Join us as we embark on a spiritual journey through the books of 1 and 2 Kings. Host Alan J. Huth introduces these pivotal texts that capture the rise and fall of monarchs in ancient Israel, framed through his personal Bible reading insights. Uncover the divine narrative that highlights God’s sovereignty and wisdom as He steers the fate of a nation, even amidst human folly and ambition.
00:00:08 Introduction to Add Bible and Episode Overview
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we begin a journey through 1 and 2 Kings. We’ll take the two books together, and I’ll introduce these books from my ESV Study Bible book introduction. 1 and 2 Kings describes the period of the monarchy in ancient Israel between about 970 and 586 B.C., excluding most of the reigns of King Solomon and King David, which are mainly covered in 1 and 2 Samuel. Ancient Jewish tradition attributes authorship to the prophet Jeremiah, although there is no evidence or mention of an author or authors in the books themselves. Whoever the author or authors were, they were heavily influenced by the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomic language appears throughout both books. Because of this, some speculate that 1 and 2 Kings could have been written by Levites, priests, prophets, or wise men of the Jerusalem court. But no one knows for sure. The theme of the two books is an explanation of Israel’s later monarchy period in terms of the theological vision outlined in Deuteronomy. Basically, that a good, all-powerful God oversaw the destruction of Jerusalem and his temple and the exile to Babylon because of Israel’s sin. Yet, there remains hope, because God’s chosen royal line of kings did not come to an end, and God remains ready to forgive those who repent. 1 Kings chronicles the many ways God’s people robbed themselves by following false gods, yet God is ever-present in the ups and downs of 1 and 2 Kings. Some key things to look for in 1 Kings. First, Yahweh is the only true God. Yahweh controls history. Yahweh expects exclusive worship. Yahweh is not only a lawgiver, but a promise giver, and the consequences of false worship are evidenced in 1 Kings. In the Hebrew manuscripts, 1 and 2 Kings are one book, so we will take them together in 28 days. Our guest reader for First and Second Kings is Senator Kevin Grantham. I met Kevin over a decade ago as a member of the state cabinet of the Gideons International in Colorado. Kevin lives in Canyon City, Colorado, where he and his brother have a real estate sales and appraisal firm. In 2011, Kevin decided to try his hand in politics. He ran for a state senate seat and won. In 2014, he was re-elected and served as the president of the Colorado State Senate. He is term limited, so he wrapped up his final legislative session in 2018. I had not seen or talked to Senator Kevin Grantham for about 10 years, but when I asked him to be a guest reader for AdBible, he jumped at the opportunity, volunteering for Judges, Chronicles, and Kings. Pray for Senator Grantham as he transitions, as he looks beyond his public service as a state senator to what God has next in his life. So let’s begin our journey through 1 and 2 Kings with 1 Kings chapter 1, 53 verses, as recorded by Faith Comes by Hearing.
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1 Kings 1 Now King David was old and advanced in years, and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him,
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Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.”
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So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not. Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, Why have you done thus and so? He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed Adonijah and helped him. But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rehi and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah. Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the serpent’s stone, which is beside En-Rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, or Benaiah, or the mighty men, or Solomon his brother. Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon,
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Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggath, has become king, and David our lord does not know it? Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in at once to King David and say to him, Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king? Then, while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
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So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king. Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, She said to him,
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My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne. And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army. But Solomon, your servant, he is not invited. And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.
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While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. And they told the king, Here is Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
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And Nathan said, My lord, the king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? For he has gone down this day, and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle and sheep in abundance. and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, Long live King Adonijah! But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king, and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
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Then King David answered, Call Bathsheba to me.
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So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. And the king swore, saying,
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As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity? As I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, Solomon, your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place, even so will I do this day.
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Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, May my lord King David live forever.
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King David said, Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.
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So they came before the king, and the king said to them,
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Take with you the servants of your Lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet, and say, Long live King Solomon! You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
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And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king,
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Amen. May the Lord, the God of my Lord the King, say so. As the Lord has been with my Lord the King, even so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my Lord King David.
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So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Karathites and the Pelathites, went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon.
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Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, Long live King Solomon!
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And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise. Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, What does this uproar in the city mean?’ While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “‘Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.’
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Jonathan answered Adonijah, “‘No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king, and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Kerethites and the Pelethites.’ And they had him ride on the king’s mule. And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. And they have gone up from there rejoicing so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. Solomon sits on the royal throne. Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our Lord King David, saying, May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours and make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself on the bed. And the king also said, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.
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Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way. And Adonijah feared Solomon, so he arose and went, and took hold of the horns of the altar.
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Then it was told Solomon, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword. And Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth.
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But if wickedness is found in him, he shall die. So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, Go to your house.
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To help us through the books of 1 and 2 Kings, I have selected three of my personal Bible reading journals. First from 1989 when I was 34 years old, second from 1997 at 42 years old, and third from 2011 when I was 56 years old. In 1989, I read 1 Kings 1 through 9 on the same day, and I simply wrote, David dies, Solomon becomes king, builds temple, God gives him wisdom. In 1997, I read 1 Kings chapters 1 and 2 together, and I wrote more about chapter 2, so I’ll share that in later recordings. In 2011, I was reading the whole Bible that year, which means I read Old Testament passages each day and New Testament passages each day. And on this day, I read 1 and 2 Kings, and I wrote, David is old, but had not voiced his succession plan. Adonijah, one of his sons, decides to raise himself up to be king. Nathan the prophet intervenes. David named Solomon, son of Bathsheba, king of Judah and Israel. In 1 Kings chapter 1, the succession plan of King David is clarified. David had several sons, but God, not the sons, are going to decide the succession plan. The Lord had already shown David that Solomon was to be his successor. Here in chapter 1, King David makes that happen. Solomon, son of Bathsheba, will become the next king of Israel. We will see that unfold in later chapters of 1 Kings. Father, you are sovereign. You chose David to follow Saul as king. Now you choose Solomon to follow David as the next king of Israel. As we read chapter 1, we are reminded that you are in control. Men may have their desires, but you have your way. We ask for a special blessing as we spend time in your word, 1 and 2 Kings. In the mighty name of God, we pray. Amen.
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The ESV Bible, the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, ESV, text edition 2007, all rights reserved. English Standard Version, ESV, and the ESV logo are registered trademarks of Good News Publishers, used by permission.
