44...QUEEN WHO NEVER WAS?

                                              Based on the Book of Esther (Est)...Read more there (N1)

The book Esther is named for a young Jewish woman who rises to become queen of Persia & saves the Hebrews from a holocaust. Strangely YHWH God doesn't get a mention! The context is entirely power-plays in & around the Persian court of the time, supposedly in or about the 300's B.C. Cultural & racial tensions between Jews & others feed the story. There are enough things about Est that don't seem to fit to make many think the book was told into being as a Good Jewish Woman defeats Bad Foreign Guy story to provide a basis for celebrating Jewish identity & separateness in the festival Jews came to know as Purim. Like some other Hebrew Bible books we'll come across, Est's real value, for Jewish people at least, may be as a kind of parable of the importance of  keeping Jewish identity & separateness at the heart of their culture & religion &, despite overwhelming odds, winning out in the end! We might note, too, that Esther connects with Joseph, whom we've met back in the days of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs in Palestine & then in Egypt (N2) & Daniel, whom we'll meet later in Babylon. Together they form a trio of exemplary & influential Jewish heroes in the midst of powerful foreign empires.

In a nutshell the story goes like this: The Persian King, Ahasuerus (N3) rids himself of his queen for disobeying him & this in itself leads to a proclamation that 'wives must obey their husbands in all respects'. (An order conservative male Jews would say, 'Amen' to!) In the former queen's place (Ch.2) the king marries Esther, a young Jewish woman introduced into the court by her adoptive father, Mordecai, a distant relative of King Saul. Apparently neither Mordecai nor Esther disclose her racial background. One day Mordecai overhears a plot to assassinate the king, passes the information to Esther who informs the king, & the plotters are hanged. (Hanging features prominently in this book!) In Ch.3 we meet Haman whom Ahasuerus has promoted to be his C.E.O. Haman is a proto-type for future anti-Semites & actually pays the king a bribe to gain a royal order to wipe out these different & threatening people. A date is fixed for this outrage to take place. Ch.4 sees Mordecai get wind of all this & warn Esther that being queen will not save her from the fate her fellow Hebrews are facing. In response, in Ch.5 Esther prepares to throw a banquet for the king & Haman, while Haman prepares a gallows to hang Mordecai! Meanwhile, Ch.6 has the king going over records in the archive & discovers the service Mordecai has rendered in saving his life. The plot thickens! Haman is chuffed at being invited to dinner with the royals! When Ahasuerus aks him for advice on how to reward someone who has served him well, Haman mistakenly believes the king is speaking of him, & suggests great honours be conferred on him. However, the king reveals it's Mordecai who's to be honoured with high office & orders Haman to see to it! Haman's nose is very much out of joint! Worse is to come! Esther tells the king of the tragedy she's discovered is about to befall her people (Ch.7) & that Haman is behind this. Pleading with Esther for mercy, Haman is caught in what appears to be a compromising position, & in no time at all the king has him publicly hanged on the gallows he's had built to hang Mordecai! But there remains a big problem! The famous 'law of the Medes & Persians' means that once promulgated a law cannot be repealed, therefore the decree for the killing of the Hebrews on the date set still stands. In Ch.8 the king - & the story- get round this by a new decree. By that, Jews may defend themselves forcibly against anyone attacking them. On the basis of this, in Ch.9 the Jewish population rises up & makes a pre-emptive strike against their known enemies, killing many in the process. They then celebrate the festival of triumph & survival known as Purim - kept to this day by Jewish families. Ch.10, a short post-script, winds up the story with praise for Ahasuerus & Mordecai for their part in all this. Then comes another story... 45...When Bad Things Happen To People.

(N1) There are additions to Esther in the Apocrypha. NJB prints them as part of the text of Est, though NRSV prints them separately. (N2) See episodes 19-21. (N3) Xerxes in Greek 

 

Q: Where does God come into all this - if at all?

43...HOME AGAIN. AGAIN!

