his twice-repeated effort to kill David and his one effort to kill his
own son Jonathan for his friendship for David (see 1 Sam. 18:10, 11;
19:10; 20:32, 33). On account of his distinct disobedience to God's
command, and his hypocrisy, God rejected him from being king (1 Sam.
15). Still Saul continued to rule for some years. Then came the end
when, in battle with his old foes, the Philistines, Saul and his sons
fell, near Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31). He ruled about forty years, and
was a sad instance of a man who began well, who had a superb counselor
in Samuel, but who, through self-will and disobedience, perished at
last most miserably.
#58. David Becomes King.#--After the death of Saul, Judah turned to
David as its rightful leader and king. He was therefore anointed at
Hebron as king of Judah. Seven years later the remainder of the tribes
came to him and asked him to rule over them. This he did, and in this
way he was king over _all_ Israel for thirty-three years. His
remarkable character and executive ability soon showed itself. His
reign was most successful, and he enlarged the bounds of the kingdom
to their utmost extent. It extended from the Red Sea and Egypt to the
Euphrates, as promised by God (Gen. 15:18 and Josh. 1:4). He captured
Jerusalem and made it the political and the religious capital of the
nation (2 Sam. 5:6-9). Thither he brought up the Ark of the Covenant,
and here he established the worship of Jehovah. He organized the whole
of the ritual of worship, and formed choirs of singers to make a glad
noise unto the Lord. Everywhere he brought order out of chaos, and
made the name of Israel one to be feared by the surrounding nations.
Thus to the Israelite both of his day and of subsequent centuries he
became their ideal king.
#59.# His later life was saddened by his own sin in the matter of
Uriah and Bathsheba, where he erred most grievously. In recalling this
sin, and in condemning the king for it, we must also bear in mind his
true repentance, and also recognize that in his time there was no king
who would have thought it worth while to give a second thought to the
whole matter (see 2 Sam. 11:1-12:14).
#60. The Rebellion of Absalom.#--The end of David's life was further
embittered by the rebellion of his favorite son, Absalom. This nearly
brought David to a violent death. Only the indomitable spirit that the
king possessed, together with the ability of his chief general Joab,
saved the day (2 Sam. 15-18). David was Israel's sweet singer. He
composed many Psalms, which have come down to us as specimens of his
poetic ability. (The writer is, of course, aware that some modern
critics deny that any of the Psalms are by David, but he has never
seen any conclusive proof of this.)
#61.# In general, until his later years, when too much prosperity had
dulled his spiritual life, David's character was singularly pure and
unselfish. His dealings with Saul while the latter was seeking his
life show a most chivalrous spirit, in that twice he spared his
enemy's life when he had him in his power (1 Sam. 24:1-22; 26:1-25).
In his friendship for Jonathan he shows an affection which,
reciprocated by Jonathan, constitutes one of the classic friendships
of history. Taken all in all, and remembering the times in which he
lived, David was perhaps the finest king that the world ever saw.
#62. Solomon.#--On David's death his son Solomon ascended the throne.
Bathsheba was his mother. He began his reign well. When God gave him
his choice between riches and wisdom, he chose the latter (1 Kings
3:5-15). He it was who carried out David's plan for a "magnifical"
temple in Jerusalem, where he built the most splendid temple that the
world had so far seen. His prayer at the dedication of the temple is a
most remarkable one (1 Kings 8). His fame spread through the world,
and on one occasion the Queen of Sheba, in Arabia, journeyed over one
thousand miles to make him a visit. Her astonishment at what she saw
and heard in Jerusalem is told in 1 Kings 10. In amazement she cries
out, "Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes
had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me; thy wisdom and
prosperity exceed the fame which I heard."
#63.# But alas! Solomon did not continue as well as he began. To
enhance his glory and extend his political power, he made alliances
with idolatrous sovereigns. He married the daughter of Pharaoh, and
besides this had multitudes of wives, who led his heart astray (1
Kings 11:1-8). God's warning, given in the same chapter, seems to have
been disregarded.
#64. Samuel's Warnings come True.#--In Solomon all the warnings of
Samuel as to what would come on the nation if they persisted in their
choice of a king were fulfilled (1 Sam. 8:1-18). He also disregarded
what God had said through the mouth of Moses, as recorded in
Deuteronomy 17:14-20. He multiplied taxes to such a degree that the
people were not able to bear them. His court life was most luxurious
and enervating, and the demands of his wives for all manner of
indulgences were continuous. In this way, though there was much
outward prosperity, the seeds of decay were sown with prodigal hands.
