10: 1 & 2 Kings: What Happens to God's Promises When Everything Falls Apart?

From Solomon's wisdom to the fall of Jerusalem, 1 and 2 Kings chronicles hundreds of years of Israel's monarchy—and wrestles with one of the Bible's most haunting theological questions: what happens to God's promises when everything falls apart? Cameron Howard, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, joins hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jennifer Wojciechowski to unpack the sweeping narrative of the divided kingdom, tracing the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah from the heights of Solomon's reign to the devastating exile in Babylon.Along the way, Cameron illuminates the prophetic power of Elijah and Elisha, the palace intrigue and moral failures that drove Israel toward disaster, and the thread of divine faithfulness that runs through even the darkest chapters of the story. Themes of accountability, justice, and God's persistent presence make 1 and 2 Kings essential reading—not just as ancient history, but as a theological reflection on what it means to live faithfully before a God who cares deeply about how we conduct ourselves in the world.