Rogues in royal robes

Most Christians are aware of King David & his son, Solomon, but as to who succeeded them, possibly with the exception of Ahab, little is generally known. It is this lack of knowledge that the book addresses. One problem is that the dates of the Kings’ reigns are not easy to determine. This is addressed, & the author goes into some detail of the methodology used by Professor Thiele. It is shown that the books of Kings and Chronicles are both historically accurate. It is in Ch. 2 where there is a most interesting and distinctive map, showing the size of present day Israel in relation to the UK. Various other matters are covered. One of them is the problem of place names, such as the Northern Kingdom being sometimes called 'Samaria'. Another issue is of the names and locations of the capital cities of the Northern Kingdom, which were apt to change. The reason for the hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans, is explained, together with an interesting observation about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It will be recalled that this parable’s origin was the lawyer’s question: “And who is my neighbour?” At the end of the story, in response to Jesus’ question as to who was the neighbour to the man who fell among the thieves, the lawyer said: “He that shewed mercy on him”. Notice that he could not, even then, bring himself to use the word “Samaritan”! This book’s value is that it not only makes the OT Kings better known, but that it resolves several potential misunderstandings.

The Bible is without parallel in its uncompromising, 3 dimensional, warts-&-all portraits of its patriarchs, kings, & prophets. Sadly, the
histories the kings of Israel & Judah hold little interest for many Christians, apart from those of David, Solomon, & a few of the ‘better’ kings whose lives are recorded in the books of Kings and Chronicles. A. J. Monty White’s brief, readable, & engaging review of some of Israel’s worst royals helps to plug the gap in the literature relating to the kings of Israel. Drawing on biography, history, linguistics, archaeology, & the Bible itself, he provides neglected & overlooked details, demonstrating that Kings & Chronicles, far from being myth & legend, are sober history. For example, we find that Omri (one of Israel’s worst monarchs, whose reign the Bible dismisses in six verses of 1 Kings), was possibly a powerful non-Israelite mercenary about whom more is known from archaeology than from the Bible. The author helps Bible readers make some sense of the complex & confusing chronologies of Kings & Chronicles. He explains who the ‘rogues’ were, what made them so bad, & the consequences of their evil. Under the short & oppressive reign of Queen Athalia, for example, the kingdom of Judah sank so low that the house of David almost disappeared, threatening to bring an end to the Messianic hope. The book ends with a Messianic focus on great David’s greater Son. This book should be on the shelves of all who want to understand the Bible better.