On the chart, compare the
“God's Judgment” column of Judah (left side) versus that
of Israel (right side). Does anything stand out to you? Israel had
no kings who “did right”; all but one “did
evil”, whereas Judah had 6 kings who “did right”,
plus two more who did right some of the time. What does this say
about the leadership of the two kingdoms?
We see from the dates that the kingdom of Judah survived for about
339 years, while Israel lasted only 204 years. Does quality of
leadership matter?
Compare the “Relationship to Previous King” column of Judah
versus that of Israel. Do you notice anything? Judah was a monarchy,
passing the scepter from father to son throughout its history.
Every king of Judah was the son of a previous king (excluding
the usurping queen, Athaliah). In Israel, though, the throne was taken
by whoever was strong enough. Seven of the kings took office only
after killing the previous king.
Scan the “Relationship to Previous King” column of Israel,
and find the longest dynasty — that is, the most generations
of kings from a single family. It is 5 generations long —
did you find it? Do you notice anything different about the first king
in this dynasty? Does character impact one's descendents?