   Based on the Books of Ezra (Ezr) & Nehemiah (Ne)...Read more there

EZRA

Ezra & Nehemiah are memoirs of these two respective Hebrews from Babylon & their return to Jerusalem dovetailed (not always seamlessly) by the later Chronicler into his own longer work (N1). In 538 BC the Persian king, Cyrus, who has by now defeated the Babylonians allows the captive Hebrews to return to Judah after 50 or 70 years (N2). The Hebrews are led back to Jerusalem by Sheshbazzar (N3) a descendant of King David, & heads of other families, including Jeshua, a priest. Ezra himself, a scribe or scholar of the Law returns in a second wave of returnees some years later. In Ch.1 Cyrus decrees the Hebrews may return home. Sympathetic to YHWH, to him a foreign god, Cyrus sets an example of religious inclusiveness & tolerance not often seen in history! In style typical of the Chronicler Ch.2 is a list of returnees. Ch.3 records the resumption of worship in Jerusalem & the laying of the foundations of a new Temple. There is a deeply felt poignancy in vv.12-13. Ch.4 tells of the breach between the returning Hebrews & the adjacent Samaritans, remnants of the former Israel inter-married with others settled in Samaria by the Assyrians a century or so before. That continuing breach will feature in the Gospels. Ch.5 & 6 record this dispute leading to the Samaritans telling tales about the loyalty of the Hebrews at the court of the next two Persian rulers, persuading them the Hebrews are in the process of rebelling. As a result of their lobbying King Artaxerxes orders the re-building stopped, the Samaritans forcibly do the stopping, & the re-building of the Temple remains on hold for some years (N4). When Darius becomes king & rebuilding starts again the Samaritans do their best to subvert the project once more. But after having the state archives searched Darius rules that what the Hebrews are doing is absolutely legitimate on the orders originally issued by Cyrus & orders the Samaritans to desist in their obstruction! The Temple is then eventually completed & dedicated. Ch.7-10 go on to tell of the arrival on the scene of Ezra, a scribe or legal scholar given sweeping powers by the Persian king & the consequences of the strict regime Ezra, a real hard-liner is authorised to institute. A major one is the dissolving of all marriages to non-Jewish partners, including those of many leading citizens. Their names are recorded in the Chronicler's lists! (N5)

NEHEMIAH

In Ch.1 Nehemiah is being called by YHWH to sort things out back in Jerusalem. Ch.2 tells us he is butler to Artaxerxes, a well trusted position with access to the king. Seeing how downcast he is at goings on (or not goings-on!) he's heard of from travellers returning from Jerusalem, the king sends Nehemiah back there as a 'Mr. Fixit' with authority to put things to rights. Under him (Ch.3-4) the walls of the city are rebuilt methodically & the Samaritans kept at bay!  In Ch.5 Nehemiah has to deal with challenging social issues before the walls are finished in Ch.6. Ch.7 deals with more administrative matters followed by more family records. Ch.8 brings us the significant & far reaching public reading of the Law of Moses by Ezra followed by great celebrations, not just of what's been achieved but also because a new direction is now set in motion for the future of Judaism. Ch.9, largely in poetry, we might call a long public confession of failing to keep the Law in so many ways, then in Ch.10 come more records & more spelling out of rules, while Ch.11 is about the re-populating of Jerusalem itself & listing those involved, & CH.12 continues the record keeping followed by the ceremonial & liturgical dedication of the newly completed walls. The book ends with Ch.13 beginning with a slab of Nehemiah's own memoirs detailing the widening gulf between Israel & not-Israel, setting the scene for religious, racial, & cultural exclusivism to come. But that's another story...44: Queen Who Never Was?              

(N1) Ezra & Nehemiah were once a continuation of the books of Chronicles. The time-line & text are very complicated & not always clear. Esdras, an Apocryphal book also exists & some scholars believe it more reliable than Ezra. Ezra himself seems to have returned in the second group of returnees years later. (N2) Some count the exile from the first invasion by Babylon in 606 BC [JR: 25:11]). (N3) seemingly also known as Zerrubbabel. (N4) We'll later see another biblical writer, Haggai. blaming this also on the indifference of returnees! (N5) The NJB states: 'Ezra is the real father of Judaism with his three dominant conceptions: the chosen race, the Temple, & the Law'. [NJB p. 510]    
Q: Have we / do we set down memoirs of our own? Could they be made public? 