Of course the end of such a policy could be only disaster, though the
king in his mad search after power and luxury failed to see the
approaching storm. However wise he may have been, as shown in his
proverbs, he lacked that practical wisdom which begins in the fear of
God. He went steadily down hill, and only his fame, and his reputation
as being the son of David, saved him from overthrow. But immediately
on his death the consequences of his misrule showed themselves in a
most pronounced way, in the disruption of the kingdom. Like Saul and
David, he also ruled over Israel for forty years.
Test Questions
What ostensible reason did the Israelites give for asking for a king?
What other and truer reason did they urge?
What had God to say about this request of the people?
What good did Saul accomplish?
Why was Saul rejected by God from being king?
How did Saul come to his end?
Over what tribe did David rule alone for seven years?
Give the boundaries of David's kingdom at its largest.
What did David do for the establishment of religion, and in what city?
Into what bitter sin did David fall?
What great sorrow came to David toward the close of his life?
In general, what may we say of David's religious life at the beginning
and the close of his career?
How did Solomon begin his reign?
What noted building did he erect in Jerusalem?
In what way did Solomon sin in his alliances with other kings?
Where had God given directions as to what course of action any king of
his people should pursue?
Lesson 8
Rehoboam to Hoshea
Old Testament Division--Fourth Period (Continued)
LEADING PERSONS
#Rehoboam.#--Ascended the throne on death of Solomon, his
father. Rejected wise counsel and angered his subjects (1
Kings 12:1-20).
Israel, the Northern Kingdom.
#Jeroboam I.#--Set up as king by the ten tribes in revolt
(Israel, or the Northern Kingdom), erected two golden calves
for worship (1 Kings 12:25-33).
#Ahab.#--Followed Omri as ruler of Northern Kingdom (1 Kings
16:28). Married Jezebel, who established a heathen worship (1
Kings 16:31).
#Elijah and Elisha.#--Prophets of God, sent to stay the
wickedness of the Northern Kingdom. Elijah enters remarkable
contest with Ahab (1 Kings 17:1 to 18:46. See also 1 Kings
21). For elaboration of this story see Lesson 10.
#Jehu.#--Ruler of the nation; tried to abolish Baal worship
(2 Kings 9, 10). His reforms partially successful. His son
Jehoahaz continued in gross idolatry (2 Kings 13:2-9).
#Jeroboam II.#--Ruler of the Northern Kingdom. His reign
marked by great outward prosperity, but continued inward
decay (2 Kings 14:24). The time of the prophecy of Amos (read
the whole book) and of Hosea.
#Hoshea.#--Last of the kings. Samaria captured by the King
of Assyria, and Israel taken captive. Read 2 Kings 17:1-41.
#Shalmaneser.#--The Assyrian king.
#TIME.#--982 B. C. to 718 B. C.
#PLACES.#--Shechem, Bethel, Dan, Mt. Carmel, Jezreel, Horeb, Samaria,
Cherith, Zarephath.
[Illustration]
#SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.#--God's unceasing efforts to save his people
from their sins are marked by the sending of prophets, like Elijah and
Elisha, at a time when wicked kings had led the people into abominable
idolatry.
The Divided Kingdom. Israel, or the Northern Kingdom
#65. Rehoboam Becomes King.#--After the death of Solomon his son
Rehoboam ascended the throne. At once there came to him a delegation
headed by Jeroboam, asking for relief from the intolerable taxation
that Solomon had levied. Rehoboam, guided by the foolish counsel of
his hot-headed young men, replied roughly, saying, "my little finger
is thicker than my father's loins" (1 Kings 12:1-20). At once the men
of Israel revolted, and set up Jeroboam to be their king. From that
time on, to the end, the kingdom was divided, and many times the one
part was antagonistic to the other.
