Solomon’s son, Rehoboam was king in the south of Israel, called Judah. He was 41 years when God put him on Judah’s throne and he ruled over the people 17 years.

The people did bad things that God saw because He is always watching. 

They made places to worship all around on the high hills and put statues in them to bow down to instead of going to the true God at the temple.

They did all the bad stuff that God said not to do.

The Lord God loved the people very much and this made Him very jealous. 

He wanted His people to come to Him so He could bless them because He is life and He is good. 

The bad ones just make pain, trouble, sadness, and death. And then they tell the people that God did it.

Because they did this, the Lord sent an enemy, the king of Egypt to Jerusalem. He took away all their treasures and the gold shields that Solomon had made.

The soldiers of Jeroboam in the northern kingdom of Israel and the soldiers of Rehoboam in the southern kingdom of Israel had battles and wars all their days.

Then Rehoboam slept with his fathers and his son, Abijam, was king in his father’s place.

Abijam reigned three years in Jerusalem and did all the bad things that his father did before him. He did not keep all the things of God in his heart like his father David did.

But because of David, God promised to keep a lamp in Jerusalem. Since David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord God and did not turn away from anything that the Lord God commanded to one side or the other.

After 3 years Abijam slept with his fathers and his son, Asa, sat in his place on the throne of Israel.

God kept Asa on the throne of Israel for 41 years. Asa did what was right and did not follow the bad one. He took away many of the bad things from Judah, God’s kingdom in the south.

He was a good and strong king and won over enemies that came against God’s people.

When he was old he got diseases in his feet.

And when he slept with his fathers, his son, Jehoshaphat was king over Israel in his place.

In the northern kingdom, Nadab, son of Jeroboam was king over Israel in the second year of Asa being king.

He only ruled two years because he did same bad things that his father did. He made God’s people to sin.

A man named Baasha came in and killed him and took his crown and sat on his throne being in charge over the people of Israel.

Baasha was king over the northern kingdom for 24 years and did bad, not following the Lord, he caused Israel to sin against the Lord, their Maker.

Then the Lord God sent a prophet to tell Baasha, Since I lifted you up to make you king over My people but you bowed down to the bad one and made My people do bad things against Me, causing bad things to happen to them and much sadness and pain, I will take away those who come from you, they will die in the field and be eaten by dogs and birds.

And also because he killed king Jeroboam, God did this.

It happened like God said, and Baasha slept with his fathers and his son, Elah reigned in his place. But Elah’s servant, named Zimri, made a plan against Elah and killed him and took the throne and ruled over Israel.

But he also bowed down to the golden calves that Jeroboam made instead of bowing down to the Lord God who made heaven and earth and us.

When the army was camped for war against the Philistine enemies, and the people heard what Zimri had done, they took Omri, the captain of the army and made him king instead and burned the king’s palace down on him because of all the bad things he had done.

The people of Israel were split into two parts then, half following Omri and half following another man. They were split for six years and then the other man died, so Omri was king over all Israel.

Omri also did bad in God’s sight like Jeroboam had, worse than those kings before him, causing suffering because he led God’s people into bowing down to bad ones.

The Lord God became very angry because of all the pain and suffering brought on His people for bowing down to empty statues that can’t even breath, that don’t give life and good things and make the heart full and happy.

Omri was king for 12 years and then slept with his fathers. His son, Ahab, was king after him. He was king for 22 years.

Ahab did more bad in God’s eyes than all the kings before him. He and his wife, Jezebel, caused the nation to bow down to more bad ones than any before them.

When all the Lord God wanted to do was love them and make them very happy.