Book of 1 Kings Quiz: Solomon and the Divided Kingdom

1. When God appeared to Solomon at Gibeon and offered him whatever he wished, what did Solomon ask for?

1. 'Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong' — a wise and discerning heart
2. Long life and victory over his enemies — the practical blessings a new king needed most
3. The complete defeat of Israel's enemies — Solomon feared a military threat more than any other challenge
4. Wealth and honour greater than any other king — so Israel would be respected among the nations

2. What famous case demonstrated Solomon's wisdom to all Israel?

1. A man claimed his servant had been stolen by a neighbour — Solomon examined the servant's work habits and determined the true master
2. Two brothers disputed their father's estate — Solomon found a sealed letter the father had hidden, resolving the dispute fairly
3. Two merchants disputed ownership of a cargo ship — Solomon traced the ship's registry and awarded it to the true owner
4. Two women claimed the same living baby — Solomon proposed cutting the baby in two; the real mother gave up her claim to save the baby's life, revealing who was telling the truth

3. How many years did it take to build the temple in Jerusalem, and what was stored in the Most Holy Place?

1. Forty years to match Israel's wilderness wandering; the Ark, the bronze altar and the laver were all stored inside
2. Seven years; only the Ark of the Covenant was stored in the Most Holy Place
3. Three years; the Ark, the table of bread and the golden lampstand were all moved into the Most Holy Place
4. Twenty years; the Ark of the Covenant and the tablets of the law were placed inside it

4. What happened when the Ark was brought into the completed temple?

1. Fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, as it had done at the dedication of the tabernacle
2. God spoke audibly from the Most Holy Place, accepting the temple as his permanent dwelling forever
3. The Ark moved on its own into the Most Holy Place — no human hands carried it through the final threshold
4. The cloud filled the temple — the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple

5. What was the conditional nature of God's promise regarding the temple in 1 Kings 9?

1. 'If you walk before me faithfully... I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever... But if you or your descendants turn away from me... I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple'
2. 'The temple will stand as long as the priesthood is faithful — if the priests apostatize, the building will fall but the people will be preserved'
3. 'This temple will be my house forever — even if Israel sins, my presence will remain here as a witness against them'
4. God promised the temple would stand forever regardless of Israel's behaviour — it was an unconditional sign of his presence

6. What was the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon about, and what was her reaction?

1. She came because she had heard of Solomon's military power — she came as a vassal to submit to his authority
2. She came seeking healing for a disease — Solomon's reputation as a healer had spread to the distant south
3. She came to negotiate a trade agreement — she was overwhelmed by Israel's wealth and offered tribute in exchange for trade rights
4. She came to test Solomon with hard questions and was overwhelmed by his wisdom and the splendour of his kingdom — 'not even half was told me'

7. What was Solomon's great sin that divided the kingdom after his death?

1. He accumulated gold and silver beyond God's limit — becoming more powerful than God had sanctioned for a king
2. He built the navy at Ezion Geber without consulting the priests — a naval programme that displaced the tribe of Asher from their coastal territory
3. He conscripted Israelites for forced labour — violating the principle that Israelites could never be enslaved
4. He married many foreign wives who turned his heart after other gods — he built high places for Chemosh, Molech and others; his heart was not fully devoted to God as David's had been

8. Who led the revolt that divided Israel after Solomon's death, and what was the immediate cause?

1. A military commander who had served under Solomon — he believed the professional army should choose the king rather than hereditary succession
2. Jeroboam son of Nebat — who had already been promised ten tribes by the prophet Ahijah while Solomon was alive
3. Rehoboam's harsh tax response — Jeroboam and all Israel asked Rehoboam to lighten the heavy yoke his father had placed on them; Rehoboam followed the young men's advice to increase the burden, not the elders' advice to reduce it
4. The ten northern tribes collectively rejected Rehoboam because he had taxed them more heavily than Judah during Solomon's reign

9. What was Jeroboam's sin that became a byword through the rest of Kings?

1. He appointed himself high priest — combining kingly and priestly roles in violation of Mosaic law
2. He built a rival temple in Samaria — creating a permanent religious alternative to Jerusalem
3. He made two golden calves and set them in Bethel and Dan saying 'Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt'
4. He murdered Rehoboam's tax collector Adoram — making the division of the kingdom permanent and violent

10. A prophet from Judah was sent to Bethel to condemn Jeroboam's altar. What were the two parts of his message?

1. 'Altar, altar! A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.' The altar split apart and ashes poured out as a sign
2. God would send a drought on the northern kingdom that would last until Jeroboam repented of his golden calves
3. The altar would be torn down immediately and Jeroboam's hand would wither — both happened on the spot
4. The dynasty of Jeroboam would end within his own lifetime — his son would not succeed him

11. Which king of Judah was generally positive — removing the male shrine prostitutes and putting away idols his ancestors had made?