42...RELIGIOUS ANCESTRY.SOMETHING OR OTHER
Based on the Books of 1 & 2 Chronicles (1 & 2CH) (N1)...Read more there
After the Judeans have been exiled for 50 or so years in Babylon, the world scene changes again as the Persians under Cyrus conquer the Babylonians & allow the Hebrews to return 'home'. There they are given a measure of independence under a Persian-appointed governor, Sheshbazzar, also known as Zerubbabel, a descendant of the House of David. They are even allowed to begin re-building the Temple (N2). A scribe known as the 'Chronicler' (N3) in Jerusalem towards 300BC, provides us with the books that bear that name. Using other sources as well as some we've met before, e.g. GN, NB, 1 & 2 S, & 1 & 2 K, our Chronicler gives us his religious 'take' on things & who was responsible for doing them.  While his seemingly endless lists will be of unique help to scholars interested in Hebrew history, those of us not so wedded to such minutiae may find little to interest us in Chronicles (N4). 1CH 1- 8 consists of lists of people & their tribes & their responsibilities, then Ch. 9 begins with is a roll-call of families who returned from exile together with their assigned duties. This is followed by a 're-look' at King Saul. Chs.11-22 then re-visit King David. Not all the details tally with accounts we've heard earlier. Chs. 23 to the end of the book interweave David's life with more rules & duties applying to the Levites, Priests, Cantors, & Gatekeepers relating to the Ark, the forerunner of the yet-to-be-built Temple. Those involved today in liturgical functions in congregations can see we follow in a long tradition of doing the things of God properly, decently, & in good order. In all this let's not overlook how important it's been for historians, Jewish & others, to have access to those lists the Chronicler invests such effort in making (N 5). Ch. 29 & the book end with the transition from David & his reign to Solomon & the beginning of his. 

The early chapters of 2CH centre round giving Solomon & the building & equipping of the Temple a good press. Then in Chs 10 onward the Chronicler focuses on the Judean Monarchy, reviewing the kings who succeed Solomon. He praises or damns them for doing either good or evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as has been done in 2K with regard to kings of both Israel & Judah. These various kings, their reigns, & the verdicts on them might be best left for those with either a historical or theological bent. Intermingled with all the other details in 2CH we find references to incursions into or invasions of Judah by the Egyptians (Ch.12) the Assyrians (Chs. 28 & 32) & the Babylonians (Ch.36). Politics in that part of the world then sound very much like those of today! Towards the end of 2CH two reforming kings Hezekiah (Chs. 29-32) & Josiah (Chs. 34-35) stand out by standing up for YHWH, but with the long reign of a really bad king, Manasseh, in between them. Perhaps the most significant story of all is the rediscovery in Ch.34 of the 'Book of the Law' & the effect this has on policy & people during Josiah's reforms. Scholars are pretty unanimous  this was what we know as Deuteronomy (see Ep. 32). The teachings of YHWH God have survived long years of apostasy & now are dusted off & re-activated under the influence of Josiah the king, Hilkiah the priest, & Huldah ( a woman, & a Prophet!) Notable for their absence in all these scenarios, except for one brief mention of Elijah, are the two towering Prophets Elijah & his successor Elisha, so important in 1 & 2K. But they were Northerners, after all! 2CH ends with a quick overview of Judea collapsing before the Babylonians, & why; & a nod in the direction of Persia which will eventually conquer Babylon & allow the Judeans to return home. But that's another story...43...Home Again. Again!
(N1) Like 1 & 2 SAM & Kings, Chronicles was originally one book. (N2) 538BC. More of this when we reach the books of Ezra & Nehemiah. (N3) He is probably a southerner & a Levite from the tribe with liturgical responsibilities. EX 32:25-29 & 1CH 16 give us some background to Levites. (N4) The Chronicler draws on as well as other sources for his lists, but edits them to suit his purposes! The NJB in its introduction to CHs calls him a 'theologian not a historian' (p. 508). (N5) MT (Ch. 1) & LK (Ch. 3) for instance clearly draw on genealogical records they have access to in establishing Jesus' human lineage.

