Learning from First Kings: Prayer in Good and Challenging Times

First Kings has a lot to teach us about prayer in both good times and challenging times.

Content

The two books of Kings are the third and fourth volumes of a four-volume work. The first two parts were the books of Samuel, which described Israel’s evolution from casual judges to kings: first Saul, then David.

The books of First and Second Kings can be easily divided into three parts: the reign of Solomon (1 Kgs 1-11), the divided kingdom (1 Kgs 12-2 Kgs 17), and the southern kingdom (Judah) alone (2 Kgs 18-25).

First Kings begins near the end of David’s life. He is old and weak. After some initial vying for succession among David’s sons, Solomon becomes king with the help of the prophet Nathan. The first half of the book covers Solomon’s reign. It depicts him as quite successful in politics and international relations, but with many failings in the ways of faith.

After Solomon’s death, the kingdom divides in two: north (Israel) and south (Judah), each with their own king and their own Temple.

The rest of the book describes events in the reigns of some of these kings (three in the south and seven in the north). It also spends a good amount of time on the work of the prophet Elijah.

Themes

The themes of First and Second Kings are the same as First and Second Samuel. The failure of Israel and its leaders to remain faithful is a prominent theme. The appearance of the prophets Elijah and Elisha offers some hope that God is still present with Israel, yet even that does not keep the country together, nor stop the final destruction and exile from happening.

Another major theme is the controversy between the “right” faith and the “wrong” faith, especially seen in the rival temples of the north and south. The Jerusalem Temple is the focus of many of the stories in First Kings, but another important theme is that of the promises of God, and especially his promises to David.

Prayers

There are fifteen separate prayer passages within First Kings, though some are part of the same story. The prayers, as usual, match the storyline and themes discussed above. They begin with blessings, praise, and vows, with a couple of petitions for the well-being of Solomon and Israel. As the faith of Israel wanes, and corruption sets in, the prayers become intercessions, petitions, and laments.

Because the prayers match both the hopefulness of the first part of the book and the despair in the second part, we learn a lot about prayer during both good and bad times in our own lives. Prayers in good times may have a shadow of the bad that can come; prayers during bad times can still contain some hope.

The book also teaches us some good ways to pray, as well as ways of praying that may not be so helpful.