Part 11 (2/2)

[1] Did evil in the sight of the Lord

[2] Did right in the sight of the Lord

[3] Viceroy with his father

EIGHTH STUDY

THE RIVAL THRONES--JUDAH

I =GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH=

1 =Its territory= It embraced the mountain portion of the tribe of Judah, from the Dead Sea to the Philistine plain; a part of Benjaer part of Jerusalem stood; and also a part of Dan (2 Chron 11 10) Siiven up to the Arabians of the desert; Edoh often in rebellion, and finally independent (1 Kings 22 47; 2 Kings 8 20); Philistia was outside of its boundary Its extent was about 3,435 square miles, about half the area of Massachusetts

[Illustration: JUDAH]

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

3 =Its religion= Through all the history we find two forly opposed to each other, yet both rooted in the nation 1) The worshi+p of Jehovah through the temple, the priesthood, and the prophets

2) But side by side with this pure religion was the worshi+p of idols upon ”high places,” probably begun as a forross and i on constantly between these two elements in the state, the spiritual and the s like Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, the general tendency was doard

II =THE DURATION OF THE KINGDOM= The kingdom lasted from B C 975 to 587--er than Israel 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 fron wars as compared with Israel

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 Jerusaleh all its history there was but one capital, where the palace of the king and the teether

4 =The reverence for the House of David= also kept the people together

There was no change in dynasty, and the loyalty of the people grew stronger through the generations toward the fa no usurpers, the throne was pern 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 Judah's strength was in the measure of her service of God, and when she renounced Jehovah her dooh Judah 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= (B C 975-889) 1) The reigns of Rehoboayptian invasion and the growth of idolatry 2) The reign of Asa and Jehoshaphat showed a revival in reforress, and power Under Jehoshaphat Judah was at the height of prosperity This was the tith at home and abroad (2 Chron 17 5; 20 30)

2 =The second decline and revival= (B C 889-682) 1) For nearly two hundred years after the death of Jehoshaphat the course of Judah was doard Edom was lost under Jehoram (2 Chron 21 8); the Baalite idolatry was introduced by the usurping queen, Athaliah (2 Kings 11

18); the land was again and again invaded under Joash and Amaziah, and Jerusalereat reforht under Hezekiah, as the best and wisest of the kings of Judah, and the kingdo to throw off the assyrian yoke and defy the anger of the reat event of the destruction of the assyrian host (2 Kings 19 30)

3 =The third decline and revival= (B C 682-610) 1) The reforms of Hezekiah were short lived, for his son Manasseh 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 Manasseh's reign was the great dom's destruction, for from it no reform afterward could lift thereforh earnest, were only dos 23 29)

4 =The final decline and fall= (B C 610-587) 1) The political cause of the destruction of the kingdom was the rise of Babylon The old assyrian ele followed between Babylon and Egypt for the supreypt, which proved to be the losing side 2) After several chastisements and repeated rebellions Jerusale of Babylon, and the kingdouished, B C 587

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