THE WARS OF KINGS AND THE PEOPLE'S SORROWS
The Hebrews did not greatly better themselves by the division of the
kingdom and by the revolt of the northern tribes from Solomon's son.
There were still kings both in the north and in the south. And all
they cared about was glory and luxury for themselves.
AN ERA OF PERPETUAL WAR
In order to get glory and wealth these kings made war on neighboring
countries. For a long time there was war between the northern and
southern Hebrews. There were long and very bloody wars between the
Hebrews and the Arameans, whose kings ruled in Damascus. There were
many wars between rival candidates for the throne among the Hebrews
themselves. Especially was this true in the northern kingdom where,
during the two hundred years of its separate existence, there was a
revolution on an average every thirty or forty years. In such cases
all the members of the existing royal family would be assassinated and
all persons who defended them or were suspected of sympathizing with
them were put to death. After the murder of hundreds and sometimes
thousands the new upstart conqueror would proclaim himself king.
=Famine and pestilence.=--These constant wars not only brought wounds
and death and sorrow to many homes, they also kept all the people poor
and increased the deadliness of the other great historic curses of
humanity, such as famine. The money and labor spent on war might have
been used in terracing hillsides and fertilizing fields, so that in
times of drought the crops would not wholly fail and starvation and
death might thus have been pushed back a little further from the
cottages of the poor.
Wars also bring disease. In those days, epidemics of disease were
frightfully common at best. They knew nothing about sanitation. Even
in the most important cities, sewage and garbage were dumped in the
streets. Leprosy was an everyday sight. Rats and other vermin swarmed
everywhere except in the palaces of the rich; and when the soldiers
came home from war, bringing with them typhus fever or cholera or the
plague, the people died like flies.
=The dynasty of Omri.=--Among the best of the successors of David and
Solomon were Omri and his son Ahab, in the north. They made peace with
the southern Hebrews in Judah and renewed the old alliance with Tyre.
They built as their capital the beautiful city of Samaria. Ahab
especially was greatly admired as a brave warrior and as a king who on
the whole tried to serve his country well. Yet even Ahab was a despot.
His own glory and wealth were to him of chief importance, and his
people's needs and sufferings secondary.
BACK TO THE DESERT
Under these conditions it was natural that many people should look
back with longing to the olden times, especially to the time of Moses,
before the people had left the desert and settled in Canaan. All these
newfangled ways, they said, are evil. They have brought us only
trouble. Especially bad is the worship of these Baals instead of
Jehovah, the God of our fathers. No doubt Jehovah is jealous and angry
and has brought war and famine and pestilence upon us for just this
reason. Many, indeed, who did not altogether object to the civilized
customs of Canaan were uneasy in their minds because of the worship of
the Baals. When Ahab made his alliance with the king of Tyre he had
built, in Samaria, shrines to the Baal of Tyre. This was in accordance
with the religious ideas of those days. When two countries made an
alliance there was supposed to be an alliance between their gods. But
the Hebrews had made a special covenant to worship no other gods but
only Jehovah. So there were many who were opposed to the worship of
the Baals.
=The Rechabites.=--One Hebrew clan known as the Rechabites, actually
became nomads again and did all they could to persuade others to do
the same. They gave up their houses and lived in tents. They pledged
themselves to drink no wine or strong drink, and they were
enthusiastically devoted to the worship of Jehovah only. Naturally
they hated Ahab for bringing in the worship of the foreign gods of
Tyre. They did much to cause the overthrow of the dynasty of Ahab in
favor of a general named Jehu, who was pledged to drive out the
Phoenicians and their gods.
THE PROPHETS
There were also certain specially religious people, called prophets,
some of whom saw the evils which were ruining the happiness of the
people and fought against them. In the earliest days, these men who
were called prophets were much like the soothsayers of other nations.
They were supposed to have a special power of speaking revelations
from God. Sometimes they went into trances. Sometimes they caused
exciting music to be played in their hearing. Most of them spoke what
seemed likely to be popular with their hearers. For example, once when
Ahab wanted to start a new war against Damascus, he sent for prophets
and some four hundred were brought to him. "Shall we go to war or
not?" he asked. All but one, knowing that Ahab's heart was set on the
matter, answered, "Jehovah says, go to war, and he will give you
victory."
=Micaiah.=--The true prophets, however, were men of truth who
worshiped Jehovah and waited for his teaching. Such a man was Micaiah.
When Ahab asked him, "What do you say?" his answer was like the
others. But his manner was so sarcastic that the king kept asking him.
He finally declared that Jehovah had revealed to him that the proposed
expedition would end in disaster. For this Micaiah was thrown into a
dungeon. But his prophecy came true. The Hebrews were defeated, and
Ahab himself was killed.
=Elijah.=--The greatest leader in this movement back to the desert and
to Moses, was a prophet named Elijah. He was like the Rechabites in
his aims. He was dressed like a desert nomad and his whole life was
given to the cause of the old desert religion. He had a very clear
understanding as to what was best in that religion. It was not merely
because Jehovah might be jealous of other gods that Elijah fought
against Baal worship, but also because Jehovah really stood for
justice and righteousness as against the unrighteousness of the Baals.
Elijah was not only a champion of Jehovah; he was a champion of the
poor against their oppressors, a champion of the common people against
the despotism of kings, as is so vividly and thrillingly illustrated
in the story of Naboth's vineyard.
=Elisha.=--Elijah's work was carried on after his death by another
prophet named Elisha. He also seems to have been a friend of the
common people. Many traditions of his helpfulness to them are recorded
in the second book of Kings. But his chief aim was to overthrow the
dynasty of Ahab. It was Elisha who, with the help of the Rechabites,
launched the revolution of Jehu.
=A disappointing outcome.=--Jehu was really no better than Ahab. He
was willing to drive out the priests of the Phoenician Baal, and he
offered many sacrifices to Jehovah. But his chief ambition was for
himself. Instead of bringing peace and justice to the poor, suffering,
war-scourged people, his reign was horrible for its bloody killings.
No one was safe from his murderous jealousy.
There was needed something more than a mere revival of the "old time
religion" of Moses. There had to be purer and nobler ideas of Jehovah,
a better knowledge of the real nature of Jehovah and of what Jehovah
demanded of men, and of the kind of worship which would please him.
Till then there was little hope of happiness for men and women and
little children.
STUDY TOPICS
1. Read 2 Kings 6. 24-30 for a vivid picture of the sufferings of the
common people of Israel, as a result of constant wars.
2. Read 1 Kings 20. 1-34 for some light on Ahab as an able king. What
qualities are displayed by him, in the narrative of this chapter?
3. Look up Rechabites in the Bible dictionary for a more complete
narrative about them.
4. Is war more of a curse to the common people to-day than in ancient
times, or less? Why? What classes still suffer most from war, the rich
and powerful or the common people?