Preparing to Read Mark · Unit 10 of 16
From the kingdom’s height to northern Israel and southern Judah
Bible readings: 1 Kings 2–3, 6, 8, 11–12 (selected passages)
In the previous stage, we saw David become a key king of Israel and receive God’s promise that his dynasty would have a special, enduring future. After David died, his son Solomon succeeded him. Under Solomon, Israel prospered and Jerusalem’s temple was built. Yet this same Solomon turned away from God in his later years. Eventually, after his death, the once-united kingdom split apart.
1. Solomon Succeeds David as King
Late in his life, David arranged for Solomon to succeed him. Solomon thus became the next king of David’s dynasty.
“Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom became firmly established.”
— 1 Kings 2:12
This matters because, as we saw in the previous stage, God had promised David that his offspring would succeed him. Solomon was the most immediate continuation of that promise.
2. Solomon Asks God for Wisdom
Early in Solomon’s reign, God appeared to him in a dream and invited him to ask for what he needed. Rather than first requesting wealth or a long life, Solomon asked for wisdom to judge rightly among the people.
“Please give me wisdom to judge your people and distinguish right from wrong. Otherwise, who could judge this great multitude of people?”
— 1 Kings 3:9
God was pleased with Solomon’s request and granted him wisdom. This is why the Bible later so often connects Solomon with “wisdom.”
One of Solomon’s best-known qualities is that he asked God for wisdom to govern the people.
3. Israel Enters a Period of Prosperity
During Solomon’s reign, the state developed a more complete administrative system and undertook extensive building projects and international trade. Outwardly, this was a notably prosperous period for Israel’s kingdom.
Prosperity, however, also brought massive construction projects, compulsory labor, and taxes. These burdens would later become a significant part of the background to the kingdom’s division.
4. Solomon Builds the Temple in Jerusalem
In the wilderness, Israel’s center of worship was the movable “tabernacle.” In Solomon’s day, this worship center became a permanent building: the temple in Jerusalem.
“In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began building the house of the LORD.”
— 1 Kings 6:1
After the temple was completed, the ark of the covenant was placed inside it. For Israel, Jerusalem’s temple became the center of worship, sacrifice, and major festivals.
“When the priests came out of the sanctuary, a cloud filled the house of the LORD. The priests could not remain standing to perform their duties, because the glory of the LORD filled the house.”
— 1 Kings 8:10–11
From then on, “Jerusalem” and “the temple” became places of immense importance throughout the biblical story.
5. The Temple Does Not Confine God to a Building
Although the temple symbolized God’s presence among his people, Solomon himself clearly understood that the Creator of heaven and earth could never truly be contained in a building.
“Will God really live on earth? Look—even heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain you, much less this house I have built!”
— 1 Kings 8:27
The temple mattered, then, not because people had confined God inside it, but because God chose it as a central place for Israel to worship him.
This background remained crucial in Jesus’ time. When we later read Mark, we need to understand Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his entry into the temple, and his actions there in light of this history.
6. Solomon Turns Away from God in His Later Years
Though famous for wisdom, Solomon developed serious problems in his faith late in life. Scripture says that he married many foreign women and came under the influence of the gods they worshiped. The central issue was not their different ethnic backgrounds, but Solomon’s resulting turn to other gods.
“When Solomon was old, his wives drew his heart after other gods. Unlike his father David, he was not wholeheartedly obedient to the LORD his God.”
— 1 Kings 11:4
The contrast is striking: the king who once asked God for wisdom and built the temple ultimately turned away from God himself.
Wisdom, success, and religious accomplishments do not guarantee that a person will remain faithful to God.
7. God Announces That the Kingdom Will Divide
Because Solomon turned to other gods, God announced that his kingdom would be torn apart. Yet because of the promise to David, the kingdom would not be taken entirely from David’s house.
“So the LORD said to him, ‘Because you have done this and have not kept my covenant and the statutes I commanded you to keep, I will take your kingdom away and give it to your servant.’”
— 1 Kings 11:11
The coming division therefore had political causes as well as the spiritual causes that Scripture emphasizes.
8. Rehoboam’s Decision Brings the Conflict to a Head
After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam succeeded him. The people asked him to lighten the heavy labor and burdens imposed during Solomon’s reign.
“Your father placed a heavy yoke on us and made us work hard. Please ease the hard labor and heavy yoke we bear, and we will serve you.”
— 1 Kings 12:4
Rehoboam rejected the older advisers’ counsel to treat the people kindly and chose a harsher form of rule instead. This brought their existing resentment into the open.
9. One Kingdom Becomes Two
“When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, they said to him, ‘What share do we have in David? We have no connection with Jesse’s son. People of Israel, go back to your own homes!’”
— 1 Kings 12:16
The kingdom split. From here onward, when reading Kings and many prophetic books, we need to distinguish two different kingdoms:
Northern kingdom: Israel—initially ruled by Jeroboam, with most tribes in the north. Southern kingdom: Judah—ruled by Rehoboam, centered on Jerusalem, and continuing David’s dynasty.
The word “Israel” can therefore mean either the whole people of Israel or specifically the northern kingdom after the division. In later biblical readings, we must judge its meaning from the context.
10. The Northern Kingdom Establishes Its Own Worship Centers
Jeroboam, the northern kingdom’s first king, faced a political problem: Jerusalem’s temple was in southern Judah. If northern people kept traveling to Jerusalem to worship, he feared they would eventually return their allegiance to the southern king.
So Jeroboam established worship centers at Bethel and Dan and made golden calves.
“King Jeroboam made his plans and cast two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘People of Israel, going up to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’ He placed one calf at Bethel and the other at Dan. This led the people into sin.”
— 1 Kings 12:28–30
From the perspective of Kings, this marked a major beginning of the northern kingdom’s persistent religious unfaithfulness. Later northern kings are frequently compared with Jeroboam.
11. Why Does the Kingdom’s Division Matter So Much?
From here on, Israel’s history no longer follows just one royal line: northern Israel and southern Judah exist side by side. Each has its own kings and faces political, military, and spiritual crises. As kings and people turn away from God, another important group appears increasingly often: the prophets. They speak to kings and people on God’s behalf, calling them back to their covenant with God.
12. Key Points from This Stage
- Solomon succeeded David, became famous for wisdom, and built the temple in Jerusalem.
- The temple was a vital worship center, but Solomon still turned to other gods in his later years.
- After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split: the north was called “Israel” and the south “Judah.” Jerusalem and David’s dynasty remained in the south.
- Jeroboam established separate worship centers in the north, a key starting point for its later religious problems.
13. Where Does the Biblical Story Go Next?
After the division, many kings would arise in both north and south, and idolatry and injustice would persist. In this setting, God raised up Elijah, Elisha, and later prophets such as Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah, who brought warnings and calls to kings and people alike.