David implores his son Solomon to “keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes.” [1 Kings 2:3] This wisdom proves to be a struggle for the subsequent kings of Israel, as chronicled in 1 Kings. Nonetheless, the glimpses of these kings are selective, as Maier argues that 1 Kings was written more for the sake of its theology than its history. He notes the emphasis given to themes of Jerusalem as political and religious center, of God’s covenant with Israel, and of each ruler’s relation to God. Maier focuses especially on the issues of syncretism presented in 1 Kings, considering its disastrous effects on Israel and its dangers to the church even today.

Features

• A chronology of kings
• Christological lenses of prophet, priest, and king in 1 Kings
• Extra-biblical texts as evidence of the events in 1 Kings

Additional Essays

• On the Authorship of 1 Kings
• Commendation and Condemnation: Ethics in 1 Kings
• Syncretism in 1 Kings
• Losing the Faith: A Motif in 1 Kings