The Divided Kingdom

1 Kings 12-2 Chronicles 36

1 Kings 1-11 record the events of Solomon’s life and reign

1 Kings 12-2 Kings 25 record the dividing of the kingdom following Solomon’s deathThis book clearly reveals that God is faithful to

His word in judging His people for their disobedience and idolatry

Both Israel and Judah were taken captive by foreign nations in this book, illustrating that what God had warned about in Leviticus and Deuteronomy would indeed take place

Purpose of 1 and 2 Kings

1 Kings Key Chapter-12

Dividing of the Kingdom Key word- Division Key Date- 931 BC Years Covered- 125 Characters

Solomon Rehoboam Jeroboam Ahab Jezebel Elijah Asa Jehoshaphat

Key Chapters 17- Records the fall of the

Northern Kingdom 25- Records the fall of the

Southern Kingdom Key Dates-721 BC,605 BC,586

BC Key Word- Captivity Years Covered 256 Characters

Elisha Jehu Jeroboam II Hezekiah Manasseh

Key Words and Dates

2 Kings

1 kingsBegins with King DavidOpens with Solomon’s GloryBegins with blessing of

obedienceTraces the progress of

apostasyShows how kings failed to

rule God’s people Introduces ElijahEmphasizes the Patience of

the Lord

Ends with the king o Babylon Closes with Jehhoiachin’s shame Ends with cursing for

disobedience Closes with the burning of the

temple Describes the consequences of

apostasy Depicts consequences of that

failure Introduces Elisha Confirms the Lord’s sure

punishment for sin

1 and 2 Kings in Contrast

2 kings

Southern Kingdom of Judah

Jeroboam

10

209 years

9

20- not one Godly king

Samaria

Assyria

721 BC

Hoshea

Rehoboam

2

345 years

1

20- 5 revival kings

Jerusalem

Babylonia

586 BC

Zedekiah

Comparison of the Two KingdomsNORTHERN KINGDOM

OF ISRAEL• First King

• # of Tribes

• Duration

• Dynasties

• # of Kings

• Capital

• Conquered By

• Conquered in

• Last King

 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah

the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak ; and both of them

were alone in the field.  Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve

pieces. He said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces ; for thus says the LORD, the God of

Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for

the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel ),

1 Kings 11:29-32

The Dividing of the Kingdom

He was the oldest, and perhaps the only son of Solomon, and had been, doubtless, designated by his father heir to the throne, as Solomon had been by David

The incident here related took place after the funeral obsequies of the late king and the period for public mourning had past

When all Israel came to make him king, it was not to exercise their old right of election ( 1 Samuel 10:19-21 ), for, after God's promise of the perpetual sovereignty to David's posterity, their duty was submission to the authority of the rightful heir; but their object was, when making him king, to renew the conditions and stipulations to which their constitutional kings were subject ( 1 Samuel 10:25 )

Rehoboam went to Shechem

The splendor of Solomon's court and the magnitude of his undertakings being such, that neither the tribute of dependent states, nor the presents of foreign princes, nor the profits of his commercial enterprises, were adequate to carry them onHe had been obliged, for obtaining the necessary

revenue, to begin a system of heavy taxation The people looked only to the burdens, not to the

benefits they derived from Solomon's peaceful and prosperous reignThe evils from which they demanded deliverance were

civil oppressions, not idolatry, to which they appear to have been indifferent or approving

Jeroboam comes to Rehoboam

The revolt was accomplished, and yet so quietly, that Rehoboam remained in Shechem, fancying himself the sovereign of a united kingdom, until his chief tax gatherer, who had been most imprudently sent to treat with the people, had been stoned to death

This opened his eyes, and he fled for security to Jerusalem

Rehobaom retained rule over Judah and BenjaminJeroboam ruled the northern 10 tribes

Israel revolts and makes Jeroboam King

The Golden calves themselves were probably not to be seen as pagan idols but as the animals on whose back stood the invisible god, unseen by the eyes of the worshipersA calf was placed at both Dan and at Bethel to

make worship more convenient for the peopleJeroboam also instituted a non-Levitical order

of priests and a new feast in the 8th month that rivaled the Feast of Tabernacles2 Chronicles 11:27 records that these spiritual

reforms caused a mass exodus of true priest and believers south to Judah

Jeroboam and the Golden Calves

Ahab was an evil King, the worst of all1 Kings 16:30,32-33He marries Jezebel

Jezebel’s name means “where is the prince”(Baal)

