Ancient Babylonia - The Divided Kingdom
Though Solomon was gifted with incredible wisdom, his heart led him astray.
Toward the end of his life troubles began to appear through powerful factions, and enemies raised up both within and without the
nation. Though Solomon made Jerusalem one of the wonders of the world, the
kingdom was ready for a collapse. When Solomon died (about 922 BC) the kingdom split in two.
The Divided Kingdom
After Solomon the fame and fortunes of Israel went downhill. The nation
rebelled against God and his laws. God might have destroyed Israel had He not promised to Abraham a redeemer and He still planned to use the house of David for this.
When Solomon died a civil war broke out as Solomon's sons and generals fought
for the throne. Rehoboam had his fathers blessing to be the new king, but
Jeroboam had more military influence. In the end, Rehoboam took the southern half of
the country and called it "Judah". Jeroboam took the northern half and kept the name "Israel". Each claimed to be God's chosen king.
Ancient Babylonia
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