Because Israel breaks the Deuteronomic law, according to Kings, the curses of the covenant come into effect. The Deuteronomic curses describe judgments such as those that came on Israel, including siege, defeat, and exile (Deut. 27–28). Finally, we should mention that Kings puts an emphasis on delayed retribution. When a king sins, the punishment for that sin may be delayed for a considerable period of time. For example, Jeroboam’s sin in building the golden calf shrines in Bethel and Dan is not
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