The Book of Kings

There is a contrast between David and Solomon in the Deuteronomistic history which is parallel to a contrast between Abraham and Moses in the Pentateuch. The relationship between God and David and God and Abraham is an unconditional relationship. In Genesis 15 Yahweh makes the covenant with himself and is thus dependent on his own faithfulness entirely (the oneness of God/Trinity), which contrasts the Sinai covenant which is between Yahweh and the people of Israel; the blessing of the Sinai covenant is dependent on the obedience of Israel (Deut 28).

Even though Abraham relates to God in an unconditional covenant, one of the last things Yahweh says about Abraham is that he "obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" (Gen 26:5). Yet Moses, the one given the commandments, statutes, and laws of the Sinai covenant is not able to enter the promised land.

Likewise, David is said to have walked blamelessly before Yahweh in spite of his many failures recorded in Samuel:

"Yahweh dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his rules were before me, and from his status I did not turn aside. I was blameless before him, and kept myself from guilt. And Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight" (2 Sam 22:21-25).

This is because Yahweh relates to David with an unconditional covenant, an unconditional promise not dependent on David. This covenant which is not dependent on David following the commandments and statutes of Yahweh - like the covenant with Abraham - is precisely the reason he is able to fulfill the statues and commandments of Yahweh.

In contrast, the covenant with Solomon is conditional:

"But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them..." (1 Kings 9:6-7)

Thus Solomon fails to please Yahweh (1 Kings 11:9-10).

Kings then tells the story of the subsequent kings of Israel and Judah, and when a king fails to fulfill the commandments of Yahweh one of two things may happen; either Yahweh will be gracious "for the sake of David" (e.g. 1 Kings 11:12) or else he will punish "because the people of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God..." (2 Kings 17:7-13).

The question arises: which covenant is Yahweh judging the kingdom according to?

It seems that ultimately Israel has been judged by a conditional covenant, since the story ends with their exile. Yet biblically, the exile is sanctification; it is bringing Israel into holiness, and the reader can understand that both covenants are simultaneously fulfilled; the wrath and punishment is the purification and salvation of Israel, as Jeremiah is quite clear in expressing:

“Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, I will save you from far away,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
¹¹ For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
I will make a full end of all the nations
among whom I scattered you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished." (Jer 30:10-11)