KINGS AND PROPHETS
Israel’s united monarchy lasted through the reigns of only three kings—Saul, David, and Solomon. The period began hopefully, with a humble Saul and ended disastrously, with a disloyal Solomon. The following era was tumultuous: civil war, the political and religious division of Israel into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah), the steady advance of idolatry, and the varying faith and obedience of the divided nation’s kings. The kings of Israel and Judah distinguished themselves to the degree that they were faithful or unfaithful to God’s covenant. Because the kings were often corrupt, God raised up faithful prophets during these four centuries to call the people back to allegiance to Yahweh, the God of Israel. The biblical accounts of the split monarchy and the years of the divided kingdom appear in 1 and 2 Kings, with additional material from 2 Chronicles. These lessons are largely organized around the narrative presented in 1 and 2 Kings. The prophetic books will be studied at the places in which the lives of the prophets touch the history of the respective kingdom.