Foreword
The Story of Prophets and Kings is the second in a series of five
outstanding volumes spanning sacred history. It was, however, the
last book of the series to be written, and the last of many rich works
to come from the gifted pen of Ellen G. White. Through her seventy
years of speaking and writing in America and abroad, Mrs. White
ever kept before the public the larger significance of the events of
history, revealing that in the affairs of men are to be detected the
unseen influences of righteousness and evil—the hand of God and the
work of the great adversary.
The author with deep insight in providential workings draws the
curtain aside and reveals a philosophy of history by which the events
of the past take on eternal significance. She expressed this philosophy
in this way:
“The strength of nations and of individuals is not found in the
opportunities and facilities that appear to make them invincible; It is
not found in their boasted greatness. That which alone can make them
great or strong is the power and purpose of God. They themselves by
their attitude toward His purpose, decide their own destiny.
“Human histories relate man’s achievements, his victories in battle,
his success in climbing to worldly greatness. God’s history describes
man as heaven views him.”
This volume, Prophets and Kings, opens with the account of
Solomon’s glorious reign over Israel, a united kingdom, with the
temple of Jehovah—the center of true worship. Here are traced the
vicissitudes of a favored and chosen people, torn between allegiance
to God and serving the gods of the nations about them. And here
are seen vividly, through a crucial period of this world’s history, the
dramatic evidences of the raging conflict between Christ and Satan for
the hearts and allegiance of men.
The book abounds in fascinating character studies—the wise
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Solomon, whose wisdom did not keep him from transgression;
Jeroboam, the self-serving man of policy, and the evil results which
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