Elijah predicts drought-1 Kings 17:1-24Elijah is fed by ravensElijah and the widow of ZarephathElijah raises the widow’s son

Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah

Elijah reproves Ahab- 1 Kings 18Contest on Mt Carmel against the priests of Baal

Elijah prays for rainElijah flees from Jezebel – 1 Kings 19

Jezebel was upset about the slaying of the priests of BaalElijah is ministered to by the Angel of the Lord

The Call of Elisha- 1 Kings 19:19-21Elijah pronounces Ahab's Doom-126 Kings 21:17

Death of Ahab- 1 Kings 22:29-40

Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah

Elijah and Elisha ministered as prophets of God during these dark days in the Northern KingdomThe Northern Kingdom not only worshipped

the Golden Calves but also began worshipping Baal, under the influence of Ahab and Jezebel

The life of Elijah and Elisha are found throughout 1 and 2 Kings

Elijah and Elisha

Between them, Elijah and Elisha prophesied for 50-80 yearsElijah means "Yahweh is my god” Elijah prophesied while Ahab was king and Jezebel was

queenBaal was thought to be the god of rain but when Elijah

proclaimed a drought, Baal was found to be impotentRavens fed Elijah twice a day during the drought

Poor people were fortunate to eat one meal a dayZarephath in Sidon was deep in Baal country (Jezebel was

also from Sidon). In a patriarchal society, widows were particularly vulnerable,

but when Elijah asked her for help, she was willing to oblige When the widow's son died, Elijah prayed and God restored him

Elijah and Elisha

Ahab and his servant were out looking for grass for their cattle, when the servant met Elijah Ahab's servant had hidden 100 of Yahweh's prophets from Ahab

Ahab blamed the drought on Elijah, calling him a troublemaker for Israel. Elijah proposed a contest between Yahweh and hundreds of Baal's best

prophets Mount Carmel was about 17 miles away from Jezreel The people in attendance were very confused, not knowing which god

to follow When Baal didn't answer his prophets, Elijah mocked him, saying

maybe he was sleeping and they should yell louder Elijah doused his altar with water: he didn't want anyone to think it

happened spontaneously Yahweh answered Elijah's simple prayer without the need for

incantations or rituals Part of Elijah's prayer was that the people would be converted, that

they would see and follow the true God In this "winners take all" contest, Baal's prophets were killed

Elijah and Elisha

Following this demonstration of Yahweh's power, the drought ended Elijah raced Ahab home, so convinced was he that the "war" was

over Elijah misjudged Jezebel's anger and resolve, so he ran for his life

to Beersheba in the southern part of Judah, out of the land under Ahab's control

Exhausted and afraid, Elijah was ready to die The Lord had other plans and sent an angel to feed him -- twice.

It took him forty days to get from there to Horeb He still complained, however, that he was the only one left to

worship the Lord God refused to accept his resignation as prophet God's response was to give him three directives

Anoint a new king of Syria Anoint a new king of Israel Anoint Elisha as his own successor Elijah only completed the third task, though even here he did not anoint

Elisha, but gave him his mantle

Elijah and Elisha

Elisha was out plowing with twelve men and oxen A statement indicating great wealth

After Ahab stole Naboth's property, Elijah was commissioned to pronounce judgment on him and Jezebel

When it was time for Elijah to go, Elisha refused to stay behind First they went to Bethel, then Jericho, then Jordan At each point, groups of prophets prophesied that Elijah would leave

With his cloak, Elijah also parted the waters of the Jordan and he and Elisha crossed over on dry ground

Elisha was very upset when Elijah was carried up to heaven in a whirlwind There is no parallel or precedent for this happening to anyone else in the

Bible Elisha's father and locale were known

Elisha means "my God saves" Elisha used Elijah's cloak to part the waters of the Jordan River, just like

Elijah had done.

Elijah and Elisha

The two stories that follow illustrated to Elisha that he was being offered a choice between good and evil.

The people of the city needed fresh water - they got it.

