What were Solomon’s strengths and weaknesses as a king

The Division of the Monarchy I: Solomon’s Reign to the Northern Kingdom

Read:
Chapter 7 -The Old Testament Story (Israel’s monarch descends into sin and the nation follows, soon breaking apart into two kingdoms, the northern and the southern. The northern kingdom’s fall comes first. )
I Kings

1.What were Solomon’s strengths and weaknesses as a king?

2.What factors contributed to the negative reaction of the northern tribes to Rehoboam?

3.Why did the worship of Baal appeal to the Israelites so strongly?

4.Why did Ahab handle Elijah differently from the way Jezebel dealt with him?

5.How are the portrayals of Elijah and Elisha alike, and how do they differ?

The Division of the Monarchy II: The Story of the Southern Kingdom

Read:
Chapter 8 -The Old Testament Story (After the fall of the northern kingdom the southern kingdom hangs on, if only for a little while, before it too falls to enemy invasion. )
II Kings

6.What happened to bring an end to the hostilities between Israel and Judah?

7.Who was Athaliah? Why is she a significant figure in Israel’s story?

8.How did Judah manage to survive the Assyrian invasions that destroyed Israel and Syria in the later eighth century (745-721 B.C.E.)?

9.How did Hezekiah prepare for a possible invasion by the Assyrians during Sennacherib’s reign?

10.What possible physical evidence has been found to confirm Hezekiah’s reform?

The Exile and Restoration: Israel Redefined

Read:
Chapter 9 -The Old Testament Story (The Exile came as a shock to the nation of Israel, north and south. After nearly 50 years away their Persian captors allow them to return to begin the efforts to rebuild a city, a temple and a covenant relationship with Yahweh. )
Lamentations; Ezra; Nehemiah

11.What does Lamentations tell us about conditions in Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege?

12.What were the three major groups of Israelites that formed in the wake of the Babylonian destruction, and how were they related to each other?

13.How did Cyrus’ conquest of the Babylonians affect the Jews in exile?

14.Assess the relative significance of Ezra and Nehemiah to the Jerusalem community.

15.How did Ezra and Nehemiah address the issue of foreign wives? Why?