Unfortunate events lead to the split of the kingdom; the ten tribes in the north becoming the nation of Israel and the two tribes in the south becoming the nation of Judah. In the lower story, the nation of Israel seems to have divided because of the immature leadership of King Rehoboam. But from the upper story point of view, we learn that the division comes as a part of God’s greater plan.
God uses Assyrians to conquer, deport, and assimilate the kingdom of Israel. They are lost, never to reassemble as a nation. Overall, the kingdom of Judah is not markedly better than Israel. But God has made an unconditional covenant with David, promising the Messiah would come from David’s famil...
The people of Judah have been taken into exile in Babylon, including a young man named Daniel. Daniel faithfully follows God during his time of exile—in spite of the risks and threats against his life—and never becomes addicted to the “diet” of the culture.
Esther, a young Jewish woman living in Persia, becomes queen around the same time a man named Haman, an Amalekite, is promoted to a position of leadership. Haman has it out for the Jews and convinces the king to sign an edict to exterminate them all on one particular day. However, through Esther’...
