Chapter V: Part FOUR

IV. With the reign of the first king a new period opens. We now study the history of the =Is'ra-el-ite Kingdom=. The kingdom was divided after the reign of three kings, but even after the division it was regarded as one kingdom, though in two parts.

1. This period extends from the =Coronation of Saul=, B. C. 1050? (1 Sam. 11. 15), to the =Captivity of Bab'y-lon=, B. C. 587.

2. During this period the chosen people were ruled by kings; hence this is named the =Regal Administration=. The king of Is'ra-el was not a despot, however, for his power was limited, and he was regarded as the executive of a theocratic government (1 Sam. 10. 25).

3. This period is divided into three epochs, as follows:

1.) =The Age of Unity=, under three kings, Saul,
Da'vid, and Sol'o-mon, each reigning about forty
years. In Da'vid's reign, about B. C. 1,000, the
kingdom became an empire, ruling all the lands from
E'gypt to the Eu-phra'tes.

2.) =The Age of Division.= The division of the kingdom
took place B. C. 934, when two rival principalities,
Is'ra-el and Ju'dah, succeeded the united empire, and
all the conquests of Da'vid were lost (1 Kings 12. 16,
17). The kingdom of Is'ra-el was governed by nineteen
kings, and ended with the fall of Sa-ma'ria, B. C.
721, when the Ten Tribes were carried into captivity
in As-syr'i-a (2 Kings 17. 6) and became extinct.

3.) =The Age of Decay.= After the fall of Is'ra-el,
Ju'dah remained as a kingdom for one hundred and
thirty-four years, though in a declining condition. It
was ruled by twenty kings, and was finally conquered
by the Chal-de'ans. The Jews were carried captive to
Bab'y-lon in B. C. 587 (2 Chron. 36. 16-20).

4. The following may be regarded as the representative =Persons= of his period, one from each epoch:

1.) =Da'vid=, the great king (2 Sam. 23. 1), and the
true founder of the kingdom.

2.) =E-li'jah=, the great prophet (1 Kings 18. 36).

3.) =Hez-e-ki'ah=, the good king (2 Kings 18. 1-6).

Blackboard Outline

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

Review Questions

What is the fourth period called? With what events did
it begin and end? What were the dates of these two
events? How were the people governed during this
period? What were the three subdivisions of this
period? Under whom did the kingdom become an empire?
What was the extent of its empire? When did the
division of the kingdom take place? What was the
result of the division? How many were the kings of the
Ten Tribes? With what event, and at what date, did the
kingdom of Is'ra-el end? How long did Ju'dah last
after the fall of Is'ra-el? How many kings reigned in
Ju'dah? By what people was Ju'dah conquered? To what
city were the Jews carried captive? Name three
representative persons of the period of the kingdom.