Chapter IV: Part THREE

III. When the Is'ra-el-ites went out of E'gypt a nation was born, and the family became a state, with all the institutions of government. Therefore we call this the =Period of the Is'ra-el-ite People=.

1. It opens with the =Exodus from E'gypt=, B. C. 1270? (Exod. 12. 40-42), and closes with the =Coronation of Saul=, B. C. 1050?.

2. During this period the government of the Is'ra-el-ites was peculiar. The Lord was their only King (Judg. 8. 23), but there was a priestly order for religious service (Exod. 28. 1), and from time to time men were raised up by a divine appointment to rule, who were called judges (Judg. 2. 16). This constituted the =Theocratic Administration=, or a government by God.

3. We subdivide this period as follows:

1.) =The Wandering in the Wilderness.= This was a part
of God's plan, and trained the Is'ra-el-ites for the
conquest of their land (Exod. 13. 17, 18). It lasted
for forty years (Deut. 8. 2).

2.) =The Conquest of Ca'naan=, which immediately
followed the crossing of the Jordan (Josh. 3. 14-17).
The war was vigorously carried on for a few years, but
the land was only seemingly conquered, for the native
races remained upon the soil, and in some places were
dominant until the time of Da'vid.

3.) =The Rule of the Judges.= From the death of
Josh'u-a, B. C. 1200?, the people were directed by
fifteen judges, not always in direct succession.

4. This period has been justly called "the Age of the Heroes"; and from many great men we choose the following:

1.) =Mo'ses=, the founder of the nation (Deut. 34.
10-12).

2.) =Josh'u-a=, the conqueror of Ca'naan (Josh. 11.
23).

3.) =Gid'e-on=, the greatest of the judges (Judg. 8.
28).

4.) =Sam'u-el=, the last of the judges (1 Sam. 12. 1,
2).

Blackboard Outline

+---------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|I. Per. Hu. Ra.|II. Per. |III. Per. |IV. Per. |V. Per. |
| | Ch. Fam.| Is. Peo.| Is. Kin.| Je. Prov.|
+---------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| C. M. | C. A. | E. E. | | |
| C. A. | E. E. | C. S. | | |
+---------------+------------+------------+ | |
| Dir. Adm. | Patr. Adm. | The. Adm. | | |
+---------------+------------+------------+ | |
| Fa. | Jou. Pat. | Wan. Wil. | | |
| Del. | Soj. Eg. | Con. Can. | | |
| Dis. | Opp. Isr. | Ru. Jud. | | |
+---------------+------------+------------+ | |
| A. E. N. | A. J. J. | M. J. G. S.| | |
+---------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+

Review Questions

What is the third period of Bible history called? With
what events did it begin and end? How was Is'ra-el
governed during this period? What are its
subdivisions? How many judges governed the
Is'ra-el-ites after Josh'u-a? Name four important
persons of the third period. State for what each of
these persons was distinguished.