A Kingdom's Downfall by Mario Seiglie T he July-August issue of The Good News presented archaeological evidence that confirms and clarifies the biblical record of the early kings of the northern 10 tribes of Israel after the death of Solomon. We continue the story with the later kings and downfall of the kingdom. Jehu's downfall came at the halfway mark of Israel's 19 kings and, tragically, the kings who followed him would all refuse to repent and turn to the true God. Meanwhile, Judah remained more faithful to God and continued for more than a century after the fall of the northern 10 tribes of Israel.
Much archaeological evidence validates the account of Israel's final years.
Another King Jeroboam Jehu's great-grandson, Jeroboam II, although evil, was an able military leader. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German Oriental Society mounted an extensive archaeological dig of Megiddo, the site of an important northern-kingdom stronghold. The excavations produced a beautiful agate seal depicting a roaring lion. The Hebrew inscription read, Belonging to Shema, servant of Jeroboam. It is not uncommon for seals to appear in excavations in the Middle East.