Young boys taunted Elisha; they were punished.Elisha acted as theological advisor for Jehoram in

the battle against Moab.He only agreed to help because the Judahite king

was also involved.The successful battle further established his

credentials as Elijah's successor.

Elijah and Elisha

First, the King James Version has done us a disservice by translated the term as “children” The Hebrew word can refer to children, but rather more specifically means

"young men" The NIV, quoted here, uses the word “youths”

Second, the fact that the bears mauled 42 of the youths indicates that there were more than 42 youths involved

This was not a small group of children making fun of a bald man Rather, it was a large demonstration of young men who assembled for the purpose

of mocking a prophet of God Third, the mocking of “go on up, you baldhead,” is more than making fun of

baldness The baldness of Elisha referred to here may be

Natural loss of hair A shaved head denoting his separation to the prophetic office An epithet of scorn and contempt, Elisha not being literally bald The phrase “go up” likely was a reference to Elijah, Elisha’s mentor, being taken

up to Heaven earlier in 2 Kings chapter 2:11-12 These youths were sarcastically taunting and insulting the Lord’s prophet by

telling him to repeat Elijah’s translation

Why did Elisha curse the youths that made fun of him?

In summary,2 Kings 2:23-24is not an account of God mauling young children for making fun of a bald man Rather, it is a record of an insulting demonstration against

God’s prophet by a large group of young men Because these young people of about 20 years of age or

older (the same term is used of Solomon in1 Kings 3:7) so despised the prophet of the Lord, Elisha called upon the Lord to deal with the rebels as He saw fit

The Lord’s punishment was the mauling of 42 of them by two female bears The penalty was clearly justified, for to ridicule Elisha was to

ridicule the Lord Himself The seriousness of the crime was indicated by the seriousness

of the punishment The appalling judgment was God’s warning to all who would

scorn the prophets of the Lord

Why did Elisha curse the youths that made fun of him?

Like Elijah, Elisha encountered a widow who needed help.That she was able to fill pots with oil without Elisha even

being present only heightened his authorityElisha's promise that the Shunammite woman would have a

son echoed God's promise to Abraham and SarahWhen that son died, the woman had complete faith in

Elisha, telling him (against all evidence to the contrary) "it is well"

But she also complained that he gave her a son only to deceive her (compare the mother's complaint against Elijah in 1Kings 17:18)

Elisha's servant could not restore the child.Like Elijah, Elisha also lay upon the child, and prayed, and

the child was restored

Elijah and Elisha

The third in this series of life-giving miracles was when Elisha overcame "death in the pot" during a famine People were able to eat freely.

Lastly, Elisha multiplied twenty loaves of bread to feed over 100 men The incident with Naaman (captain of the host of the king of Syria)

brought international stature to Elisha Naaman was used to dealing with top-level people so he went to the

king of Israel first for healing for his condition of leprosy The king of Israel had nothing to offer and immediately "rent his

clothes" (a typical sign of mourning), thinking there would be retribution

Elisha took pity on the king and offered to help. When Naaman appeared at his door, he sent out a messenger with a

simple message - go wash in the Jordan seven times This was humiliating because the Jordan was considered to be a

"lesser" river Nonetheless, when he was obedient, Naaman was cleansed of leprosy Elisha refused Naaman's generous offer to pay him

Unfortunately, Gehazi did not

Elijah and Elisha

Unlike many of the other parallels in the life of Elisha, he is the only one in the Bible who "made iron float" (See 2 Kings 6:1-6)

Because of Gehazi's earlier misconduct in taking payment from Naaman, it is not known which servant was with Elisha when the Syrian army surrounded him In the face of overwhelming odds and immediate danger, Elisha told his

servant "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them" (2 Kings 6:16)

Almost immediately the Syrian army was struck blind, and Elisha led them to Samaria - the capital of the northern kingdom

Elisha insisted that the Syrian army, though captive, be treated well, fed, and allowed to return home. "And they warred no more against Israel" The treaty, however, was short lived Shortly thereafter, the Syrians instituted a siege against Samaria

When all seemed lost and the king was about to kill him, Elisha predicted it would end "tomorrow“

It did, The Syrians vanished without a fight.

