Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

1. Why did the kingdoms of Judah and Israel split? 2. Did either, both or neither kingdom follow God? 3. Did either, both or neither kingdom maintain the lines of priests and Levites? 4. Why are the stories of the kings different in Kings and in Chronicles? 5. What is the significance of Jeroboam’s golden calves, and how do they relate to oxen? 6. Who was killed by a lion? 7. What’s the connection between King Nadab and the next king Baasha? 8. What happened to Jeroboam’s family under Baasha, and Baasha’s (Elah’s) under Zimri? 9. How did Zimri die? 10. Who were Tibni and Omri and why is Omri famous? The second half of 1 Kings, together with 2 Kings (2 books since they wouldn’t fit in one scroll) tells the story of God’s people from the time of Solomon to the captivity in Babylon. The two books of Chronicles tell the (much longer) story from Genesis to the return from exile. The books are probably compiled and written from combinations of the same and different source materia

1. Who built the Solomon’s Temple? 2. How long did it take to build the Temple and how long to build the palace? 3. What has the Bible got to say about the value of pi? 4. Did Solomon believe God only cared for Israelites? 5. Who is the Queen of Sheba? 6. How many concubines did Solomon have? 7. How many times did God appear to Solomon? 8. Why did the prophet Ahijah tear the robe into twelve pieces? 9. What is “the book of the acts of Solomon?” 10. How did Solomon lose God’s favor? In common with many great rulers of the time, King Solomon was a writer and is credited with writing the book of Proverbs (a very practical comparison of the value of pursuing wisdom as opposed to the danger of pursuing folly), the Song of Solomon (a love song, sometimes interpreted as allegorical of God’s relationship with mankind, sometimes as a poem written for one of Solomon’s many weddings) and Ecclesiastes (often considered a rather sad volume, thought the more recent translation of “vanity”