#66. The Northern Kingdom.#--Jeroboam as its first king, fearing that
if the religion of the two peoples remained substantially the same,
and if his people went regularly to Jerusalem, the capital of the
Southern Kingdom, to worship, they would be alienated from him,
devised a system of calf worship, and set up two golden calves, the
one at Bethel, just over the border of Judah, and the other at Dan, in
the extreme north of his domain. To these two centers of worship he
invited his people to resort, in order to keep them from assembling
with the men of Judah in Jerusalem. "It is too much for you," he said,
"to go so far as to Jerusalem; behold your gods right in your midst"
(1 Kings 12:25-33). All this he did in utter defiance of God's
command, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image," and in
spite of the bitter experience of Israel in the wilderness in the
matter of the golden calf that Aaron made.
#67.# This action on the part of Jeroboam "set the pace" for the
Northern Kingdom, and from that day to the end of their history the
land was full of gross idolatry. Not that all the men of the Northern
Kingdom refused to follow Jehovah, for this was not the case, but the
rulers were leaders in one form or another of idolatry.
#68. Ahab and Jezebel.#--In 925 B. C. Ahab ascended the throne of the
Northern Kingdom. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of
the Sidonians, a most masterful and wicked woman. She led her husband
to establish the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, nature divinities,
whose worship was connected with most abhorrent practises. Not only
so, but between them they did their best to root out all those who
persisted in the worship of the God of Abraham. They persecuted the
sons of the prophets, and put them to the sword. It was now no longer
safe to try, even in secret, to worship the God of truth.
#69. Elijah and Elisha.#--It was just at this time that God in his
mercy sent two very great prophets to Israel to try to win them back
to their allegiance to the God of Moses and the Patriarchs. This, the
student will remember, was one of those periods which was mentioned in
the introduction, in which the narrative is amplified and the miracle
multiplied, as betokening that the period was of great importance.
Elijah and his successor, Elisha, did their best to stay the downward
tendency of their people, but quite largely in vain. For a while it
seemed as though there was to be some real reformation. But it did not
last long, and soon the people, led astray by their rulers, lapsed
into idolatry once more.
#70. Jehu.#--The one bright spot in all this sad story of the decline
of the Northern Kingdom is found in the story of Jehu, 891 B. C. (2
Kings 9, 10.) He dealt drastically with the worshipers of Baal, and
tried his best to put a final stop to all Baal worship. He ruled about
twenty-eight years. His son Jehoahaz continued the sin of calf
worship, and led his people once more into the downward path.
#71.# Under #Jeroboam the Second# the Northern Kingdom attained much
outward prosperity, but its spiritual life did not improve at all.
Men became greedy of gain, and worldliness and sin of gross
description gained the upper hand. It was possibly during this reign
that God sent the prophet Amos to bear witness against the sins of the
rulers and people. At this point read the prophecy of Amos, and try to
realize how earnestly he pleaded with the men of Israel to return to
the worship of the God of their fathers. But it was all in vain.
Israel was joined to his idols.
#72. Hosea#, too, comes at about this same time, and he did his best
to win Israel back from their apostasy. He has well been called the
"pleading prophet," for his tenderness is most touching. Yet all in
vain were his pleas. Israel would have none of them.
#73. Hoshea, Last of the Kings.#--At last the Divine patience seems to
have been exhausted, and God gave the Northern Kingdom over into the
hands of its enemies, and they were marched off into captivity. Hoshea
is the last of the kings of Israel, and during his rule the King of
Assyria captured Samaria, and led the people off into a strange land.
Here let the student carefully read 2 Kings 17:1-41 to see the resume
that the sacred writer gives of the reasons for the final catastrophe
that befell Israel. It was on account of their sins that they were
suffered to experience these dire disasters.
#74.# In the place of the deported people, the Assyrians, in
accordance with the customs of those days, placed peoples from alien
lands in their stead. In this manner the population of Samaria became
much mixed, and the false worship of these idolatrous peoples became
the religion of the land of the Patriarchs in its northern portion.
This will account for the hostility between Jew and Samaritan which we
find in the days of Nehemiah, and even as late as the times of our
Lord.
Test Questions
What led to the disruption of the United Kingdom?
Who was chosen king over Israel, or the Northern Kingdom?
Of what was Jeroboam afraid at this time?
What did he do to hold his people from possible allegiance with
Judah?
Where were the golden calves set up?
Whom did Ahab marry?
What innovation in matters religious did Jezebel introduce?
How did she treat those who desired to worship Jehovah?
What two great prophets did God send to Israel at this time?
Was the mission of Elijah and his successor permanently effective?
How did the kingdom fare under Jeroboam II?
Was religion any better off for this prosperity?
