Israel in the Promised Land

The Israelites eventually asked God for a king, like the surrounding nations. God gave them their first king, Saul, who ruled well at first, but over time, under pressure from the people, he deviated from God's instructions, and God chose a second king, David, who was a shepherd and the youngest of seven brothers. The whole family was led by their father Jesse according to God's principles of life. God raised David up in the famous battle with Goliath.

When he adhered to God, the kingdom of Israel became very important, successful and wealthy, so the kings of the nations of the world came to Israel to hear the word of God from Solomon. In time, Solomon became proud and acted according to the customs of the surrounding nations - he worshiped foreign gods, followed their rules full of occult elements such as divination, spiritism, astrology, various forms of magic, tattooing and sacrificing children to foreign gods. Towards the end of his life, he turned away from his error, but retribution for the crime was allowed through a just God. A division came into God's people and two kingdoms were formed. In the southern kingdom - Judah, the descendants of David continued, and in Northern Israel, several families took turns. The Bible contains the exact names of the kings, the years of their reign and important events mentioned in the books of Samuel, the books of the prophets and in the books of Kings and Chronicles. The Northern Kingdom of Israel lasted, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah a little longer.

David was succeeded by his son Solomon, who is known for building the temple in Jerusalem (around 1000 BC).

Kings of Israel

Saul 40 years old
David 40 years old
Solomon, 40 years old

Northern Kingdom of Israel:

Jeroboam I, 22 years old
Nadab, 2 years old
Basha, 24 years old
Ela, 2 years old
Zimri, 2 days
Omri, 12 years old
Ahab, 22 years old
Ahaziah, 2 years old
Joram, 12 years old
Jehu, 28 years old
Jehoahaz, 17 years old
Joash, 16 years old
Jeroboam II, 41 years old
Zechariah, 6 months
Shallum, 1 month
Manachem, 10 years old
Pekahiah, 2 years old
Pekah, 20 years old
Hosea, 9 years old

722 BC conquest of Samaria by Assyrian king Sennacherib, deportation of the rest to the nations together with the independent kingdom of Israel lasted about 241 years.

Southern Kingdom of Judah:

Rehoboam 17 years old
Abijam, 3 years old
Asa, 49 years old
Jehoshaphat, 25 years old
Joram 8 years old
Ahaziah, 1 year
Atalia, 6 years old
Joash, 40 years old
Amaziah, 29 years old
Azariah-Uzziah, 52 years old
Jotham, 16 years old
Ahaz, 16 years old
Hezekiah – Hezekiah 29 years
Manasseh, 55 years old
Amon, 2 years old
Josiah, 31 years old
Joachaz, 3 months
Eliakim-Joiakim, 11 years old
Jehoiachin, 3 months
Mattaniah – Zedekiah 11 years

586 BC conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the rest taken into Babylonian captivity together. The Kingdom of Judah lasted 401 years.

Because both kingdoms gradually turned away from God, God warned them in advance and called them to correction through the prophets, announcing that they would be expelled from the earth and scattered among the nations of the world, from where, after a long time, He would gather them again.

The Assyrian king Sennacherib conquered the capital of Northern Israel, Samaria, and dragged the people of Israel away from their land to the surrounding nations. He brought other nations in their place. These brought residents were called Samaritans. The southern kingdom later suffered a similar fate, but at that time there was a godly king in Judah, Hezekiah, who led the kingdom of Judah to God, and so God delivered them from the Assyrians.

Later, however, kings came who turned away from God, and the ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem and all of Judah in 586 BC. He took the inhabitants captive within his empire, but left the poorest to take care of their land. Through the prophets, and especially through the prophet Jeremiah, God announced in advance the destruction of Jerusalem and the time of their captivity of 70 years, after which they would return.