What's KINGS about?

Evil leaders have terrible consequences

The two books of Kings were written after the Jewish people were enslaved in Babylon. The books explain that the reason for their enslavement was that every king from David onwards abandoned the God of justice. Each king was more unjust that the previous one, and that finally the consequences overwhelmed history and caused the Babylonians to invade and capture Jerusalem. This was the greatest disaster in Israel's history and influenced all the writings in the Hebrew Bible. For details about this interpretation of history and the military background of the events, click here.

The implications for our day are obvious. Leaders have a special responsibility in our world to lead toward justice and dignity for all, and when they don't, we see terrible consequences in the horrors of extreme poverty and the threats to the natural world.

The two books of Chronicles have a different focus, although they cover the same history, from the time of the first kings until the return from Babylon. In Chronicles some kings are repentant and return to the God of Israel, and the first two kings, David and Solomon are given great prominence. The books of Chronicles give great emphasis to faithfulness in worshipping God in the temple.