The Divided Kingdom
The schism began with the death of King Solomon and lasted until the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C., at which time the northern kingdom ended and its people were taken into captivity by the Assyrians. The southern kingdom continued until 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Babylonian captivity began. The histories of these two kingdoms are recorded in 1 and 2 Kings, whose author evidently belonged to the southern kingdom, for his account indicates a strong bias in that direction. Concerning each of the kings who reigned in the north, the Kings author uses the same statement: "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord." Although some of the southern kings were evil too, the Kings author was usually able to find some excuse for the things that they did. Because there was no fixed system of chronology for recording the dates when things happened, the events in the reign of each king were synchronized with what took place in the other kingdom.
The northern kingdom, known as Israel, had a very difficult time during the first century of its existence. The tribes were frequently at war with neighboring states, and peace was obtained on more than one occasion only by making large concessions to the enemy. Later, the tribes' fortunes changed as they were able to regain most of what they had previously lost. Under the leadership of King Jeroboam II, who reigned for more than half a century, Israel enjoyed a period of unprecedented prosperity. With the death of this king, a period of decline set in, and conditions went from bad to worse. Moral decay led to political weakness, and soon the nation became an easy prey for the advancing Assyrian armies. During the years that preceded the collapse of the northern kingdom, the prophets Elijah, Amos, and Hosea carried on their work.
The southern kingdom, known as Judah, lasted for more than a century after the fall of Israel. It occupied less territory than the northern kingdom and, for the most part, led a more peaceful existence. All of the kings of Judah were direct descendants in the line of David, which was of particular significance because it was believed that some day the Messiah would come from this line and that under the Messiah's leadership the full realization of the divine purpose in the history of the Hebrew people would be realized. The most prosperous period in the life of the southern kingdom came during the reign of Uzziah. After his death, the country was invaded by the Assyrian army, and for some time it looked as though Judah would suffer the same fate as Israel. Then, suddenly, the Assyrian army withdrew, and the nation was spared. However, for the remainder of their existence as an independent nation, the Judeans were forced to make concessions, including an enormous tribute to the Assyrian rulers. Likewise, after the fall of the Assyrian empire, they were subservient first to the Egyptians and later to the Babylonians. During the decline of the southern kingdom, many of the great prophets delivered their messages, including Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk.
