Israel’s History

• God kept His covenant with Abraham and delivered Israel from Egypt, but Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their evil heart of unbelief
• Joshua led Israel over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan. They experience victory until another generation rose who did not know the Lord. They did evil in the eyes of the Lord, served gods and 300-350 years of darkness occurred
• Israel wanted a king, Samuel anointed Saul king, but he rejected the word of the Lord. 
• David, a man after God’s heart, then became the king of Israel.
• Solomon was the next king, but he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and at his death the kingdom of Israel was divided into 2 parts the North and the South
• Northern Kingdom was 10 tribes and their capital was in Samaria
• Southern Kingdom consisted of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah with Jerusalem as their capitalGod allowed the Southern Kingdom to be taken captive for 70 years. Ez. 10-11 we see a picture of the Shekinah glory leaving the temple. Can you see the Lord’s reluctance in leaving His temple; how do you picture that?
• After 70 years of captivity a remnant returned to Jerusalem.  Under Ezra and Zerubbable the remnant rebuilt the temple. Note the Lord did not return to dwell in His Shekinah glory in His temple at Jerusalem.  Under Nehemiah they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.  
• God promised Malachi a messenger (John the Baptist) to clear the way before He returned and suddenly come to the Temple (fulfilled in Luke 3:23). Malachi was the last of the OT prophets; God was silent for 400 years