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Rebirth from Temple

As I've discussed in a previous post (and, more fully, in a forthcoming article in the Tyndale Bulletin), Kings is organized by three parallel narratives: the story of the united kingdom (Solomon to Zedekiah and Jehoiachin); the northern kingdom (Jeroboam to the fall of Samaria and the destruction of Bethel); and the Omride dynasty (Omri to Jehu). Each of these ends with a Davidic revival: After Jehu comes Joash; after the fall of Samaria comes Hezekiah; after the fall of Jerusalem comes Jehoiachin's exaltation. In the first two of these rebirths the temple plays a prominent role: Joash gestates in the temple for seven years before the Davidic dynasty is reborn, and Hezekiah (alone among the Kings in 1-2 Kings) goes into the temple to pray and spends a good part of his reign fixing the temple. This pattern does not hold for the end of Kings, but the connection is noticeable in the other two narratives: The temple is a means for the rebirth of the house of David.

Solomon Among the Postmoderns

The Baptized Body

1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary

The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter

A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons

Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature

Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen

The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism

A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel

Against Christianity

From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution

Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy

Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper

A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament

Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature

Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays

Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life

The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church