The Kingdom Fractures The Divided Kingdom Period

The Kingdom Fractures

From - 1 & 2 Kings Like the books of Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings were originally one book. The division into two books was first made in the LXX, and then in the Vulgate.

Author  The author of 1 and 2 Kings is unknown, although Jewish tradition ascribes the work to the prophet Jeremiah.  All that can be said with certainty is that Kings was compiled from various sources and written from a prophetic perspective.

Author The author mentions three primary sources: 1.The “book of the acts of Solomon,” (11:41) from the Temple archives. 2.The “book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel,” (14:19; 15:7) from the official state archives. 3.The “book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah,” (14:29; 15:7) from the royal archives.

Date  The grammar and style of the Hebrew and the contents of the books of Kings indicate that the work was completed during the Babylonian captivity.  Kings was mostly likely completed after 561 B.C. since this is the date of the last recorded event. (2 Kings 25:27-30)  1 Kings covers the 120 years from the beginning of Solomon’s reign in 971 B.C. through Ahaziah’s reign ending in 851` B.C.

Outline of 1-2 Kings I.United Kingdom: Solomon’s Reign (1 Kings 1-11) II.Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12 through 2 Kings 17) III.Kingdom of Judah Alone (2 Kings 18-25)

A History of Israel Patriarchs BC Exodus1290 (13 th Cen.) Conquest (begins)1250 Time of Judges1200 Saul1020 David1000 Solomon961 Division of Kingdom922 Fall of Israel721 Fall of Judah587

The Divided Kingdom Significant Rulers

Reasons for the Division of the Kingdom 1.Solomon’s unfaithfulness to God: (examples Foreign wives and foreign gods) (1 Kings 11 & 2 Chron. 10) 2.Policy of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12; 2 Chron. 10) 3.Heavy taxation under Solomon to finance his building projects (1 Kings 12:4; 2 Chron. 10).

Reasons for the Division of the Kingdom 4.Utilized forced labor (1Kings 9:15; 2 Chron. 10:4). 5.Jealousy among the tribes (1Kings 9:16; 2 Chron. 10:16). 6.No outside threat to unify the people.

Northern: Jeroboam I Dates: BC Reign: 22 Years o Served as a cabinet member under Solomon; escaped to Egypt. o Led the revolt of the ten Northern tribes o His false religion cause Israel to sin o His pagan altar was destroyed; his arm was paralyzed, and his son stricken by God for his sin.

Northern: Jeroboam I o He was defeated in battle by Abijah, the second king of Judah. o He was stricken with a plague from God and died.

Northern: Omri (6) Dates: B.C. Reign: 12 years  He made Samaria the northern capital.  He was the most powerful king up to his time.  He arranged the marriage of his son Ahab to Jezebel.

Northern: Ahab (7) Dates: B.C. Reign: 22 years 1.He married Jezebel. 2.His Baal worshiping practices caused a great famine to fall upon the land. 3.He was allowed to defeat the Syrians on two occasions. 4.He tricked king Jehoshaphat (Judah) into a matrimonial and military compromise.

Ahab 5.His death for his sins was predicted by three prophets. 6.The death of Jezebel, his wife, was also predicted by Elijah. 7.He was killed in a battle with Syria.

Northern: Jehu (10) Dates: B.C. Reign: 28 years He was anointed by a messenger from Elisha. He was known for his bloodletting. He executed: Judah’s king Ahaziah; the northern king Jehoram; Jezebel; Ahab’s 70 sons, relatives, and friends; 42 royals princes of Judah; and numerous Baal worshipers.

Northern: Jeroboam II (13) Dates: B.C. Reign 41 years  He ruled longer than any other northern king.  He was one of the most powerful kings of the north.  He recovered much of Israel’s lost territory.

Southern: Rehoboam (1) Dates: B.C. Reign: 17 years  Was the son of Solomon.  His stupidity and tactlessness sparked the civil war.  He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines.  His favorite wife was Maachah, the evil daughter of Absalom.  He sees his capital, Jerusalem, invaded by Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt.

Southern: Jehoshaphat (4) Dates: B.C. Reign: 25 years  He instituted a national religious education program by sending out teachers of the word of God.  He marred his testimony by compromising with three ungodly, northern kings.  He appointed a religious director and a civil director.  When Jerusalem was threatened by a massive Moabite invasion, God heard his prayer and supernaturally intervened.

Southern: Athaliah (7) Dates: B.C. Reign: 6 years  Took over after her son, Ahaziah, was killed by Jehu, and slaughtered all the royal seed but Joash, who was hidden from her.  She was executed after six years.

Southern: Uzziah (10) Dates: B.C. Reign: 52 years  He was a mighty warrior and builder.  He attempted to intrude on the office of the priesthood and was punished for this with leprosy.

Southern: Ahaz (12) Dates: B.C. Reign: 16 years o Probably the second worst king of Judah. o He sacrificed his own children to devil gods. o He ordered the construction of a pagan Assyrian altar and placed it in the Temple.

Southern: Hezekiah (13) Dates: B.C. Reign: 29 years  Judah’s second best king, and the richest of all.  He repaired the Temple and organized several musical groups.  He held the greatest Passover celebration since Solomon.

Hezekiah  He saw the death Angel defeat the Assyrian enemies that had surrounded Jerusalem.  God healed him of a terminal disease, giving him another 15 years.  He wrote fifteen of the Psalms.  Foolishly showed the wealth of Judah to Babylonian ambassadors.

Southern: Manasseh (14) Dates: B.C. Reign: 55 years  Ruled longer than any other king, north or south.  The most wicked king of all.

Southern: Josiah (16) Dates: B.C. Reign: 31 years  Godliest king since David.  Judah’s last godly king.  A book of the Law was discovered when renovating the Temple.  This sparked a great revival.  He conducted a larger Passover celebration than Hezekiah’s.  He was killed in battle with the Egyptians.

Southern: Jehoiachin (19) Dates: 598 B.C. Reign: 3 months Grandson of Josiah. He incurred a curse from God, banning his sons from the throne. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah predicted that he would carried off into Babylonian Captivity. He was exiled away after Nebuchadnezzer’s second visit, which also carried away Ezekiel. He eventually died in Babylon.