The Book of Kings starts with the death of David - against whom all the kings of Judah and Israel are judged, and ends with the exile of Judah to Babylon (Israel is exiled a few chapters earlier). I downward spiral, on the whole. The question I kept asking myself was, “what ties all of this together, what is the author driving at?” A couple clues came late in 2 Kings:
1. Chapter 17:23: As Israel is being carted off to Assyria, the author takes some time to expound on the situation. We are reminded of the Exodus from Egypt, of what Israel was called to, and we are reminded that Israel did not follow the Word of the Lord. Pretty much at all. The author states in verse 23: “So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria to this day.” The Book of Kings is written from exile, and apparently for the people while in exile. This answers one question and leads to another; namely, “what purpose is served by telling Israel the story of its downfall (in the form of a telling of the kings of Israel and Judah) while being ruled over by a foreigner?”
2. Another clue is found later yet in 2 Kings, in chapter 22: Josiah finds the Book of the Law. Actually, Hilkiah finds it, but Josiah the king acts on what is found. This is huge, because it means that all this time Israel and Judah and its kings were operating without it. The author tells us as much,
The King commanded all the people, “Keep the passover to the Lord your God as prescribed in this book of the covenant.” No such passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or the kings of Judah”
Since the Judges! Passover!!! This is huge: Israel had been traveling blind. One of the things that the Law proscribes for the kings-to-be over Israel is that they are to have a copy of the Law written for them and were to read it “all the days of their life.” What happens when God’s people abandon their founding document? The book of Kings happens.
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March 4th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Well, in emphasizing fidelity to God over and against the idolatrous practices of the neighbors, it emphasized how the Jews were to define themselves in Babylon (the northern tribes being pretty much hosed). This was the period in which Judaism began to define itself as the religion of the synagogue, no?
P.S. You need a preview button.