| THE NATION SPLITS APART |
| A rebellion leads to civil war |
| There was continual warfare. 14:30 |
| Chapter 12 of 1 Kings marks a decisive turning point in the nation of Israel. For 120 years Saul, David, and Solomon had consolidated power, expanded borders, and built a strong government. But immediately after Solomon's death everything began to unravel. Simmering hostility in the North boiled over at last, and the Northern tribes seceded to form their own nation. Two Nations out of One Ten tribes joined together under Jeroboam to form a nation in the North called Israel. Only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, remained loyal to Solomon's heir in Jerusalem. These Southerners took on the name Judah and made Jerusalem, home of the temple, their capital. From that time forward, the united nation of Israel ceased to exist. The Northern rebellion brought a terrible civil war to Israel, a war that dragged on for 50 years. Despite a peace treaty, war kept breaking out. The book of Kings records the histories of both nations. Action shifts back and forth between Israel in the North and Judah in the South. The effect resembles an account of America during Civil War years, first describing events in the North and then shifting to what was simultaneously taking place in the South. This book does not attempt to give a full history of both nations. Rather, it focuses on their kings and queens. As guardian of the covenant with God, the king or queen came to symbolize the spiritual health of the nation. As that monarch went. so went the nation. Each ruler gets a capsule summary and usually a one-sentence rating. He or she either performed like David, "who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord," or like the Northern king Jeroboam, "who caused Israel to commit sin." |
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