"Discuss The Reign Of King Solomon As Presented In The Book Of First Kings."
Submitted by londonderrry on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
- Category: Social Issues
- Words: 2243
- Pages: 9
- Views: 13
- Popularity Rank: 2979
"Discuss The Reign Of King Solomon As Presented In The Book Of First Kings."
Introduction
Solomon, the third King of Israel was known for his wisdom, wealth and writings. His reign began in c. 971 BC and was marked by great commercial prosperity, strong foreign alliances and most notably the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon greatly benefited from the favorable conditions that were handed down to him by his father. His forty years of power would witness the greatest extension of Israeli power and territory that she would ever remember . The reign of Solomon can perhaps be best summarized by God's recorded promise to David in I Chronicles 22:9:
Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
Historical background of First Kings
The book of First Kings was originally written between 561 and 538 BC. The Jewish Babylonian Talmud attributes its authorship to the prophet Jeremiah, although most biblical scholars dismiss this assertion today . First Kings begins with the words "Now King David was old" and ends with the ominous testimony of King Ahaziah who "did evil in the sight of the Lord…." It is thought that First Kings was originally part of a much larger work that included the books of Samuel and Second Kings. Scholars point to the use of the shared title ‘Basileiai' (meaning kingdoms or reigns) in the Septuagint as evidence of their common authorship and unity .
The 120 years of history covered by First Kings bear witness to both the sovereignty of God and the iniquity of the nation of Israel. One writer notes that "the main purpose is to justify God's terrible decision by showing that the kings of Israel and Judah, almost without exception, were hopelessly flawed ." The writer of First Kings had numerous sources at his disposal including "the book of the acts of...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!
