First Book of Kings 12-22, Second Book of Kings 1-10

Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeds him.  It's the first of many names you'll have probably never heard of or at least won't remember if you have.  There are some big names ahead, but also a lot of incredibly small ones.  Mostly the degenerative nature of the Hebrew monarchy on display for the foreseeable future...

The poor dude starts out poorly by forsaking the wisdom of his elders in favor of his frat buddies, basically.  People somehow feel betrayed by this attitude.  "...Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day," thanks to poor examples like this.  Although to be fair, both David and Solomon screwed up pretty good, too, even if they actually did a bunch of positive things as well.

The splintering crown leads way to the reign of Jeroboam.  War is averted, momentarily.  Jeroboam is crazy enough to drive his people away from God in an effort to divert them from Rehoboam.    It makes no sense.  But that's also part of God's own doing, the curse he leveled against Israel thanks to once too often straying from the chosen path.  Jeroboam also breaks the Mosaic tradition of strictly Levite priests.

On the other hand, Josiah is prophesied, although he doesn't show up as of Second Kings 10.  That's someone to look forward to!

And there's Jesus, whom Josiah might be said to evoke.  The prophet who sees Josiah in the future returns home from a different way than he came, like the three wise men from the nativity story of the New Testament.

I'd name the prophet, but he isn't named in First Kings, and neither is another prophet who shows up, which doesn't help the narrative at this point be terribly memorable.  It might be symbolic, however, of their combined ineffectiveness, a little like my good friend Balaam.

The whole point of Jeroboam seems to be that God didn't forsake David so much as apparently every other member of the chosen people.  He's shrunk his commitment back to its origins, but instead of promising many descendants, only one in the future who will fulfill the abortive promise of David's destiny.  And, by the way, when someone like David, or Solomon, wins everyone does.  And that's kind of what Jesus does, isn't it?  It's the whole reason the New Testament seems like an extension and also drastic revision of the Old Testament.

The later books of Chronicles is referenced for the first time.  The first time of many.  I noted nine more instances between both books of Kings.  Clearly they were written in quick succession, or more cleverly edited together than previous books of the Bible.

Jeroboam reigned 22 years.  After a while, I stopped keeping a record of reigns and overlaps of reigns.  There was just no point.  Maybe as a chart it would have looked good, but honestly?  You don't know these names because by themselves they just aren't important.

Nadab succeeds him!  See what I mean?  Who's Nadab?  Rehoboam was 41 when he began his reign, which lasted 17 years.  People misbehaved.  He didn't exactly stop them.  Although the Egyptians are big winners.  They're suddenly very relevant again, which was something that began under Solomon.  They replace the Philistines, and of course you know all about them.  They raid Jerusalem.  War between the camps of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and maybe a few citizens lose track of whose side they're on because of the extreme similarity of their names...

Then Rehoboam died.  Abijah succeeded him.  Reigned 3 years, 18 years into Jeroboam's competing reign.  He was morally compromised.  They all were.  It's great that Christians later had so many wonderful saints, because it was incredibly hard for all these biblical figures to be anything like that pure.  War between the camps of Abijah and Jeroboam.  Abijah succeeded by Asa, 20th year of Jeroboam's reign.  He lasts 41 years.  Doesn't leave any real impact.  He feuds with Baasha, Jeroboam's successor..  Then comes Jehoshaphat, a name you'll probably know.  Nadab was betrayed by Baasha, with Philistine connections (they had to show again).  That signals the end of the house of Jeroboam.  Honestly, this is like Game of Thrones...

Baasha reigned for 24 years.  He thoroughly rejected Jeroboam, but was just as bad.  Elah, the son of Baasha, comes next.  If the name sounds familiar, it's Philistine in origin, and was previously featured as the valley in which David defeated Goliath.  Zimri betrays him, ends the house of Baasha.  Israel further splinters.  New kings in new kingdoms include Tibni and Omri, although he was worse than anyone else.  But, Ahab succeeds him!

No, not the Herman Melville character, the biblical Ahab, as in Ahab and Jezebel.  How does Jezebel become an epitaph?  By being probably the worst woman in the whole Bible, Iago-like in her manipulations.  But who's that to try and save the day?  Elijah!  He kind of redeems Ahab, and that's just the start of his adventures!  He's a Christ figure, which only figures, because apparently thought Jesus was either Moses or Elijah returned to earth.

