1&2 Kings
Introduction
If one should begin their Bible reading at 2Kings, the reader would feel that they are picking up a story in the middle of a Book. This is because 2Kings was indeed a part of the same literary work as 1Kings. When the Hebrew text was translated into the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek text of the Old Testament) the entire work of Kings would have made too large a scroll. The same problem faced the scroll makers of 1&2 Samuel and 1&2Chronicles as well. Even though we now have the Bible in book form with both parts of the account of Kings together, we inherited the tradition of keeping the Books separate in title, even from the time of the Latin Vulgate.
The literary work of Kings picks up where the Books of 1&2Samuel leave off. The Septuagint designated the relationship between these Books by naming them "First, Second, Third, and Fourth Kingdoms" and the Latin Vulgate also names them in like manner as "1,2,3 & 4 Kings." Along with Samuel, the Books of Kings give a chronological account of the monarchy of Israel from its rise under the ministry of Samuel to its final fall at the hands of the Babylonians. 1Kings takes us from the beginning of the Solomonic era beginning in about 970 BC and concluding with the death of Jehoshaphat in 848BC. The Book of 2Kings will take us through the final two and a half centuries of the monarchies of Israel and Judah and conclude with the exile of Judah in 585BC.
Authorship
The author, of 1&2Kings whom we will refer to as the "historian" in the commentary to come, never identifies himself. Jewish tradition credited Jeremiah with the work but there is no evidence to support or deny this claim. While there are similarities in style and vocabulary with the works we know to be of Jeremiah, this does little to nothing in confirming the tradition. Some scholars feel that there were actually several authors involved in compiling Kings, but again all we have to fall on is speculation and theory.
We can conclude, however, that the historian was a diligent man, inspired by God, to write a theological history of God's Covenant People and the events that led them to bondage at the hands of pagans.
Dating
A dating of the events cited in the Books of Kings is rather academic. An abundant amount of resources are given within the text such as length of reigns, ages of kings at death, beginnings of reigns and dynasties and cross-references between the two kingdoms' monarchies. In addition to this, the records of the Assyrian Empire have been preserved through time and their recording of like events confirm and build upon Biblical scholarship such as giving us a precise calculation to the dates in which Ahab and Jehu met with Shalmaneser III of Assyria. Even more importantly, the Assyrians recorded a solar eclipse occurring on May 6, 724 BC and what most believe to be mentioned as a miraculous sign to Hezekiah in his 14th year of reign in 2Kings 20:8-11. Even less obscure a reference to an eclipse is found in Amos 8:9 corresponding to an eclipse on June 15, 763BC.during the reigns of Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam in Israel confirming the interpretation of 2Kings 20. By means of these devices, we can positively fix the year 853BC as the date of Ahab's death and 841BC as the date of the beginning of Jehu's reign.
From these fixed dates, scholars count forwards and backwards through the recorded chronology of the Books of Kings to arrive at a dating for each monarchy. Doing so causes a few problems mathematically, as the numbers don't add up perfectly. While this was considered an unsoluble conundrum at one time, scholars have come to some satisfactory theories by accepting such possibilities as overlapping reigns, coregencies of sons and fathers, and even a different system of recording the year of the beginning of a reign between the two kingdoms.
Dating the writing of the Books is a different matter. One school of thought is that the Books were composed before the fall of the Southern Kingdom in 586BC. This theory is supported by the numerous pre-exilic statements found throughout the Book of "to this day" referring to such things as the poles to the Ark of the Covenant still being in existence, conscripted labor, Edom in rebellion to Judah, etc. Assuming that this theory is correct, the events recorded after the death of Josiah in 2Kings 23 would have been added subsequently during the time of the exile.
Other scholars theorize that the statements of "to this day" existed in the sources that the historian drew upon to compose Kings, just as the chronicler, a clearly post-exilic writer says in 2Chronicles 5:9. This theory would place the date of the composition after the time of Jehoiachin's release from prison in 562BC and before the end of the exile in 538BC.
Theme and Purpose
However great its value as an historical resource, the intent of the Books is not to give a political, social, or economic history but rather to point to the theological history of the era. Kings whom we know of from extra-Biblical sources that enjoyed immense political success may only receive a cursory acknowledgment from the historian while others who are historically unique to this text are expounded upon greatly. The historian also does not venture into the turbulent political climate of the Assyrians, Babylonians or Egyptians despite the impact it had on the Divided Kingdoms of Israel.
Further, the historian had no intention of giving an exhaustive account of the Jewish monarchy as he on several occasions refers the reader to other texts that would give a fuller picture of the described events. These texts, namely " the book of the acts of Solomon", " the chronicles of the kings of Israel", " the chronicles of the kings of Judah," have been lost to us through antiquity. God, however, preserved what we would need to know of the Jews in the centuries of their golden era.
Though the historian never outright states his purpose, an analysis of the Books of Kings reveals several theological themes to the believer. First and foremost Israel's obedience or disobedience to the Sinaitic Covenant was pivotal to the fate of the nation. Yet despite the inevitable destruction of the monarchy, the author always keeps God's faithfulness to the Davidic Covenant in the forefront. We also see the relationship between prophecy and fulfillment in the historical development of the kingdoms and the importance of the prophets as emissaries between the kings and the Lord.
The Book then gives a retrospective look at a people in exile. It explains to them the reason for their destruction while at the same time giving them a hope for the future. Though the author was certainly a citizen of Judah, he keeps both Kingdoms in focus throughout the narrative. God's Covenant with His chosen nation was not to any specific tribes but to the whole of Israel.
As the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the substance of the New, our analysis of the Books of Kings teaches us a number of lessons. As the Book shows the constant interaction of kings, priests and prophets, it becomes apparent that there was a yet unfulfilled need for One who could execute all three offices in a Godly way. We learn that disobedience to God brings consequences to the believer. Likewise, we learn that the Sovereignty of God and the actions of man are intertwined and interconnected in a delicate balance. Perhaps most importantly, we learn that a Just God will cut off His people if provoked too long (Romans 11:21-22).
