There are two primary messages for us out of 1 Kings. The first message is rather obvious; government without God is doomed to failure. Solomon’s method of government was oppression. He taxed and conscripted the into service. Rehoboam chose a new method of government; autocracy. He even tightened his grip on the people so he could control them even more. Jeroboam chose a third method of government; democracy. He let the people determine how they would live. And the people became corrupt! Rehoboam’s successors in Judah chose a method of government you migh call government by policy. They chose to follow the pattern set by predecessors. With few exceptions, the government became corrupt. Jeroboam’s successors in Israel, however, chose a different method of government; selfishness. Thus, intrigue, assassinations, and bloodshed summarized their reigns. In summary, every form of human government results in disastrous failure if people do not acknowledge God’s sovereignty. People cannot govern themselves effectively. The result is always decline, disruption, and disintegration. Tom Constable concludes his introduction by saying, “This is one of the great revelations of 1 kings.”
There’s a second lesson. The book begins with David’s death – a righteous king. It ends with Ahab’s death – a wicked king! And of course it includes the History of Solomon’s reign. A man searching for meaning in the light of death for the righteous and death for the wicked – what difference does it make? In his youth he wrote Song of Solomon, a love story of great passion. In his middle years he wrote Proverbs, reflections on how to live a happy and successful life. In his later years he wrote Ecclesiastes, which tries to make sense out of everything. That’s the book we begin looking at tomorrow.
Soloman asks and answers the questions for us. And we learn the secret of the meaning of life.