Studies in Old Testament History Part 11

900 890 880 870 860 850 840 830 820 810

_Dynasty of Omri_ >

_Dynasty of Jehu_ <>

---+ Ahaziah II.[1]

+-+ Jehoram I.[1]

ISRAEL +----------+ Jehu[2][1]

+----------------------------+ Jehoahaz I.[2]

+---------------+ Jehoash II.[1]

Jehosaphat[2] [3]-+-------------+ Jeroboam II.[1]

-----------+ Jehoiam II.[1] [3]--------+--------------- JUDAH -------+---+ Ahaziah II.[1]

++ Athaliah[1]

+-----+ Jehoash I.[2]

Elijah +----------------------------------------+ Amaziah[2][1]

----- +--------------------------- Micaiah Zechariah ----- Elisha ------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Jehaziel Jonah -------- -------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 810 800 790 780 770 760 750 740 730 720

_Dynasty of Jehu_ >

Jeroboam II.[1] Zachariah[1]

--------------------------- _Anarchy_ + Shallum Menakeu[1]

+---------+ Pekahiah[1]

ISRAEL +-+ Pekah[1] Hoshea[1] _Captivity_ +--------------------- -------- Azariah or Uzziah[2]

---------------------------------------------------- Jotham[2]

JUDAH ---------------+ Ahaz[1]

+---------------+ Hez.[2]

Hosea +------ Joel ----------------------------------------------------------- PROPHETS -------------------------------------- Isaiah Amos ----------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Micah ----------------------------- Oded ----- _Fish and See, N.Y._

FOOTNOTES:

[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 Benjamin, in which tribe the larger part of Jerusalem stood; and also a part of Dan (2 Chron. 11. 10). Simeon was nominally within its border, but was practically given up to the Arabians of the desert; Edom was tributary, though 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 Ma.s.sachusetts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 forms of worship strongly opposed to each other, yet both rooted in the nation. 1.) The worship of Jehovah through the temple, the priesthood, and the prophets.

2.) But side by side with this pure religion was the worship of idols upon "high places," probably begun as a form of worshiping Jehovah, 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 Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, the general tendency was downward.

II. =THE DURATION OF THE KINGDOM.= The kingdom lasted from B. C. 975 to 587--more than one hundred and thirty years longer 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 from any other nation. Judah had few foreign wars as compared with Israel.

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 Jerusalem.= 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 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 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. Judah's strength was in the measure of her service of G.o.d, and when she renounced Jehovah her doom came speedily.

III. =PERIODS IN THE HISTORY.= Though 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 Rehoboam and Abijah marked a decline indicated by the Egyptian invasion and the growth of idolatry. 2.) The reign of Asa and Jehoshaphat showed a revival in reformation, progress, and power. Under Jehoshaphat Judah was at the height of prosperity. This was the time of peace with Israel, and of strength 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 downward. 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 Jerusalem itself was taken and plundered. 2.) But a great reformation was wrought under Hezekiah, who was the best and wisest of the kings of Judah, and the kingdom again rose to power, even daring to throw off the a.s.syrian yoke and defy the anger of the mightiest king then on the earth. At this time came the great event of the destruction of the a.s.syrian 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 Mana.s.seh 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 Mana.s.seh's reign was the great moral cause of the kingdom's destruction, for from it no reform afterward could lift the ma.s.s of the people. 2.) Josiah, the young reformer, attempted the task, but his efforts, though earnest, were only measurably successful, and after his untimely death the kingdom hastened to its fall (2 Kings 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 a.s.syrian empire went down about 625 B. C., and a struggle followed between Babylon and Egypt for the supremacy. Judah took the side of Egypt, which proved to be the losing side. 2.) After several chastis.e.m.e.nts and repeated rebellions Jerusalem was finally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and the kingdom of Judah was extinguished, B. C. 587.

Blackboard Outline.