Q: What would happen if we were to vote for politicians according to how the Chronicler sums up kings?

41...PROPHETS & LOSSES ACCOUNTS
Based on 2 Kings (2K) Chs. 2-25 Read more there...

Elijah has just been taken up into heaven. That he will one day return becomes part of Jewish expectations. He is succeeded now by Elisha [2K 2] who shedding his own clothes, takes up Elijah's cloak, & immediately performs a 'miracle' at the Jordan by using Elijah's cloak to roll the waters back! He is then credited with bringing about the deaths of some cheeky boys at the paws of a pair of bears! Apparently you're either on Elisha's, that is to say, God's side, or look out! Ch.3 reports yet another war, then Chs.4-8 tell a string of 'miracles' Elisha 'works', some of them a bit odd! Of note are a miraculous feeding of a widow & the birth of a son to another woman from Shunem, & the restoration to life of that child after his death, reminiscent of Elijah. Then comes an incident with soup, & a multiplication of food more a-la-Jesus this time as is the healing from skin disease of Naaman, an enemy Aramaean general [Ch. 5]. Crossing such boundaries of race & religion later becomes a mark of Jesus' ministry among people of His day. Naaman's healing is soured when Elisha's servant, Gehazi, tries to make capital for himself by accepting a reward from Naaman that Elisha himself has just refused! Gehazi's punishment is to become inflicted with the skin disease from which Naaman has been cured. Chs. 9-13 then meander through the politics of Judea & Israel until in Ch.13:14+ Elisha dies. Chs.14-17 meander again through the politics of Judea & Israel but then the story changes dramatically - forever - when in 721 BC., partly as a result of Israel double-dealing with Egypt, the Assyrians lay siege to & capture Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom. This is stated very matter-of-factly in 17:5-6 & this is then amplified by a commentary. Of particular interest as background to the NT. are vv. 24-41 which tell how the Samaritans come into being through the Assyrian policy of re-settling other peoples among the remaining Israelites who then intermarry with them.

In Ch.18 the focus switches to the southern kingdom of Judea. Hezekiah (716-687 BC.) a young king faithful to YHWH, & a reformer comes to the throne & is introduced in vv.1-8. Among other acts of spiritual spring-cleaning he destroys the bronze snake known as Nehushtan the Hebrews have apparently carried with them from their travelling in the wilderness days & turned into a god (N1).  Hezekiah will have none of this kind of nonsense! We then go on to hear about incursions by the Assyrians that threaten the continuing existence of Judea too. At this point, in Ch.19 the next great Prophet, Isaiah, emerges to give counsel to Hezekiah & spiritual leadership to the people (N2). After  Hezekiah's progressive reforms, he is succeeded by two bad kings (Ch.21). They in turn are followed by another reformer faithful to YHWH, Josiah, who comes to the throne as a child. Some significant events during his reign include: 1) the discovery of the 'Book of the Law', almost certainly the book we know as Deuteronomy, in the Temple [Chs.22:3 - 23:30]. Josiah causes it to be read in public & its laws promulgated. This includes the keeping of Passover once again, a practice that had lapsed; 2) a woman Prophet, Hulda, emerges (22:14+); & 3) due to Assyria becoming weakened, Josiah extends his influence into the former northern country of Israel now known as Samaria (23:16+). After a fine wrap-up [23: 24-25] Josiah, one of the best of their kings is killed in battle against the Egyptians. In Ch.24 the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar & who by now have defeated the Assyrians & taken over the ascendancy in that part of the world make incursions into Judea. They plunder Jerusalem & deport the then king & his family & officials together with thousands of the leading artisans to Babylon. There is worse to come. The Babylonians soon return to complete the job [Ch. 25]. This time they destroy Jerusalem including the Temple, & deport many of the remaining residents to Babylon (N3). 2K25 brings Judaism as it has been to an ignominious end. As the NJV puts it succinctly, 'Thus Judah was deported from its country' [v.21]. Nothing will ever be the same again for Jewish people - anywhere & everywhere! But that's another story...42: Religiously Re-editing

(N1) See Ep.31 on Numbers for the incident of the snakes. (N2) Like Elijah & Elisha, Isaiah is later a great influence on Jesus. We'll learn more of him when we reach the book that bears his name. (N3) 587BC. This begins the period of the Babylonian captivity, a period of about 50 yrs.  Question: How open ended do we / does God see our personal ups & downs as being?

