Solomon’s prayer for wisdom was clearly answered by his dealings with the case of the child of the two prostitutes. The author continues to expound on Solomon’s wisdom by showing its national and even international scope.

The one over-arching theme is God controls the kingdom, but several minor themes/applications arise. (1) The danger of indulging children, (2) the need for vigilance in fighting sin, (3) the warning of self-promoting people, (4) the need for wise, decisive action on our part as well as a trust in God’s sovereignty, and (5) consideration of what it is that stirs us (excites us).

The books of 1 and 2 Kings show us the times from David until the exile of Israel and Judah. What begins as a promising future with the nations flocking to Jerusalem to the peaceful, prosperous, and prominent King Solomon ends with their King in exile in Babylon. Did God’s promises fail? What happened? Can we even trust this Biblical history? What about all the weird stuff in these books? We plan to cover all this and more in this overview of 1 and 2 Kings.