Part 12 (1/2)

Dav. Gath.

IV. =Gen. Asp. Per.= 1. Ind. 2. Neg. Law. 3. Prog.

Review Questions

What resulted from these evil tendencies in Is'ra-el?

How many oppressors were there? Who were the first oppressors? Over what part of the country was the first oppression? Who delivered Is'ra-el from it? What was the second oppression? What part of the country suffered from it? Who was the deliverer? Where was the battle fought? What was the third oppression, and where? Who delivered Is'ra-el? What was the fourth oppression? Where was it? Who was the deliverer? Where was the victory won? What was the fifth oppression?

Over what part of the country was it? Who delivered Is'ra-el from it? What was the sixth oppression? Over what part of the land was it? Who delivered from it?

What was the last oppression? How did it differ from the others? What three names are a.s.sociated in the deliverance from its power? What are the three general aspects of this period?

NINTH STUDY

The Rise of the Israelite Empire

PART ONE

The coronation of Saul marks an epoch in the history of Is'ra-el. From that point, for five hundred years, the chosen people were under the rule of kings.

I. =The Causes Leading to the Monarchy.= The kingdom was not an accidental nor a sudden event. There had been a gradual preparation for it through all the period of the judges.

1. Notice the =tendency toward settled government=. In the time of Gid'e-on the people desired him to become a king (Judg. 8. 22, 23). His son attempted to make himself a king, but failed (Judg. 9). We find judges setting up a semi-royal state, and making marriages for their children outside of their tribe (Judg. 12. 9, 13, 14); and a.s.sociating their sons with themselves (Judg. 10. 4; 1 Sam. 8. 1, 2). All these show a monarchical trend in the time.

2. Another cause was the =consolidation of the surrounding nations=. In the days of the conquest there were few kings in the lands neighboring Pa'les-tine. We read of ”lords” and ”elders,” but no kings, among the Phi-lis'tines, the Mo'ab-ites, the Am'mon-ites, and the Phoe-ni'cians (Judg. 3. 3; 1 Sam. 5. 8; Num. 22. 7). But a wave of revolution swept over all those lands, and very soon we find that every nation around Is'ra-el had its king (1 Sam. 21. 10; 12. 12; 22. 3; 2 Sam. 5. 11). The movement of Is'ra-el toward monarchy was in accordance with this spirit.

3. There was a =danger of invasion=, which impelled the Is'ra-el-ites to seek for a stronger government (1 Sam. 12. 12). They felt themselves weak, while other nations were organized for conquest, and desired a king for leader in war.

4. Then, too, the =rule of Sam'u-el= led the Is'ra-el-ites to desire a better organization of the government. For a generation they had enjoyed the benefit of a wise, strong, and steady rule. They felt unwilling to risk the dangers of tribal dissension after the death of Sam'u-el, and therefore they sought for a king.

5. But underlying all was the =worldly ambition= of the people. They were not willing to remain the people of G.o.d and work out a peculiar destiny. They wished to be like the nations around, to establish a secular state, to conquer an empire for themselves (1 Sam 8. 5-20). It was this worldly spirit, whose results Sam'u-el saw, which made him unwilling to accede to the wish of the Is'ra-el-ites. But the very things against which he warned them (1 Sam. 8. 11-18) were just what they desired.

II. =The Character of the Is'ra-el-ite Kingdom.= When men change their plans G.o.d changes his. He desired Is'ra-el to remain a republic, and not to enter into worldly relations and aims. When, however, the Is'ra-el-ites were determined G.o.d gave them a king (1 Sam. 8. 22); but his rule was not to be like that of the nations around Is'ra-el. We ascertain the divine ideal of a kingdom for his chosen people:

1. =It was a theocratic kingdom.= That is, it recognized G.o.d as the supreme ruler, and the king as his representative, to rule in accordance with his will, and not by his own right. Only as people and king conformed to this principle could the true aims of the kingdom be accomplished (1 Sam. 12. 13-15). And if the king should deviate from this order he should lose his throne. Disobedience to the divine will caused the kingdom to pa.s.s from the family of Saul to that of Da'vid (1 Sam. 13. 13, 14; 15. 26).

2. =It was a const.i.tutional kingdom.= The rights of the people were carefully guaranteed, and there was a written const.i.tution (1 Sam. 10.

25). Nearly all the Oriental countries have always been governed by absolute monarchs, but Is'ra-el was an exception to this rule. The people could demand their rights from Re-ho-bo'am (1 Kings 12. 3, 4).

A'hab could not take away nor even buy Na'both's vineyard against its owner's will (1 Kings 21. 1-3). No doubt the rights of the people were often violated, but the violation was contrary to the spirit of the monarchy.

3. =It was regulated by the prophets.= The order of prophets had a regular standing in the Is'ra-el-ite state. The prophet was a check upon the power of the king, as a representative both of G.o.d's will and the people's rights. He spoke not only of his own opinions, but by the authority of G.o.d. Notice instances of the boldness of prophets in rebuking kings (1 Sam. 15. 16-23; 2 Sam. 12. 1-7; 1 Kings 13. 1-6; 17.

1; 22. 7-17). The order of prophets was like the House of Commons, between the king and the people.

III. =The Reign of Saul.=

1. This may be divided into two parts: 1.) A _period of prosperity_, during which Saul ruled well, and freed Is'ra-el from its oppressors on every side (1 Sam. 14. 47, 48). 2.) Then a _period of decline_, in which Saul's kingdom seems to be falling in pieces, and only preserved by the prowess and ability of Da'vid. After Da'vid's exile the Phi-lis'tines again overran Is'ra-el, and Saul's reign ended in defeat and death.

2. We observe that Saul's reign was =a failure=, and left the tribes in worse condition than it found them. 1.) He failed _in uniting the tribes_; for tribal jealousies continued (1 Sam. 10. 27), and at the close of his reign broke out anew in the establishment of rival thrones (2 Sam. 2. 4, 8, 9). 2.) He failed _in making friends_. He alienated Sam'u-el, and with him the order of prophets (1 Sam. 15. 35); he alienated Da'vid, the ablest young man of his age and the rising hope of Is'ra-el, and drove him into exile (1 Sam. 21. 10); he alienated the entire order of the priests, and caused many of them to be ma.s.sacred (1 Sam. 22. 18). 3.) He failed _to advance religion_, left the tabernacle in ruins, left the ark in seclusion, broke up the service, and drove the priests whom he did not murder into exile (1 Sam. 22. 20-23). 4.) He failed _to liberate Is'ra-el_; at his death the yoke of the Phi-lis'tines was more severe than ever before (1 Sam. 31. 1-7). The most charitable view of Saul was that he was insane during the latter years of his life. The cause of his failure was a desire to reign as an absolute monarch, and an unwillingness to submit to the const.i.tution of the realm.

[For Blackboard Outline and Review Questions see end of the lesson.]

PART TWO