The "blur" of Kings

Date	Day		# of 90	Beginning verse	Ending verse
8-Feb	Mon		25	2 Samuel 20:24	1 Kings 7:2
9-Feb	Tue		26	1 Kings 7:3	1 Kings 14:31
10-Feb	Wed		27	1 Kings 15:1	2 Kings 2:19
11-Feb	Thurs		28	2 Kings 2:20	2 Kings13:24
12-Feb	Fri		29	2 Kings 13:25	2 Kings 23:27
13-Feb	Sat		30	2 Kings 23:28	1 Chronicles 11:14

This is the week that we read the story of all those kings who came after the great King David, a great blur of kings. The history of Israel now falls apart--the kingdom disintegrates into two kingdoms.  David's legacy is ripped apart, and it seems as if God could be finished with this little band of unruly tribes.  But, no!  Throughout the rest of the story, God is working, little-by-little, with the kings who are faithful to the Lord, to give hope to the people.  When the king obeys God, good things happen, by and large.  When the king is unfaithful, suffering ensues.  It seems that we're not supposed to remember much about each king, except whether or not they were faithful to God or not.

By the end of this week, you will be ONE THIRD  finished.  Is God's story coming through?
For those of you having difficulties with the violence of these stories, think on this question:  What might be the difference between how God is portrayed in the text, vs. the God behind and in back of the text?

Keep up the shoveling...(ahem!) I mean, reading. 











Left: King Solomon holding a replica of the temple he built in Jerusalem