Old Testament narrative is a part of Scripture that remains alien to many Christians. The books of 1 and 2 Kings, for example, start out with familiar and memorable scenes, like David handing the kingdom to Solomon, and the splendour of Solomon’s temple. But they quickly descend into a myriad of names, places and events that leave our heads spinning. What do we do with them?
In his show Man vs Wild, Bear Grylls repeated his survival strategy like a mantra: find high ground, look for water, follow the streams. If you get to high ground, you can see the lay of the land; from there you can see where there’s likely to be water; and once you’ve found water you’ve found life. More, streams will likely lead to a river, which will likely lead you to civilisation. If you can find water, the rest is relatively simple. You can now enjoy the adventure. Stop and smell the roses (or carnivorous Amazonian flora). Take in the view.
When we land in the books of Kings, what do we see when we get to biblical high ground?
The Biblical High Ground
All God’s plans from creation to new creation centre on Christ, the King, the Messiah; and all things are being brought to unity under his gracious rule (Eph 1:3–11). This means, to look for water is to look for Christ. Glimpses of the future king, insights about humanity’s deep need for him. “Types” or patterns or shadows that anticipate him. Insights into the character of our God whose holiness, justice and mercy will be revealed in the cross. Encouragement to live as his people.
The Old Testament is Christian Scripture. Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection are their fulfilment (Lk 18:31–33, 24:44–49; Jn 5:39). So we do with Kings what we do with all of Scripture: we look for Christ. We cannot have a Christ-less reading of the Old Testament. While there are many moral examples and life lessons to be found, they need to be framed in light of the divine author’s larger purpose: to make us wise for salvation in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:16).
How do we get these insights that point us to the gospel? Sometimes the fruit is low-hanging, like in Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple:
LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. (1 Kings 8:23)
Behold the God of the gospel! However, finding Christ in the books Kings is not always so simple.
The Lay of the Land
Understanding the context in which Kings was written will helps us spot the streams that lead to the river that leads to Christ. Though we assume the author drew on various eyewitness accounts and royal court documents, the books took their final form while the people of Judah were exiled in Babylon (2 Kgs 25:27–30). This means the original audience was a community reeling from trauma. They had just survived their cities being burnt, their compatriots assaulted and killed; they were living in servitude to a foreign power. Add to this a deeper, existential crisis. Where was their God? How could he have let this happen? Was he really powerful? Could he be trusted? Should they persevere in faith or simply conform to the worldview of the people around them?
The answer that Kings gives is yes. Yes, God can be trusted. Yes, God is powerful. In fact, it is precisely because of his faithfulness and power that his people are in exile. It is the LORD who had brought about the division of the nation of Israel, the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, and now the exile of the Southern Kingdom. He warned and warned of the danger of breaking the covenant, he mercifully delayed and delayed, but his judgement on unrepentant sin had to come. The only hope for Judah is to humble themselves under the mighty hand of the LORD, that he may restore them at the proper time. This is not a time to doubt and waver, this is a time to repent and believe; to trust and obey; to long and hope for the coming of the Messiah.
Finding Water in Kings
How does this message unfold across the two books of Kings? A quick hack for the structure of Kings is that all you need is the number seventeen and the number eleven. Simples. If you have the number seventeen, the number eleven, the start of both books and the end of 2 Kings you have six key moments locked in.
1 Kings starts with the transition from the reign of King David to King Solomon. Second, in 1 Kings 17 the prophet Elijah bursts onto the scene. He (along with his antagonist King Ahab) becomes the driving narrative figure for the rest of that book. Third, 2 Kings begins (more-or-less) with the transition from Elijah to his protégé Elisha. Fourth, 2 Kings 17 recounts the destruction of Samaria and the end of the Northern Kingdom. Fifth, the second book ends with the heir to David’s throne in exile, yet having just been given a seat at the king of Babylon’s table. The final missing piece is the number eleven: 1 Kings 11. That is the pivotal point where the kingdom of Israel is divided during the time of Solomon’s heir Rehoboam, as an act of the LORD’s judgment. Yet his faithfulness to his promise to David means David’s descendants will remain on the throne in Jerusalem (see 2 Sam 7).
It’s this tension between the LORD’s faithfulness to the house of David and to the threatened curses in the Mosaic covenant that sustains the narrative of Kings. This tension finds its ultimate resolution in the cross of David’s greatest heir: Jesus of Nazareth. The promised Messiah takes the curse of disobedience in his death. In his resurrection he secures an eternal kingdom, and with it, the eternal blessings of the God of Abraham, Moses and David for all those who bow the knee. The narrative tension of Kings is resolved in the gospel.
Drinking from the Books of Kings
A simple tool our church has used as we’ve studied Kings is the acronym REPS. R is for Reveal: what does this passage reveal about God’s character, his holiness, justice, compassion, sovereignty and so on. E is for Expose: how does this passage expose human sin? Is it the propensity to self-reliance, greed, rebellion? P is for Point: how does this passage point us to God’s plans to save in Jesus. And S is for Spur: how does this passage spur us on to faith and obedience?
So, courageous adventurer, now you have the survival tips and a rough map from those who’ve traversed this terrain before, all you need is the stomach to jump out of the chopper—or, rather, to “take up and read”. Lord willing, more than just survive the landscape, you can drink deeply from the book of Kings!
