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The Political Situation
in First and Second Kings

Domestic and foreign politics play a significant role in the events recounted in First and Second Kings. Regional conflicts, superpower expansionism, and petty internal squabbles all affect how Isra’el’s history unfolds. To read First and Second Kings intelligently, then, it is necessary to note some key nations and events that impact the book’s telling of the story. Though these nations and events take place in a “secular” context, the author constantly reminds readers that ADONAI determines who rules at what point in history.15

The United Kingdom: Except for a description of David’s last days, Isra’el only existed as a unified, twelve-tribe nation during Solomon’s reign (970-930 BC) in First and Second Kings. Unity had been difficult for David to achieve after King Sha’ul’s death (Second Samuel 2-4), and tribal tensions never completely died. As a result, Solomon’s ability to govern all twelve tribes for forty years was in itself a major achievement. Of course, the absence of wars and the emergence of economic prosperity probably helped people accept his leadership more readily.

Solomon’s foreign policy was also effective. He made peace with Egypt, the main threat from the south, through a marriage alliance (First Kings 3:1). Though that practice came to haunt him, marriage alliances were keys to peace with other neighboring countries as well (First Kings 11:1). Solomon also continued David’s vital relationship with Tyre (First Kings 5:1-7). Tyre helped Solomon with his building projects, and he, in turn, paid them in wages and with a few small cities (First Kings 5:6 and 9:10-14). The Bible indicates few external problems in the first decades of Solomon’s reign.

In his old age, however, Solomon encountered several difficulties, which the author attributes to Solomon’s idolatry (to see link click Bx – Solomon’s Wives). ADONAI decided to punish Solomon but left David’s descendants a portion of Isra’el to govern (First Kings 11:9-13). As a domestic punishment God allowed Jeroboam to emerge as a rebel leader (see Bz – The Prophecy of Ahijah). More will be heard from him later. As a further punishment the LORD raised up Edomite foes to the southeast and Aramean enemies in the north (see By – The Fall of the House of David). Worse than that, Solomon’s allies in Egypt were overthrown by Pharaoh Shishak, who supported Solomon’s domestic and foreign enemies (First Kings 11:14-40). Clearly, Solomon’s death found Isra’el in a weakened position both at home and abroad.

The Divided Kingdom: Immediately after Solomon’s death the nation was split into two parts. Jeroboam managed to take ten northern tribes, while Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, retained Judah and Benjamin – two southern tribes (see Dc – A House Divided). Tensions had always existed in the northern tribes, yet the author states that the division occurred as a direct result of Solomon’s sin of spiritual adultery and according to God’s word through the prophet Ahijah (First Kings 11:29-39). Once again YHVH directed human events. After the split “Isra’el” became two different nations, with two names, with two capitals, in two separate locations (see Cz – The Divided Kingdom: The Rise of Idolatry).

The northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah warred periodically until Isra’el was destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC. Jeroboam and Rehoboam fought one another (First Kings 15:6), as did Asa and Baasha (First Kings 15:16-17) and Jehoash and Amaziah (Second Kings 14:8-14). Yet, at times the two nations fought together against common foes (for example: First Kings 22:1-40; Second Kings 3:1-27 and 8:28-29). Obviously, then, Isra’el and Judah were both friends and enemies through the centuries. The greatest threat to the two countries, however, came from other powers.16

Egypt: Isra’el’s history was impacted by Egypt most during the years after Solomon’s reign and during the decades just before the great destruction of Jerusalem. Pharaoh Shishak invaded Jerusalem and stripped the Temple of its gold (First Kings 14:25-27). Shishak’s invasion left Judah too weak to attack Isra’el, which helped keep the two nations apart. In 609 BC Pharaoh Neco marched north to aid Assyria’s efforts against Babylon (Second Kings 23:29). For reasons not stated in the Bible, Josiah, Judah’s last righteous king, confronted Neco and was killed (Second Kings 23:29-30). Egypt could not overcome Babylon at that time but was able to dominate Judah’s political scene until 605 BC. Thus, just as Pharaoh Shishak’s invasion partially contributed to the nation’s division, so Neco’s killing of Josiah effectively removed Judah’s last godly king and paved the way for her final destruction.

Aram (Syria): Syria posed a great threat to the Northern Kingdom’s security during the ninth century BC. Two powerful kings, Ben-Hadad I (around 880-840 BC) and Hazael (around 840-805), led Syria to become perhaps the chief power in northeast Judea. Ben-Hadad first enters the biblical story when he breaks an alliance with Isra’el’s King Baasha to ally himself with King Asa (see Dd – Asa King of Judah). Ben-Hadad’s friendship, however, was costly since Asa was forced to strip his palace and the Temple of its gold and silver to purchase the Syrian’s “loyalty.” With Judah’s money in hand, Ben-Hadad gladly annexed several of Isra’el’s cities (First Kings 20:1-12). Omri (see Ds – Omri King of Isra’el) tooks steps to ward off the Syrian threat, including marrying his son Ahab to Tyre’s princess Jezebel, thus linking Isra’el with another anti-Syrian country (First Kings 16:31). Indeed, the Syrian problem remained so serious that Isra’el and Judah joined forces to fight Syria during the days of Ahab and Jehoshaphat (First Kings 22:1-4), and Ahab died fighting his longtime foe (First Kings 22:29-40; Second Chronicles 18:28-34).

Syria continued its domination under Hazael. Though annoyed for a time by Assyria, Syria ravaged Isra’el during Jehu’s reign (Second Kings 10:32-33), captured Gath of Philistia (Second Kings 12:17), and only spared Jerusalem because Josiah paid him a large sum of money (Second Kings 12:18). Syrian’s power was finally broken after Hazael’s death, when Assyria laid siege to Damascus and forced the king to pay tribute money. Assyria did not threaten Isra’el or Judah at that time, however, so they enjoyed a half-century of peace and prosperity.

