Like the second tunnel of the bike ride, 1 and 2 Kings to Nehemiah feels like a shorter tunnel, but is still somewhat dark and unfamiliar.
Follow me as we ride past these next several books of the Bible and illuminate them just a little.
Second tunnel
After the stretch of shared road out in the open on the bike trail, the sight of another tunnel brought out all the fear and apprehension of the first one.
Here’s what the first tunnel looked like:
After the shock wore off, I started to fumble for my bike light, remembering how dark the initial tunnel had been.
Heading into 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah can feel a bit daunting, especially if you actually start to read these books. I once said the Kings saga reads like an obituary. A lot of names and how long (or short) they reigned. A first look can feel really overwhelming.
History books
Here are some thoughts to help us get our bearings as we travel the landscape of these history books.
Like 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles are parts one and two of longer books. These two sets of books have a bit of overlap to them, though they were written at different times for different purposes.
1 and 2 Kings is the log of all the kings of the Northern and Southern kingdoms.
1 and 2 Chronicles is the history of the kings of the Southern kingdom as recorded by the historian or chronicler written much later.
1 Kings
Confused yet? You don’t need to be. Something really significant happens in 1 Kings that’s helpful to keep in mind.
As a reminder, Samuel anoints David as king in 2 Samuel. David’s son Solomon becomes king in 1 Kings and is called to build the Lord’s Temple. The first eleven chapters of 1 Kings cover the life of King Solomon.
Kingdom split
Solomon’s son Rehoboam follows him as king but the leaders of the kingdom don’t all follow Rehoboam’s novice decision. His choice of direction leads to the kingdom split. The Israelites split off from Rehoboam’s leadership and he is left charge over what is called the kingdom of Judah.
You don’t have to remember these details, just keep in mind that the kingdom splits into the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah, and it originates in 1 Kings.
2 Kings
The second half of 1 Kings can get a little confusing as it switches back and forth between the kings from both kingdoms. 2 Kings carries on the alternating narrative with some kings receiving pages of storyline while others only see dishonorable mention.
Kingdoms fall
In 2 Kings 17 the kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria.
Jerusalem falls to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzer at the conclusion of 2 Kings.
1 Chronicles
1 Chronicles rolls a bit like the book of Numbers with extensive lists of names starting with Adam, the first man. Talk about tracing your genealogy.
David as king
Chapter ten of 1 Chronicles begins a narrative of David as king that carries through the end of part one of the chronicles.
2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles begins with Solomon’s reign and includes the split with Rehoboam’s rule. From there the focus is on the kings of Judah.
Whew. Did you make it?
Kingdom highlights
Here’s a quick recap of some of the kingdom highlights:
King Solomon was David’s son. Rehoaboam was Solomon’s son.
King David was a warrior.
King Solomon built the temple.
King Rehoaboam split the kingdom.
Ezra and Nehemiah
The summary of Ezra and Nehemiah goes much quicker.
Ezra begins with the return of the exiles.
Nehemiah continues the history with the rebuilding of the city wall.
What to expect
Much like the first long tunnel, after a while even in the dark I knew a bit what to expect.
As I traveled this shorter tunnel I noticed it didn’t feel slanted like the first long one. Although I fumbled for my light heading into this tunnel, the ride through it was much more manageable. Also, because it didn’t slant down toward the gutters it felt doable. And I had been riding long enough now that I had a sense of how to navigate it, even if all I knew was that it would be confusing.
I don’t know about you, but I felt a certain level of comfort knowing that.
This tunnel would be dark and confusing, but I’ve been through dark and confusing so I know a bit how to cope and navigate under such circumstances.
And hopefully now you do, too.
Trying to remember what was in 1 and 2 Samuel? Here’s a quick review: