What causes may be assigned for the division of Is´ra-el? How far was Sol´o-mon's government responsible? What was the relation of the prophets to the revolution? What foreign intrigues contributed to break up the kingdom? Who were connected with these intrigues? What ancient jealousy aided, and how? What man led in the breaking up of the kingdom? Whose folly enabled the plot to succeed? What were the political results of the division? What were its religious results? How was this event from the Lord?
Part Two
III. The Kingdom of Is´ra-el. From the division the name Is´ra-el was applied to the northern kingdom and Ju´dah to the southern. We notice the general aspects of Is´ra-el during its history, from B. C. 934 to 721.
1. Its extent. It embraced all the territory of the twelve tribes except Ju´dah and a part of Ben´ja-min (1 Kings 12. 19-21), held a nominal supremacy over Mo´ab east of the Dead Sea, and embraced about 9,375 square miles, while Ju´dah included only 3,435. Is´ra-el was about equal in area to Massachusetts and Rhode Island together.
2. Its capital was first at She´chem, in the center of the land (1 Kings 12. 25); then, during several reigns, at Tir´zah (1 Kings 15. 33; 16. 23); then at Sa-ma´ri-a (1 Kings 16. 24), where it remained until the end of the kingdom. That city after a time gave its name to the kingdom (1 Kings 21. 1), and after the fall of the kingdom to the province in the center of Pal´es-tine (John 4. 3, 4).
3. Its religion. 1.) Very soon after the institution of the new kingdom Jer-o-bo´am established a national religion, the worship of the calves (1 Kings 12. 26-33). This was not a new form of worship, but had been maintained in Is´ra-el ever since the exodus (Exod. 32. 1-4). In character it was a modified idolatry, halfway between the pure religion and the abominations of the heathen. 2.) A´hab and his house introduced the Phœ-ni´cian worship of Ba´al, an idolatry of the most abominable and immoral sort (1 Kings 16. 30-33), but it never gained control in Is´ra-el, and was doubtless one cause of the revolution which placed another family on the throne. 3.) Through the history of Is´ra-el there remained a remnant of worshipers of Je-ho´vah, who were watched over by a noble array of prophets, and though often persecuted remained faithful (1 Kings 19. 14, 18).
4. Its rulers. During two hundred and fifty years Is´ra-el was governed by nineteen kings, with intervals of anarchy. Five houses in turn held sway, each established by a usurper, generally a soldier, and each dynasty ending in a murder.
1.) The House of Jer-o-bo´am, with two kings, followed by a general massacre of Jer-o-bo´am's family (1 Kings 15. 29, 30).
2.) The House of Ba´a-sha, two kings, followed by a civil war (1 Kings 16. 16-22).
3.) The House of Om´ri, four kings, of whom Om´ri and A´hab were the most powerful. This was the age of the prophet E-li´jah and the great struggle between the worship of Je-ho´vah and of Ba´al (1 Kings 18. 4-21).