HISTORY OF ISRAEL

TNDL: History of Israel

Times of Israel series
The Divided Kingdom
—And the great apostasy
Time ~ 6. Kingdom Divided
Span ~ 200 years
Books ~ 2Kings, 2Chronicles, Isaiah, Amos, Jonah, Hosea, Micah
Figures ~ Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah
Begins with ~ Rebellion of the ten tribes
Ascendant empire ~ Assyria
Over a thousand years has passed since the times of Israel began. We have been through the times of the Promises to Abraham, Bondage in Egypt, Wandering in the Wilderness, Conquest of Canaan, Kingdom of David, and now we have entered the time of the Kingdom Divided.
1 A Nation Split in Two
The nation of Israel became two separate kingdoms.
Israel had seen division before. After Solomon's death, however, the division became pronounced and longstanding.
Solomon's son Rehoboam took the throne in Jerusalem.But he lacked the skill to keep Israel united as previous kings had done, nor would he listen to advice.
So ten tribes rebelled against him, and a second kingdom was formed with Solomon's servant Jeroboam as king.
The books of Kings and Chronicles record the reigns of successive kings in both kingdoms. Many of these kings were wicked, but some were good and godly.
The break away kingdom of the ten tribes retained the name ISRAEL, whilst the smaller kingdom that remained around Jerusalem was known as JUDAH.
2 The Main Point
Behind this story is the now familiar principle that God punishes unrepented disobedience, and often used the wicked to punish the wicked. Solomon's sin is being punished by having the greater part of the kingdom torn away from his house by his own servant, who was by no means a righteous man himself. Another equally important principle is that sin and disobedience destroy unity and divide the people of God.
3 Bible Summary (1Kings 11-16)