THE HISTORY BOOKS
[Illustration: (drop cap T) Assyrian idol-god]
Thus little by little the Book of God grew, and the people He had
chosen to be its guardians took their place among the nations.
A small place it was from one point of view! A narrow strip of land,
but unique in its position as one of the highways of the world, on
which a few tribes were banded together. All around great empires
watched them with eager eyes; the powerful kings of Assyria, Egypt, and
Babylonia, the learned Greeks, and, in later times, the warlike Romans.
How small and unimportant the Israelites appeared to the world then!
Yet we know that in reality they were greater than any people the world
had ever seen. God's words have been fulfilled; through the Children
of Israel all the nations of the world are blessed.
The old empires have crumbled into dust; the great conquerors of
ancient days are forgotten; few people to-day remember the names of the
wise men of Greece and Rome, but our lives and thoughts are daily
influenced by the thoughts, words, and deeds of the Jews of old.
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah--their very names are
nearer and dearer to us than those of the heroes of our own land.
When Queen Victoria was asked the secret of England's greatness, she
held up a Bible. Their Sacred Book was all that the Jews possessed.
Their whole greatness was wrapped up in it. As the heathen truly said,
they were 'The People of the Book.'
And now let us glance at the history books of the Bible. The first and
second Books of Samuel have been put together from several other
records. Most likely Samuel himself did part of the work. In Shiloh,
where he was educated, the old documents were kept, and Samuel, the
gifted lad, who so early gave his heart to God, was in every way fitted
to write the story of the Lord's chosen people during his own life-time.
The Bible mentions several other histories that were written in these
days besides those which we know. '_Now the acts of David the king,
first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the
seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the
seer._' (These last have disappeared.) (1 Chronicles xxix. 29.)
Stores of books were being gathered. When, for instance, Saul was
chosen king, Samuel '_wrote in a book and laid it up before the Lord._'
(1 Samuel x. 25.) These books were most likely written on a rough kind
of parchment, made from the skins of goats, sewn together, and rolled
up into thick rolls.
The Books of Samuel are very precious to us, for in them we read nearly
all we know of the history of David the shepherd-king. Some of David's
own writings are found in these books, but for most of them we have to
turn to the Book of the Psalms, which was the manual of the Temple
choir, and became the national collection of sacred poems. These
Psalms were composed by different authors, and at different times,
chiefly for use in the Temple, but the collection was founded by David,
and he contributed many of its most beautiful hymns.
David's boyhood was spent among the rugged hills and valleys of
Bethlehem. As we read his Psalms we feel that the writer has passed
long hours alone with God, and the beautiful things which God has made.
Let us watch him for a moment. It is evening, and the young lad is
alone on the hills, keeping his father's sheep. The sun is sinking,
and all the earth is bathed in golden light. Even the sullen surface
of the Dead Sea reflects the glory, and the hills of Moab glow as
though on fire.
'God is the Creator of all this beauty,' thinks David. 'Yes, bright as
is that golden sky, His glory is _above the heavens_.' (Psalm viii. 1.)
Now the sun has quite gone; night's dark curtain draws across the
world, the rosy glow fades from the hills. One by one the great white
stars shine out, and presently the moon rises. The young lad raises
his face, and gazes upward. '_When I consider Thy heavens, the work of
Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained_' (Psalm
viii. 3) he murmurs; 'how great is this mighty God, how far beyond all
the thoughts and ways of men! _What is man, that Thou art mindful of
him?_' (Verse 4.)
But God loves us even though we are lower than the angels. He has
crowned us with glory and honour. He has given all His beautiful
world, and all the wonderful things He has made, into our hands. '_O
Lord_ (verse 4) _our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the
earth._' (Verse 9.)
In Psalm xxix. David gives a word picture of a thunderstorm. He
describes the furious blast, the crashing thunder, the vivid lightning.
Many times as a young lad he had watched the black storm-clouds gather
over the hills and valleys of Bethlehem. He had no fear of the
tempest. God's voice was in the wind; God's voice divided the
lightning-flashes; God's voice shook the wilderness. Yes, God would
make His people strong, even as the storm was strong.
And when the storm had passed, and the sun shone out once more over the
quiet hills, how clearly the words rose in David's mind, '_The Lord
will bless His people with peace!_' (Verse 11.)
Solomon, David's son, was the wisest king of ancient times. He wrote
many books, but only small fragments of them are found in the Bible; a
few Psalms, Solomon's Song, and a collection Proverbs.
[Illustration: SENNACHERIB, KING OF ASSYRIA. FROM THE ASSYRIAN PICTURE
OF THE TAKING OF LACHISH. (2 Kings xviii.)]
