The Kings of Israel

An informative list of kings who reigned in Israel

Introduction

The book of kings takes us from the appointing of Saul as king, to the division of Israel, through the fall of both kingdoms. A major focus is the Israelites' constant struggle with idolatry. Idolatry has always been mankind's weakness and plays heavily in the events of the end days. The reason idolatry is so prominent, I believe, is that we are easily able to convince ourselves that things like stealing, murder, and lying are wrong, regardless of where we stand with God. However, pagan festivities (like Halloween) appear harmless and fun, which means it requires a deeper relationship with God to reject such things. However, the more we indulge in such activities, the weaker our relationship with God becomes.
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Kings of Israel

Keeping the kings of Israel straight is difficult, especially when several of them share a name. Below, I'm provide a table with information on each kings rule for reference. Estimates of the years in which each king reigned were taken are cited below and are based on E.R. Thiele's calculations.^[3] Dynasties of the northern kingdom are marked by color left of the king's name.

The United Kingdom of Israel
King		Length of Reign (years)		Estimate Time Period		Relationship with God		Notes
Saul		40		1051-1011bc		Rocky
David		40		1011-971bc		Strong
Solomon		40		971-931bc		Strong
The Southern Kingdom (Judah)					The Northern Kingdom (Israel)
King	Reign	Years	Godly?	Notes	King	Reign	Years	Godly?	Notes
Rehoboam	17	930-913bc	Relationship with God		Jeroboam	22	930-909bc	Bad
Abijah	3	913-910bc	Bad
Asa	41	910-869bc	Great		Nadab	2	909-908bc	Bad
					Baasha	24	908-886bc	Bad
					Elah	2	886-885bc	Bad
					Zimri	7days	885bc	Bad
					Tibni / Omri	5	885-880bc	-
					Omri	12	885-874bc	Very Bad
Jehoshaphat	25	872-848bc	Good		Ahab	22	874-853bc	Bad
Jehoram	8	853-841bc	Bad		Jehoram	12	852-841bc	Not as Bad
Ahaziah	1	841bc	Bad		Jehu	28	841-814bc	Not as Bad
Queen Athaliah	7	841-835bc	Really Bad
Joash	40	835-796bc	Mostly Good		Jehoahaz	17	814-798bc	Bad
Amaziah	29	796-767bc	Mostly Good		Jehoash	16	798-782bc	Bad
Uzziah/ Azariah	52	792-740bc	Mostly Good		Jeroboam II	41	793-753bc	Bad
					Zachariah	0.5	753bc	Bad
					Shallum	0.08	752bc	Bad
Jotham	16	750-732bc	OK		Menahem	0.08	752-742bc	Bad
					Pekahiah	2	742-740bc	Bad
					Pekah	20	752-732bc	Bad
Ahaz	16	735-715bc	Bad		Hosea	9	732-723bc	Not as Bad
Hezekiah	29	715-686bc	Best
Manasseh	55	696-642bc	Worst
Amon	2	642-640bc	Horrible
Josiah	31	640-609bc	Great
Jehoahaz	0.25	609bc	Bad
Jehoiakim/ Eliakim	11	609-598bc	Bad
Jehoiachin	0.25	598-597bc	Bad
Mattaniah / Zedekiah	11	597-586bc	Bad

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References

1. William MacDonald. Believers Bible Commentary, pg. 407. 1998
2. Edwin R. Thiele. "The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings". Wikipedia; visited April 2017
3. "Pekah". Wikipedia; visited April 2017

2 Chronicles 10-12: Rehoboam & The Division of Israel

A look at the division of Israel and the rule of Rehoboam. Also covered in 1 Kings 12.

Introduction

Photocredit: Holy Spirit Interactive

Rehoboam takes the throne after Solomon, and shortly after, he is confronted by the tribes of the north. The tribes from the north were unhappy with how Solomon had treated them, likely during the building of the Temple. Instead of following the wise council of the elders to heed the tribes' request, Rehoboam decides to make it even harder for them. This prompts the splitting of the kingdom. God allowed Rehoboam to do this because he had already foretold that the kingdom would split and Jeroboam would be king of the north. This was punishment for Solomon's fall into idolatry and a consequence of Rehoboam's lack of a relationship with God.
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Battling the North

When the people of the north disassociate themselves from Rehoboam's rule, he tries to reign them back in using his chief overseer, Adoram. The northern tribes confirm this dissatisfaction and reinforce the split by killing the man. Following this, Rehoboam sets up a an army consisting of the men of Judah and the men of Benjamin, numbering 180,000. These men were to fight the rebelling tribes of the north, but before they go into battle, God speaks to the prophet Shemaiah and stops them from going forth. This is recounted in 1 Kings 12, as well. Although the army retreats, Rehoboam continues to build cities of defense (a way of listening to God without really listening to God).
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A Turning Point

