The Northern Kingdom

I Kings 12:20

SOLOMON’S son Rehoboam was his father’s successor to the throne of Israel, but he was unable to maintain the unity of the nation. Whether he could have done so had he followed the course of appeasement which was demanded of him, is beside the point. Probably, though, even such a course would have failed, for when he announced his intention to put down the rebellion of the ten tribes, which was led by Jeroboam, the Lord said to him, “Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel for this thing is from me.”—vs. 24

The division of Israel into the ten-tribe, or northern kingdom, and the two-tribe, or southern kingdom, was from the Lord in the sense that he permitted it as a punishment for their sins, and especially for the sin of Solomon in introducing the worship of heathen gods. Jeroboam was made king over the ten tribes, which left only two tribes over which Rehoboam ruled.

The lesson states that there was only one tribe which did not join in the rebellion. This was the tribe of Judah. Other scriptures indicate, however, that the tribe of Benjamin also stood with Rehoboam. (vs. 23) Probably the tribe of Judah is singled out in the account to give it the greater importance, and possibly to emphasize the fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy that the Messiah would come from Judah—the “lion of the tribe of Judah.” The Lord told Solomon that after his death the kingdom would be taken from his family. “Howbeit,” he said, “I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”—I Kings 11:13

Almost at once the northern, or ten-tribe kingdom began to deteriorate; for while it was in the Lord’s providence that Jeroboam was the first ruler over those who separated from the kingly tribe of Judah, he did not walk in the way of righteousness. Like Solomon, he induced the people to worship false gods. The Lord said to Jeroboam that he had not followed him “but hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and has cast me behind thy back.”—I Kings 14:9

During the time of Jeroboam’s reign, the Lord determined that Israel was to be cast off and uprooted from the land, and through the Prophet Ahijah sent a message to the king, saying, “The Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.”—I Kings 14:15,16

I Kings 16:23-28, 30

WHEN describing the wickedness of several of Israel’s kings who reigned over the ten-tribe kingdom, the Scriptures state that they followed the way of Jeroboam. Apparently Jeroboam’s unrighteous course was so marked that to compare someone with him was all that was necessary in order to explain his depth of sin. All the kings who ruled over the ten-tribe kingdom were wicked, and the nation under their leadership drifted further and further from the path of righteousness and from God.

The record of Omri’s reign is far from complimentary. It tells us that he “wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam.” (vss. 25,26) Omri was succeeded by Ahab, and of him the record states that he “did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.”—vs. 30

Many of the ancient servants of God could well be criticized so far as their individual lives were concerned, and doubtless the Lord did not permit them to escape appropriate disciplinary punishment for their wrongdoing. But the sin which the Lord spoke against more forcefully than any other was that of idolatry, the worship of false gods. This was particularly true with respect to the kings who were responsible for introducing Israel to the worship of heathen gods. Solomon, Jeroboam, Omri, Ahab—all of them were guilty of this sin, and it was under the leadership of such unfaithful representatives of God that the nation was first divided, and the ten-tribe division taken captive into Assyria.

Amos 6:1-6

IN THIS passage we are presented with a prophecy implying the desolation of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. It is a pronouncement of woe, of doom, upon the kingdom. At the same time, it contains some very practical lessons which might well be taken to heart by those who today dwell in nominal spiritual Zion.

According to the marginal translation “woe” was to come upon those who felt “secure in Zion,” and who put their “trust in the mountain of Samaria.” It was in the mountain of Samaria that Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes, established his headquarters. (I Kings 12:25) He went out from there, we are told, and built “Penuel.” Many years before this, Gideon destroyed the tower of Penuel. (Judges 8:17) Evidently it was a center for the worship of heathen gods, and Jeroboam restored it as such. It was in the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, king of Israel, that the Assyrian armies captured Samaria, and the ten tribes were taken captive to Assyria.—II Kings 18:10-12

The woe pronounced by Amos emphasized that the supposed stronghold of government established by Jeroboam II could not be depended upon to save the nation when the hour of desolation came, even though Israel had been named “chief of the nations.” The prophet then invites the people to take a mental journey and note what had happened to “Calneh,” “Hamath the great,” and “Gath of the Philistines.” Evidently all these had at one time or another been recognized as strong cities, but they had all fallen, and so would Israel.

“Gath of the Philistines” was the home city of Goliath, the giant who was killed by David. At the time the giant was killed, the army of Israel pursued the Philistines even to Gath. At that time the Lord was fighting for Israel, and no enemy could stand up against them. In the closing days of the ten-tribe kingdom, God had withdrawn his favor from them so they were without protection, with the result that the nation perished.

QUESTIONS

Who succeeded Solomon as king of Israel, and why was he unable to keep the nation united?

Who led the rebellion of the ten tribes of Israel against the two tribes?

Did the successive kings of the ten-tribe kingdom serve the Lord faithfully and lead their people in the way of righteousness?

What sin in ancient Israel did God denounce more than others?

What did the Prophet Amos mean when he spoke of Israel trusting in the mountain of Samaria?

Could the nation hope to continue its existence without the favor and overruling providence of God?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |