Part 3 (1/2)

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 const.i.tuted the =Theocratic Administration=, or a government by G.o.d.

3. We subdivide this period as follows:

1.) =The Wandering in the Wilderness.= This was a part of G.o.d'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.

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 princ.i.p.alities, 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.