The Divided Kingdom of Israel

The Divided Kingdom of Israel 

 (Part 1)

Steve W. Reeves

INTRODUCTION:

A. Most of us who are familiar with American history have some knowledge of the Civil

    War (1861- 1865).

   1. Eleven southern states seceded from the Union.

    2. Ultimately there were as many as 750,000 soldiers killed. To this day the Civil War

       remains the deadliest conflict in American history.                                          

    3. The Civil War did not happen accidentally. There were several factors that led to  

       the tension between the northern and southern states. Foremost among these

       issues was slavery and its impact on western states being added to the counrry.

       Eventually these tensions led to the first shot being fired at Fort Sumter in South

       Carolina in April of 1861.

B. Ancient Israel divided into northern and southern kingdoms approximately 920 years

    before Christ. Although there was never a “civil war” between them there was much

    hostility. Like the division that occurred in the United States the division of Israel into

    northern and southern kingdoms had several underlying causes.

C. In this lesson and the one to follow our aim is to explore the backgrounds of the

    divided kingdom and become familiar with an outline of their history.

I. THE BEGINNINGS OF ISRAEL

    A. The promise to Abraham.

       1. Genesis 12:2-3 - “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you,
           and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; ³ and I will bless

           those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. and in you all the

           families of the earth will be blessed.”

       2. Abraham’s descendants increased through the linage of Isaac and Jacob.

           (Genesis 18 – 34). Jacob’s twelve sons became heads of “tribes.”

       3. In the narrative of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) Jacob, his sons and their families

           moved to Egypt where they became a great nation, “But the sons of Israel were

           fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so

           that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7).

    B. When a new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, (Exodus 1:8) he began to

       impose hard labor on the Israelites to control their population. When this did not

       work he issued an order that all male babies were to be thrown into the Nile river.

       1. God raised up His servant, Moses, to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Through a

           series of miraculous signs (plagues) Pharaoh was persuaded to let the Israelites

           leave Egypt. A short time later he changed his mind and pursued them, only to

           be drowned at the Red Sea.

       2. As Israel made their way from Egypt toward Canaan God miraculously provided   

           them with food and water. Because of their lack of faith the Israelites wandered

           in the wilderness for forty years during which God gave His law (Ten

           Commandments) to the people and the faithless generation died off.

    C. Under the leadership of Joshua the Israelites crossed into the promised land of

       Canaan and subdued its inhabitants. After Joshua’s death the Israelites were

       governed by a succession of judges who would lead them in battle against their

       enemies and serve as rulers. During this time of Israel’s history there was great

       lawlessness. The concluding verse of the book of Judges (21:25) states, “In those

       days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

II. THE UNITED MONARCHY

    A. Samuel was the last of the judges. In the final years of his life he appointed his

       sons as successors. Samuel’s sons, however, did not follow the righteous ways of

       their father. Ultimately the people of Israel began to demand a king to reign over

       them.

       1. 1 Samuel 8:4-6 – “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to

           Samuel at Ramah; ⁵ and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your

           sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the

           nations.” ⁶ But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said,

           “Give us a king to judge us.”

       2. When Samuel prayed to the Lord concerning the matter God assured him that

           the people were not rejecting him (Samuel) but they were rejecting God from

           being their king. According to God, the people were following in the steps of

           their ancestors who had repeatedly rejected Him (1 Samuel 8:7-8).

    B. Samuel’s warning to the people.

       1. God instructed Samuel to warn the people of the consequences of their choice     

           (1 Samuel 8:9).

       2. This warning is recorded in 1 Samuel 8:10-18, “So Samuel spoke all the words of   

           the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. ¹¹ He said, “This will be the

           procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place

           them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before

           his chariots. ¹² He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties,

           and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of

           war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters for

           perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and your

           vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a

           tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his

           servants. ¹⁶ He will also take your male servants and your female servants and

           your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take

           a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸ Then you

           will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for

           yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

        3. The specific warnings were:

           a. Conscription of sons into military and government service (vss.11-12).

           b. Daughters used as workers, cooks and bakers (vs. 13).

           c. Seizure of property (vs. 14). 

           d. Taxation of one tenth along with animals and servants (vss. 15-17).

           e. The people would cry out because of the burdens put upon them by the king

               but God would not hear (vs. 18).

    C. In spite of God’s warnings the people were determined to have a king. 1 Samuel

       8:20 lists the reasons they wanted a king.

       1. To be like the nations around them.

       2. To judge over them.

       3. To fight their battles.  

    D. The first three kings of Israel reigned over a united kingdom.  

       1. Saul (1 Samuel 9 – 31). Reigned from approximately 1050 to 1010 B.C.

       2. David (1 Samuel 16 – 1 Kings 2). Reigned from 1010 to 960 B.C.

       3. Solomon (1 Kings 2 – 11). Reigned from 960 – 920 B.C.

    E. Characteristics of the united kingdom of Israel.

       1. Unification of tribes.

       2. Acquisition of territory.

       3. Accumulation of wealth.

       4. Military power.

       5. Importance of worship.  

III. TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON

    A. Solomon’s reign began with great promise.

       1. He asked for a received great wisdom.

       2. His wealth and wisdom accumulated abundantly (1 Kings 4:20-34).

    B. Later in his life Solomon turned away from God because of his love for foreign

       women. This is described in 1 Kings 11:1-6. “Now King Solomon loved many

       foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite,

       Sidonian, and Hittite women, ² from the nations concerning which the Lord had said

       to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate

       with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held

       fast to these in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred

       concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. ⁴ For when Solomon was old, his

       wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted

       to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ For Solomon went

       after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of

       the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not

       follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.”

       1. Solomon, the man who built the glorious temple of Yahweh the God of Israel, fell

           away from God and built places of worship to idols.  

       2. This was done to appease his foreign wives (1 Kings 11: 8).

    C. Because Solomon turned away from the Lord, God told him, “Because you have

       done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have

       commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your

       servant” (1 Kings 11:11).

       1. God promised He would not do this during Solomon’s life for David’s sake (1

           Kings 11:12).

       2. God also promised that He would not tear the entire kingdom away for the sake

           of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:13).

       3. God raised up foreign kings who opposed Solomon in his laterr years.

           a. Hadad of Edom (1 Kings 11:14-22).

           b. Rezon (1 Kings 11:23-25).

           c. Jeroboam (1 Kings 26-40).

              1.) Appointed commander over all forced labor (vs.28).

              2.) Received ten pieces of the prophet Ahijah’s torn cloak to represent ten

                   tribes that would be torn from Israel and given to him (vss. 29 -39).

              3.) Opposed by Solomon (vs. 40).

CONCLUSION:

A. When Solomon died the seeds of division were sown as Jeroboam’s influence

    increased and Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, lost the favor and support of Israel.

B. In the next lesson we will consider the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 12 and 2

    Chronicles 10:1-19) and summarize the respective histories of the northern (Israel)

    and southern (Judah) kingdoms.

  

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