2 Building and furnishings Dedication (8:1—9:9) (6:1—7:51) C SOLOMON’S LAST YEARS This is a study of contrasts: The prosperity of the kingdom (9:10— 10:29) The apostasy of the king (11:1-43) In fame and wisdom, riches and honor, position and popularity, Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth These things won his heart, and he forgot the Lord, who really was the One who had given him every good thing he had The last part of Solomon’s life was a tragedy Carl De Vries comments that “his gradual apostasy had more disastrous results than the infamous scandal of his father, who sincerely repented.”3 D SPLIT OF THE KINGDOM chapter 12 of Kings is a key chapter in the Old Testament, because it records the event which steered the course of God’s people through the remainder of the Old Testament days Study the chapter carefully Before the event of the kingdom’s split, there were occasions of hostility between the northern tribes (“men of Israel”) and the southern tribes (“men of Judah”) (Read Sam 19:40-43.) Solomon’s excessive taxation of the people stirred up such discontent that shortly after his death the ten northern tribes revolted against the authority of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, and formed another kingdom, known thereafter as Israel The two tribes which remained true to Rehoboam were known as Judah (see Map L) This was the beginning of the divided kingdom Who was king of the northern group? In the rst eleven chapters of Kings the narrative runs smoothly because only one, kingdom (all the tribes of the united or undivided kingdom) is involved From Kings 12 to Kings 17, however, with the two kingdoms (Israel, north and Judah, south) existing side by side, the account reads with more di culty, because the author has chosen to shift the narrative from the one kingdom to the other, in order to synchronize the histories Then at Kings 18 to the end, there is a return to the smooth ow again, since only the one surviving kingdom (Judah) is involved This alternation of kingdoms in the narrative of Kings 12-22 is shown by the following outline:4 I The Kingdom of Judah (12:1-19) A Accession and Folly of Rehoboam (12:1-15; cf Chron 10:1-11) B Rebellion of the Ten Tribes (12:16-19; cf Chron 10:1219 11:1-4) II The Kingdom of Israel (12:20—14:20) A Accession and Sin of Jeroboam (12:20-33) B God’s Interposition (13:1-32) C Jeroboam’s Continued Sin and God’s Message (13:33—14:18) D Jeroboam’s Death (14:19-20) III The Kingdom of Judah (14:21— 15:24) A Judah’s Sin and Idolatry (14:2124; cf Chron 12:1) B God’s Chastisement and Mercy (14:25-30; cf Chron 12:2-12) C Death of Rehoboam (14:31; cf Chron 12:13-16) .. .the Old Testament, because it records the event which steered the course of God’s people through the remainder of the Old Testament days Study the chapter carefully Before the event of the. .. was the beginning of the divided kingdom Who was king of the northern group? In the rst eleven chapters of Kings the narrative runs smoothly because only one, kingdom (all the tribes of the united... kingdom’s split, there were occasions of hostility between the northern tribes (“men of Israel”) and the southern tribes (“men of Judah”) (Read Sam 19:40-43.) Solomon’s excessive taxation of the people