This situation was dire in the northern kingdom of Israel. Following Solomon’s death, they had chosen to not follow the lineage of David for their kings. They determined they would no longer keep the feast days in Jerusalem but created their own feast days like those Moses had given. Students of history know the rest of the story. Over the next 200+ years they had nineteen kings and not a single one of them were followers of Jehovah. Are we surprised that God finally gave up on them, and they were scattered among the nations? An even more important question is what caused all of this to happen?
A very similar situation happened in the southern kingdom of Judah. Shortly following Solomon’s death, they had two righteous kings from the lineage of David. Asa was ruler over them for forty-one years, then righteous Jehosophat reigned for twenty-five years. Much later there were two other righteous kings, Hezekiah and Josiah, but the rest of the years of this kingdom is one of a rebellious nation forsaking God. As Jehovah had done with the northern king, He did the same to the southern kingdom. Babylon came and totally razed the city of Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed, and no longer did they have those tables of stone and the golden ark in which they were kept. We ask the same question again. What caused this to happen?
The Old Testament has been given to us so we can understand what can happen, not just to our nation but to each of us in our personal lives. To discover God’s answer to the question, we asked what caused all of this rejection of Israel and Judah. Finding this answer can teach us so much about how to avoid the same judgment coming to us.
To find the answer, read the following words spoken by God about these two nations. I have placed in bold print certain words to emphasize the answer to this question. Do not simply read the words to find the answer. Think about how they apply to your life.
God spoke about the northern kingdom and said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you…and since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children” (Hos. 4:6). No knowledge; rejected knowledge; forgetting the law!
God spoke concerning the southern kingdom and said, “For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge (Jer. 4:22). Not known God; no understanding, no knowledge!
Reading these words is far more than reading about historical events. God wrote them down to give us the fundamental basis of keeping close to Him. Think about this!