1. Abijam — who united Judah around the temple worship after the division of the kingdom
2. Asa — who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD as David his father had done; he expelled the male shrine prostitutes and removed all the idols his father had made
3. Jehoshaphat — who sought the LORD and not the Baals; he sent Levites throughout Judah to teach the law
4. Rehoboam — he turned to God after the Egyptian invasion of Jerusalem

12. Which northern king established the dynasty that produced the most wicked kings, including Ahab?

1. Baasha — who murdered Jeroboam's son Nadab and seized power; his line was later exterminated as Jeroboam's had been
2. Jeroboam — whose golden calves established the spiritual pattern that every successor followed
3. Omri — who founded the Omride dynasty, built Samaria as the northern capital, and was so powerful that Assyrians later called Israel 'the house of Omri'
4. Zimri — who reigned for only seven days before Omri's supporters made him king

13. What was the overall verdict on the northern kings (Israel) throughout 1 Kings?

1. About half were positive — the northern kings alternated between faithful and faithless in a pattern similar to Judges
2. Every single northern king received the verdict 'he did evil in the eyes of the LORD' — not one was rated positively
3. Most were rated positively because they maintained Israel's independence from Judah and Assyria
4. Three were rated positively: Jeroboam for establishing Israel's independence, Omri for building Samaria, and Jehu for destroying Baal worship

14. Who was Ahab and what made his reign the worst yet in the north?

1. Ahab was a successful military king who won many battles but funded his campaigns by stealing from the temple treasury
2. Ahab was Israel's first king to ally with Assyria — bringing Assyrian gods into the northern kingdom for the first time
3. Ahab was Jeroboam's great-grandson who restored the golden calves in Dan and Bethel after they had been removed
4. Ahab was Omri's son who married Jezebel, daughter of the Phoenician king of Sidon — he built a temple for Baal in Samaria, made an Asherah pole, and 'did more to arouse the anger of the LORD than all the kings of Israel before him'

15. When Elijah announced a drought to Ahab, where did God send him to be fed, and by what unusual means?

1. To a cave in Mount Horeb — where an angel brought him two cakes baked on hot coals and a jar of water
2. To Jericho — where the spring Elijah purified provided water and local farmers secretly supplied food
3. To the Kerith Ravine east of the Jordan — where ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he drank from the brook
4. To the widow of Zarephath — who provided him with a miraculous jar of flour and cruse of oil that never ran out

16. What was the contest on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal?

1. Each side prepared a bull on an altar without fire — whichever god sent fire to consume the sacrifice was the true God. Baal's prophets cried out all day with no answer; Elijah drenched his altar with water and prayed; fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering, wood, stones and soil
2. Elijah and Baal's 450 prophets each tried to heal a sick child — the one whose prayer was answered would be acknowledged as speaking for the living God
3. Elijah challenged Baal's prophets to a debate about theology — the one who gave the most convincing argument would be acknowledged as speaking for the true God
4. Elijah challenged Baal's prophets to call rain — after three days of their failure, Elijah prayed and rain fell

17. After his Mount Carmel victory, what happened to Elijah emotionally, and what did God do?

1. Elijah immediately confronted Ahab about Naboth's vineyard — the Mount Carmel victory gave him boldness to speak out on social justice issues
2. Elijah returned to his hometown and rested — God appeared to him in a dream and commissioned him for the next phase of ministry
3. Elijah was filled with joy and confidence — he toured the northern kingdom preaching repentance after the great victory
4. Jezebel threatened his life and Elijah fled to the wilderness — he sat under a broom tree and asked God to take his life. An angel twice brought him food and said 'Arise and eat, the journey is too great for you'

18. What was the 'still small voice' (or 'gentle whisper') at Mount Horeb, and what did God tell Elijah?

1. God appeared in a burning bush like Moses's encounter — and told Elijah to return and anoint three people: Hazael, Jehu and Elisha
2. God appeared in wind, earthquake and fire sequentially — all dramatic, none containing God's voice; then came a still small voice: God told Elijah he was not alone — 7,000 in Israel had not bowed to Baal
3. God spoke from a dark cloud — telling Elijah that the drought would end and Israel would repent after the Mount Carmel miracle
4. God spoke through an earthquake — telling Elijah that Ahab and Jezebel would die before the year was out

19. What was the Naboth's vineyard incident, and what did Elijah announce as God's judgment?

1. Ahab offered a fair price but Naboth died before the deal was complete — his family contested Ahab's right to the vineyard
2. Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard for a vegetable garden; Naboth refused to sell his ancestral inheritance; Jezebel arranged false charges against Naboth who was stoned to death; Ahab took possession of the vineyard
3. Naboth sold his vineyard to Ahab voluntarily but later demanded it back — Jezebel arranged Naboth's murder to prevent the legal dispute
4. Naboth's sons sold the vineyard after their father's death — Elijah condemned the family for selling ancestral land in violation of the Jubilee laws

20. How did Ahab die, and how was Elijah's prophecy fulfilled?

1. Ahab died in a palace fire set by Jezebel's enemies — dogs licked his blood in the palace courtyard
2. Ahab died of old age — but Elijah's prophecy about dogs licking his blood was fulfilled when his embalmed body was stolen and desecrated
3. Ahab was killed by Jehu the army commander — who drove his chariot over Ahab's body in the vineyard of Naboth, fulfilling the prophecy precisely
4. Ahab was killed in battle at Ramoth Gilead — disguised to avoid prophecy, he was hit by a random arrow. His blood pooled in his chariot; when it was washed at the pool of Samaria, dogs licked his blood