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Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools
The story of the divided kingdom refusing to lessen the servitude Solomon
starts in 1 Kings 12. We are told that laid upon the people of the North. Due
Rehoboam, son of Solomon, made a trip to his evil character, the king failed in
into the northern territory to be installed good governance and made his people
as King of Israel, although he was worship false gods (1 Kings 14:21-31).
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already recognised as king in Jerusalem.
Israel here means the ten tribes which King Jeroboam I, the first king of the
dwelled in the Northern part. The people northern kingdom, made people worship
of the North approached the king, asking idols. He failed to promote a good
him to lessen the yoke (servitude) that relationship between God and his people
his father Solomon laid upon them. Due by making them worship false gods, i.e.
to the failure of the king to comply with The golden images he set at Bethel and
the wishes of the people of the north, Dan. He did not live according to the
the people opted for Jeroboam as their biblical principle of good governance.
King, while the southern part continued That is, he failed to create a good
with Rehoboam, the son of Solomon (1 relationship with God. His ambition for
Kings 12:20-24). power and fear that the people of the
north would return to Rehoboam caused
From the division of the Kingdom, Israel this (1 Kings 16:8-20). King Ahab, on
witnessed a period of unfaithfulness his part, failed justice by promoting
to the covenant, social injustices, and idolatry and letting his wife, Jezebel, kill
political instability, which involved the prophets of God. This brought him
assassination of kings, moral decline into collision with Elijah (1 Kings 17:1-
and oppression of the poor. The 31). Ahab took by force the vineyard of
monarchy did not operate on the biblical Naboth by killing him.
principles of good governance. Due
to the failure of the monarchy and the The whole story of kings downwards
unfaithfulness of religious leaders, to the end of both kingdoms, the
God intervened through prophets. It northern Kingdom in 722 BCE and the
was a time of collision between the southern Kingdom in 587 BCE, was
monarchy and prophets. The reason characterised by the issues related to
was that the monarchy failed to provide good governance. When the king kept
justice, violated the covenant, and did the covenant of Sinai - obeying God and
not comply with the principles of good promoting good governance - peace and
governance. harmony prevailed in Israel. However,
when the king violated the covenant,
King Rehoboam the son of Solomon, the the society fell into turmoil and chaos.
first King of Judah, failed to do justice by The main issue was the failure of the
32 Form Five Student’s Book