Deeper Discoveries Week Six The Culture and People of Samaria Forty years after Solomon became king of Israel, the nation split into two. The ten northern tribes became known as Israel and the two southern tribes became Judah. The capital city of Israel was Samaria, while Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah. During the time of God had instituted three migratory feasts. Every Jew was expected to travel annually to Jerusalem to participate in at least one of them. Following the split of the kingdom, Jeroboam, the king of Israel, decided to set up his own system of worship, so the people would not travel down to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:25–33). Jeroboam son of Nebat established an alternative temple in Samaria, establishing idolatry for the people of Israel to follow. For the first time, idol worship inside the nation of Israel was not due to the influence of surrounding nations, but rather at the behest of the king of Israel himself. From this time forward, idol worship flourished throughout the nation of Israel until the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. With the temple located in the southern kingdom, the Israelites of Judah boasted religious superiority over their northern brothers. The kings of Judah were also generally more righteous and adherent to the Mosaic Law. Bitter rivalry occurred between the two kingdoms throughout the centuries. Eventually the southern kingdom of Judah also fell in 586 BC to the Babylonians.
Deeper Discoveries Week Six The Culture and People of Samaria Forty years after Solomon became king of Israel, the nation split into two. The ten northern tribes became known as Israel and the two southern tribes became Judah. The capital city of Israel was Samaria, while Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah. During the time of God had instituted three migratory feasts. Every Jew was expected to travel annually to Jerusalem to participate in at least one of them. Following the split of the kingdom, Jeroboam, the king of Israel, decided to set up his own system of worship, so the people would not travel down to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:25–33). Jeroboam son of Nebat established an alternative temple in Samaria, establishing idolatry for the people of Israel to follow. For the first time, idol worship inside the nation of Israel was not due to the influence of surrounding nations, but rather at the behest of the king of Israel himself. From this time forward, idol worship flourished throughout the nation of Israel until the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. With the temple located in the southern kingdom, the Israelites of Judah boasted religious superiority over their northern brothers. The kings of Judah were also generally more righteous and adherent to the Mosaic Law. Bitter rivalry occurred between the two kingdoms throughout the centuries. Eventually the southern kingdom of Judah also fell in 586 BC to the Babylonians.
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