Part 16 (1/2)

4. A few =families united with the Jews=, returned with them to Pal'es-tine after the exile, yet retained their tribal relations.h.i.+p; for example, An'na (Luke 2. 36).

Blackboard Outline

III. =Kin. Isr.= 1. Ext. 9,375. 2. Cap. 1.) Sh. 2.) Tir. 3.) Sam.

3. Rel. 1.) Wor. cal. 2.) Wor. Ba. 3.) Wor. Jeh. 4. Rul.

1.) Hou. Jer. 2.) Hou. Ba. 3.) Hou. Om. 4.) Hou. Je.

5.) Hou. Men. 5. For. Rel. 1.) Per. Div. 2.) Per. All.

3.) Per. Syr. Asc. 4.) Per. Isr. Asc. 5.) Per. a.s.s. Asc.

IV. =Fat. Ten. Tri.= 1. Min. Gen. 2. Sam. Peo. 3. Disp. 4. Jews.

Review Questions

How long did the new kingdom of Is'ra-el last? What was its extent? What were its three successive capitals? What three forms of religion were found in it? Who was the first king of the ten tribes? What family introduced foreign idolatry? How many kings ruled over the ten tribes? What were the five royal houses? Which house raised Is'ra-el almost to its ancient power? What is this period of prosperity called? Who was the greatest king of Is'ra-el? With what other history is that of Is'ra el interwoven?

What were the five periods in the foreign relations of Is'ra-el? By what kingdom was Is'ra-el destroyed? Who was its last king? What finally became of the ten tribes?

THIRTEENTH STUDY

The Kingdom of Judah

I. =General Aspects of the Kingdom of Ju'dah.=

1. =Its territory.= It embraced the mountain portion of the tribe of Ju'dah, from the Dead Sea to the Phi-lis'tine plain; a part of Ben'ja-min, in which tribe the larger part of Je-ru'sa-lem stood; and also a part of Dan (Chron. 11. 10). Sim'e-on was nominally within its border, but was practically given up to the A-ra'bi-ans of the desert; E'dom was tributary, though often in rebellion, and finally independent (1 Kings 22. 47; 2 Kings 8. 20); Phi-lis'ti-a was outside of its boundary. Its extent was about 3,435 square miles, about half the area of Ma.s.sachusetts.

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

3. =Its religion.= Through all the history we find two forms of wors.h.i.+p strongly opposed to each other, yet both rooted in the nation. 1.) The wors.h.i.+p of Je-ho'vah through the temple, the priesthood, and the prophets. 2.) But side by side with this pure religion was the wors.h.i.+p of idols upon ”high places,” probably begun as a form of wors.h.i.+ping Je-ho'vah, but degenerating into gross and immoral idolatry. There was a struggle going on constantly between these two elements in the state, the spiritual and the material. Notwithstanding the efforts of reforming kings like Je-hosh'a-phat, Hez-e-ki'ah, and Jo-si'ah, the general tendency was downward.

II. =The Duration of the Kingdom.= The kingdom lasted from B. C. 934 to 587--more than one hundred and thirty years longer than Is'ra-el.

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 from any other nation. Ju'dah had few foreign wars as compared with Is'ra-el.

2. =The unity of its people.= They were not ten tribes loosely connected, but one tribe, with a pa.s.sionate love of their nation and a pride in their blood.

3. =Its concentration at Je-ru'sa-lem.= Through all its history there was but one capital, where the palace of the king and the temple of the Lord were standing together.

4. =The reverence for the House of Da'vid= also kept the people together. There was no change in dynasty, and the loyalty of the people grew stronger through the generations toward the family on the throne.

There being no usurpers, the throne was permanent until destroyed by foreign 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. Ju'dah's strength was in the measure of her service of G.o.d, and when she renounced Je-ho'vah her doom came speedily.

III. =Periods in the History.= Though Ju'dah 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.= 1.) The reigns of Re-ho-bo'am and A-bi'jah marked a decline indicated by the E-gyp'tian invasion and the growth of idolatry. 2.) The reign of A'sa and Je-hosh'a-phat showed a revival in reformation, progress, and power. Under Je-hosh'a-phat, Ju'dah was at the height of prosperity. This was the time of peace with Is'ra-el and of strength at home and abroad (2 Chron. 17. 5; 20. 30).

2. =The second decline and revival.= 1.) For nearly two hundred years after the death of Je-hosh'a-phat the course of Ju'dah was downward.