Part 15 (2/2)
Part Two
III. =The Kingdom of Is'ra-el.= From the division the name _Is'ra-el_ was applied to the northern kingdom and _Ju'dah_ to the southern. We notice the general aspects of Is'ra-el during its history, from B. C.
934 to 721.
1. =Its extent.= It embraced all the territory of the twelve tribes except Ju'dah and a part of Ben'ja-min (1 Kings 12. 19-21), held a nominal supremacy over Mo'ab east of the Dead Sea, and embraced about 9,375 square miles, while Ju'dah included only 3,435. Is'ra-el was about equal in area to Ma.s.sachusetts and Rhode Island together.
2. =Its capital= was first at _She'chem_, in the center of the land (1 Kings 12. 25); then, during several reigns, at _Tir'zah_ (1 Kings 15.
33; 16. 23); then at _Sa-ma'ri-a_ (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 Pal'es-tine (John 4. 3, 4).
3. =Its religion.= 1.) Very soon after the inst.i.tution of the new kingdom Jer-o-bo'am 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 Is'ra-el ever since the exodus (Exod. 32. 1-4). In character it was a modified idolatry, halfway between the pure religion and the abominations of the heathen. 2.) A'hab and his house introduced the Phoe-ni'cian _wors.h.i.+p of Ba'al_, an idolatry of the most abominable and immoral sort (1 Kings 16. 30-33), but it never gained control in Is'ra-el, and was doubtless one cause of the revolution which placed another family on the throne. 3.) Through the history of Is'ra-el there remained a remnant of _wors.h.i.+pers of Je-ho'vah_, 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 Is'ra-el 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 Jer-o-bo'am_, with two kings, followed by a general ma.s.sacre of Jer-o-bo'am's family (1 Kings 15. 29, 30).
2.) _The House of Ba'a-sha_, two kings, followed by a civil war (1 Kings 16. 16-22).
3.) _The House of Om'ri_, four kings, of whom Om'ri and A'hab were the most powerful. This was the age of the prophet E-li'jah and the great struggle between the wors.h.i.+p of Je-ho'vah and of Ba'al (1 Kings 18.
4-21).
4.) _The House of Je'hu_, five kings, under whom were great changes of fortune. The reign of Je-ho'a-haz saw Is'ra-el reduced to a mere province of Syr'i-a (2 Kings 13. 1-9). His son Jo'ash threw off the Syr'i-an yoke, and _his_ son, Jer-o-bo'am II, raised Is'ra-el almost to its condition of empire in the days of Sol'o-mon (2 Kings 14. 23-29).
His reign is called ”the Indian summer of Is'ra-el.”
5.) _The House of Men'a-hem_, two reigns. Is'ra-el had by this time fallen under the power of As-syr'i-a, now dominant over the East, and its history is the story of kings rising and falling in rapid succession, with long intervals of anarchy. From the fall of this dynasty there was only the semblance of a state until the final destruction of Sa-ma'ri-a, B. C. 721.
5. =Its foreign relations.= During the period of the Is'ra-el-ite kingdom we see lands struggling for the dominion of the East. The history of Is'ra-el is interwoven with that of Syr'i-a and As-syr'i-a, which may now be read from the monuments.
1.) There was a _Period of Division_. During the reign of the houses of Jer-o-bo'am and Ba'a-sha there were constant wars between Is'ra-el, Syr'i-a, and Ju'dah; and as a result all were kept weak, and ”a balance of power” was maintained.
2.) Then followed a _Period of Alliance_--that is, between Is'ra-el and Ju'dah, during the sway of the House of Om'ri. The two lands were in friendly relations, and the two thrones were connected by marriages. As a result both Is'ra-el and Ju'dah were strong, Mo'ab and E'dom were kept under control, and Syr'i-a was held in check.
3.) Next came the _Period of Syr'i-an Ascendency_. During the first two reigns of the House of Je'hu, Syr'i-a rose to great power under Haz'a-el, and overran both Is'ra-el and Ju'dah. At one time Is'ra-el was in danger of utter destruction, but was preserved. Near the close of these periods the dying prophecy of E-li'sha was uttered (2 Kings 13.
14-25).
4.) _The Period of Is'ra-el-ite Ascendency._ Is'ra-el under Jer-o-bo'am II took its turn of power, and for a brief period was again dominant to the Eu-phra'tes, as in the days of Sol'o-mon.
5.) _The Period of As-syr'i-an Ascendency._ But its glory soon faded away before that of As-syr'i-a, which was now rapidly becoming the empire of the East. Its rise meant the fall of Is'ra-el; and under the unfortunate Ho-she'a, Sa-ma'ri-a was taken, what was left of the ten tribes were carried captive, and the kingdom of Is'ra-el was extinguished (2 Kings 17. 1-6).
IV. =The Fate of the Ten Tribes.= There has been much idle discussion over this subject and some absurd claims set up; for example, that the Anglo-Saxon race are descended from the ten lost tribes--a statement opposed to all history, to ethnology, and to every evidence of language.
1. After their deposition nearly all the Is'ra-el-ites, having lost their national religion and having no bond of union, =mingled with the Gen'tiles= around them and lost their ident.i.ty, just as hundreds of other races have done. The only bond which will keep a nation long alive is that of religion.
2. Some remained in Pal'es-tine, others returned thither and formed the =nucleus of the Sa-mar'i-tan people=, a race of mingled origin (2 Kings 17. 24-29).
3. Some of those who remained in the East retained their religion, or were revived in it, and later became a part of the =Jews of the dispersion=; though ”the dispersion” was mainly Jew'ish, and not Is'ra-el-ite.
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