Why the Old Testament Kings Matter: Unlocking the Context of Christ’s World
Understanding the cultural and historical landscape of Jesus’s ministry is impossible without a solid grasp of the Old Testament. The people, politics, and prophecies that shaped first-century Judea were direct outcomes of Israel’s complex history, and no period is more crucial to this understanding than the age of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
This is why we created Volume 2, Kings of Israel and Judah, as part of the Thy Word is Truth Series—to provide a clear, integrated view of the history that sets the stage for the New Testament.
The Cultural Milleau: Why Knowing the Kings Is Essential
When Christ entered the world, He stepped into a culture steeped in the memory of a golden age of the monarchy while suffering under foreign rule—a direct result of Israel and Judah’s chronic unfaithfulness to the covenant they had made with God on Mount Sinai.
- Prophecy of the Monarchy: Long before the first king was crowned, Moses prophesied in the book of Deuteronomy (17:14-20) that the Israelites would eventually demand a king, “like all the nations that are around me.” This passage set out strict, divinely-guided rules for this future king—rules that nearly every monarch in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles failed to follow.
- The Warning to the People: This prophecy was dramatically fulfilled when the people demanded a king from the prophet Samuel. Samuel warned them that a monarchy would lead to heavy taxation, military conscription, and the loss of their independence (1 Samuel 8:10-18). The history contained in Volume 2 is the tragic record of how this early prophecy and warning came true, directly resulting in the divided kingdom, conquest, and exile.
- Political Messianism: The central hope of the Jewish people at the time that Christ was born was for the Son of David, a political and spiritual King, to restore the throne lost centuries before. To understand this Messianic expectation and why Jesus both fulfilled and subverted it, one must know the historical rise and fall of David, Solomon, and their successors.
The Challenge of Learning Old Testament History
For too long, Bible students have struggled to synthesize the parallel accounts of Israel’s history.
Students of the Bible have long realized that the account of Israel’s history portrayed in First and Second Samuel through First and Second Kings parallels the account of Israel’s history portrayed in First and Second Chronicles. According to one estimate, nearly half of Chronicles consists of quotations and allusions borrowed from Samuel and Kings. As a result, many pastors, teachers, and students have felt the need to prioritize one of these accounts over the other, supplement one account with another, or ignore one account altogether. However, when that happens, some of the beauty and detail of the history of Israel is lost.
— Dwight Pierce, J.D.
The repetition and occasional difference in focus across these six books can be confusing or even misleading to modern readers. But rather than ignoring one account, our goal was to bring them together.
The Solution: A Uniquely Integrated Harmony
Our Biblical Harmony offers a middle ground that provides clarity without sacrificing detail. It preserves the similarities and differences in both accounts while substantially reducing the time required to read all six books by half.
Previous chronologies of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles have laid out the accounts side-by-side in parallel fashion, but they do not take the next step of integrating the material into one harmonized account. This innovative process was the brainchild of Dwight Pierce, J.D., with the Pierce-Slinkard Foundation. Acting on his passion for the clarity of God’s word, he commissioned the harmony to be compiled to knit together the histories while preserving their uniqueness.
The Harmonization Process
This work was meticulously compiled from the 1995 version of the New American Standard Bible (NASB). The process involved several layers of detailed editorial and theological decision-making:
- Laying out the Parallel Accounts: The process began by mapping out every corresponding verse and phrase.
- Preserving Exact Wording: When the accounts use the same language, the process preserved the wording exactly.
- Contextual Analysis: When one account used different language or structure, attention was given first to the most probable meaning in the underlying Hebrew and immediate linguistic context.
- Authorial Intent: Second, attention was given to the Tendenz (literary, historical, and theological agenda) of the original authors of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.
- Modern Readability: Third, attention was given to the modern reader’s use and reception of the English words and phrases.
This careful balancing act ensures that the final narrative is smooth and unified without losing the necessary nuances of the original texts. The table below shows how a typical text would be treated during the harmonization process.
| Scenario | 1 Samuel 31 | 1 Chronicles 10 | SKC Harmony |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text is exactly the same in both texts | Now the Philistines | Now the Philistines | Now the Philistines |
| Text is similar but not identical | were fighting against Israel; | fought against Israel; | fought against Israel; |
| One passage contains an extra word | and the archers overtook him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. | and the archers overtook him; and he was wounded by the archers. | and the archers overtook him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. |
| The words are arranged differently in each passage | They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons. | So they stripped [off] him (his weapons) and took (cut off) his head and his armor. | They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons and his armor. |
| Different words are used in each passage | and buried them under the Tamarisk tree [oak] at Jabesh. | And they buried their bones (them) under the oak in Jabesh. | And they buried them under the Oak* in Jabesh. *equally possible is Tamarisk tree.1 |
To ensure a smooth reading and study experience, the completed harmony has been organized into Acts and Scenes. Underneath each scene’s title, you will find a reference to where the passage may be found in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, making it an ideal tool for teaching and personal study.
Get Your Copy of Volume 2 Today!
By reading Volume 2, Kings of Israel and Judah, you are not just reading a book; you are gaining a comprehensive, unified view of the history that explains Israel’s covenant relationship with God and provides the indispensable context for the world Christ entered.
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