Name two prophets whom God sent at this time to try to win his people
back to himself.
Were these two prophets successful?
Under what king was Israel at last carried into captivity?
Who were placed in the land of Israel to take the place of the
deported captives?
What was the result of this mingling of races and religions?
Lesson 9
Abijam to Zedekiah
Old Testament Division--Fourth Period (Continued)
LEADING PERSONS
#Abijam.#--Son of Rehoboam. Reigned three years (1 Kings
15:1-8).
#Asa.#--Son of Abijam. Reigned forty-one years (1 Kings
15:9-24). Made some effort as a reformer.
#Jehoshaphat.#--Son of Asa. Brought Judah great success (2
Chron. 17:1 to 20:37).
#Jehoram.#--Did evil like unto Ahab (2 Chron. 21:6). Ahaziah
followed (2 Chron. 22:4) and was succeeded by Queen Athaliah,
worse than her predecessors (2 Chron. 22:10 to 23:15).
#Joash# was a very good ruler; he began his reign at seven
years of age. Repaired the Temple (2 Chron. 24:1-27).
#Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham.#--Not remarkable in any way (2
Chron. 25:1 to 27:9).
#Ahaz.#--An evil king; caused his children to pass through
the fire to idols (2 Chron. 28:3).
#Hezekiah# was the best king so far (2 Chron. 29:1 to 32:33).
Isaiah was influential and the Passover was restored.
#Manasseh# was the worst king in many ways, putting an idol
in the Holy of Holies (2 Chron. 33:1-20; 2 Kings 21:1-18).
#Josiah# was a good ruler, beginning at eight years of age.
The Temple was repaired, the Law was read, and reform was
established (2 Kings 22:1 to 23:30).
#Zedekiah.#--After Josiah's reign matters grew worse until
under Zedekiah captivity came (2 Kings 25:1-21).
#Outside Nations# that played their part in this catastrophe
were Assyria, Babylon, Syria, Egypt.
#TIME.#--966 B. C. to 588 B. C.
#PLACES.#--Judah, Jerusalem, Babylonia.
[Illustration]
#SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.#--The influence of leadership is shown in a
marked degree in the history of Judah; "like king, like people." It
was many times demonstrated that one good man could turn the whole
nation God-ward. At last, as in the case of Israel, Judah is given
into captivity.
The Divided Kingdom. Judah, the Southern Kingdom
#75. The Kingdom of Judah# lasted one hundred and thirty years longer
than that of Israel. This was largely owing to the greater loyalty of
Judah to the law of God. Nevertheless even under the rule of Rehoboam,
their first king, Judah showed an evil tendency to depart from the law
of God (1 Kings 14:21-24). There is no record, however, that Rehoboam
officially tried to influence the people toward idolatry, as did
Jeroboam. Probably the very fact that the temple was in the capital of
Judah held him and the people, in some measure at least, to the right
manner of worship. Abijam, Rehoboam's son, followed in the footsteps
of his father. But his son, Asa, was a much better man, and he made
efforts at reform. Though he was not sufficiently radical in his work,
he was a great improvement on his predecessors.
#76.# Under #Jehoshaphat# Judah reached the height of her power. "He
walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the
Baalim" (2 Chron. 17 to 20:37. Also 1 Kings 22:41-50).
#77.# Once more, under #Joash#, Judah enjoyed a sovereign who had in
him much of godliness. He repaired the temple and did much to restore
the true worship of God.
#78.# After a period of varying vicissitudes we find Ahaz on the
throne of Judah. He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,
and caused his son to pass through the fire, i. e., he sacrificed him
to heathen idols. He introduced calf worship, and set up "high
places," for false worship on every hill and under every green tree (2
Kings 16:1-4). Had it not been that his son Hezekiah was more godly
than he, the doom of Judah might have been much hastened. During his
reign Israel was carried captive.
#79.# Under #Hezekiah#, however, we see great reforms going on. He
removed the high places, cut down the groves, and even brake in pieces
the brazen serpent that Moses had made, for to it the people had been
offering incense (2 Kings 18:1-8). He was the best of all the kings of
Judah, and had his successors followed in his footsteps, there need
have been no captivity of Judah to record. In his reign it was that
God gave Judah signal deliverance from the hosts of Sennacherib.
