Chapter XVIII: Part ONE

The splendors of Sol'o-mon's reign passed away even more suddenly than they arose. In less than a year after his death his empire was broken up, and two quarreling principalities were all that was left of Is'ra-el.

I. Let us ascertain the =Causes of the Division of Is'ra-el=. These were:

1. =The oppressive government of Sol'o-mon= (1 Kings 12. 3, 4). How far the complaints of the people were just, and to what degree they were the pretexts of an ambitious demagogue, we have no means of knowing. But it is evident that the government of Sol'o-mon, with its courts, its palaces, its buildings, and its splendor, must have borne heavily upon the people. Probably, also, the luxury of living among the upper classes, so suddenly introduced, led to financial crises and stringency of money, for which the government was held responsible by the discontented people.

2. =The opposition of the prophets= (1 Kings 11. 11-13, 29-33). It is a suggestive fact that the prophets were opposed to Sol'o-mon and friendly to Jer-o-bo'am. Their reason was a strong resentment to the foreign alliances, foreign customs, and especially to the foreign idolatries which Sol'o-mon introduced.

3. =Foreign intrigues=, especially in E'gypt. The old kingdoms were not friendly to this Is'ra-el-ite empire, which loomed up so suddenly, and threatened to conquer all the East. Sol'o-mon's attempt to win the favor of E'gypt by a royal marriage (1 Kings 3. 1) was a failure, for two enemies of Sol'o-mon, driven out of his dominions, found refuge in E'gypt, were admitted to the court, married relatives of the king, and stirred up conspiracies against Sol'o-mon's throne (1 Kings 11. 14-22, 40). Another center of conspiracy was Da-mas'cus, where Re'zon kept up a semi-independent relation to Sol'o-mon's empire (1 Kings 11. 23-25).

4. =Tribal jealousy=; the old sore broken out again. Notice that Jer-o-bo'am belonged to the haughty tribe of E'phra-im (1 Kings 11. 26), always envious of Ju'dah, and restless under the throne of Da'vid. The kingdom of the ten tribes was established mainly through the influence of this tribe.

5. =The ambition of Jer-o-bo'am= was another force in the disruption. It was unfortunate for Sol'o-mon's kingdom that the ablest young man of that time in Is'ra-el, a wily political leader and an unscrupulous partisan, belonged to the tribe of E'phra-im, and from his environment was an enemy of the then existing government. The fact that he was sent for from E'gypt to the assembly at She'chem showed collusion and preparation of the scheme (1 Kings 12. 2, 3).

6. But all these causes might have been insufficient but for =the folly of Re-ho-bo'am= (1 Kings 12. 13, 14). If Da'vid had been on the throne that day an empire might have been saved. But Re-ho-bo'am, brought up in the purple, was without sympathy with the people, tried to act the part of a tyrant, and lost his ancestral realm (1 Kings 12. 16).

II. =The Results of the Division.= These were partly political, partly religious, and were neither of unmixed good nor unmixed evil.

1. The =political results= were: 1.) The entire _disruption_ of Sol'o-mon's empire. Five kingdoms took the place of one: Syr'i-a on the north, Is'ra-el in the center, Ju'dah west of the Dead Sea, Mo'ab east of the Dead Sea, and E'dom on the extreme south. Mo'ab was nominally subject to Is'ra-el, and E'dom to Ju'dah; but only strong kings, like A'hab in Is'ra-el and Je-hosh'a-phat in Ju'dah, could exact the tribute (2 Kings 3. 4; 1 Kings 22. 47). 2.) With the loss of empire came _rivalry_, and consequent _weakness_. For fifty years Is'ra-el and Ju'dah were at war, and spent their strength in civil strife, while Syr'i-a was growing powerful, and in the far northeast As-syr'i-a was threatening. 3.) As a natural result came at last _foreign domination_. Both Is'ra-el and Ju'dah fell under the power of other nations and were swept into captivity, as the final result of the disruption wrought by Jer-o-bo'am.

