The stories that appear in the books of 1 & 2 Kings are part of a longer tragedy.
Together with the books of Joshua, Judges and Samuel, they tell how the people of Israel moved from a bright beginning across the Jordan River into, and then out of, the Promised Land, and away to exile in Babylon.
Throughout the books of Kings, the repeated message is the importance of faith in God and faithfulness to God, demonstrated in the lives of those who reigned over both Israel and Judah.
There is a lesson to be learned. Righteousness brings it rewards – usually – and so does failure to walk in God’s ways. Along the way, we encounter such memorable characters as Elijah and Elisha, Queen Jezebel, and Solomon in all his dangerous glory.
The Rev. Dr Stephen B. Dawes is former chair of the Cornwall District of the Methodist Church. He formerly taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Trinity College in Ghana and at Queen’s College, Birmingham, and continues to do so for the Department of Lifelong Learning of the University of Exeter.
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