The books of 1 and 2 Kings cover the history of Israel from the last
days of the united kingdom under David to the eventual fall of the
kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Within these books, the deuteronomic code - 'doing what is right in the
Lord's sight' - provides a framework by which monarchic history is
measured. In the kings' cultic failures lies the apostasy of the nation
and its eventual exile. This apostasy centres on Israel's commitment to
worship YHWH exclusively, and to worship according to deuteronomistic
norms within the Jerusalem temple as the locus of YHWH's covenant
presence. To safeguard the kings' commitments, YHWH's prophets loom
large in 1 and 2 Kings: they herald YHWH's purposes, warn of his
judgment for apostasy and woo his people back to the full experience of
covenant life. Lissa M. Wray Beal's valuable commentary examines the
successes and failures of monarchy in the divided kingdoms. It works
with the final form of the biblical text and pursues historiographical,
narrative and theological questions, including the relation of each
chapter's themes to biblical theology. While it focuses on theological
and narrative concerns, the commentary gives due attention to complex
historical issues. It seeks to provide a nuanced reading that is
faithful to the text's message.