Meanwhile, in the north, Jeroboam turns the people against the service of the Levites in fear that they will return to Jerusalem, which naturally leads to idolatry. Since the Levites are no longer of use in those territories, they leave their cities to live in Jerusalem. This placed them under Rehoboam's control and gave the southern kingdom an advantage. For 3 years, the southern kingdom of Judah followed the ways of God and were strong because of this.
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Wives

Like Solomon, Rehoboam had many wives. His wives were quite closely related to him (though not close enough to be considered incest) and bore him 28 sons and 60 daughters. Of his wives he loved Maachah most. Maacah is described as the daughter of Absalom, though this likely means granddaughter since the 2 Chronicles 13:12 refers to her as the daughter of Uriel (note that Michaiah is an alternate form of the name)^[1]. Her son Abijah (also called Abia and Abijam) would inherit the throne. It is interesting that the granddaughter of the man who attempt a coup to subvert power from Solomon; had Absalom succeeded, Rehoboam would never have inherited the throne.
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Shishak of Egypt

Once Rehoboam found his footing and was confident in his leadership, he turned away from God, thinking he could take care of everything himself. As punishment for turning away from God, God allows a pharaoh from Egypt (Shishak) to attack Jerusalem. As usual, God sends a message through His prophet warning Rehoboam and his generals of their evils. When they repent, God grants them reprieve, but that doesn't mean everything ends perfectly as though Rehoboam never rebelled. Shishak steals everything from the Temple.

The same is true today, God may welcome us back, and spare our lives, but we still have to pay the price for our actions. Unfortunately, in Rehoboam's case, this does not bring Rehoboam back to God permanently. One in the clear, he continues to live in sin.
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References

1. Zondervan. "Michaiah". via Bible Gateway. 1988

Rehoboam

Rehoboam, 1st king of Judah, is discussed.

Introduction

Rehoboam is the son of Solomon and Naamah. He becomes king of Israel upon Solomon's death. 1 Kings 14 tells us that he took the throne when he was 41 years old and reigned for 17 years. Most sources site the begin of his rule to be 931bc, which would mean he lived from 972-914bc and was king from 931-914bc. Some scholars date the split of the kingdom to 922bc.^[1] This would place Rehoboam's reign from 922-905bc, and his birth in 963bc. The bulk of Rehoboam's reign is given in 1 Kings 12, 1 Kings 14:21-31, and 2 Chronicles 10-12.
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Relationship with God

Kings were to lead by example, and whether the king followed God's law or not directly effected the state of the nation. Thus each kings' relationship with God is clearly defined. Rehoboam's relationship with God appears to be pretty bad. Rehoboam causes the kingdom to split by not listening to the elders. God sends word to Rehoboam through a prophet named Shemaiah to cease fighting with the northern tribes, however, Rehoboam fights with them for his entire reign (1 Kings 12:22-24 and 1 Kings 14:30). This tells us Rehoboam didn't listen to God. In 2 Chronicles 11:16-17, we learn that under Rehoboam, Israel followed the ways of God for 3 years. Considering the fact that he reigned for 17 years, this isn't a lengthy period of faithfulness. 2 Chronicles 12 confirms that while Rehoboam had brief moments where he submitted to God, his was known for his ungodly behavior.
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Family History

As the son of Solomon, Rehoboam was also the grandson of David and Bathsheba. He is thus descended from the tribe of Judah, which makes him a descendant of Boaz and Ruth.

Given the timeline, Rehoboam would have been about 2 years old when David died. One of my grandfathers died when I was 2 (about to turn 3) years old and I have no memory of him; however I still managed to pick up some of his habits. Likely, Rehoboam wouldn't have retained any memories of David, but it would have been possible for him to pick up some of David's mannerisms, quirks, and habits if he was around him long enough.

Rehoboam's mother is named Naamah. Naamah was not an Israelite, despite God specifically commanding kings to marry Israelite women. Her ties to Ammon and paganism likely influenced both Solomon and Rehoboam.^[2]

Rehoboam marries many women, like his father. The details of his marriages are listed in 2 Chronicles 11. Many of these women are quiet closely related to him, though not close enough to be defined as incest biblically. Maachah, the daughter (or granddaughter) of Absalom (Rehoboam's uncle who tried to steal the throne), becomes Rehoboam's favorite wife. Although Rehoboam has 28 sons and even more daughters, it is Maachah's son who succeeds him on the throne. Maachah's son is called Abijah, Abijam, and Abia throughout the text.

