The Kingdom Fractures
The Divided Kingdom Period
The
Kingdom
Fractures
From - 1 & 2 Kings
• Like the books of Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings
were originally one book.
• The division into two books was first
made in the LXX, and then in the Vulgate.
Author
 The author of 1 and 2 Kings is unknown,
although Jewish tradition ascribes the
work to the prophet Jeremiah.
 All that can be said with certainty is that
Kings was compiled from various sources
and written from a prophetic
perspective.
Author
 The author mentions three primary
sources:
1. The “book of the acts of Solomon,”
(11:41) from the Temple archives.
2. The “book of the Chronicles of the kings
of Israel,” (14:19; 15:7) from the official
state archives.
3. The “book of the chronicles of the kings
of Judah,” (14:29; 15:7) from the royal
archives.
Date
 The grammar and style of the Hebrew and
the contents of the books of Kings indicate
that the work was completed during the
Babylonian captivity.
 Kings was mostly likely completed after 561
B.C. since this is the date of the last recorded
event. (2 Kings 25:27-30)
 1 Kings covers the 120 years from the
beginning of Solomon’s reign in 971 B.C.
through Ahaziah’s reign ending in 851` B.C.
Outline of 1-2 Kings
I.
United Kingdom: Solomon’s Reign (1
Kings 1-11)
II.
Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12 through 2
Kings 17)
III. Kingdom of Judah Alone (2 Kings 18-25)
A History of Israel
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Patriarchs
Exodus
Conquest (begins)
Time of Judges
Saul
David
Solomon
Division of Kingdom
Fall of Israel
Fall of Judah
1900-1750 BC
1290 (13th Cen.)
1250
1200
1020
1000
961
922
721
587
The Divided Kingdom
Significant Rulers
Reasons for the Division of the
Kingdom
1. Solomon’s unfaithfulness to God:
(examples Foreign wives and foreign
gods) (1 Kings 11 & 2 Chron. 10)
2. Policy of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12; 2
Chron. 10)
3. Heavy taxation under Solomon to
finance his building projects (1 Kings
12:4; 2 Chron. 10).
Reasons for the Division of the
Kingdom
4. Utilized forced labor (1Kings 9:15; 2
Chron. 10:4).
5. Jealousy among the tribes (1Kings
9:16; 2 Chron. 10:16).
6. No outside threat to unify the people.
Northern: Jeroboam I
Dates: 931-909 BC
Reign: 22 Years
o Served as a cabinet member under
Solomon; escaped to Egypt.
o Led the revolt of the ten Northern tribes
o His false religion cause Israel to sin
o His pagan altar was destroyed; his arm was
paralyzed, and his son stricken by God for
his sin.
Northern: Jeroboam I
o He was defeated in battle by Abijah,
the second king of Judah.
o He was stricken with a plague from
God and died.
Northern: Omri (6)
Dates: 885-873 B.C.
Reign: 12 years
 He made Samaria the northern capital.
 He was the most powerful king up to his
time.
 He arranged the marriage of his son Ahab
to Jezebel.
Northern: Ahab (7)
Dates: 874-852 B.C. Reign: 22 years
1. He married Jezebel.
2. His Baal worshiping practices caused a great
famine to fall upon the land.
3. He was allowed to defeat the Syrians on two
occasions.
4. He tricked king Jehoshaphat (Judah) into a
matrimonial and military compromise.
Ahab
5. His death for his sins was predicted by
three prophets.
6. The death of Jezebel, his wife, was
also predicted by Elijah.
7. He was killed in a battle with Syria.
Northern: Jehu (10)
Dates: 841-813 B.C. Reign: 28 years
• He was anointed by a messenger from
Elisha.
• He was known for his bloodletting. He
executed: Judah’s king Ahaziah; the
northern king Jehoram; Jezebel; Ahab’s
70 sons, relatives, and friends; 42
royals princes of Judah; and numerous
Baal worshipers.
Northern: Jeroboam II (13)
Dates: 793-752 B.C.
Reign 41 years
 He ruled longer than any other northern
king.
 He was one of the most powerful kings of
the north.
 He recovered much of Israel’s lost
territory.
Southern: Rehoboam (1)
Dates: 931-914 B.C.
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Reign: 17 years
Was the son of Solomon.
His stupidity and tactlessness sparked the civil
war.
He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines.
His favorite wife was Maachah, the evil
daughter of Absalom.
He sees his capital, Jerusalem, invaded by
Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt.
Southern: Jehoshaphat (4)
Dates: 873-848 B.C.
Reign: 25 years
 He instituted a national religious education
program by sending out teachers of the word
of God.
 He marred his testimony by compromising
with three ungodly, northern kings.
 He appointed a religious director and a civil
director.
 When Jerusalem was threatened by a massive
Moabite invasion, God heard his prayer and
supernaturally intervened.
Southern: Athaliah (7)
Dates: 841-835 B.C.
Reign: 6 years
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Took over after her son, Ahaziah, was killed
by Jehu, and slaughtered all the royal seed
but Joash, who was hidden from her.
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She was executed after six years.
Southern: Uzziah (10)
Dates: 792-740 B.C.
Reign: 52 years
 He was a mighty warrior and builder.
 He attempted to intrude on the office
of the priesthood and was punished
for this with leprosy.
Southern: Ahaz (12)
Dates: 735-719 B.C.
Reign: 16 years
o Probably the second worst king of Judah.
o He sacrificed his own children to devil
gods.
o He ordered the construction of a pagan
Assyrian altar and placed it in the Temple.
Southern: Hezekiah (13)
Dates: 716-687 B.C. Reign: 29 years
 Judah’s second best king, and the
richest of all.
 He repaired the Temple and organized
several musical groups.
 He held the greatest Passover
celebration since Solomon.
Hezekiah
 He saw the death Angel defeat the
Assyrian enemies that had surrounded
Jerusalem.
 God healed him of a terminal disease,
giving him another 15 years.
 He wrote fifteen of the Psalms.
 Foolishly showed the wealth of Judah
to Babylonian ambassadors.
Southern: Manasseh (14)
Dates: 697-642 B.C.
Reign: 55 years
 Ruled longer than any other king,
north or south.
 The most wicked king of all.
Southern: Josiah (16)
Dates: 641-610 B.C.
Reign: 31 years
 Godliest king since David.
 Judah’s last godly king.
 A book of the Law was discovered when
renovating the Temple.
 This sparked a great revival.
 He conducted a larger Passover celebration
than Hezekiah’s.
 He was killed in battle with the Egyptians.
Southern: Jehoiachin (19)
Dates: 598 B.C.
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Reign: 3 months
Grandson of Josiah.
He incurred a curse from God, banning his
sons from the throne.
Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah predicted that he
would carried off into Babylonian Captivity.
He was exiled away after Nebuchadnezzer’s
second visit, which also carried away Ezekiel.
He eventually died in Babylon.