The books of first and second Kings are a history of
Israel’s and Judah’s kings. The author of these books is thought to have been a prophet from Babylon.
Until
Solomon died, there was one nation called Israel. After his death, the nation divided into two
kingdoms. The southern kingdom was called Judah and the northern, Israel. Elijah was the
prophet written of in the first book of Kings, and Elisha in the second.
God promised Elijah that Elisha would continue his work. 1 Kings 19:16. Because of Elijah, groups of
people in Israel were loyal to God. Elisha
would make those believers stronger, and would deal with troubles that remained
in that country.
The kings of Israel refused
to obey God’s law, while worshiping false gods. These kings were evil and many
of their people imitated their behavior.
In the southern kingdom of Judah, some obeyed God’s law while many did not. As the rulers
of both kingdoms became evil, God allowed their enemies to attack and defeat
them. The author records all of these
events, as a powerful reminder to future generations of the
importance of honoring God’s law.
One of the great mysteries of Bible
history is the identity of the 12 tribes of Israel. The
division of Israel and Judah is significant to Bible history and prophecy. The Bible speaks more about the tribe of
Judah than any other single tribe, causing many
wonder if at some time Judah and
Israel will be reunited.
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s
staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the
obedience of the peoples. Genesis 49:10
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