1 Kings: From Glory to Ruin — Welwyn Commentary Series

Welwyn Commentary Series 1 Kings traces the history of God's people from the heights of glory and prosperity enjoyed during the reign of Solomon, through the subsequent division into separate northern and southern kingdoms, and on to the dark days of Elijah's lone stand on Mount Carmel against the worshippers of the false God Baal and its aftermath. The example of Solomon and those who followed him stands as a stark warning to Christians today of the serious consequences of disobedience to God's revealed Word. But 1 Kings is not only a book about human failure. It is also a book about God's sovereign purpose, which cannot be thwarted by human disobedience. In the story of the kings of Israel and Judah, as in all the Old Testament narrative, we see God pointing people to the coming King of whom Solomon, in all his splendour, was only a faint and imperfect picture.