God sovereignly set apart Israel as a nation to enter into covenant with so that all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1). God gave Israel the Word of God to guard, protect, and deliver to the world, not only through the Prophets but through the promised Messiah, the Word made flesh (John 1:1).
In Israel and Her Covenants, we began to discuss God’s plan for Israel and His covenant relationship with the nation from whom the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come. We learned how God passed His promises through the patriarchs from generation to generation and how these covenants of land, seed, and blessing were unconditional, eternal, and literal. We followed the bloodline of Jesus from Abraham, through the tribe of Judah to David, who was crowned the King of Israel.
Here, we will fly through history and briefly examine what happened to Israel after King David’s death.
From David to Solomon
David sat on the throne of Israel for 40 years. His son Solomon ruled Israel for another 40 years. This period is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of Israel because Israel flourished during this time. However, toward the end of Solomon’s life, he began to turn away from God.
Even after God’s repeated warnings to not follow other gods, Solomon allowed his foreign wives, through their pagan practices, to influence him and to turn his heart towards their gods.As a result, “his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4). Because of his disobedience, God told Solomon that he would strip his kingdom away, but not yet. Out of God’s love for David, He would wait until after Solomon died and take the Kingdom from Solomon’s son instead.
Division of the Dynasty
After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam reigned over all of Israel (1 Kings 11:41-43). However, as God had previously warned Solomon, He had other plans for the Davidic dynasty. God spoke through the Prophet Ahijah to Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam, and told him that the Kingdom of Israel would be divided because of Israel’s disobedience. He went on to say that Jeroboam would rule over the ten tribes of the northern kingdom but that “for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel,” Solomon’s son, Rehoboam would hang on to one tribe (1 Kings 11:32).
Ahijah’s prophecy was soon fulfilled. King Rehoboam acted foolishly. He would not listen to the people of Israel, and they rebelled against him. Only one tribe, Judah, remained loyal to the house of David (1 Kings 12:20). The tribe of Benjamin split its loyalties between the Northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and Judah’s southern kingdom. In an attempt to restore the Kingdom, King Rehoboam gathered 180,000 men to fight against the ten tribes now called Israel. Some Benjamites joined King Rehoboam in this effort. However, God intervened. He sent word through Shemiah, a man of God, saying do not “go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel” (1 Kings 12:24). From that point on, Israel was a divided kingdom, with Judah’s capital, Jerusalem, and Israel’s capital, Samaria.
Northern Kingdom of Israel
Because Israel did not keep God’s law and sinned against Him, God allowed Israel to be invaded by the Assyrians and scattered throughout the surrounding nations (2 Kings 17:6-7). Israel’s lands were resettled by foreigners (2 Kings 17:24). The ten tribes of the northern kingdom have mostly disappeared from history, although their descendants continue to exist.
Southern Kingdom of Judah
Unlike Israel, Judah managed to fend off the Assyrian invasion. However, eventually the Babylonian empire conquered Judah and deported the Judah citizens to Babylon. Before God allowed this to happen, He time and time again sent word to them “by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people until there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:15). The people of Judah were held captive in Babylon for 70 years. During this time, Persia conquered Babylon, and Cyrus, the King of Persia, allowed them to return home to Jerusalem.
Just as God promised that he would scatter Israel throughout the nations for their disobedience, He also promises that He will bring them back to their homeland and make them dwell in safety (Jeremiah 32:37). God is faithful. Israel will never stop being a nation. The time is near (Revelation 22:10).