#80.# Alas! that so godly a king should have been followed by so
worthless a man as his son #Manasseh#. He was perhaps the very worst
of all the kings of Judah. Now we see the high places rebuilt, and
idolatrous altars to Baal established. But more than this. He went
farther than any before him, in that he took the Ark of the Covenant
out of the Most Holy Place, and put there a graven image. So the
record says that Manasseh did more to seduce the people to sin than
all the nations whom the Lord removed to make place for his people.
Truly a dreadful record for one who sat on the throne of David.
#81.# Once more the people have respite, however, for #Josiah#,
Manasseh's grandson, was a very different type. He was only eight
years old when he began to reign, but he tried to do that which was
right in the sight of God. The deserted temple was repaired, the law
was discovered and studied, the Covenant was publicly renewed, the
idol in the Most Holy Place was taken away, and burned with fire, and
the high places were largely destroyed. Moreover, he broke down the
altar at Bethel that Jeroboam had originally erected. He
re-established the celebration of the feast of the Passover, which had
long been neglected. His efforts at reform were extended even to the
dominions of the Northern Kingdom, though with no permanent effect
(see for all this 2 Chron. 34, 35, and 2 Kings 22:1 to 23:28).
#82.# From the time of the death of Josiah, the downward tendency of
Judah was steadfast. At last the end, long delayed through the mercy
of God, came, and under Jehoiachin the overthrow was complete, and
under his son Jehoiakim Judah was marched off in captivity to the land
of Babylon. Thus sadly was fulfilled all that God had warned his
people of, and the day of retribution came just as predicted.
#83. Other Nations.#--In all this sad drama of course outside nations
played a prominent part. Assyria, Babylon, Syria, Egypt, all come into
view. But none of them could have wrought the havoc that they did had
it not been for the recreant part that Israel on the north and Judah
on the south played. He who brought them all out of Egypt with a
mighty hand and an outstretched arm could and would have delivered
them from all their foes had they been loyal to him. All the blessings
of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 might have been theirs had they only hearkened
to the commandments of God by the mouth of his servant Moses. But as
it was, all the dreadful curses of Deuteronomy 28:15-68 (be sure to
read these passages) came on them, and all on account of their
idolatry and vileness.
#84. Isaiah and Jeremiah.#--Nor did the kings and people sin thus
grievously because they had no prophets to warn them. Just as God sent
Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea to warn and woo the Northern Kingdom,
so he sent the great Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn the men of the
Southern Kingdom. Plainer warnings, grander promises, better counsels
than these prophets gave, have never been uttered by human lips. For
about sixty years, beginning in the reign of Uzziah, Isaiah pleaded
with the nation. He lived and prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and all through these days he was faithful
to his mission. Sometimes he was heeded, and sometimes he was scoffed
at, but ever and always he was faithful. So too was Jeremiah, whom
nothing could turn from the integrity of his course. For the most part
mocked at, traduced and ridiculed by the leaders, these men were
helpless, for the minds and hearts of rulers and people were set on
mischief. But though hand joined in hand, evil was sure not to go
unpunished, and so the end came.
#85. Captivity.#--What a contrast between Israel marching triumphantly
into the land, and Israel (and later on, Judah) marching out of the
land in chains and humiliation! Through faith they conquered Jericho,
and through lack of faith they themselves were at last conquered, and
taken off into a land of shame and sorrow.
Test Questions
How long did the Kingdom of Judah last?
How much longer did it last than the Kingdom of Israel?
What reason may we assign for this?
Under what king did Judah reach the maximum of her power?
Name the next king who ruled the nation in the fear of God.
How did Ahaz provoke the Lord to anger especially?
Who was probably the best of all the kings of Judah?
How did the son of Hezekiah act when he came to the throne?
What particularly evil deed did he do in connection with the temple?
Under what king did Judah enjoy great reforms?
How far did Josiah try to extend his reforms?
Name some of the nations who opposed Israel and Judah?
Would these nations have succeeded had God's people been loyal to him?
Give the names of two great prophets of Judah.
How long did Isaiah continue to prophesy?
Mention the contrast between God's people marching in to and out of
the land.
What was the cause of their final disaster?
Lesson 10
Elijah.
Old Testament Division--Fourth Period (Concluded)
LEADING PERSONS
Ahab and Jezebel, and Ahaziah, rulers; Elijah and Elisha,
prophets. See Lesson 8.