Upon examining the theme of “kingdom” from some bible quotes about United and Divided Kingdom times, we find a repeated story about whoopie spiritual connection, breaking apart into different groups. Disagreeable attitude following teachings in actions by gods, never-mistaken prophets all over it, and information coming down to their people showing what will happen to float around too much talking stuff. The Bible talks about a difficult time with countries going up and down. It shows never-ending fights between bad, disobedient behaviour and following God’s rules.
In the Old Testament, the kingdom theme means showing God’s single power and people’s problems. The United Kingdom, ruled by King Saul and others like David and Solomon, is the best example of Israel’s twelve tribes joining together.[1] However, deep down, disobedience damages unity and divides the royal family. The books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings show the results of disobeying.1 Saul did not listen to God’s rules, losing his Kingdom. The tribes were split into North and South after this disobedience. It made the structure for a divided kingdom happen.1
In these challenging times, God uses prophets as “game changers” to warn and guide people. They tell them to change their ways so they can turn away from the wrong paths. Amos, Micah, Hosea, and Jeremiah are the prominent prophets.[2] They say lousy judgment is coming soon at other times, too.2 These prophets point out when people misbehave. They tell others to change their behaviour and provide strength by bringing things back together again for everybody who hears them carefully during these challenging moments without forgetting that those 20 folks could not accept their actions as God told them to do. 2So, they did not like and even fought back when prophets warned them about these things.2 The prophets faced problems when they kept asking people to say sorry, much like today’s culture struggles with choosing between following religious values and wanting material things.[3]
The Kingdom idea becomes a warning about not following rules and the everlasting value of religious connection. It shows that when people do not listen, it splits their unity, and God brings justice.3 It compares how big and powerful God is with our choices not to follow the rules. The downfall of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms shows what can happen when God’s prophets are disregarded. 3 Not following the rules caused the Northern Kingdom to lose to Assyria, and Babylon captured the Southern Kingdom.3
Reflecting on these texts makes us think deeply about the Kingdom daily. It makes us think about how moral and spiritual ideas connect people in religious, social, and personal situations.[4] The Kingdom is a state of agreement with God’s plan, not a physical or government place. It discusses the importance of obeying God’s rules, leaving wrong paths behind, and asking for forgiveness.[5] This lesson still matters today, as it did in ancient times. The old kingdoms had problems that made people choose to be spiritual over having money. The writings highlight the importance of obeying divine instructions to create balance and avoid bad outcomes by not following them.5
In conclusion, the Bible stories about the Kingdom teach us forever lessons on how to submit, apologize, and be spiritually aligned. It shows the weak connection between what humans do and divine rule. It encourages people to pick spiritual relationships to stay away from destructive behaviour.
References
Kaiser, Barbara Bakke. Reading Prophetic Poetry: Parallelism, Voice, and Design. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2019.
Lovell, Nathan. “The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity.” The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity (2021): 1–328.
Pesner, Jonah Dov. Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah. CCAR Press, 2023.
Roehrenbeck, Angie M. “Covenant Infidelity and Political Apostasy in the Judean Monarchy: Disobedience, Punishment, and the Promise of Redemption.” (2023).
Sweeney, Marvin A. 1–2 Samuel. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
[1] Lovell, Nathan. “The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity.” The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity (2021): 1
–328.
[2] Pesner, Jonah Dov. Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah. CCAR Press, 2023.
[3] Sweeney, Marvin A. 1–2 Samuel. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
[4] Kaiser, Barbara Bakke. Reading Prophetic Poetry: Parallelism, Voice, and Design. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2019.
[5] Roehrenbeck, Angie M. “Covenant Infidelity and Political Apostasy in the Judean Monarchy: Disobedience, Punishment, and the Promise of Redemption.” (2023).
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