God & the Kings: Power, Praise, and Pragmatics in 1-2 Kings

We live in a world of power and politics that deeply impacts the lives of individual Christians and the Church. Often too, power and politics are at work in the actions and decisions of our churches and their leaders. It is in such a world that God is at work. In this course we look at the lives of five key kings within 1-2 Kings: Solomon, Jeroboam, Ahab, Jehu, and Josiah. These kings are complex characters, and their narratives artfully engage us. Each king is evaluated as “good” or “bad,” but even the “good” kings could be imperfect or unable to align their people with covenant faithfulness, and the “bad” kings could show integrity or faithful action. In different ways, each king is part of the story of kingship that points towards fulfillment in Jesus, The King. Examining the kings’ use of power, their politics, and their worship alongside the narrator’s evaluation of their reign, this course will trace three key questions: what made an ancient Israelite king a good covenant king? How does the narrative support or problematize the narrator’s evaluation of each king? And, how might the lives of these ancient kings call us to faithful Christian living?