Page 18 - The Minor Prophets - Student textbook

Study Section 3: History of Israel during the Time of the Prophets

3.1 Connect

Have you ever heard this famous quote about history? “A people without the knowledge of
their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”

• Here are a couple more famous quotes: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today
is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” ... “Life can only be understood
backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ...

You cannot understand the Minor Prophets without understanding the history and culture of Israel in
the time in which the 12 prophets wrote. They referenced kings in Israel (Northern Kingdom) and
Judah (Southern Kingdom), foreign countries, evil practices, and false gods, and without a knowledge of
these people and empires and their wicked practices, we won’t fully comprehend what the prophets
are declaring in their books. So let’s travel back to around 900 years before Christ and begin our study
of the history of Israel starting with King Solomon.

3.2 Objectives

1. Each student should be able to write out a short history of Israel from 900 BCE to the fall of the
Northern Kingdom the major events and empires that interfaced with Israel.

2. The student should be able to explain the reason that God had to judge the Northern
Kingdom.

3. The student should be able to trace the major kings in
the Northern Kingdom and how they responded to
prophets and the words of the Lord.

3.3 Solomon – The last unified king of Israel ( 961-922 BCE).

The following information was located in
https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/history-israel

Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, David’s favorite wife,
acceded to the Davidic throne. Solomon constructed the Temple of
Yahweh in Jerusalem. The Temple itself was built of great stones,
and the interior walls were lined with cedar and covered with gold
leaf. The construction of the Temple took seven years.

Solomon’s building and luxury were also supported by tribute from
the subject nations which his father had conquered, from heavy
taxes on the Israelites, and from levies of forced Israelite laborers.

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