The History of Judaism and Its Corruption: Pt 3--The Torah and Early Jewish History

Among Jews and Muslims, there is an agreement that the Torah was given by God to Moses. It was meant to be the guide to Jewish life. However, as we shall see by the end of this series, the original Torah was lost.
Moses was a great prophet. He led the Jewish people for over forty years. He brought them out of Egypt and taught them the Torah. Yet even in his day, he had to struggle with those who opposed his leadership and with idolatry and those who would worship golden calves. After his death, his student Joshua became his successor. Joshua led his people in victorious conquests, removing from the land of Canaan those who had corrupted it with the worship of idols, infanticide, and ritual worship in forms too gross to mention.
Yet after Joshua's generation, the Jewish people turned to the worship of the gods of Canaan and Egypt. Judges 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD, that He had wrought for Israel...11 And [after Joshua's death] the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baalim.
God punished the Jewish people by repeatedly allowing their enemies to defeat them in battle and subjugate them. In response to their troubles, they would repent, but only for a limited period of time. God would send them judges to teach them the right way, but after the death of the judge they would revert to idolatry.
The last of these judges was Samuel the Priest. In his day, the priestly line, including Samuel's adopted father and brothers, were punished for their rebellion against God. When Samuel grew old and was ready to die, the Jewish people asked him to appoint a king over them. God told Samuel not to grieve this, because it was God they were rebelling against, not Samuel. He set Saul as king, but Saul was removed for his rebellion against God.
David became the second king of Israel, and Solomon the third, but Solomon's heart was not pure like his father's. Solomon built a temple for God in Jerusalem, and was blessed with wealth and great wisdom, but when he was old his heart turned away from God.