Circa 920 BC after the death of Solomon, the northern tribes of Israel revolted, dividing Israel into two separate nations. The nation to the north was known as Israel, and the nation to the south was called Judah. (Click here to see another map.) Judah had Jerusalem as its capital, while the northern kingdom of Israel had several capitals at different times in its history.Interestingly, Micah was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. Like Isaiah, Micah directed most of his message to Judah, but he also prophecied to Israel as well.
The history of Israel and Judah during the time of Micah's ministry as a prophet of God (from 742 BC until 687 BC) is described in 2 Kings 15-20 and 2 Chronicles 26-30. The next few posts will look at the historical backdrop to Micah's ministry.
