# The Kingdom of Israel Splits - The Book of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 17 Nov 2023, 13 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/5e54a3c0-cc0e-4618-9039-b4d700018cb2/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 90. Follow the story of Solomon's kingdom as it splits into two parts: ten tribes in the north, led by Jeroboam, and two tribes in the south, led by Rehoboam. Learn about the adventures and challenges faced by these different parts of the kingdom. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his
[0:04] Speaker 1: father Solomon during his lifetime.' How would you advise me
[0:08] Speaker 1: to answer these people?' he asked. 1 Kings 12, 6
[0:15] Speaker 1: Dear God, thank you for the people you have given
[0:19] Speaker 1: us on the earth to help us in life. Sometimes
[0:22] Speaker 1: it's hard to know what to do, and sometimes we
[0:26] Speaker 1: just need help figuring out our problems. Thank you for
[0:30] Speaker 1: being our biggest counselor and for giving us others to
[0:34] Speaker 1: help along the way. You alone know the way we
[0:38] Speaker 1: should go. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
[0:43] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:46] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:50] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:54] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests. with hands-on crafts and
[0:58] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more, all with a
[1:02] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:08] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:18] Speaker 3: The kingdom of Israel splits. In our last story, we
[1:23] Speaker 3: learned about how Solomon... turned his heart away from God.
[1:28] Speaker 3: In this story, we will learn how Solomon's kingdom will
[1:32] Speaker 3: be divided into ten tribes in the north under Jeroboam
[1:37] Speaker 3: and two tribes in the south under Rehoboam, as inspired
[1:41] Speaker 3: by 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
[1:47] Speaker 1: Hey there, Joya Sadler here. Thanks for joining me for
[1:50] Speaker 1: the Kids Bible in a Year podcast. Today we're talking
[1:54] Speaker 1: about who you should and should not listen to. We'll
[1:59] Speaker 1: see what happens when the nation of Israel splits apart
[2:02] Speaker 1: and how two kings handle things very differently. So listen in.
[2:07] Speaker 1: Here we go.
[2:11] Speaker 3: Before Solomon died, there was an official he knew called Jeroboam.
[2:17] Speaker 3: Solomon saw how hardworking Jeroboam was, and Solomon promoted Jeroboam.
[2:23] Speaker 3: Immediately after Jeroboam was promoted, he went out of Jerusalem
[2:28] Speaker 3: and met a prophet of God. The prophet tore his
[2:31] Speaker 3: cloak into twelve pieces and gave ten pieces to Jeroboam.
[2:36] Speaker 3: The prophet declared, Just like I gave you ten pieces
[2:40] Speaker 3: of my cloak, God will give you ten tribes of
[2:44] Speaker 3: Israel to rule over. Solomon is worshiping false gods and
[2:49] Speaker 3: doing much evil. However, Because God promised Solomon to be king,
[2:54] Speaker 3: he will not take the kingdom away from him. Instead,
[2:58] Speaker 3: God will tear the kingdom apart when Solomon's son Rehoboam
[3:03] Speaker 3: becomes king. And because God made a promise to Solomon's
[3:06] Speaker 3: father David, he will leave two tribes of the kingdom
[3:10] Speaker 3: to David's grandson, Rehoboam. But as for you, Jeroboam, as
[3:15] Speaker 3: long as you follow me and keep my commandments, you
[3:20] Speaker 3: will rule over all your heart's desires, and I will
[3:24] Speaker 3: build you an everlasting dynasty. After the prophet told Jeroboam
[3:30] Speaker 3: all this, Solomon found out. Solomon attempted to kill Jeroboam,
[3:36] Speaker 3: but Jeroboam escaped to the king of Egypt. Jeroboam hid
[3:41] Speaker 3: in Egypt until Solomon's death. After Solomon died, his son
[3:46] Speaker 3: Rehoboam went to Shechem, so that the people of Israel
[3:49] Speaker 3: could crown him as king. Jeroboam heard the news that
[3:54] Speaker 3: King Solomon had died, and he returned to Israel. The
[3:58] Speaker 3: people asked for Jeroboam, and Jeroboam led the people of
[4:02] Speaker 3: Israel to Rehoboam and asked, Your father was harsh to us,
[4:07] Speaker 3: and he worked us too hard. Will you be easier
[4:10] Speaker 3: on us and have more mercy? If you do, we
[4:13] Speaker 3: will gladly serve you as our new king. Rehoboam was
[4:18] Speaker 3: unsure of how to respond to them, so he said,
[4:22] Speaker 3: Come back in three days, and I will give you
[4:24] Speaker 3: my answer. There was a council of elders who advised
[4:28] Speaker 3: Solomon when he was king. Rehoboam went to them for advice.