Classic episode that sees Elijah completely discredit the prophets of Baal follows, sort of like Moses and the Pharaoh's sorcerers.  It's also the first time God has been actively demonstrative since Moses, too.  Elijah undergoes a trial in the desert, like Jesus, lasts for the same prophetic 40 days.  There's also the episode where God is manifested in the most modest way possible, which evokes the way his relationship to mankind has evolved since the early books in the Old Testament.  Elisha appears, predating the apostles of the gospels but basically exactly like them.

Syria becomes the new Egypt, which was the new Philistines (who themselves remain mostly a biblical people to this day).  Israel prevails under Elijah's guidance.  The splintered nations grow less pathetic now that they have a strong figure at the center again.  Elijah, however, is the first prime figure who is not himself a prime mover.  The Syrians recognize God's strength, and so make peace.

Ahab becomes moody after a series of small sleights.  Jezebel is Jezebel.  Elijah chastises Ahab for letting Jezebel be Jezebel.  Ahab and Jezebel are basically Adam and Eve figures.  Jehoshaphat realizes Israel is stronger when united against Syria.  Prophets bicker.  Ahab dies in the Syrian wars that are somehow continuing (darn Jehoshaphat).  Ahaziah succeeds him, is less redeemable than Ahab.  Jehoram succeeds Jehoshaphat.  First Book of Kings ends.

Second Book of Kings begins much the way the last one ended.  Elijah is busy trying to get people not to worship gods before God.  Ahaziah presses the issue, tests both God and Elijah, and ends up smited for his effort.  Elijah parts waters (like Moses), the famed chariot of fire appears, and then he ascends to heaven, the way Christians find very evocative for the New Testament.

Elisha fixes the water in Jericho, which remains that way "to this day."  He was apparently bald, by the way, tormented for it like the "wisp of tow" taunt in The Brothers Karamazov.

Jehoram rejects Baal, but that doesn't mean he's a good king.  Elisha performs more wonders.  There's more warfare.  All this warfare is looking increasingly bleak for the future of Israel.  Elisha performs his classic oil miracle.  Looks like a Christ figure himself.  He even brings a child back to life.  If Jesus had had another Jesus after him, Christianity would look a lot different today.  He multiplies a little bit of food to feed many people.  He cures a leper, Naaman, who at first scoffs at Elisha's proscribed of treatment.  Naaman is a great warrior, so he hadn't exactly been treated as roughly as other lepers.  Elisha helps the Hebrew army avoids Syrian traps.  God helps him foil Syrian assassins.

Things on the whole, otherwise, remain pretty messy.  It's worth noting that Samaria is relevant in this era.  Jesus later has one of his classic parables concerning the "good Samaritan."  Elisha's prophecies, which was earlier indicated in the Bible as the only way to judge the worth of a prophet, always come true.  Philistines.  Elisha prophesies Hazael's reign in Syria and war with Israel.  Joram reigns, is no better than anyone else.  Then Ahaziah.  Wars.  Elisha has Jehu anointed.  Jehu immediately begins consolidating power.  Ends the house of Ahab.  Joram murdered.  Ahaziah murdered.  Jezebel murdered!  He also evokes Samson when he tricks followers of Baal into gathering in one space, and then killing them all.  He doesn't spare the earthly smiting one bit.  Killing, again, seems to be justifiable if you do it in the name of religion.  And so the Inquisition.  Jehu, for all this holy crusading, is not hugely more perfect than anyone, just a human purge machine, trying to clear the Hebrew cobwebs.  His reign lasts 28 years.  Jehoahaz succeeds him.  Second Kings continues...

Second Book of Samuel 21-24, First Book of Kings 1-11

David attempts to solve all Israel's problems forever.  It doesn't quite work.  The darn Philistines appear again.  David grows weary.  A second Goliath, representative of a remnant of giants...

