Bible Passage: 1 Kings 11–12
Big Picture Question: How did God punish King Solomon’s sin? God divided Israel into two kingdoms.
Key Passage: 1 Kings 8:61
Unit Christ Connection: Solomon’s grand earthly reign is a picture of the eternal reign of Christ. Solomon’s sin divided his kingdom, but Christ’s perfect Kingdom is forever.
King Solomon loved God. He received wisdom from the Lord and was dedicated to building His temple. But early on, we see hints that Solomon’s heart was not completely devoted to God. He married foreign wives who turned Solomon’s heart away from God. Solomon abandoned what he had believed. Israel had a history of turning away from God, and Solomon was no exception.
God was angry with Solomon. He had warned him twice not to turn to false gods. God planned to punish Solomon’s sin by taking the kingdom away from his family. God was going to take the kingdom from Solomon’s son Rehoboam—every tribe except for one. God graciously left one tribe for Rehoboam, keeping the promise He made to David.
God raised up enemies against Solomon. God set apart one of Solomon’s servants, Jeroboam, to become leader over 10 tribes of Israel. When Solomon died, all of Israel gathered to make Rehoboam their new king. They asked Rehoboam to lighten the burden of service Solomon had given them, but Rehoboam refused. In fact, he promised to make their work even harder.
Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and made Jeroboam king. Only the tribe of Judah stayed with Rehoboam. So the kingdom was divided into two kingdoms—the Northern Kingdom was called Israel and was ruled by Jeroboam; the Southern Kingdom was called Judah and was ruled by Rehoboam.
Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and made Jeroboam king. Only the tribe of Judah stayed with Rehoboam. So the kingdom was divided into two kingdoms—the Northern Kingdom was called Israel and was ruled by Jeroboam; the Southern Kingdom was called Judah and was ruled by Rehoboam.
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