2. =The religious results= of the division were more favorable. They were: 1.) _Preservation of the true religion._ A great empire would inevitably have been the spiritual ruin of Is'ra-el, for it must have been worldly, secular, and, in the end, idolatrous. The disruption broke off relation with the world, put an end to schemes of secular empire, and placed Is'ra-el and Ju'dah once more alone among their mountains. In this sense the event was from the Lord, who had higher and more enduring purposes than an earthly empire (1 Kings 12. 15-24). 2.) _Protection of the true religion._ Is'ra-el on the north stood as a "buffer," warding off the world from Ju'dah on the south. It was neither wholly idolatrous nor wholly religious, but was a debatable land for centuries. It fell at last, but it saved Ju'dah; and in Ju'dah was the unconscious hope of the world. 3.) _Concentration of the true religion._ The departure of Is'ra-el from the true faith led to the gathering of the priests, Le'vites, and worshiping element of the people in Ju'dah (2 Chron. 11. 13-16). Thus the Jew'ish kingdom was far more devoted to Je-ho'vah than it might otherwise have been.

Blackboard Outline

I. =Cau. Div.= 1. Opp. gov. 2. Opp. pro. 3. For. int. 4. Tri. jeal.
5. Am. Jer. 6. Fol. Re.
II. =Res. Div.= 1. Pol. res. 1.) Dis. emp. 2.) Riv. and weak. 3.) For.
dom.
2. Rel. res. 1.) Pres. rel. 2.) Pro. rel. 3.) Conc. rel.

Review Questions

What causes may be assigned for the division of
Is'ra-el? How far was Sol'o-mon's government
responsible? What was the relation of the prophets to
the revolution? What foreign intrigues contributed to
break up the kingdom? Who were connected with these
intrigues? What ancient jealousy aided, and how? What
man led in the breaking up of the kingdom? Whose folly
enabled the plot to succeed? What were the political
results of the division? What were its religious
results? How was this event from the Lord?

Part Two

III. =The Kingdom of Is'ra-el.= From the division the name _Is'ra-el_ was applied to the northern kingdom and _Ju'dah_ to the southern. We notice the general aspects of Is'ra-el during its history, from B. C. 934 to 721.

1. =Its extent.= It embraced all the territory of the twelve tribes except Ju'dah and a part of Ben'ja-min (1 Kings 12. 19-21), held a nominal supremacy over Mo'ab east of the Dead Sea, and embraced about 9,375 square miles, while Ju'dah included only 3,435. Is'ra-el was about equal in area to Massachusetts and Rhode Island together.

2. =Its capital= was first at _She'chem_, in the center of the land (1 Kings 12. 25); then, during several reigns, at _Tir'zah_ (1 Kings 15. 33; 16. 23); then at _Sa-ma'ri-a_ (1 Kings 16. 24), where it remained until the end of the kingdom. That city after a time gave its name to the kingdom (1 Kings 21. 1), and after the fall of the kingdom to the province in the center of Pal'es-tine (John 4. 3, 4).

3. =Its religion.= 1.) Very soon after the institution of the new kingdom Jer-o-bo'am established a national religion, the _worship of the calves_ (1 Kings 12. 26-33). This was not a new form of worship, but had been maintained in Is'ra-el ever since the exodus (Exod. 32. 1-4). In character it was a modified idolatry, halfway between the pure religion and the abominations of the heathen. 2.) A'hab and his house introduced the Phoe-ni'cian _worship of Ba'al_, an idolatry of the most abominable and immoral sort (1 Kings 16. 30-33), but it never gained control in Is'ra-el, and was doubtless one cause of the revolution which placed another family on the throne. 3.) Through the history of Is'ra-el there remained a remnant of _worshipers of Je-ho'vah_, who were watched over by a noble array of prophets, and though often persecuted remained faithful (1 Kings 19. 14, 18).

4. =Its rulers.= During two hundred and fifty years Is'ra-el was governed by nineteen kings, with intervals of anarchy. Five houses in turn held sway, each established by a usurper, generally a soldier, and each dynasty ending in a murder.

1.) _The House of Jer-o-bo'am_, with two kings, followed by a general massacre of Jer-o-bo'am's family (1 Kings 15. 29, 30).

