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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

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