Battles and Wars

Egypt

In the fifth year of his reign, the city of Jerusalem is attacked by Shishak, the king of Egypt (1 Kings 14:25). Shishak, which is also written Shishaq, is generally identified as Egyptian pharaoh Shoshenq I. Interestingly, Shisak is the first pharaoh mentioned by name in the Bible. The account of Shishak launching an attack on Jerusalem is listed in the history texts of Egypt, as well.^[3][4]

Shishak brings a considerable army for his attack and is able to raid the Temple of all of its treasures. Although it is not mentioned, I have to wonder if this includes the Ark of the Covenant; after all the ark is not mentioned again after it is placed in the Temple under Solomon's rule. The Israelites were likely devastated by such a defeat, and were not able to replace the expensive treasures from before. Instead, Rehoboam replaces everything with brass replicas.

Note that some sources do not identify Shoshenq I as Shishak, instead they suggest Shishak should be identified as Thutmose III.^[5] This would require a significant change in the timeline as Thutmose III was pharaoh of Egypt from 1479–1426bc.^[6] On the other hand, Shoshenq I was pharaoh of Egypt from 945–924bc. Using the generally agreed upon date that Rehoboam began his reign in 931bc, his 5th year would have been 926bc, 2 years before the end of Shoshenq I's reign.^[4]

Cases have also been made for Rameses II to be the pharaoh called Shishak. Reading the different hypothesis is quite interesting.If you are interested in Biblical timelines and/or matching Biblical events to secular events, you should look up the information on which of these kings actually his Shishank.
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Israel

It isn't surprising that Rehoboam would have been furious when the northern kingdom split from him. I can't think of a single point in history where part of a country decided to form it's own sovereign nation and the original king (or president) didn't fight to retain the territory. Some of this is about pride, but many times, it's also about wealth and power. The northern kingdoms consisted of 10 whole tribes as opposed to Judah's 2 tribes. The loss of these 10 tribes robbed Judah of both wealth and man power, something no nation wants to lose. Rehoboam did just as one would expect and went to war with Jeroboam.

Liberty taken with the depiction of Rehoboam
the Bible does not give a description of Rehoboam.

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Related Posts

References

1. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible, pg. 605. 2014
2. Elizabeth Fletcher. "Naamah, wife of Solomon". Women in the Bible. 2006
3. Associates for Biblical Research. "What evidence has been found of the Egyptian king, Shishak?". Christian Answers. 1999
4. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Sheshonk I". Encyclopædia Brittanica. July 2, 2010
5. Elizabeth Mitchell, PhD. "Will the Real Shishak Please Stand Up?". Answers in Genesis. March 2, 2012
6. Peter F. Dorman and Margaret Stefana Drower. "Thutmose III". Encyclopædia Brittanica. July 1, 2010

1 Kings 13&14: Jeroboam and Rehoboam

The first kings of the divided kingdom are Jeroboam and Rehoboam

Introduction

Rehoboam and Jeroboam warred with each other during their entire rule against each other. Both kings led their respective portions of the kingdom into idolatry.
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Rehoboam

Statue in Spain
Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Daniel Diaz

Rehoboam takes the throne of Judah when he is 41 years old and rules for 17 years. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. Rehoboam leads the people into idolatry and causes them to worship at false altars. The kingdom is also overtaken by sodomites. Sodomite refers to male prostitutes that were associated with pagan worship of the area.^[1] Due to their idolatry and allowance of idolatry, the nation is left weak and vulnerable. Egypt takes advantage of this and mounts a successful attack. The Egyptians steal all of the treasures from the Temple and from Solomon's house. In this loss of wealth, Rehoboam has to replace the original gold shields his father had installed with brass. When Rehoboam dies, his son Abijam takes over.
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Jeroboam

Jeroboam also leads the his portion of the kingdom into idolatry. God sends a message to Jeroboam through a prophet that this idolatry will not stand. A from David's line, named Josiah, is prophesied to desecrate the pagan altar Jeroboam has constructed with human remains. God even gives a sign to confirm the prophecy after it is spoken.
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A Withered Hand

One sign God gives is to wither the hand of Jeroboam. Jeroboam asks the prophet to intercede so that his hand may return to normal and the prophet obliges. At the prophet's request, Jeroboam's hand is restored to normal. This should have put the fear of God into Jeroboam's heart, but just as it happens today, his gratitude was short lived. Jeroboam offers a reward to the prophet for his service, but the prophet refuses. The prophet explains that God has commanded him not to eat bread, drink wine, or return the same way he came. Likely, God didn't want the prophet to let his guard down or the people to view the act of him breaking bread with Jeroboam as a sanctioning of their idolatry. Instead, the prophet was to exit leaving them to think on their sins.
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Disobedience

The prophet was on his way home when an old prophet sent after him. The old prophet offers him bread and wine, just as the king had. When the old prophet receives the same rejection the king received, he lies to the younger prophet and claims an angel has told him to bring the prophet to his home and feed him. Swayed, the younger prophet disobeys God's order and eats with the old prophet. During this time, God reveals to the prophet that he will die for his disobedience. The young prophet is slain by a lion on his way back. The old prophet mourns for this loss and takes over the obligation of burying the body. The old prophet requests that when he die, he be buried there as well.