2.) _The House of Ba'a-sha_, two kings, followed by a civil war (1 Kings 16. 16-22).

3.) _The House of Om'ri_, four kings, of whom Om'ri and A'hab were the most powerful. This was the age of the prophet E-li'jah and the great struggle between the worship of Je-ho'vah and of Ba'al (1 Kings 18. 4-21).

4.) _The House of Je'hu_, five kings, under whom were great changes of fortune. The reign of Je-ho'a-haz saw Is'ra-el reduced to a mere province of Syr'i-a (2 Kings 13. 1-9). His son Jo'ash threw off the Syr'i-an yoke, and _his_ son, Jer-o-bo'am II, raised Is'ra-el almost to its condition of empire in the days of Sol'o-mon (2 Kings 14. 23-29). His reign is called "the Indian summer of Is'ra-el."

5.) _The House of Men'a-hem_, two reigns. Is'ra-el had by this time fallen under the power of As-syr'i-a, now dominant over the East, and its history is the story of kings rising and falling in rapid succession, with long intervals of anarchy. From the fall of this dynasty there was only the semblance of a state until the final destruction of Sa-ma'ri-a, B. C. 721.

5. =Its foreign relations.= During the period of the Is'ra-el-ite kingdom we see lands struggling for the dominion of the East. The history of Is'ra-el is interwoven with that of Syr'i-a and As-syr'i-a, which may now be read from the monuments.

1.) There was a _Period of Division_. During the reign of the houses of Jer-o-bo'am and Ba'a-sha there were constant wars between Is'ra-el, Syr'i-a, and Ju'dah; and as a result all were kept weak, and "a balance of power" was maintained.

2.) Then followed a _Period of Alliance_--that is, between Is'ra-el and Ju'dah, during the sway of the House of Om'ri. The two lands were in friendly relations, and the two thrones were connected by marriages. As a result both Is'ra-el and Ju'dah were strong, Mo'ab and E'dom were kept under control, and Syr'i-a was held in check.

3.) Next came the _Period of Syr'i-an Ascendency_. During the first two reigns of the House of Je'hu, Syr'i-a rose to great power under Haz'a-el, and overran both Is'ra-el and Ju'dah. At one time Is'ra-el was in danger of utter destruction, but was preserved. Near the close of these periods the dying prophecy of E-li'sha was uttered (2 Kings 13. 14-25).

4.) _The Period of Is'ra-el-ite Ascendency._ Is'ra-el under Jer-o-bo'am II took its turn of power, and for a brief period was again dominant to the Eu-phra'tes, as in the days of Sol'o-mon.

5.) _The Period of As-syr'i-an Ascendency._ But its glory soon faded away before that of As-syr'i-a, which was now rapidly becoming the empire of the East. Its rise meant the fall of Is'ra-el; and under the unfortunate Ho-she'a, Sa-ma'ri-a was taken, what was left of the ten tribes were carried captive, and the kingdom of Is'ra-el was extinguished (2 Kings 17. 1-6).

IV. =The Fate of the Ten Tribes.= There has been much idle discussion over this subject and some absurd claims set up; for example, that the Anglo-Saxon race are descended from the ten lost tribes--a statement opposed to all history, to ethnology, and to every evidence of language.

1. After their deposition nearly all the Is'ra-el-ites, having lost their national religion and having no bond of union, =mingled with the Gen'tiles= around them and lost their identity, just as hundreds of other races have done. The only bond which will keep a nation long alive is that of religion.

2. Some remained in Pal'es-tine, others returned thither and formed the =nucleus of the Sa-mar'i-tan people=, a race of mingled origin (2 Kings 17. 24-29).

3. Some of those who remained in the East retained their religion, or were revived in it, and later became a part of the =Jews of the dispersion=; though "the dispersion" was mainly Jew'ish, and not Is'ra-el-ite.

4. A few =families united with the Jews=, returned with them to Pal'es-tine after the exile, yet retained their tribal relationship; for example, An'na (Luke 2. 36).