For much of Solomon's wisdom was of the earthly sort. He stood first
among all the learned men of his day. He would now be called a
'scientific' man. But all science which is limited to mere human
wisdom grows quickly out of date. The cleverest men of to-day will be
thought very ignorant in a few years.
Whereas David's writings live. His love for God, and his faith in God,
made him able to write those words of trust and hope and praise which
are as sweet and fresh to-day as when they were written, and which go
right home to our hearts.
How many cold hearts have not David's psalms warmed into life, how many
wounded spirits have they not comforted! There is not a grief or
anxiety in our lives to-day that could not be met and softened by the
words of the Jewish writer of long ago. Yes, the work done for God and
inspired by His Spirit never grows old.
And now, as we open the books of the kings, the great empires of the
days of old, of Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Persia, seem to start into
vivid life once more.
How strong they were--how terrible! What defence had the little
kingdom of Judah against such overwhelming power, such mighty armies,
such merciless rulers?
She had the best defence of all--God's holy promises chronicled in His
Book. While her people loved and served their God they would be safe.
But, alas! they soon forgot to read and obey His Book, and neither
loved nor served Him any more. Then came sorrow and trouble exactly as
Moses had foretold. Cities were sacked, and many hundreds of people
led away into slavery; yet, until the days of Hezekiah, no one tried to
understand the reason for all this.
King Hezekiah understood and trembled; he prayed earnestly that God
would pardon the nation's sin, and when the Book of the Law was lying
forgotten in the Temple he had it brought out and read before him. (2
Chronicles xxxiv. 14-18.)
Under his direction the Proverbs of Solomon were collected and copied
(Proverbs xxv. i), and the Psalms of David sung in the Temple once
again.
The wonderful story of the King of Assyria's campaign against
Jerusalem, followed shortly after by the defence of the Holy City by
God Himself in answer to Hezekiah's prayer, can be read at length in
the story of 'Hezekiah the King.'[1]
Although Sennacherib of Assyria was one of the mightiest rulers the
world has ever seen, he was utterly discomfited when he set his power
against the will of God.
The Books of Kings and Chronicles give us, as it were, the history of a
nation from God's point of view.
The writers' names are not even known. But in these Books we are shown
clearly that God rules over the nations, and is working His purpose out
through His chosen instruments, year by year. It is in vain for a man
to strive against God, or for a nation to hope for prosperity while it
forsakes the law of the Lord.
No other history has ever attempted to show us the deep truths and
perfect order which lie behind apparent confusion in the story of a
nation.
With the History Books of the Bible, the Books of the Prophets are
closely interwoven. Throughout Kings and Chronicles we catch many
glimpses of the prophets and of their noble efforts to keep alive God's
words in the hearts of the people; but in the writings of the prophets
themselves we may read the actual messages which God's messengers
proclaimed in order to stir up their hearers in times of national
distress or heart-backsliding.
God's indignation against hypocrites and oppressors is declared in
words that cannot be passed over; but ever as the clouds of trouble
gather more thickly over His people is the hope of a coming Saviour
more clearly put before them.
For a real understanding of the Prophets' Books it is necessary to know
something of the circumstances under which each man lived and wrote.
Amos and Hosea, for instance, warned their people of the approach of
Sargon of Assyria unless they repented and turned again to the law of
the Lord. As they did not repent the prophets' warning came true, and
Sargon invaded and destroyed the Kingdom of Israel.
But Nahum brings comfort, for he tells the suffering Kingdoms of Judah
and Israel that the Kings of Assyria shall so disappear that in the
years to come the very place where they dwelt shall be forgotten, while
Judah shall keep the Lord's feasts for ever. (Nahum i. 15.)
The Bible tells of many of God's acts which seem very wonderful to us.
We call these acts 'miracles,' because we cannot explain them, nor how
they happened.
Now the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the rest of the
prophets are also miracles, for although these men wrote at widely
different times, and hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, yet
their books all speak of Him. The light of God's Spirit shone into
their hearts so that they foresaw and foretold the coming of the
Saviour King.
Terrible troubles would overwhelm the Jews; but, even though the wall
of Jerusalem should be broken down, the city laid waste, and the
inhabitants led away captive, God's words were sure. He would visit
His people at last. He would redeem them from their sins.
The troubles came, the prophets' eyes streamed with tears, and their
hearts were torn with grief as they saw their land wasted by the
heathen. Yet they did not despair. The dark night of sorrow would
wear away at last, God's people should be brought back, Jerusalem
rebuilt; her King would come, the Sun of Righteousness arise, '_And His
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The
Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace._' (Isaiah ix. 6.)
[1] A companion volume to this book.