The last chapter of 1 Kings record a battle between Ahab of Israel and the king of Syria over the city of Ramoth-gilead. Against the advice of the prophet Micaiah, Ahab allied with Jehoshaphat of Judah to try to reclaim Ramoth-gilead. Despite disguising himself for the battle, Ahad was killed by an arrow during the fighting, just as Micaiah predicted. After Ahab’s death, Ahaziah, his son, ruled in his place over Israel.

1 Kings 21 records a terrible story about greed and covetousness. When a vineyard owner named Naboth refused to sell his vineyard to Ahab king of Israel, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, hired false witnesses to accuse him of a crime he didn’t commit. Naboth was falsely convicted and killed, allowing Ahab to take the vineyard. For this evil, God sent Elijah the prophet to curse the house of Ahab and Jezebel.  

In 1 Kings 20, Ben-hadad king of Syria brought his army to Israel and fought against Samaria. God gave King Ahab victory, and his men routed the Syrians. The next spring, Ben-hadad returned with a new army, but once again, God gave Israel victory, and they killed over 125,000 Syrians. Unfortunately, Ahab let Ben-hadad return home after the battle. God sent a prophet to Ahab to tell him his life would be required of him because he failed to destroy Ben-hadad.

After Elijah killed the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Jezebel resolved to kill him. He fled south the mountain of God, Mount Horeb. God spoke to him there, showing him a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire, before speaking to him through a low whisper. Elijah returned to Israel and anointed Elisha to be his student and successor.

1 Kings 18 is a famous chapter in the Old Testament, and it contains the story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God sent fire down from Heaven to prove He was superior to Baal, the false God King Ahab promoted. After the showdown on Mount Carmel, God brought an end to the draught in Israel, by sending rain for the first time in 3.5 years.

God sent His prophet Elijah to Ahab, king of Israel, to tell him God was going to prevent rain from falling on Israel. This was due to Israel’s disobedience. God sent Elijah to the Cherith Brook, were ravens brought him bread and meat each day. Then Elijah travelled to Zarephath, where he met a poor widow and raised her son from the dead.

1 Kings 16 follows the line of kings who assumed the throne of Israel after Jeroboam and his son Nadab. Their names were Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab. All of them were wicked and under their leadership, the nation of Israel moved further and further away from God and His commandments.

1 Kings 15 begins by documenting the key details of the reigns of Abijam and Asa, Judah’s second and third king after the nation split in half. The second half of chapter 15 records key details about Israel’s second and third king, Nadab and Baasha. These kings were successors to Rehoboam (Judah) and Jeroboam (Israel).

King Jeroboam’s son fell sick. He sent his wife to the prophet Ahijah to ask whether his son would recover. Ahijah prophesied a curse against the house of Jeroboam and the nation of Israel, and he told him his son would die. The second part of the chapter documents Jeroboam’s death and the rising wickedness of Rehoboam’s kingdom in Judah.

God sent a prophet to Jeroboam to rebuke him for instituting false worship in Israel after he erected two golden calves and appointed priests at the high places. After rebuking Jeroboam, the prophet was tricked into disobeying God by an older prophet from Bethel. As judgement God had a lion kill him as he journeyed home. The prophet’s rebuke of Jeroboam did little to change the king, as we’re told he continued in his wicked ways.

Rehoboam’s first move as Israel and Judah’s new king severed the nation. He heeded the advice of his peers rather than the sage advisors of his father. This resulted in the nation of Israel breaking away and appointing Jeroboam as their king. But Jeroboam was not the king Israel needed. He disobeyed the Lord by creating two golden calves in Bethel and Dan to divert the people from worshipping in Jerusalem.

In 1 Kings 11, Solomon’s story takes a sad turn, his foreign wives turn his heart away from God, and he begins building altars to idols. As a result, God raises up enemies against Solomon, including Jeroboam. God promises to split Solomon’s kingdom after his death and give Israel to Jeroboam. The end of the chapter records Solomon’s death at the end of his 40 year reign.

The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon and admires his wisdom and wealth in the first half of 1 Kings 10. The second half of the chapter describes Solomon’s incredible prosperity, his ivory throne, his annual gold income, and his expeditions to foreign lands to bring back treasures.

God appears to Solomon and gives him instructions for leading the nation of Israel. If Israel obeyed God, they would be blessed among the nations. If Israel failed to obey God, God would allow their temple to be torn down and their nation to fail. The second part of 1 Kings 9 documents some of the notable accomplishments of Solomon during his early to middle reign.

When the construction of the Temple was completed in Jerusalem, Solomon gathered all the leaders of Israel and Judah in the city to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. The majority of 1 Kings 8 is a record of Solomon’s prayer and blessing as he stood before the Temple. The chapter concludes with the king hosting a 7-day feast to commemorate the event.

Solomon built his palace in Jerusalem, several adjoining government buildings, and a house for his wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. The second half of 1 Kings 7 documents the magnificent bronze items built for Temple worship, including the huge metal water basin and the two giant pillars which sat in front of the Temple. The last few verses tell us about the gold furnishings which Solomon made for the interior of the Temple.

1 Kings 6 documents the construction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The building project took 7.5 years to complete, and the final design is described in chapter 6. The length, height, width, interior, and exterior of the Temple are detailed by the writer. It was a magnificent structure which was meant to honor God.

In 1 Kings 5, Solomon makes preparations for building the Temple in Jerusalem. He calls on Hiram, his father’s ally, to help him cut cypress and cedar timbers from the forests of Lebanon. In exchange, Solomon agreed to pay the king of Tyre with huge quantities of wheat and oil, over 1,000,000 gallons annually.

1 Kings 4 records the names of the civil and religious officers who were in place during Solomon’s reign. The second part of the chapter documents the prosperity of the nation of Israel and Judah during this time, and tells of the incredible wisdom of Solomon, which made him famous throughout the world.

1 Kings 3 begins by documenting Solomon’s alliance with Egypt, which resulted in him marrying an Egyptian princess. But the major theme in the chapter is Solomon’s wisdom. God granted Solomon extraordinary wisdom after appearing to him in a dream at Gibeon. Solomon put that wisdom into practice when he was forced to decide a case between two prostitutes, each claiming to be the true mother of a disputed child.