Blackboard Outline

III. =Kin. Isr.= 1. Ext. 9,375. 2. Cap. 1.) Sh. 2.) Tir. 3.) Sam.
3. Rel. 1.) Wor. cal. 2.) Wor. Ba. 3.) Wor. Jeh. 4. Rul.
1.) Hou. Jer. 2.) Hou. Ba. 3.) Hou. Om. 4.) Hou. Je.
5.) Hou. Men. 5. For. Rel. 1.) Per. Div. 2.) Per. All.
3.) Per. Syr. Asc. 4.) Per. Isr. Asc. 5.) Per. Ass. Asc.
IV. =Fat. Ten. Tri.= 1. Min. Gen. 2. Sam. Peo. 3. Disp. 4. Jews.

Review Questions

How long did the new kingdom of Is'ra-el last? What
was its extent? What were its three successive
capitals? What three forms of religion were found in
it? Who was the first king of the ten tribes? What
family introduced foreign idolatry? How many kings
ruled over the ten tribes? What were the five royal
houses? Which house raised Is'ra-el almost to its
ancient power? What is this period of prosperity
called? Who was the greatest king of Is'ra-el? With
what other history is that of Is'ra el interwoven?
What were the five periods in the foreign relations of
Is'ra-el? By what kingdom was Is'ra-el destroyed? Who
was its last king? What finally became of the ten
tribes?

THIRTEENTH STUDY

The Kingdom of Judah

I. =General Aspects of the Kingdom of Ju'dah.=

1. =Its territory.= It embraced the mountain portion of the tribe of Ju'dah, from the Dead Sea to the Phi-lis'tine plain; a part of Ben'ja-min, in which tribe the larger part of Je-ru'sa-lem stood; and also a part of Dan (Chron. 11. 10). Sim'e-on was nominally within its border, but was practically given up to the A-ra'bi-ans of the desert; E'dom was tributary, though often in rebellion, and finally independent (1 Kings 22. 47; 2 Kings 8. 20); Phi-lis'ti-a was outside of its boundary. Its extent was about 3,435 square miles, about half the area of Massachusetts.

2. =Its government= was a monarchy, with but one family on the throne, the line of Da'vid, in direct succession, with the exception of Ath-a-li'ah's usurpation (2 Kings 11. 1-3), through nineteen reigns.

3. =Its religion.= Through all the history we find two forms of worship strongly opposed to each other, yet both rooted in the nation. 1.) The worship of Je-ho'vah through the temple, the priesthood, and the prophets. 2.) But side by side with this pure religion was the worship of idols upon "high places," probably begun as a form of worshiping Je-ho'vah, but degenerating into gross and immoral idolatry. There was a struggle going on constantly between these two elements in the state, the spiritual and the material. Notwithstanding the efforts of reforming kings like Je-hosh'a-phat, Hez-e-ki'ah, and Jo-si'ah, the general tendency was downward.

II. =The Duration of the Kingdom.= The kingdom lasted from B. C. 934 to 587--more than one hundred and thirty years longer than Is'ra-el. Reasons for its endurance may have been:

1. =Its retired situation=: hemmed in by mountains and deserts; at a distance from the ordinary lines of travel; not in the direct path of conquest from any other nation. Ju'dah had few foreign wars as compared with Is'ra-el.

2. =The unity of its people.= They were not ten tribes loosely connected, but one tribe, with a passionate love of their nation and a pride in their blood.

3. =Its concentration at Je-ru'sa-lem.= Through all its history there was but one capital, where the palace of the king and the temple of the Lord were standing together.

4. =The reverence for the House of Da'vid= also kept the people together. There was no change in dynasty, and the loyalty of the people grew stronger through the generations toward the family on the throne. There being no usurpers, the throne was permanent until destroyed by foreign power.

5. =The purity of its religion= tended to keep the nation united and to keep it in existence. No bond of self-interest or of blood will hold a people together as strongly as the tie of religion. Ju'dah's strength was in the measure of her service of God, and when she renounced Je-ho'vah her doom came speedily.

III. =Periods in the History.= Though Ju'dah was not without political contact with other nations, yet its history is the record of internal events rather than external relations. We may divide its history into four epochs.

