Summary
David is old and bed-ridden, and his son Adonijah proclaims
himself king with the help of David’s commander Joab and the priest, Abiathar.
Hearing this news, David instructs the prophet Nathan to anoint
David’s son, Solomon, as king. The people rally behind Solomon in
a grand procession to the royal throne. Before dying, David charges
Solomon to remain faithful to God and his laws. Solomon solidifies
his claim to the throne by killing Joab, Adonijah, and the remaining
dissenters from David’s reign. He also makes an alliance with Egypt
by marrying the pharaoh’s daughter.
Because Solomon carefully obeys God’s laws, God appears
to him in a dream and offers to grant the new king one wish. Solomon asks
for wisdom to govern with justice and to know the difference between
right and wrong. God is so impressed with Solomon’s humble request
that he promises Solomon the additional gifts of wealth and long
life. As a result, Solomon lives in great opulence and his empire
stretches from Egypt to the Euphrates River. He earns international
fame for his wise sayings and scientific knowledge.
With his vast resources, Solomon builds an elaborate
temple to God as well as a palace for himself in Jerusalem. Construction begins
exactly four hundred and eighty years after Israel’s exodus from
Egypt. Solomon conscripts thousands of laborers for the work and
imports materials from neighboring countries. The Temple is lined
with gold and features large, hand-sculpted angels and pillars. Solomon
places the Ark of the Covenant inside, and all of Israel gathers
for the dedication. After sacrificing herds of animals on the altar,
Solomon prays for God’s blessing on the Temple. God appears to Solomon
and promises to dwell in the Temple so long as Solomon and the Israelites
are obedient to his laws. If they are not, God will remove his presence
from the Temple, destroying both the temple and the nation.
Solomon’s success continues until he marries many foreign women.
They influence him to worship and erect altars to foreign deities.
God is infuriated and tells Solomon that he will dismember the kingdom.
God will tear away all of the tribes from Solomon’s kingdom except
for one, Judah. God allows the tribe of Judah to remain since Solomon
is David’s son. Following God’s declaration, a prophet meets one
of Solomon’s officials, Jeroboam, with a cloak torn into twelve
pieces, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The prophet hands
Jeroboam ten of the twelve pieces and explains that God has chosen
him to rule these selected tribes as Israel’s new king.
Solomon dies, and his son Rehoboam assumes the
throne. Led by Jeroboam, the people gather before the young king
to request that Rehoboam treat them more kindly than Solomon did
during his reign. Rehoboam is headstrong and refuses, threatening
to punish and enslave the people. The Israelites unite in rebellion,
cursing the tribe of Judah and eluding Rehoboam’s attempts to forcefully
subdue them. They head north, where they crown Jeroboam king of
Israel in the city of Shechem. Israel splits into two kingdoms:
the kingdom of Israel in the north, and the kingdom of Judah in
the south.
To distinguish the new, separate kingdom of Israel from
the old kingdom in Jerusalem, Jeroboam erects altars and shrines
to golden calves throughout the northern land. The Israelites worship
the idols, and the Levite priests, formerly devoted to God, serve
them as well. One day, Jeroboam’s son is ill, and his wife approaches
a prophet to seek guidance. The prophet warns that Jeroboam’s household
will be destroyed and that Israel will eventually lose control of
the promised land because of Jeroboam’s abhorrent practices. One
generation later, Jeroboam’s entire family is slaughtered when another
Israelite takes the throne by force.