Then there's the song of David, which seems to reflect heavily on later Christian theology, not to mention love of that common Books of Samuel theme, warfare.  It's very similar language to the psalms, like what they were based on.  Although war itself will remain a focus of the narrative for some time, it no longer seems quite the driving force of Israel's future.    Although there is, again, much love for it.

God's wrath is kindled again, although David is able to appease him after a selection of three punishments ends with classical biblical plague.  No overt smiting.  End of Second Book of Samuel.

The beginning of First Book of Kings sees David in old age given a concubine to help keep his increasingly frail body warm.  First Kings makes it clear they don't have sex, though, in case you wanted to know.  Mutinous behavior continues, this time with another son, who is also described as exceptionally handsome (I guess this is where all our modern literature gets the idea from).  Nathan quickly gets Bathsheba to put Solomon under protection, because he's the clear threat to the usurper.  David has a signature mule, which Solomon symbolically rides to drive the point home (reminiscent of Jesus on Palm Sunday).  He's soon anointed to make it official that he's the one who's king and David successor.  Like his father before him, Solomon pursues a policy of forgiveness against his rivals.  David implores him to also keep his other traditions alive.  Then the old king dies.

Solomon begins consolidating his power, settling old affairs such as finally dealing with Joab (read: executing him).  He makes a marriage alliance with Egypt, which is growing in biblical importance again.  It only figures, because this is only the start of many allusions to past events.  He also begins building up Jerusalem, making it truly fit for a king.

God grants him the choice of three extraordinary favors, and Solomon famously chooses wisdom, so he gets all of them anyway.  Then follows another anecdote you'll certainly recognize, the wise act of figuring out who the real mother is when a dispute arises, threatening to split the child in two.  It's the example everyone uses, and I guess it's the one the Bible does, too.  In short order the later psalms and proverbs are attributed to him.  Preparations for the temple are made.  Clearly Solomon was thought of in great terms by the later Hebrews, as pretty much everything their is to know about his reign is recorded in minute detail, far greater than even similar work that had been done in the Books of Samuel.  These are the most important books after the Moses cycle to the Jewish faith, and they're also the most important ones to Christian faith from the Old Testament.

It's also perhaps significant that the extreme detail that God related to Moses concerning the ark in the first place is more than represented in explaining the temple's many opulent features.

For the record, First Kings records the amount of time since the exile from Egypt to the time of Solomon at 480 years.  That's about for us modern readers the whole American continent history from Columbus to our day.

God keeps reiterating that if Solomon remains on the straight and narrow everything will be perfect for Israel.  Of course he does!

It took 7 years to complete work on the temple.  There's a great ceremony to commemorate the ark's journey to its final resting place in the temple.  It's at this point that the reader may realize that the true main character of the Bible to this point has been the ark, which has been present from Moses to Solomon.  The promise God made David that it would be Solomon who saw the building of the temple is a little like when Moses was told it would be Joshua who entered the promised land.  It wasn't until David had the idea that the temple was even considered a final destination.  God had been content to let the ark travel freely through Israel.  There are more echoes of Moses, although it's compassion and forgiveness that God prefers these days, rather than his old policy of smiting first and asking questions later (you know, basically).  It tends to read like a reflection of later New Testament theology.

I know, I keep saying that.  It's there, what else can I say?

It took 20 years in all, including Solomon's own elaborate lodgings, to complete construction work.

The Queen of Sheba shows up to test Solomon, and he passes it.  Although, on a related note or not, his many romantic conquests really start to take their toll on him.  He starts putting other gods before, or at least alongside, God.  This does not please God, who revokes his charter and then agrees to let the Hebrews keep Jerusalem but nothing else.

A new enemy (the first of several) arises, Hadad, who once had occasion to hide out in Egypt.  The same is true of Jeroboam (who in his earlier days received a prophecy that he would one day inherit a part of Solomon's kingdom, which led Solomon to try and eliminate him).  All this fleeing to Egypt evokes both Joseph in the past and Mary and the other Joseph in the future.  A third enemy is Rezon.

There's a strong indication that Solomon, like Adam before him, was always meant to fall.  Probably the Jewish people would much have preferred a permanent and considerable kingdom, but that's just not something that happened.  A good thing always ends.  Call it a proverb.

Solomon reigned for 40 years, and then he died.