HIS-story: Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings (Part 2)

KINGS: THE CYCLE OF SIN LIVES ON
David failed to live up to the kingly ideal of Deuteronomy 17 and so the cycle of sin that began with Adam and Eve continued to live on. But might David's son Solomon be the one to bring the Abrahamic covenant to fulfillment and restore shalom (peace) back to God's broken world? The meaning of Solomon's name certainly would suggest so ("he has made peace"). All he has to do is remain obedient to the gracious God who wants to bless him (1 Kings 2:2-4). How hard can that be?

Right off the bat, expectations surge as Solomon proves himself to be a god-fearing king. He asks for wisdom instead of power or riches and he demonstrates obedience by building God's temple. And this pays off. 1 Kings 4:20 mentions that "Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea." This is a clear allusion to the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 22:17). The passage then goes on to say that "Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt." Solomon had procured the full extent of the land promised to Abraham (Gen. 15:18-20).

But that's not all. God had used Solomon's wisdom to make his name great (1 Kings 8:41-43). We see this in particular when the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon and attests to his great counsel. Her visit also points to the fact that God is beginning to bless other nations through Israel (Deut. 4:5-8). The Abrahamic covenant is coming to fulfillment before our very eyes! God has made Solomon into a great nation (people), given him a protected land (property), and made his name great (prominence). Surely the end of humanity's cycle of sin is just around the corner.

But just when our hopes are high, the seemingly harmless details of Solomon's life given early in the story pave the way for Solomon's ultimate demise. We learn early on that Solomon has a weakness for women when he marries the Pharaoh's daughter and builds her a house (1 Kings 7:8). This weakness only gets worse throughout his life as he ultimately marries 700 wives and has 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). So much for his wisdom!

We also learn early on that Solomon has a weakness for power and possessions when he spends 13 years building his palace compared to the 7 years he spent building God's temple (1 Kings 6:38-7:1). This weakness continues to manifest itself as Solomon accumulates 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26). Both of Solomon's weaknesses are direct violations of Deuteronomy 17:16-17. And so Solomon shows himself to be anything but the ideal king. And just as with David, Solomon's sin brings God's curses upon the house of David. And so, the cycle of sin continues on.

ELIJAH: THE MOSES-LIKE PROPHET
After Israel splits into two kingdoms (Judah and Israel), a downward spiral ensues as indicated by the constant refrain "He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." It all begins when King Jeroboam builds worship centers ('high places') in Bethel and Dan. These 'high places' ultimately become centers for pagan worship and pollute the purity of Israel's worship.

Eventually, the depravity of Israel hits rock bottom when Ahab becomes king. The text says that "he did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him." In fact, Ahab's wife, Jezebel, assassinates the prophets of the Lord in order to bring the worship of Yahweh to an end. At this low point, Elijah, a Moses-like figure, emerges on the scene to confront the evil of Ahab and Jezebel and restore Israel's worship (just like Moses did!). And so a battle ensues between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (the story reads much like Moses' battle against the Pharaoh's magicians!). Not surprising, Elijah wins and restores worship by slaughtering the prophets of Baal.

While the account of Elijah sounds pretty straightforward, the author covertly goes out of his way to parallel the life of Elijah with that of Moses. How so?

1.) Just as Moses went before the Pharaoh to announce the plagues so too does Elijah go before Ahab to announce that "neither dew nor rain would fall except by his word" (1 Kings 17:1).
2.) Just as Moses battled the Pharaoh's magicians so too does Elijah battle the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40).
3.) Just as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites so too does Jezebel pursue Elijah after he defeats the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 19:2-3).
4.) Just as Moses and the Israelites were kept in the desert by a daily supply of manna from heaven so too is Elijah provided water and cake by an angel of the Lord while in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:4-8).
5.) Just as the word of the Lord came to Moses while he was on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights, so too does the word of the Lord come to Elijah while he is on Mount Horeb (aka Mount Sinai) for "forty days and forty nights."
6.) Just as Moses stood in a cleft of the rock and watched God's glory pass by on Mount Sinai, so too does Elijah see God's glory pass by when sleeping in a cave on Mount Sinai (1 Kings 19:9, 11-13)

Why is this significant? Well in Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Moses had promised that an ideal prophet (much like himself) would one day emerge. Might Elijah be this prophet? Might Elijah be the one who can bring an end to the never ending cycle of sin? NO. This unfortunate answer is given in 2 Kings 2 when Elijah is taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. But Elijah's life as characterized by the author of Kings rekindles the expectation that one day an ideal, Moses-like prophet will emerge who will bring the cycle of sin to an end. Could this prophet be Jesus, the one who had a conversation with Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration? Might Elijah's mode of leaving this earth be at the forefront of people's minds as Jesus was ascending into heaven?

THE BOTTOM LINE
Ultimately both Israel and Judah are conquered and brought into exile. At this point, it becomes clear that the book of Kings aims to explain why this unfortunate outcome has come to pass (and encourage Israel and Judah to change course). However, there can also be no doubt that one of the other aims of the author in the book of Kings is to create anticipation for the arrival of God's restored kingdom. This fact is confirmed not only by the way the author tells the story of Elijah but also by the way the book ends. In 2 Kings 25:27-30, we learn that Jehoiachin, David's descendant, is still alive and has found favorable treatment with the king of Babylon. And so the line of David is still alive even despite the reality of the exile. But unfortunately so too is the cycle of sin. The author hints at this fact by pointing out that Jehoiachin shared table fellowship with the king (at a table that no doubt served unclean foods!). And so we are left awaiting the emergence of the ideal king. Until then, the saga continues...