Old Testament: Southern Kingdom Of Judah
Details and Events about the Southern Kingdom of Judah in the Bible.
Ahaz Sought Help From Assyria
Baal worship climaxed in Judah during the reign of Ahaz (2
Ki 16). Ahaz (about 732-715 B.C.), was faced with Assyria`s
rise to power under TiglathPileser III; but Ahaz resisted
the urgings of Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel to join
an alliance against Assyria. Instead, Ahaz sought help from
Assyria, against the prophet Isaiah`s advice, and received
assistance in return for heavy tribute.
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Ahaziah Reigned For One Year
Jehoram`s son Ahaziah reigned only for one year (841 B.C.)
before he was killed. The pagan queen-mother Athaliah then
seized the throne and nearly brought the Davidic line to
extinction.
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Babylonians Capture Jerusalem
After Josiah there was no hope for Judah, the last 3 kings
were all evil. The Babylonians swept down upon Jerusalem in
597 B. C. and captured it. A second attack led to
Jerusalem`s second defeat in 586 B. C. Captives from both
campaigns were taken to Babylonia to mark the captivity of
the Southern Kingdom.
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Eight Kings Of Judah Served The Lord
Judah had somewhat of a better record. Only 8 of Judah`s
kings served God. These were: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash,
Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah. The rest of
the 20 kings were wicked. In the southern kingdom there was
only one dynasty, that of king David, except usurper
Athaliah from the northern kingdom, who by marriage, broke
into David`s line, and interrupted the succession for 6
years, 20 kings in all. An average of about 16 years to a
reign.
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Jehoram Married Athaliah
Jehoshaphat`s son Jehoram (about 848-841 B.C.) married
Athaliah, daughter of king Ahab and the wicked Queen
Jezebel; and their marriage led to Baal worship also being
established in Jerusalem (2 Kin. 8:18).
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Joash Proclaimed Lawful King
The pagan queen-mother Athaliah seized the throne and
nearly brought the Davidic line to extinction by killing
most of Ahaziah`s sons. Only the infant Joash escaped; he
was rescued by his aunt Jehoshabeath and her husband
Jehoiada, the godly high priest (2 Chr. 22:10-12). After
six years Joash was proclaimed the lawful king, and
Athaliah was executed.
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Josiah Killed At Megiddo
Josiah reigned about 640-609 B.C. and he restored
traditional covenant religion, which was based on the Book
of the Law newly discovered in a Temple storeroom (2 Chr.
34:14). Many did not follow Josiah`s example, however, and
the prophet Zephaniah foretold disaster for the nation. By
610 B.C. the Assyrian Empire had collapsed under Babylonian
attacks, and Babylon prepared to march against Egypt, which
had been helping the Assyrians. Against Jeremiah`s advice,
Josiah intervened and was killed at Megiddo.
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Manasseh Judah`s Most Wicked King
Revival came during the reign of Hezekiah but it was
immediately swept aside by Manasseh, who was Judah`s most
wicked and longest ruling king. The nation never fully
recovered from the effects of this evil king. Manasseh`s
son Amon continued in his father`s depravity, but he soon
was murdered. His successor was Josiah (about 640-609
B.C.).
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Queen Athaliah Executed
The pagan queen-mother Athaliah seized the throne and
nearly brought the Davidic line to extinction by killing
most of Ahaziah`s sons. Only the infant Joash escaped; he
was rescued by his aunt Jehoshabeath and her husband
Jehoiada, the godly high priest (2 Chr. 22:10-12). After
six years Joash was proclaimed the lawful king, and
Athaliah was executed.
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Rehoboam Refused To Lighten Burdens
Judah was left suddenly independent when Rehoboam flatly
refused to lighten the heavy load of forced labor and high
taxation imposed on the Israelites by his father Solomon (1
Kin. 12:1-24). Upon Rehoboam`s refusal, the ten tribes
living north of Bethel promptly declared their
independence.
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Sennacherib Withdrew Miraculously From Israel
Assyria, now ruled by Sennacherib, moved against
Jerusalem in 701 B. C. It was at this time that Hezekiah
constructed the Siloam Tunnel to bring water from the
Spring of Gihon into the city of Jerusalem (2 Chr.
32:30). But then something very strange happened.
Somehow, miraculously the Assyrians withdrew from
attacking Jerusalem after suffering heavy losses, perhaps
from a plague. History leaves a big question mark at this
point. Why didn`t Sennacherib build a seige mound against
Jerusalem and completely conquer it? The Bible reveals
something very interesting:
Isa 37:33-38 "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the
king of Assyria: `He shall not come into this city, nor
shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor
build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came,
by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into
this city,` says the LORD. `For I will defend this city,
to save it for My own sake and for My servant David`s
sake.` "Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed
in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five
thousand; and when people arose early in the morning,
there were the corpses-- all dead. So Sennacherib king of
Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and
remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was
worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons
Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword;
and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon
his son reigned in his place.
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Shemaiah Warned Against Attacking Israel
Rehoboam wanted to attack Israel and reunite the kingdom by
force, but a Word from the Lord came to Shemaiah the
prophet saying,
I Kings 12:24 "Thus says the LORD: "You shall not go up nor
fight against your brethren the children of Israel."
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Shishak Invades Judah
Something else occurred along with this Division--an
entirely unexpected blow that devastated Judah. Shishak,
Pharaoh of Egypt, invaded the country, plundered the
treasures of the Temple and the royal palace, and destroyed
a number of newly built fortresses (2 Chr. 12:1-12). Judah
never recovered from the sudden loss of her national
wealth. Because her land was not as fertile as that of the
northern kingdom of Israel, Judah never enjoyed the same
degree of prosperity.
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Syria And Israel Destroyed
Syria and the kingdom of Israel were destroyed in 722 B.C.,
leaving Judah at the mercy of the Assyrians.
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Two Tribes Of The Southern Kingdom
The Southern Kingdom consisted of 2 tribes (Judah and
Benjamin). The kingdom extended in the north as far as
Bethel, while in the south it ended in the dry area known
as the Negev. Its eastern and western boundaries were the
Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem was its
capital and it lasted from about 922-586 B.C.
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