1. =The first decline and revival.= 1.) The reigns of Re-ho-bo'am and A-bi'jah marked a decline indicated by the E-gyp'tian invasion and the growth of idolatry. 2.) The reign of A'sa and Je-hosh'a-phat showed a revival in reformation, progress, and power. Under Je-hosh'a-phat, Ju'dah was at the height of prosperity. This was the time of peace with Is'ra-el and of strength at home and abroad (2 Chron. 17. 5; 20. 30).

2. =The second decline and revival.= 1.) For nearly two hundred years after the death of Je-hosh'a-phat the course of Ju'dah was downward. E'dom was lost under Je-ho'ram (2 Chron. 21. 8); the Ba'al-ite idolatry was introduced by the usurping queen, Ath-a-li'ah (2 Kings 11. 18); the land was again and again invaded under Jo'ash and Am-a-zi'ah, and Je-ru'sa-lem itself was taken and plundered. 2.) But a great reformation was wrought under Hez-e-ki'ah, who was the best and wisest of the kings of Ju'dah, and the kingdom again rose to power, even daring to throw off the As-syr'i-an yoke and defy the anger of the mightiest king then on the earth. At this time came the great event of the destruction of the As-syr'i-an host (2 Kings 19. 35).

3. =The third decline and revival.= 1.) The reforms of Hez-e-ki'ah were short-lived, for his son Ma-nas'seh was both the longest in reigning and the wickedest of the kings, and his late repentance did not stay the tide of corruption which he had let loose (2 Kings 21. 10-17; 2 Chron. 33. 1-18). The wickedness of Ma-nas'seh's reign was the great moral cause of the kingdom's destruction, for from it no reform afterward could lift the mass of the people. 2.) Jo-si'ah, the young reformer, attempted the task, but his efforts, though earnest, were only measurably successful, and after his untimely death the kingdom hastened to its fall (2 Kings 23. 29).

4. =The final decline and fall.= 1.) The political cause of the destruction of the kingdom was the rise of Bab'y-lon. The old As-syr'i-an empire went down about B. C. 625, and a struggle followed between Bab'y-lon and E'gypt for the supremacy. Ju'dah took the side of E'gypt, which proved to be the losing side. 2.) After several chastisements and repeated rebellions Je-ru'sa-lem was finally destroyed by Neb-u-chad-nez'zar, king of Bab'y-lon, and the kingdom of Ju'dah was extinguished, B. C. 587.

Blackboard Outline

I. =Gen. Asp. Kin. Jud.= 1. Terr. Tri. Jud. 3,435 m. 2. Gov. mon.
3. Rel. 1.) Jeh. 2.) Idol.
II. =Dur. Kin.= 1. Ret. sit. 2. Un. peo. 3. Conc. Jer. 4. Rev. Ho.
Dav. 5. Pur. rel.
III. =Per. Hist.= 1. Fir. dec. rev. 1.) Dec. Reho. Abi. 2.) Rev.
As. Jehosh.
2. Sec. dec. rev. 1.) Dec. 200 y. 2.) Rev. Hez.
3. Thi. dec. rev. 1.) Dec. Man. 2.) Rev. Jos.
4. Fin. dec. fal. 1.) Ris. Bab. 2.) Des. Jer.

Review Questions

What was embraced in the kingdom of Ju'dah? What was
its area? How was it governed? What was its religion?
What was associated with the worship of Je-ho'vah?
What was the religious tendency of the people? How
long did the kingdom of Ju'dah last? What were the
causes of this duration? What were the periods in its
history? Under what kings was the first decline? Who
led in a revival and reformation? Who was the greatest
of the kings of Ju'dah? What took place during the
second decline? Who was the usurping queen? What did
this queen try to do? Who wrought the second great
reformation? What was the character of this king? What
great destruction of Ju'dah's enemies took place at
this time? Which reign was both longest, wickedest,
and most evil in its results? Who attempted a third
reformation? What was the result of his endeavor? What
was the political cause of the fall of Ju'dah? By what
nation and by what king was Je-ru'sa-lem finally
destroyed?

FOURTEENTH STUDY

The Captivity of Judah