18. The Divided Kingdom

What the Story Says

1. What did Solomon ask God to do for him?

   He asked God to make him very wise (#18-01).

2. Why did the people no longer offer sacrifices at the Tent of Meeting?

   Solomon build the Temple, for which David planned and prepared. People now offered sacrifices and worshiped God there instead of at the Tent of Meeting (#18-02).

3. Solomon married almost 1,000 women. How did that cause Solomon to sin?

   Many of the women Solomon married were foreign women. They brought their gods with them, and Solomon started to worship those false gods (#18-03).

4. How did God say he would punish Solomon for worshiping other gods?

   God said he would punish Solomon by dividing the nation of Israel into two kingdoms after Solomon died (#18-04).

5. Why did the people rebel against Rehoboam?

   They asked him to make them work less than Solomon did. Instead, Rehoboam said he would make them work harder. This made them angry, so they refused to serve him (#18-05), (#18-06).

6. How many of the tribes of Israel remained with Rehoboam?

   Only two of the twelve tribes remained with Rehoboam (#18-07).

7. What did Jeroboam make so the people would no longer go to Jerusalem to worship?

   He made two idols for the people of the kingdom of Israel to worship (#18-09).

8. How many of the kings of the kingdom of Israel were evil?

   All of the kings of the kingdom of Israel were evil (#18-11).

9. Were most of the kings of Judah good or evil?

   Some of the kings of Judah were good men, but most of them were evil. They ruled badly, worshiped idols, and even sacrificed their children to false gods (#18-13).

What the Story Means to Us

1. Why did it please God when Solomon asked God to make him wise?

   Solomon did not ask for wealth for himself. Instead, he asked God to make him wise so that he could rule God’s people well. This pleased God, and so he also made him wealthy.

2. What problem happened because Solomon married women from foreign countries?

   Many people from other countries believed in God, and he accepted them. Solomon was not wrong to marry foreign women. But he was wrong to marry foreign women who still served other gods. Those women continued to worship those false gods. And eventually, they caused Solomon to worship those idols as well. This made God very angry.

3. Solomon was very wise. How was Rehoboam different than Solomon?

   Unlike his father Solomon, Rehoboam, was very foolish. The people were willing to follow him if he would treat them well. But instead, he answered the people so harshly that most of the tribes of Israel refused to follow him.

4. Why did Jeroboam build idols for his people to worship?

   Jeroboam may have wanted to worship idols. But he also did not want his people to continue to go to Jerusalem to worship. Jerusalem was in the kingdom of Judah. They were the enemies of the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, the main reason Jeroboam made the idols was so the people would stay away from the kingdom of Judah. They worshiped the idols in the kingdom of Israel instead.

5. The kings of Judah were descendants of David. How is it that many of them were evil?

   Even though David obeyed God, many of his children did not. Solomon obeyed God for a time, but then began to worship the idols of his foreign wives. Many of David’s other descendants also chose not to obey God. Each person had to decide for themselves whether or not they would obey God.

Summary

Solomon was a good and wise king who ruled Israel well. However, he married many women who worshiped foreign gods. Eventually, Solomon also began to worship these idols. God was angry at Solomon and decided to divide Israel into two kingdoms. Ten tribes followed Jeroboam and formed the kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam made idols so the people would not go to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh at the Temple. All the kings of the kingdom of Israel were evil. Two of the tribes formed the kingdom of Judah and chose descendants of David as their kings. However, many of their kings were also evil. Even though they were descendants of David, they refused to obey God. The two kingdoms fought against each other for many years.