[4:33] Speaker 3: He asked, What should I say to the people of Israel?
[4:37] Speaker 3: They want me to be kinder and more merciful than
[4:39] Speaker 3: my father Solomon. The council of the elders replied, Be
[4:44] Speaker 3: a servant to the people. Do as they requested, and
[4:48] Speaker 3: they will serve you forever. Rehoboam did not like the advice.
[4:53] Speaker 3: He rejected it and went to a council of young
[4:56] Speaker 3: men who had grown up with him. When he asked
[4:59] Speaker 3: them the same question, they said, You should tell the people,
[5:02] Speaker 3: you thought my father was bad? I am worse. I
[5:05] Speaker 3: will make everything harder and will be even harsher. Rehoboam
[5:11] Speaker 3: liked this advice. When the people of Israel returned to
[5:14] Speaker 3: Rehoboam three days later, he answered, You think my father
[5:18] Speaker 3: Solomon was cruel? I will make work harder for everyone
[5:22] Speaker 3: and will be even harsher. When the people of Israel
[5:26] Speaker 3: heard this, they cried out in anger, sadness, and frustration.
[5:32] Speaker 3: They decided to return home and split the kingdom. The
[5:36] Speaker 3: ten northern tribes of Israel split from the south just
[5:40] Speaker 3: as the prophet of God told Jeroboam. King Rehoboam sent
[5:44] Speaker 3: an official to restore the kingdom, but the official was
[5:48] Speaker 3: stoned to death by the people of Israel. As Rehoboam
[5:52] Speaker 3: was returning to Jerusalem, the people of Israel made Jeroboam
[5:56] Speaker 3: their king. Everything God said was becoming true. The kingdom
[6:02] Speaker 3: split after Solomon's death, with ten tribes in the north
[6:06] Speaker 3: and two in the south. Jeroboam was king of the north,
[6:10] Speaker 3: and Rehoboam was king of the south. When Rehoboam arrived
[6:14] Speaker 3: in Jerusalem, he gathered up an army to conquer the
[6:18] Speaker 3: north and restore the kingdom. However, a man from God
[6:22] Speaker 3: proclaimed to the whole southern kingdom, God has said, do
[6:27] Speaker 3: not fight the Israelites who are your brothers. Do not
[6:31] Speaker 3: fight the north. Go home.
[6:33] Speaker 2: This is all a part.
[6:35] Speaker 3: Of my plan. So, Rehoboam and the two tribes listened
[6:40] Speaker 3: to the man of God. They obeyed God's command and
[6:44] Speaker 3: went home peacefully.
[6:51] Speaker 1: All right, as today's story opens, we have two new
[6:55] Speaker 1: people to meet. The first is Jeroboam. We'll call him JB.
[7:02] Speaker 1: He was an official promoted by Solomon before his death.
[7:06] Speaker 1: A prophet told JB that God would give him 10
[7:10] Speaker 1: tribes of Israel to rule over. The second person to
[7:14] Speaker 1: meet is Rehoboam. Let's call him Arbi. He was Solomon's
[7:19] Speaker 1: son and became king after Solomon died. So when JB
[7:25] Speaker 1: took God's people to Arbi, they asked if he would
[7:29] Speaker 1: be easier on them than his father was. They were
[7:32] Speaker 1: tired and hurting and wanted a king who cared about them. So,
[7:37] Speaker 1: Arby said, give me a few days and I'll get
[7:40] Speaker 1: back to you. Then he did something pretty smart. He
[7:44] Speaker 1: looked for a counselor. Do you know what a counselor is?
[7:48] Speaker 1: It's someone who can give wise advice when you don't
[7:53] Speaker 1: really know what to do. It's someone who can help
[7:57] Speaker 1: you think about things a different way or just be
[8:01] Speaker 1: there to listen when you're struggling.
