Covenant Infidelity and Political Apostasy in the Judean Monarchy: Disobedience, Punishment, and the Promise of Redemption

This study will focus on an exegetical examination of political apostasy, the resulting judgment of God, and the promise of redemption for the Judean monarchy. Through an examination of specific texts in the book of Kings and the classical prophetic corpus, this dissertation will show how five out of twenty-one Judean kings ruling at key junctures in Israelite history were condemned and suffered punishment for violating the covenant by committing political apostasy with the surrounding nations. Yet, despite these infractions, Yahweh was still found to be a God of hope, compassion, and mercy, forgiving when his people repented, and faithful to his promises. The contribution of this study will be to show that covenant infidelity in the political arena was a significant factor contributing to the covenant curses given in Deuteronomy and the reversal of God’s blessing of land and the punishment of exile. Accordingly, this study will, through an exegetical analysis of key texts, demonstrate the importance of God’s covenant roles as Sovereign King and Divine Warrior, roles that are crucial for understanding how Judah’s political apostasy resulted in punishment, exile, and the promise of redemption.