Studies in Old Testament History Part 9

=II. Gen. Asp. Isr.= 1. Pea. 2. Str. gov. 3. Abun. weal. 1.) Conq.

2.) Trib. 3.) Com. 4.) Tax. 5). Pub. build. 5. Lit. art.

=III. Dan. Per.= 1. Abs. pow. 2. For. wor. 3. Lux. cor. mor. 4.

Bur. tax. 5. Hea. cus. 6. Tri. jeal.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW.

What is meant by the Golden Age of Israel?

Who was Solomon?

How did Solomon obtain the throne?

What events marked his accession?

What lands were included in his empire?

What were the frontier cities of the empire?

With what foreign countries did Solomon have relations?

What resulted from his alliance with Tyre?

What innovation came from Egypt?

Who visited Solomon from Arabia?

What were the early names of Spain and India?

What four cla.s.ses of buildings were erected by Solomon?

What were the different parts of his temple?

What was the name given to Solomon's palace?

Name some of the cities which he built and fortified.

What other public works did he build?

What three kinds of sin did Solomon commit?

What was his motive in seeking foreign marriages?

Name five general aspects of Israel in Solomon's reign.

What were the benefits of the peace at that time?

What was the characteristic of Solomon's administration?

What opportunity did the age give to a great empire for Israel?

What were the sources of the wealth in Solomon's age?

How was it a period of literary activity?

What ancient legend ill.u.s.trates the dangers of Solomon's age?

What were some of these dangers?

Wherein did Solomon set aside the Israelite const.i.tution?

What was the defect in the religion of Solomon's time?

What evils resulted from the wealth of that time?

What caused heavy taxation?

What heathen customs were introduced?

What showed that tribal jealousy was still existing?

Subjects for Special Papers.

THE CHARACTER OF SOLOMON.

WAS AN EMPIRE FOR ISRAEL DESIRABLE?

THE WRITINGS OF SOLOMON.

TARs.h.i.+SH AND OPHIR.

THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.

SOLOMON IN ORIENTAL LEGENDS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE DIVISION OF SOLOMON'S EMPIRE.]

FOOTNOTE:

[H] Notice that while the prophets had been friendly to David, they were strongly opposed to Solomon, and gave aid to his enemy Jeroboam (1 Kings 11. 29-39).

SEVENTH STUDY.

THE RIVAL THRONES.--ISRAEL.

The splendors of Solomon's reign pa.s.sed away even more suddenly than they arose. In less than a year after his death his empire was broken up, and two quarreling princ.i.p.alities were all that was left of Israel.

I. Let us ascertain the =CAUSES OF THE DIVISION OF ISRAEL=. These were:

1. =The oppressive government of Solomon.= (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 Solomon, with its court, its palaces, its buildings, and its splendor, must have borne heavily upon the people. Probably, also, the luxury of living among the upper cla.s.ses, 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 Solomon and friendly to Jeroboam. Their reason was a strong resentment to the foreign alliances, foreign customs, and especially to the foreign idolatries which Solomon introduced.

3. =Foreign intrigues=, especially in Egypt. The old kingdoms were not friendly to this Israelite empire, which loomed up so suddenly, and threatened to conquer all the East. Solomon's attempt to win the favor of Egypt by a royal marriage (1 Kings 3. 1) was a failure, for two enemies of Solomon, driven out of his dominions, found refuge in Egypt, were admitted to the court, married relatives of the king, and stirred up conspiracies against Solomon's throne (1 Kings 11. 14-22, 40).

Another center of conspiracy was Damascus, where Rezon kept up a semi-independent relation to Solomon's empire (1 Kings 11. 23-25).

4. =Tribal jealousy=; the old sore broken out again. Notice that Jeroboam belonged to the haughty tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11. 26), always envious of Judah, and restless under the throne of David. The kingdom of the ten tribes was established mainly through the influence of this tribe.

5. =The ambition of Jeroboam= was another force in the disruption. It was unfortunate for Solomon's kingdom that the ablest young man of that time in Israel, a wily political leader and an unscrupulous partisan, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, and from his environment was an enemy of the then existing government. The fact that he was sent for from Egypt to the a.s.sembly at Shechem showed collusion and preparation of the scheme (1 Kings 12. 2, 3).

6. But even all these causes might have been insufficient but for =the folly of Rehoboam= (1 Kings 12. 13, 14). If David had been on the throne that day an empire might have been saved. But Rehoboam, 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 Solomon's empire. Five kingdoms took the place of one; Syria on the north, Israel in the center, Judah west of the Dead Sea, Moab east of the Dead Sea, and Edom on the extreme south. Moab was nominally subject to Israel, and Edom to Judah; but only strong kings, like Ahab in Israel and Jehoshaphat in Judah, 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 Israel and Judah were at war, and spent their strength in civil strife, while Syria was growing powerful, and afar in the north-east a.s.syria was threatening. 3.) As a natural result came at last _foreign domination_. Both Israel and Judah fell under the power of other nations, and were swept into captivity as the final result of the disruption wrought by Jeroboam.

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 Israel, 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 Israel and Judah 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._ Israel on the north stood as a "buffer," warding off the world from Judah 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 Judah; and in Judah was the unconscious hope of the world. 3.) _Concentration of the true religion._ The departure of Israel from the true faith led to the gathering of the priests, Levites and wors.h.i.+ping element of the people in Judah (2 Chron. 11. 13-16). Thus the Jewish kingdom was far more devoted to Jehovah than it might otherwise have been.

III. =THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.= From the division the name _Israel_ was applied to the northern kingdom and _Judah_ to the southern. We notice the general aspects of Israel during its history, from B. C. 975 to 721.

1. =Its extent.= It embraced all the territory of the twelve tribes except Judah and a part of Benjamin (1 Kings 12. 19-21), held a nominal supremacy over Moab east of the Dead Sea, and embraced about 9,375 square miles, while Judah included only 3,435. Israel was about equal in area to Ma.s.sachusetts and Rhode Island together.

2. =Its capital= was at first _Shechem_, in the center of the land (1 Kings 12. 25); then, during several reigns, at _Tirzah_ (1 Kings 15. 33; 16. 23); then at _Samaria_ (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 Palestine (John 4. 3, 4).

3. =Its religion.= 1.) Very soon after the inst.i.tution of the new kingdom Jeroboam established a national religion, the _wors.h.i.+p of the calves_ (1 Kings 12. 26-33). This was not a new form of wors.h.i.+p, but had been maintained in Israel ever since the Exodus (Exod. 32. 1-4). In character it was a modified idolatry, half-way between the pure religion and the abominations of the heathen. 2.) Ahab and his house introduced the Phenician _wors.h.i.+p of Baal_, an idolatry of the most abominable and immoral sort (1 Kings 16. 30-33), but it never gained control in Israel, and was doubtless one cause of the revolution which placed another family on the throne. 3.) Through the history of Israel there remained a remnant of _wors.h.i.+pers of Jehovah_, who were watched over by a n.o.ble array of prophets, and though often persecuted remained faithful (1 Kings 19. 14, 18).

4. =Its rulers.= During two hundred and fifty years Israel 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 Jeroboam_ (B. C. 974 to 953), with two kings, followed by a general ma.s.sacre of Jeroboam's family (1 Kings 15. 29, 30).