[8:04] Speaker 3: R.B.
[8:05] Speaker 1: Wasn't exactly sure what kind of king he wanted to be.
[8:09] Speaker 1: So he asked some counselors what he should do. That's smart.
[8:15] Speaker 1: He first went to some older men who had served
[8:18] Speaker 1: his father Solomon, and they gave him some great advice.
[8:23] Speaker 1: They told R.B. if he would just listen to what
[8:26] Speaker 1: the people were saying, help them, and give them what
[8:29] Speaker 1: they need, they would serve him forever. They would love
[8:33] Speaker 1: him and respect him and his kingdom would stand. But
[8:37] Speaker 1: then R.B. did something not so smart. And it's something
[8:40] Speaker 1: we can learn a lot from. Instead of taking this
[8:44] Speaker 1: great advice from these wise counselors, he looked for counsel
[8:48] Speaker 1: from some people a lot less wise. He went to
[8:53] Speaker 1: some younger men he had grown up with. They didn't
[8:57] Speaker 1: have as much experience and wisdom as the older men did.
[9:02] Speaker 1: and gave him really bad advice. They said, you need
[9:07] Speaker 1: to be meaner than Solomon. Show those Israelites who's boss.
[9:11] Speaker 1: Make them work even harder. And unfortunately, Arby took this
[9:16] Speaker 1: bad advice. Many times, like Arby, we need help knowing
[9:20] Speaker 1: what to do. Can you think of someone in your
[9:23] Speaker 1: life who is wise? Maybe it's your mom or dad
[9:29] Speaker 1: or an older sibling or a teacher. If you know
[9:33] Speaker 1: someone who follows God and walks closely with Him, you
[9:37] Speaker 1: are very wise to ask for their advice. In fact,
[9:41] Speaker 1: Proverbs 11, 14 says it this way, When there is
[9:45] Speaker 1: no wise guidance, the nation falls. But in the multitude
[9:49] Speaker 1: of counselors, there is victory. It is good to seek
[9:54] Speaker 1: wise counsel. And those are big words and big ideas.
[10:00] Speaker 1: but what it means is you ask your mom what
[10:03] Speaker 1: should i do you ask your dad what should i
[10:06] Speaker 1: do at church you listen for examples for wise counsel
[10:13] Speaker 1: from teachers and pastors It's good to seek wise counsel
[10:19] Speaker 1: because it helps us make good choices and learn which
[10:23] Speaker 1: way we should go. But guess what? We have another counselor.
[10:28] Speaker 1: Jesus talked to his friends about this counselor before he
[10:32] Speaker 1: died on the cross. You see, the disciples were very
[10:36] Speaker 1: sad because they knew Jesus was about to die. They
[10:40] Speaker 1: didn't want him to leave. They needed him. But Jesus
[10:44] Speaker 1: comforted them by talking about someone else who would be
[10:49] Speaker 1: a help to them, who Jesus would send to them.
[10:53] Speaker 1: Do you know who it is? It's the Holy Spirit
[10:56] Speaker 1: of God. Jesus said, I will send you my spirit
[11:01] Speaker 1: and he will be your counselor and your comforter. He's
[11:07] Speaker 1: with us and alive inside of us if you're a Christian.
[11:11] Speaker 1: And he gives us counsel every day. We just have
[11:14] Speaker 1: to listen for it. Okay, back to the story. As
[11:18] Speaker 1: a result, R.B. taking the bad advice, the kingdom split
[11:23] Speaker 1: in two. Ten tribes went one way, ruled by J.B.,
[11:28] Speaker 1: and two tribes went another way, ruled by R.B. The
[11:32] Speaker 1: kingdom in the north ruled by J.B. was still called Israel,
[11:36] Speaker 1: and the kingdom to the south ruled by R.B. became
[11:40] Speaker 1: known as Judah. Then, as we heard, JB listened to
[11:45] Speaker 1: God's advice and did not make his people fight against
[11:48] Speaker 1: their own brothers. Instead, they went back home, and that
[11:52] Speaker 1: was that. Thanks for listening today. Be sure to come
[11:56] Speaker 1: back next time to hear how and why JB's kingdom
[11:59] Speaker 1: is destroyed. Here we go. The Bible is the best
[12:04] Speaker 1: story ever told. It's God's story to you, and it's
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