This is a reminder that when we lie to people, we can cause them to falter. We should never persuade people to do the wrong thing, especially under the false pretense that God said it was ok.
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Continued Sin

After his encounter, Jeroboam returns to sin and continues to appoint priests from non-Levites.
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Jeroboam's End

When one of Jeroboam's son is sick and ailing, he sends his wife, in disguise, to Ahijah. Ahijah was the same prophet that had foretold his kingship. Although Ahijah has lost his vision because of his age, God reveals the woman as Jeroboam's wife. Ahijah confirms that Jeroboam's sins will cause him to lose the kingdom and the child will die. Although God allows the boy to die, He grants a peaceful death him because He had seen something good the boy.

Jeroboam reigns for 22 years before he dies. When he dies, one of his other sons (Nadab) replaces him as king.
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References

1. "1 Kings 14:24 Commentary." BibleHub.com; visited January 2017

1 Kings 12: The Division of Israel

The split of Israel was long coming, but it marked the end of their strength; united we stand, divided we fall. Let's look at how the kingdom split.

Introduction

A divide between the southern tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin and the 10 tribes of the north had been widing for quite some time. In the book of Samuel, we already see language in which the two are referred to by distinct names, similar to the South and Union in the United States. When Solomon provokes God with his idolatry, God let the frayed strands of the nation unravel. Rehoboam, Solomon's son inherits the throne of all Israel, but it doesn't last. Just as God promised, He continued the lineage of David on the throne, but for a smaller, weaker territory.
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The Official Split of the Kingdom

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Paul Rowley

When then the 10 tribes of the north come to Rehoboam about the amount of work placed on them, Rehoboam forsakes the wise counsel of the elders and choses the poor counsel of his peers to "solve" the problem. Solomon had likely used men mostly from the 10 tribes to construct his palace and the Temple; this would explain what they meant by Solomon inflicting a heavy burden on them. Add to this the insult they already felt at Judah being favored by David, and the elders knew this was an uphill battle for Rehoboam.

Instead of agreeing to lighten their load or at least spread the work evenly amongst the tribes, as the elders suggested, Rehoboam chooses to flex his power in an unnecessarily cruel verdict. Rehoboam pridefully tells them that they will have a heavier load and instead of being punished by whips as Solomon had done, they would now be chastised with scorpions. Essentially, Rehoboam said that because they complained, he was going to make it even harder. Saying it out loud makes it obvious how stupid the idea was, but Rehoboam was rejecting God's wisdom. When we reject God's wisdom, we are fooled into thinking something sounds like a good plan when in fact, it's not. This was part of God's plan to reduce the kingdom given to Rehoboam.

Naturally, when Rehoboam conveys this message to the Israelites, they rebel. Jeroboam, who has come out of hiding now that Solomon is dead, is made king of the northern portion of the kingdom and the 10 tribes follow him just as the prophet said.
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Idolatry

Jeroboam worried that if the men of his kingdom worshipped in Jerusalem, they would turn their favor to Rehoboam. A more important side effect of them turning their favor to Rehoboam, was that they would likely kill him as a traitor. Thus, to prevent worship in Jerusalem, Jeroboam turns to the people to idolatry. He setS up not one, but two, golden calves. Clearly, Jeroboam didn't learn from the Israelites in the Exodus. Jeroboam places one calf in Bethel and the other in Dan. Since most of the Levites were in Jerusalem and likely continued to followed Rehoboam and the way of God, the northern king was left without priests. Thus, Jeroboam appointed priests external to the Levites. He also created his own feast in the 8th month of the year. Jeroboam basically created his own religion using a little of God's original design and some pagan influences. God doesn't want us to alter His design, and this comes back to haunt Jeroboam and the northern kingdom.
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Related to Christianity

Christianity experienced the same weakening after Jesus' resserrection. Initially the disciples and the apostles went out on one accord proclaiming God's word. They had flaws, but overall were men of God, just as David and Solomon were. Over time, problems crept in and when the Romans decided to take up Christianity they added paganism to their worship, just as Jeroboam did. After centuries of persecution for disobeying the Catholic Church, Christians began to splinter off into different denominations. Now, despict proclaiming to worship the same God, we many churches—many bodies of Christ and many kingdoms. Only a united kingdom can stand. Before all is said and done there will come a time when we have to choose which king we will follow.
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References