1. CHAPTER 15 A Divided People: Israel, the Northern Kingdom

2. The leaders of Israel and Judah fail their people. Jeroboam and Rehoboam turned away from the covenant. They worshipped false gods. They appointed false priests.

3. Solomon’s kingdom was divided Solomon’s choices led him away from God. People were unhappy with heavy taxes and work. Solomon failed to keep the covenant, thus the kingdom was no longer his to rule. When Solomon’s son Rehoboam kept the heavy taxes and other burdens, the northern tribes refused his leadership. The 10 northern tribes became the kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam; the 2 southern tribes became the kingdom of Judah under Rehoboam.

4. Idolatry Idolatry is giving worship to a creature or thing instead of God.

5. Kings of the Northern Kingdom The northern kings, especially Ahab, ignored the prophets and did not live justly. Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, worshipped a false god named Baal and had worshipers of the one true God killed. Ahab had built a temple to Baal in Samaria, the capital city in the northern kingdom. Ahab used false priests and prophets as advisors.

6. Prophets proclaimed God’s faithfulness. God sent prophets to tell the people to be faithful to the covenant and live just lives. They called people to be faithful to God just as God was faithful to them. Elijah and Elisha spoke God’s word to the people. Elijah was the first prophet God sent to the Northern Kingdom during the time of King Ahab. Elijah means “Yahweh is my God”. Elijah anointed Elisha to do God’s work too.

7. After King Ahab Two of Ahab’s sons followed as king after Ahab died. Neither son was successful because their mother Jezebel was too powerful. A general named Jehu killed most of Ahab’s family and also destroyed the places where false gods were worshipped. The northern kingdom was freed from the worship of false gods. Jehoash then became king and restored a period of power and prosperity. Under his son, Jehoboam II, Israel regained land and restored peace with Judah.

8. Problems in Israel Success and prosperity did not continue for all people. Some Israelites were rich while others were poor. Many lived a hard life and the government did little or nothing to make it better. Along with these injustices, many people once again had a weak faith. They continued to worship false gods.

9. The Downfall and Destruction of Israel Israel’s power and prosperity vanished due to the rise of a new power – the nation of Assyria. In 724 B.C. the king of Assyria attacked Israel and took over the countryside. He captured the king of Israel and took all of the land except the capital city of Samaria. Over 27,000 Israelites were deported or sent away to Mesopotamia and other places to live as slaves. They became known as the “ten lost tribes of Israel”.

10. Destruction of the Northern Kingdom This experience shows that sinfulness does not lead to life. Faithfulness to God and to one another is necessary for living as God calls us to live.

11. The Prophet Amos Elijah and Elisha did not leave any written records, yet the prophet Amos did. His message can be found in the Book of Amos, one of the prophetic books of the Bible. Amos’ message challenged the people because the people claimed to love God, but their actions proved otherwise. Amos’s message was that Israel’s only hope for salvation was to act justly. Amos explained that actions must show justice.

12. The Prophet Amos continued.. People ignored Amos’ message so Amos’ predicted that Israel would be punished. His prediction came true when Assyria took over Israel.

13. The Prophet Hosea Hosea was another prophet that lived around the time of Amos. His message is written in the Book of Hosea, a prophetic book in the Bible. Hosea’s story is about his love for his wife, Gomer. Gomer was not faithful to Hosea, yet Hosea loved her so much that he remained faithful. Hosea said that God felt the same way about Israel. God would not abandon Israel even though the people were unfaithful.

14. The Prophet Hosea continued… Hosea felt the people of Israel showed their lack of faith through their idolatry and their injustices to the poor. His message was to live just lives and be faithful to God.