1 Kings related passages

Within the Bible

• Previous: Second Samuel ends with David’s reign and God’s covenant promise of an everlasting throne. First Kings opens with David’s death and Solomon’s succession, and the building of the temple David longed to build.
• Next: Second Kings continues the parallel histories of Israel and Judah through the ministry of Elisha down to the fall of both kingdoms into exile, the disaster Kings was written to explain.
• Thematic Connections:
  • 2 Chronicles 1-20 - Retells Solomon’s reign and Judah’s kings with emphasis on the temple and true worship.
  • Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon - The wisdom literature traditionally associated with Solomon, the fruit of his God-given wisdom.
  • Malachi 4:5-6; Luke 1:17 - The promise that Elijah would come, fulfilled in John the Baptist.

Cross-Testament Connections

First Kings supplies types and expectations fulfilled in Christ:

• Greater than Solomon: Jesus is the wise Son of David whose glory and reign surpass Solomon’s, and to whom the nations come (Matthew 12:42).
• The true temple: The temple filled with God’s glory foreshadows Christ, God dwelling with us, and the church as His temple (John 2:19-21; Ephesians 2:21-22; Revelation 21:22).
• Elijah and John the Baptist: Elijah’s ministry of repentance and confrontation prepares the pattern for John, who comes in his spirit and power (Luke 1:17).
• The prophet’s word fulfilled: The certainty of the prophetic word in Kings points to Jesus, the Word made flesh, in whom all God’s promises are Yes (John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:20).
• The Prince of Peace: Solomon’s reign of shalom foreshadows the everlasting peace of Christ’s kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7; Ephesians 2:14).