40...SOUNDS OF SILENCE
Based on 1Kings Chs. 19-22 to 2Kings Chs. 1 & 2...Read more there.

Elijah, the most important Prophet since Moses, introduced to us in Ep.39 now takes centre-stage. Ahab, king in Israel is one of the worst rulers any country has ever had (N1). He's bad enough in himself, but is aided & abetted by his queen, the notorious Jezebel who often 'makes the bullets'! We've already been told [1K 18:13] that Jezebel has 'slaughtered the prophets of YHWH', so to stand up to Ahab & Jezebel who 'wants his guts for garters', as well as their priests of Baal as Elijah does is to court danger! Elijah has to flee for his life [19:3] & wants to die! But eventually he ends up on Mt.Horeb (Sinai). He's suffering from 'spiritual burn-out' by now & looks for renewal on Moses' old stamping ground. He takes shelter in a cave or crevice, possibly the very one that Moses took cover in so he could not 'see God's face', God's glory [EX 33:18+]. YHWH calls to the fugitive, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The Prophet then undergoes a remarkable spiritual experience as Moses has done before him, & eventually Jesus will undergo long after. On Mt. Sinai (Horeb) there comes a mighty storm, but God is not in the storm; after the storm an earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake; after the earthquake fire (lightning?) but God is not in the fire. After the fire comes what is translated variously as 'stillness', 'silence', 'the sound of gentle stillness' etc. YHWH appears in this total silence. Though God is often believed to be revealed in the extremities of nature, is this total silence perhaps to reveal the peaceful nature of God in contrast to the violence raging all around at this time (with Elijah part of it)? Elijah emerges from his cave, but is careful to cover his face with his cloak so that, like Moses of old, he cannot see God's glory for to see that would be to die! Again God asks him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" and then instructs him to interfere on His behalf in the political scenarios of the nearby Arameans, & also in Israel. More, Elijah is to anoint Elisha to be his successor as Prophet [19:19+]. Elijah comes out of hiding, returns to Israel, & finds Elisha ploughing with a large team of oxen. Elijah dramatically throws his cloak over Elisha, symbolically 'capturing' him for the new role he is to play for God in Hebrew events. In response Elisha kills a yoke of oxen, uses their yokes to make a fire, & cooking them provides a feast to mark & celebrate his leaving his old life behind & obeying his new calling. (N2)

After this we have reports of more wars, intriguing & confusing tales of 'false prophets', before the book moves on to report an event that shows how bad Ahab & Jezebel really are! Ahab badly wants a vineyard belonging to a citizen named Naboth [Ch. 21] but Naboth won't exchange or sell as Ahab wants, so Jezebel arranges his murder so Ahab can take possession of the coveted piece of land! For YHWH & Elijah this is the last straw! [21:17+] & soon after Ahab meets a nasty end in yet another battle [22: 29+]. Mind you, he's succeeded by his son, Ahaziah, a chip-off-the-old-block who will die after just a year in office as 2 Kings begins. Ch.1 tells of an attempt by Ahaziah & his soldiers to arrest Elijah, but this is thwarted by two troops of soldiers being killed by fire called down by Elijah (more lightning?). A third troop is wise enough to know where to draw the line, & safely escorts Elijah to the king where he promptly tells him he's going to die. Soon! And he does! In Ch. 2 Elijah is taken up to heaven by a chariot & horses of fire. Elisha, who is privileged to watch this happen, inherits Elijah's mantle (cloak) as the new great Prophet in the land & will later join Elijah as a huge influence on Jesus' thinking...But that's another story...41...Prophet & Loss Accounts                   

(N1)  Ahab ruled Israel from 874 to 853 BC., long enough to do a lot of damage. (N2) I K Chs. 17+ are referred to as the 'Elijah Cycle'; 2K Ch. 2 then begins the 'Elisha Cycle'.