Assyria: Assyria was the fiercest, most cruel, and most oppressive foreign power ever to threaten Isra’el and Judah. That ambitious, seemingly relentless nation terrorized Palestine from the mid-eighth century BC to the late seventh century BC. Assyrian’s power was especially devastating to the northern kingdom of Isr’ael, since Assyria conquered and destroyed the entire nation in 722 BC. Judah also felt the sting of Assyrian oppression in 701 BC when they nearly captured Jerusalem under King Hezekiah. Only a miracle of God saved the City (see below).

Three Assyrian kings figured prominently in Isra’el and Judah’s history during the period from 750 to 700 BC. First, Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC) began a new foreign policy. His campaigns differed from those of his predecessors in that they were not tribute-gathering expeditions, but permanent conquests. That new policy made the Assyrians more dangerous than other invading armies. Syria, Isra’el, Philistia, and a few other smaller nations opposed Tiglath-Pileser, but Judah’s King Ahaz adopted a pro-Assyrian foreign policy (Second Kings 16:7-9). The Assyrian king invaded the area from 734 to 732 BC and punished the coalition by defeating Gaza and Damascus (Second Kings 16:9), and by annexing parts of northern Isra’el (Second Kings 15:29). Judah’s pact with Assyria saved her, but the Northern Kingdom was then in serious trouble.

Shalmaneser V (727-722 BC) finished what Tiglath-Pileser began in Isra’el. After Tiglath’s death King Hosea sought to free the Northern Kingdom from Assyrian domination. In a colossal miscalculation, he withheld tribute money from Shalmaneser (Second Kings 17:3-4), who depended on Egypt for help (Isaiah Chapters 30 and 31). Egypt, always a poor ally to Isra’el, failed to respond, and Assyria laid siege to Samaria. After three years the city surrendered (Second Kings 17:5-6). Then, it was burned to the ground; and the state of Isra’el was abolished and absorbed into the Assyrian Empire. No less than 27,290 of its inhabitants were reportedly taken off to Assyria and Media. Tiny Judah was all that remained of the covenant nation.

Sennacherib (704-681 BC) nearly obliterated Judah in 701 BC. Judah’s King Hezekiah decided to break with Assyria when the old oppressor had difficulties with Babylon. Nevertheless, Sennacherib invaded Judah (see the commentary on Isaiah Gp – The Timeline of Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah) and laid siege to Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah counseled Hezekiah to resist, trusting only in God’s power (see Isaiah Gv – I Will Save This City for My Sake and for the Sake of David My Servant). Because Hezekiah obeyed, Ha’Shem obliterated the Assryian army in a single night (see the commentary on Isaish Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put To Death a Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp), then removed Sennacherib from power (Second Kings 19:35-37). After Hezekiah’s death, however, his son Manasseh reverted to appeasing Assyria and not trusting in the LORD (Second Kings 21:1-18).

Babylon: Like Assyria, Babylon exerted her power and influence intermittently over several centuries. It was from 605 to 539 BC, however, that this nation impacted Judah the most. In 612 BC, Babylon conquered Nineveh, Assyria’s capital, thus becoming the dominant force in the ancient world. It took the Babylonians until 610 BC to eliminate Assyrian opposition and until 605 BC to place Judah under servitude, but once in control they didn’t relinquish power for nearly seven decades.

When Nebuchadnezzar subdued Egypt at Carchemish in 605 BC (see the commentary on Jeremiah Dh – A Message Concerning Egypt), thus establishing Babylon’s dominance in the region (Second Kings 24:7), he found Jehoiakim, hand picked by Egypt (see Jeremiah Ca – Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609/608 to 598 BC), on Judah’s throne. At that time Babylon started the first of three deportations (see Jeremiah Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile Jehoiachin was Released from Prison), taking Dani’el and his friends (Dani’el 1:1-2). Jehoiakim served Babylon for three years, then rebelled (Second Kings 24:1). Though according to Second Kings 24:2-4 God sent various raiders from neighboring lands to harass Jehoiakim, Babylon itself did not move to punish his rebellion until 598 BC, the year Jehoiachin succeeded his father (see Jeremiah Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). Nebuchadnezzar removed Jehoiachin from power after only three months, deported Ezeki’el and other Isreaelites, stripped the Temple of its wealth, and placed Zedekiah on the throne (Second Kings 24:10-17; Jeremiah 24-29). Therefore, Babylon gave Judah one more chance to be a loyal vassal.

Zedekiah governed Judah during the last decade of her existence (see Jeremiah Dz – Zedekiah Ruled For 11 Years from 598/597 to 586 BC). The only notice Second Kings offers about why Babylon finally decided to destroy Jerusalem is the brief comment: Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon (Second Kings 24:20). Perhaps nationalistic fervor had risen, but no clear reason for this rebellion can be determined. Regardless of the reasons for Zedekiah’s actions, his decision caused Nebuchadnezzar to eliminate his troublesome vassal. He captured the City (see Jeremiah Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem), burned its walls and important buildings (to see link to video click here , including the Temple (see Jeremiah Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC), and appointed his own governor (see Jeremiah Gc – Gedaliah Ruled For 3 Months in 586 BC). Zedekiah was blinded, but only after seeing each of his sons killed (Second Kings 25:6-7). No part of Isra’el or Judah was left free. All twelve tribes were then in exile or enslaved in their own land. However, hope for the future remained (see Jeremiah Eo – I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el), but that was blunted by the present reality that God had thrust them from His presence (Second Kings 24:20). 17