Elijah and Elisha

Elisha was further validated through a second party conversation between Gehazi and the king Just as he was telling the king about the Shunammite woman's son, she

walked in and confirmed everything. In return, she was blessed because the king restored her land to her

Elisha fulfilled Elijah's commission to anoint Hazael as king of Syria He wept as he did so, because he could foresee the pain and suffering

Hazael would inflict on the people of Israel Next he sent a messenger with oil to anoint the head of Jehu as king

over Israel (Elijah's second commission) It was Jehu who brought the dynasty of the House of Omri to an end, as

well as the demise of Jezebel On his deathbed, Elisha gave prophetic signs regarding the course of

events with Syria - they would win some early battles, but eventually they would be defeated by the Assyrians

As soon as Elisha passed on, the bands of Moabites invaded the land Even in his death, Elisha had one more life-saving act to perform

When a corpse was also thrown into Elisha's grave, he was restored to life the minute his body touched Elisha‘s

Elijah and Elisha

Following the death of wicked King Ahaz his son Hezekiah ascended the throne in Jerusalem The new monarch introduced comprehensive religious reform and introduced

substantial policy changes Hezekiah renewed the full-scale worship of the God following a lengthy period

in which idol-worship had taken root in the city "He abolished the shrines and smashed the pillars and cut down the sacred post.

He also broke into pieces the bronze serpent which Moses had made, for until that time the Israelites had been offering sacrifices to it "(2 Kings 18:4)

At the same time he renewed the tradition of the Passover pilgrimage in its full scope, and for the first time since the kingdom had split, under Rehoboam son of Solomon, the remnants of the tribes of Israel, those who had not gone into the Assyrian exile, were invited to take part in the most sumptuous festival which had been seen for many generations

Hezekiah took advantage of the festival to consolidate his religious reforms and to return the people to the worship of God "A great crowd assembled at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in

the second month, a very great congregation. They set to and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense stands and threw them into Wadi Kidron...There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel nothing like it had happened in Jerusalem" (2 Chronicles 30:13, 26)

The Godly King Hezekiah2 Kings 18:1-20:21

King Manasseh came to the throne at only 12 years of age, when his father, the good King Hezekiah, died

Manasseh made it his mission to undo the good reforms instituted by his father, and to do a great deal of evil Hezekiah had destroyed shrines of pagan worship throughout the land; Manasseh

rebuilt them, adding also shrines to Baal and Asherah He desecrated the LORD's temple by putting altars for idol worship in it He sacrificed his own sons, burning them to death in worship of the idol Molech.

Manasseh murdered so many people that the historian wrote that he “filled Jerusalem from one end to the other” with innocent blood

The LORD sent prophets to warn of the disaster that would come because the people followed Manasseh in his great sins — Judah would be destroyed by their enemies, but king and people ignored the warnings

Late in Manasseh's 55-year reign, Assyria attacked Jerusalem, captured Manasseh, and placed him in a prison 1,000 miles away Humiliated and powerless, he sat in his cell and remembered his father's days He began to pray, confessing his sin and asking the LORD's help The LORD heard Manasseh's prayer, freed him, and returned him to his throne in

Jerusalem Back in power, Manasseh was a new man

He destroyed all the idol shrines he had built, removed his desecrations from the LORD's temple, and restored the temple worship

Unfortunately, Manasseh's conversion came too late to have any lasting impact on his kingdom. When Judah fell, the LORD blamed it on the sins of Manasseh.

Wicked King Manasseh2 Kings 21:1-26

King Josiah was Judah's last gasp — the last good thing that happened to the Israelites before their kingdom was destroyed Josiah became king as a child of only eight, and soon took an interest in the

LORD, contrary to his father King Amon Early in life he instituted reforms and took steps against idol worship.

At 25 years of age, Josiah decided to rebuild the LORD's temple, deteriorated with age As the workers were cleaning, they found an obscure book that no one had ever

heard of — the Book of the Law, forgotten by previous generations This was most likely a copy of the Pentateuch

As the king listened to his secretary read the book, he was struck with grief and terror, certain the LORD was furious with Josiah and his people for their disobedience

Immediately, Josiah set upon a sweeping program to eliminate pagan worship and renew the ancient covenant of the LORD He toured the land, destroying pagan shrines, and celebrated the Passover for

the first time in decades The revival was wonderful

But as soon as Josiah died, the people returned to their evil ways, and before his sons reached middle age, the LORD's judgment for centuries of evil practices came, and Judah was no more