Question:  Are we more comfortable with storm, earthquake, fire, etc. than we are with silence?

39...ENTER ELIJAH
Based on 1Kings Chs. 12-18...Read more there

At this point, the kingdom united under David unravels quickly. Solomon's son & successor Rehoboam (N1) has none of the wisdom his father was noted for early in his reign. He foolishly takes the advice of equally foolish young friends to treat his people harshly, with the result that the Northern tribes walk out on him leaving him only the Southern tribe of Judah. Jeroboam (N1) who had earlier unsuccessfully rebelled against Solomon now returns & is proclaimed king of Israel by the breakaways. Not only is there now political schism, but Jeroboam causes religious schism too by having two golden calves (N2) cast & set up one in Bethel & one in Dan, diverting attention from the Temple in Jerusalem. There is an odd story in Ch.13. Make of it what you will - but the way it's told, few of us would want much to do with the sneaky God portrayed in it! Like many accounts of the way things happen, it is an interpretation & we may well reject it in the light of the God Jesus later reveals! There follow accounts of the reigns of kings in both Judah & Israel. One of many low points in Jeroboam's reign in Judah is a raid on Jerusalem by an Egyptian Pharaoh who loots the Temple. Jeroboam's reign in Israel is summarised too, Then their successors on both sides of the newly created borders are reviewed. Only one of those listed gets the tick of approval from God & their subjects! Most of it isn't edifying, least of all the reign of Ahab in Israel (N4). Ahab, married to the legendary Jezebel, goes further than anyone else when he supplants the worship of YHWH with worship of the pagan god Baal. But Ahab will meet his match & get his comeuppance when the great Prophet Elijah (N3) comes on the scene in Ch.17.

Enter Elijah, who appears on the scene [Ch.17:1] confronting Ahab, & warning him of a severe drought. The implication is clearly that this is a punishment from YHWH for Ahab's apostasy & his people's. YHWH instructs Elijah to hide east of the Jordan & arranges for ravens to feed him out in this wilderness (N5). As the drought intensifies, Elijah is sent to a foreign widow & her son in Zarephath in today's Lebanon. Let's call them Zara & Zaron. Everyone deserves a name! There a miraculous stretching of their meagre resources of a little flour & a little oil takes place (N6) so the three of them have enough to live on till the drought breaks. While Elijah is there Zaron dies, but in another foreshadowingof a Jesus event, Elijah restores him to life. Any lingering doubt Zara has that Elijah is genuinely a man of God is dispelled. In Ch.18 with the drought still biting the scene shifts to Ahab's palace where we find his steward, still faithful to YHWH, has sheltered & saved many 'small p' prophets from Jezebel's vendetta against anything smacking of YHWH! Ch.18:13 tells us Jezebel has already 'slaughtered the prophets of YHWH' (NJB). However, Elijah confronts Ahab  again & sets up a contest between himself & the hundreds of 'prophets' of Baal on top of Mt. Carmel. Each side is given a bullock & the object of the competition is to call down fire from your god or God to burn the animal as a sacrifice. The prophets of Baal call on 'him' for hours & hours with Elijah mocking them a treat. When they end in total failure, Elijah rebuilds an old destroyed altar to YHWH & proceeds to douse it & its surrounds & of course his bull liberally with water. Fire from heaven - no doubt a well-timed lightning strike - burns the sacrificial bull & YHWH wins! Then in a gesture we must be glad Jesus doesn't repeat, Elijah has all the 'prophets' of Baal put to death. He then taunts Ahab into driving his chariot back to the city before the enveloping storm clogs his wheels leaving him stuck in the mud! To add insult to injury, Elijah runs ahead of Ahab all the way back to his palace! Here endeth the drought! But not Jezebel's burning hatred of both Elijah & YHWH!... But that's another story...40 Sounds of Silence

