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Author: Ron Graham

History of IsraelTimes of Israel series

The Assyrian Captivity
—And a Chart of kings and prophets

Time ~ 7. Exile and Scattering
Span ~ 200 years
Books ~ Jer, Lam, Eze, Dan, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Obadiah, [Joel]
Figures ~ Jeremiah, Daniel
Begins with ~ Wars upon Israel and Judah
Ascendant empire ~ Babylon

Of all the Times of Israel, the seventh —Exile and Scattering— is probably the saddest. We have seen the kingdom divided, and that was sad. But worse still, we now see the beginning of the captivities —as the larger kingdom (Israel) falls to Assyria and its people are taken away to foreign lands.

1 Israel and Judah Conquered

When Assyria was a world power, Israel was captured and its people exiled northward to the area whence Abraham had come so long ago.

Hezekiah was then the king of Judah, a good king who listened to Isaiah, God's prophet, so the kingdom of Judah was spared and only Israel, the ten tribes, were taken. But when the Babylonians came to dominate the world, Coniah was the king in Judah. He was evil, so it was Judah's turn to be conquered.

The people were exiled in Babylon. Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. The king Coniah became like a shattered jar as Jeremiah had prophesied, and none of Coniah's descendants could reign any more on David's throne in Judah.

We learn from this story that God is merciful and longsuffering, but when people persistently depart from his word they will reap what they sow.

2 Bible Summary (2Kings 14-18)

[Similar information is given in 2Chronicles 25-27]

3 Kings of Israel and Judah

The table below shows the kings who reigned in Israel and Judah. The chart covers three of the Times of Israel (Kingdom, Division, and Exile). The period in focus in this lesson starts at the flag marked ISRAEL EXILED. Note that the reigns of kings in each kingdom often overlap because of rivalry or of co-regency.

KINGS
ISRAEL
PROPHETS
Saul  
David Nathan
Solomon  
  KINGDOM DIVIDED
KINGS
ISRAEL
KINGS
JUDAH
PROPHETS
Jeroboam Rehoboam Ahijah
     
Nadab Abijam  
Baasha Asa Jehu
Elah    
Zimri   Elijah
Omri    
     
Ahab Jehoshaphat  
     
Ahaziah    
    Elisha
Jehoram Jehoram  
     
Jehu Ahaziah  
  (Athalia)  
  Joash  
     
Jehoahaz    
    Jonah?
Jehoash Amaziah Joel?
    Amos
Jeroboam II Uzziah Isaiah
     
Zachariah   Hosea
Shallum Jotham Isaiah
Menahem   Micah
Pekahiah    
Pekah    
Hoshea Ahaz Isaiah
  ISRAEL EXILED
  KINGS
JUDAH
PROPHETS
  Hezekiah Isaiah
Manasseh  
Amon Nahum
Josiah Habakkuk
Zephaniah  
  Jeremiah
Jehoahaz  
Jehoiakim Daniel
Jehoiachin
 (Coniah)
 
  JUDAH EXILED
  KINGS
JUDAH
PROPHETS
  Zedekiah Ezekiel
Daniel
Obadiah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

4 The Lost Ten Tribes

The tribes of the northern kingdom are often spoken of as "the ten lost tribes".

It is claimed (and certain doctrines are based upon this claim) that no remnant of these tribes ever returned to or remained in the promised land.

However, this is not so. For example, Anna the prophetess was of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36).

Not only would some members of the ten tribes have made their way to Judah before, during, and after the Assyrian attack, but some would have been already living among the people of Judah and Benjamin.

In the time of Josiah, when Passover observance was restored, it was kept with "the priests and Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (2Chronicles 35:17-19).


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