Ep. 133. 1 Kings 15,16 | Ahab

EPISODE 133

AHAB: 1 KINGS 15-16

I won't pretend everyone enjoys the timeline of the Kings as much as I do. It must have been 1996 or '97 when I first outlined the kings of the Old Testament. I had ambitions then of memorizing them in their order and being able to recite the length of time they reigned and how their reigns came to an end. I never did that, but I have outlined the kings several more times. Each time, I have gleaned more than before. But what is it YOU really need to know?

Saul was the first king. He was of the tribe of Benjamin and the king the people expected. Saul reigned over all of Israel. David was the second king of the tribe of Judah. He was the king God chose. He was the forerunner of Christ. David also reigned over the entire unified kingdom. Solomon, the son of David, rejected God but reigned over the whole kingdom. In the days of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, the kingdom was divided. As I said yesterday, the northern kingdom would never serve God, but the southern kingdom would go back and forth. The northern kingdom fell about 133 years before the southern kingdom. Israel fell to Assyria and Judah to Babylon. This happened because the people rejected God as king in 1 Samuel 8. 

Those are the basics. If you can remember these few truths, they will help you understand the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and the prophets. If you want more information than this, let's have a talk. I'd love to share as much as I know. And maybe it is time for me to go ahead and try to memorize the order of the kings so I'm ready for that conversation you and I will have one day. 

ADDITIONAL READING: 2 Chronicles 14:11; 2 Chronicles 15:1-8; 2 Chronicles 16:1-12; Joshua 6:26