(N1) For some unknown reason both Rehoboam (4.5.lit.) & Jeroboam (3 lit.) had large bottles of bubbly named after them. Maybe it's a joke - neither of them being 'full bottle'! (N2) See EX 32.(N3) Jesus will be hugely influenced by Elijah & his successor as Prophet, Elisha. (Don't get those two mixed up!) (N4) Ahab reigns in Israel 874-853 B.C. (N5) Some suggest 'ravens' is a translating mistake for 'arabs', but opinion is in favour of 'ravens' - whatever we make of that. (N6) A kind of fore-shadowing of Jesus' later feeding a great crowd with minute resources (MT 14: 15-21 et al.) (N7) By the time of the last of the Prophet Malachi, early in the 400s BC, Hebrews came to believe Elijah would re-appear before the Messiah came [MAL 3:23]. Jesus later makes it clear [MT17:10-13] John the Baptiser was that expected 'Elijah'.  Question: Whose responsibility is it to challenge today's rulers?

38...THE GETTING & UN-GETTING OF WISDOM
 Based on 1 Kings (1K) (N1) Chs. 1-11...Read more there

As the aged & frail David is dying one of his sons, Adonijah, tries to usurp the throne. However the Prophet Nathan allies himself with Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, to thwart this. They plead with David to name Solomon as his successor. When David does this, Solomon is promptly taken into Jerusalem on David's mule & anointed king by Zadok the Priest (of later coronation music fame!) (N2). Adonijah's support immediately collapses. Solomon waits till David dies [Ch. 2:10] then has Adonijah executed to ensure his kingship is secure. That it is now secure we're told twice, (vv.12 & 46). Ch. 3 begins with the odd & unpromising news that Solomon marries a daughter of Egypt's Pharaoh - the Egyptians being former enslavers of the Hebrews. Is this a cynical political manoeuvre, a wise strategy, or a love-match? Who knows! We also learn that though Solomon loves YHWH, like many of his people he offers incense at altars set up on significant hill tops, 'high places', as there is no Temple yet & therefore no really centralised religion either. Then come two key events that set a pattern for the earlier part Solomon's reign. In the first he has a dream in which YHWH asks him what gifts he would like. Rather than power, wealth, etc. Solomon asks for an understanding mind & a discerning heart, & YHWH God grants these. Even though this is a dream, the reality is put to the test soon after in a famous story that in itself ensures we remember Solomon for his wisdom. Two women appear before him each claiming a male baby as their own. Solomon calls for a sword & orders the child to be cut in two & a half given to each of the women. He then wisely awards the child to the woman who begs him to give the child to the other woman rather than have her son killed! When word of this spreads, Solomon's stocks rise very high indeed!

Administrative matters take up Chs. 4 & 5 till Solomon prepares for the building of the Temple for God & a palace for himself. In Chs. 6--9 the Temple is built by conscripted labour. Then, with its furnishings, including the Ark of the Covenant, now, it is completed & dedicated. In Ch. 9 YHWH appears again to Solomon (cf. Ch. 3) & dedicates the Temple Himself but with a clear in-built threat! The famed Queen of Sheba - probably either in Arabia or North East Africa - visits Solomon to 'suss out' her new & powerful neighbour. She is very likely to have trade & treaties on her mind as well as anything else. She is impressed!

But by Ch. 11 Solomon falls from grace. With a vengeance! He becomes a womaniser on an unprecedented scale & allows pagan wives to sway him into following foreign pagan deities they bring with them as religious baggage. He seems to be placing an 'each-way' bet! YHWH God is not amused, & triggers the threat of Ch. 9 above. Solomon unbelievably rapidly fades from view, & dies seemingly without fanfare. One of Solomon's sons, Rehoboam succeeds to the throne. The royal family, though, has become dysfunctional & so has the country (N3).  But that's another story...39...Enter Elijah   

(N1) 1 & 2 Kings were originally one book.  (N2)  About 970 B.C.  (N3) Ch.11:41 refers to a 'Book of the Acts of Solomon'. Though long lost this is no doubt reflected in these early chapters of 1 K. 

Question: Does turning away from YHWH God personally & nationally still cause us to become dysfunctional?