Solomon, the first heir to this dynasty, was known for his wisdom, documented in the collection of Proverbs. Yet, in a process well known to psychology, he let his emotional and physical desires overwhelm his better judgment.
“Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination / hybrid demi-god of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination / hybrid demi-god of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.” (I Kings 11:7-12)
But God had covenanted with Solomon’s father to guarantee an everlasting kingdom.
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19-20)
Father God isn’t trapped, unlike most parents.
“Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD,
- A country of their own forever: “I will appoint a place for my people Israel that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more;
- Peace in their time: neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more,
- as beforetime [they were afflicted] And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel,
- and [/but now] have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies.
- Stable government forever: Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house / dynasty…I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
- Stable spiritual leadership forever: He shall build an house for my name,
- and [this is how] I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men…And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” (II Samuel 7:1-14)
Rehoboam followed Solomon. He was the typical spoiled brat of a wealthy family who lost the majority of his kingdom due to his narcissism.
“And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king…And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous [in taxation and compulsory construction service for all his splendid palaces for his wives]: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee…
Rehoboam’s answer: “My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. I will add to your yoke….
the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David?…to your tents [bivouacs, war], O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents [this means war].” (I Kings 12)
And the fragile alliance between The United Tribes of Israel fractured into Civil War which was lost by Judah in more ways than one. Imagine if the War Between The States in America had resulted in splitting the nation into two. No power to resist the enemy beyond the borders, and that’s exactly what we find with Judah’s history from then on. However, as the history proceeds, we find that, unlike the nation of Israel, the nation of Judah survives.
Oh, wait, Israel as a country is in existence. But was that under God’s or the Adversary’s covenant? Stand tuned for later posts on that answer.
“And Abijam his son reigned in his stead…And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam [who set up the worship of the golden calves that had been started at Mount Sinai].to keep his people from going to Jerusalem to worship]” (II Chronicles 13)
“And Abijah said…ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves…But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business…for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him. And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you.
and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.”
Asa his son reigned in his stead. (II Chronicles 14)
- And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears…580,000
- [against] Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a 1,000,000 and 300 chariots…
and they set the battle in array…And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude….So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and…the Ethiopians were overthrown…and they carried away very much spoil.
Asa…took courage, and…he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him…And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul…
And there was no more war unto the 35th year of the reign of Asa…
And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel… (II Chronicles 17)
And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David…Also…he sent to his princes…to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent Levites…And they had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.
And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat…And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store...
And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.
Jehoram his son reigned in his stead… (II Chronicle 21)
Now…he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel…And he walked in the way of…the house of Ahab: for he had [Athaliah] the daughter of Ahab to wife…
the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians…And they came up into Judah…and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jeho-ahaz / Jehovah has taken possession of, the youngest of his sons.
so that after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: AND he died of sore diseases…[Quite likely associated with pagan sexually aberrant behaviors. Historical documentation of STIs dates back to at least the Ebers papyrus around 1550 BC.]
Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. (II Chronicles 22:21-23)
Details of Ahaziah in the post Treason! Treason!
Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign… (II Chronicles 24)
And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him..”
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and…the king hearkened unto them.….And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son.
And…at the end of the year…the host of Syria came up…and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus…
his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him…not in the sepulchres of the kings.
And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead. (II Chronicles 25)
when the kingdom was established to him…he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah…And Joash the king of Israel…brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. And…they made a conspiracy against him…and slew him.
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah… (II Chronicles 26)
Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem…as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper...And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king…the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD…And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death…and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, (II Chronicles 27)
and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok / Righteous, as in Melchi -zedek. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD…So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God..the rest of…all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign (II Chronicles 28)
Recall that Ahaz is simply the Hebrew pronunciation of Canaanite Ahab. And his affiliation with the Canaanites is demonstrated in his practices.
he burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him
- into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus.
- And into the hand of the king of Israel, who…slew in Judah an 120,000…in one day…carried away captive of their brethren 200,000 women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.
And this is the first, but not the last time we find the utter corruption of YHVH’s sanctuary. This becomes a repeating pattern in Jerusalem requiring cleansing by fire.
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and…Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent…the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. [See above with his father Ahaz’ transgression of just offering incense.] And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar…And Ahaz…cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD.
But YHVH always triumphs through his Chosen One.
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old,
and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done…in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and…said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place….Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us…so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days…
And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets…And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel…” (II Chronicles 29-32 – four chapters because there is a lot to learn from this king’s relationship with YHVH)
Kingdom Come 