisdom is not based on ones upbringing or background or even resources. Wisdom is available to all people, regardless of their inherent skills or talents, because it is a gift from God.

In these twelve studies, we will examine the biblical events surrounding the rise and fall of Solomon as depicted in 1 Kings 111. We will also examine two books of biblical wisdom that Solomon (and others) wrote: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. We will explore how true wisdom is not merely intellectual but also moral, how it gives us insight into the character of God, and how God gives His wisdom to anyone who asks. We will also look at how to speak with wisdom, act with wisdom, and persevere in wisdom. Through it all, we will learn some precious truths about the character of God, and we will see His great faithfulness in keeping His promises. We will learn, in short, what it means to be wise and walk by faith.

THE BOOK OF 1 KINGS

First and Second Kings were considered one book in the earliest Hebrew manuscripts. They were later divided into two books by the translators of the Greek version, known as the Septuagint. This division was later followed by the Latin Vulgate, English translations, and modern Hebrew Bibles. The earliest Hebrew manuscripts titled the one book Kings, after the first word in verse 1. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings combined represent a chronicle of the entire history of Judahs and Israels kingship from Saul to Zedekiah.

AUTHOR AND DATE

Jewish tradition proposed that Jeremiah wrote Kings. However, this is unlikely because Jeremiah never went to Babylon where the final event of the book takes place, and the date this event took place (561 BC) would have made him at least eighty-six years old at the time. Based on the fact 1 and 2 Kings emphasize the ministry of prophets, it seems likely it was written by an unnamed prophet who lived during the exile. The evidence seems to point to a single author living in Babylon who drew from pre-exilic source materials to complete the books.

The last narrated event in 2 Kings 25:2730 sets the earliest possible date of completion, and because there is no record of the end of the Babylonian captivity in Kings, the Israelites release from exile identifies the latest possible writing date. This sets the date for the works between 561538 BC. This date is sometimes challenged on the basis of the to this day statements throughout the books, but it is best to understand these as coming from sources the author used rather than by the author himself.

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

The action in 1 and 2 Kings takes place in the whole land of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, including the Transjordan. The author tells of four invading nations who played a dominant role in the affairs of Israel and Judah from 971 to 561 BC. The first was Egypt, who impacted Israels history during the tenth century BC. The second was Syria (Aram), who posed a threat during the ninth century BC. The third was Assyria, who terrorized Palestine from the mid-eighth century to the late seventh century BC and ultimately destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. The fourth was Babylon, who became the dominant power from 612 to 539 BC. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, carrying the people of Judah into captivity.

The author of Kings, an exile in Babylon, wrote the book to communicate the lessons of Israels historyfrom the ascension of Solomon in 971 BC to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCto the Jews living in exile. To accomplish this, he traced the histories of two sets of kings and two nations of disobedient peopleIsrael and Judahto show how the people grew indifferent to Gods law and His prophets. The sad reality he reveals is that all the kings of Israel and the majority of the kings of Judah were apostates who led their people into idolatry. Because of the kings failure, God sent His prophets to confront the people with their sin. When this message was rejected, the people were ultimately carried into exile.

HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL THEMES

The book of 1 Kings covers the events of Solomons reign, followed by the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and the eventual decline and fall of both kingdoms. Each king is introduced with (1) his name and relation to his predecessor, (2) his date of accession, (3) his age in coming to the throne (for kings of Judah only), (4) his length of reign, (5) his place of reign, (6) his mothers name (for Judah only), and (7) the authors spiritual appraisal of his reign. This introduction is followed by a narration of the events that occurred during the reign of each king. Each reign is concluded with (1) a citation of sources, (2) additional historical notes, (3) notice of death, (4) notice of burial, (5) the name of the successor, and (6) in a few instances, an added postscript.