Godly King Josiah2 kings 23:31-25:30

The captivity of Northern Kingdom began in 721 BCThe Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by

the Neo-Assyrian monarchs, Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) and Shalmaneser VThe later Assyrian rulers Sargon II and his son and

successor, Sennacherib, were responsible for finishing the twenty-year demise of Israel's northern ten-tribe kingdom

Sennacherib also invaded some parts of the Southern Kingdom of Judah

He records forty-six fortified towns captured from Judah, and presumably carried away into Assyria

 Jerusalem was besieged, but not taken The tribes exiled by Assyria later became known as the Ten

Lost Tribes

Captivity of Northern Kingdom

The Babylonian captivity (or Babylonian exile) was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon

There were three deportations of Jews to BabylonThe exile of King Jeconiah, his court and many

others in Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year 605BCJeconiah's successor Zedekiah and the rest of the

people in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year 597 BC

A later deportation in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-third year 588

Captivity Southern Kingdom

1 and 2 Kings clearly reveals that God is faithful to His word in judging His people for their disobedience and idolatry

Both Israel and Judah were taken captive by foreign nations, illustrating that what God had warned about in Leviticus and Deuteronomy would indeed take place

Closing of 1 and 2 Kings

AuthorshipJewish tradition assigns authorship to EzraIt has been suggested that Chronicles and Ezra

were actually on large historical documentChronicles was actually compiled from as many

as 10 different sources1 Chronicles 9:1; 2 Chronicles 12:15

Time of writingProbably around 450 BC

1 and 2 Chronicles

Purpose of the BookComplimentary to 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2

KingsIt was intended to strengthen the remnant of

the nation that had made it through the Babylonian captivity

Israel needed to be reminded that God was still with them and they still had a wonderful and glorious future because God was faithful to His covenants

1 and 2 Chronicles

Chronicles covers the same time frame as the foundational books Samuel and Kings but view it from a different perspectiveSamuel- Kings emphasizes the throneChronicles emphasizes the TempleChronicles focuses on the Southern Kingdom of

Judah and it’s Godly KingsSamuel-Kings views both kingdoms

1 and 2 Chronicles

A detailed and extensive list traces the lineage of Israel is given in these chaptersThey begin with Adam and end with the

Babylonian CaptivityThey reveal the hand of God at work during

those yearsThey show Him selecting certain people to fulfill

His propheciesThis genealogy is important in tracing the line

of the Messiah

The Genealogoies1 Chronicles 1:1-9:44

The reign on Saul – 1 Chronicles 10:1-4The unfaithfulness of Israel’s first king is given

to contrast with God’s true choice for a king, David

Reign of the Kings

Reign of David over the United Kingdom-1 Chronicles 11:1-29:30David is seen welding the nation of Israel together

and making it a powerful force for the LordEmphasis is placed on David’s desire to make

Jerusalem the religious capital of Israel and David’s desire to build a temple for the Lord

David brought rest to the land through his military might but was not allowed to build the templeDavid is seen making many preparations fro building

the Temple

Reign of the Kings

Reign of Solomon over the United Kingdom- 2 Chronicles 1:1-9:31The history of Solomon in Chronicles center

around two visions he received One at Gibeon- 2 Chronicles 1:1-13

Solomon is given unusual wisdom from God This enables him to build the temple and lead Israel in

righteousness The other at Jerusalem- 2 Chronicles 7:12-22

God promised blessing and prosperity for obedience, but discipline for disobediance

Reign of the Kings

The divided kingdom- 2 Chronicles 10:1-32:23This section focuses on the Godly kings of

Judah who reigned after the Solomon in the Southern Kingdom during the times of the divided and single kingdomsThe Emphasis is on the following Kings of Judah

Asa- Chapters14-16Jehoshaphat-Chapters 17-20Joash – Chapter 24Hezekiah –Chapters 29-32Josiah- Chapters 34-35

Reign of the Kings

The last chapter of 2 Chronicles is significant because it describes the fall of Jerusalem and the taking of the Southern Kingdom into the Babylonian Captivity

IT also indicates why the captivity would last for 70 years Those who had escaped from

the sword he carried away to Babylon ; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of

the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. 

All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until seventy years were complete.

2 Chronicles 36:20-21

Closing of Chronicles