Lesson 2 for October 10, 2015
CRISIS
WITHIN
From Joshua
to Solomon
The divided
kingdom
± 1400 – 931
BC
± 931 – 586
BC
WITHOUT
Babylon
CAUSES
Mistakes
Attitudes
“And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought
them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from
among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they
bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.” (Judges 2:12)
The people
turned
away from
God and
worshipped
other gods.
The judges
He sent judges
to deliver them.
He also unified
the kingdom.
± 1400 – 1050 BC
He divided the
kingdom. He let
them suffer the
consequences of
their mistakes.
Solomon
turned
away from
God and
worshipped
other gods.
The unified kingdom
± 1050 – 931 BC
“Therefore the king asked advice, made two
calves of gold, and said to the people, ‘It is
too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here
are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up
from the land of Egypt!’” (1 Kings 12:28)
After Solomon died, the 12 tribes
were divided into 2 kingdoms:
“But he [Amon] did evil in the sight of
the Lord, as his father Manasseh had
done; for Amon sacrificed to all the
carved images which his father
Manasseh had made, and served them.”
(2 Chronicles 33:22)
The kings of the Southern
Kingdom were mostly
faithful to God.
Nevertheless, apostasy
spread throughout the
kingdom since the
destruction of the
Northern Kingdom.
The two worst kings reigned in that time:
Manasseh and Amon (2 Chronicles 33: 9, 22).
God sent many prophets to avoid the
consequences of their sins.
“And now I have given all these lands into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the
beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him.”
(Jeremiah 27:6)
God didn’t abandon His people during
that crisis. Nevertheless, the people
was severely disciplined so they could
come back and enjoy full divine
communion.
God began to submit all nations to
Babylon since they defeated Egypt in
Carchemish in 605 BC.
God used Jeremiah to tell the people
of Judah to surrender to Babylon.
The people didn’t believe God would
fulfill His word. They went
unrepentant for 20 years, since King
Jehoiakim until King Zedekiah.
“For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken
Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves
cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
God had promised protection and
prosperity if Israel was faithful (Jer. 2:2-3).
However, the people abandoned God
(“the fountain of living waters”) and
worshipped idols (“broken cisterns”).
What did their leaders do (Jeremiah 2:8)?
 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the
Lord?’”
 “Those who handle the law did not know
Me.”
 “The rulers also transgressed against Me.”
 “The prophets prophesied by Baal, and
walked after things that do not profit.”
“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; see
now and know; and seek in her open places if you can
find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment,
who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her.” (Jeremiah 5:1)
The Jews fooled themselves. They thought they
were good people and God would never punish
them (Jer. 2:23).
There was a saying: “The temple of the Lord are
these” (Jer. 7:4). Everything was alright. As long as
they worshipped God in the temple, everything else
didn’t matter?
They ignored God’s warnings. They didn’t meditated
on their ways. They didn’t regret their sinful
thoughts.
That’s a strong warning for us. How is your
relationship with God today? Is religion just form
for you? Have you surrendered your heart to God?
Are you living in communion with God every day?
E.G.W. (Selected Messages, book 2, cp. 53, pg. 400)
“It will be well for us to consider what is
soon to come upon the earth. This is no
time for trifling or self-seeking. If the
times in which we are living fail to
impress our minds seriously, what can
reach us? Do not the Scriptures call for a
more pure and holy work than we have
yet seen?”