It is because of their persistent idolatry, the Hebrews were punished further by Midanite and Ammonite attacks. The most serious threat, however, came from the Philistines. These war-like people had migrated to Canaan in small numbers in the time of Abraham. They came and settled on the southwestern Palestinian coast around 1175 B.C. the Philistines established a group of five cities; Gaza, Gath, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron and began to push the Israelites into the hill country.
The Philistines were superior in military power because they monopolized the manufacture and the sale of iron implements and weapons. Samson had delivered the Israelites periodically from Philistine oppression, but after his death - Judg. 16:27-30 - they were at the mercy of the enemy once more.
The social chaos described in the closing chapters of the Book of Judges came to a head in the religious corruption in Israel at the time of Samuel's childhood. - 1Sam. 2:12-22 - Although Samuel himself exercised a wholesome ministry, the Israelites were more intent on being ruled by a king than in living as a holy nation in covenant with their God. - 1Sam. 8:19-20 - Thus, Saul, son of Kish, was duly anointed by Samuel as a charismatic leader over the nation. - 1Sam. 10:1 - But Saul had an unbalanced personality which soon showed signs of paranoia. Saul's disobeyed God's commands - 1Sam. 13:13 - and a successor was chosen and anointed in the person of David, son of Jesse. David gained popular favor by his defeat of the Philistine champion Goliath. Thereafter David was seen as Israel's savior, much to the dislike of Saul, who felt his own position threatened. Saul fought at intervals against both David and the Philistines, but was ultimately killed along with his five sons at mount Gilboa. The northern tribes then looked to Ishbosheth, the surviving son of Saul, who was made king at Mahanaim by Abner, his father's commander. - 2Sam. 2:8-10 -
David settled in Hebron - 2Sam. 2:11 - and Abner tried to gain favor with him. But Abner was murdered by Joab, David's commander at Hebron. - 2Sam. 3:27 - When Ishbosheth was also murdered - 2Sam. 4:5-6 - the way was clear for David to assume sole rule of Israel and unify the kingdom. He established his capital his capital at Jerusalem, which he captured from the Jebusites. He also brought the "Ark of the Covenant" to the city, making it a religious as well as a political center.
For the remainder of king David reign. He fought against the Ammonites and Syrians as well as the Philistines. David later years were clouded by family dissension and by a revolt among some of his subjects, because he sin against God. In spite of his troubles, he behaved with great courage and managed to overcome all his enemies. Before he death, he proclaimed his son Solomon as his successor. Solomon was duly anointed at Gihon by Zadok the priest. - 1Kin. 1:39 -
Solomon took his seat on the throne of God, to reign in succession to David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. All the officials, all the champions, and even all the sons of king David, pledged allegiance to king Solomon. God brought Solomon's greatness to its height in the sight of all Israel, and give him a reign of such splendor as none that had reigned over Israel before him had ever known.
As he grew older, he entered into political marriages with non-Israelites. These women brought with them the gods of their native lands - 1Kin. 11:7-8 - adding to the problem of idolatry in Israel. When Solomon died, he was succeeded by his son Rehoboam, the ten northern tribes led by Jeroboam, a former head of the forced labor units, met with him and sought relief from the burdens of work and taxation. Rehoboam followed bad advised, rejecting the advice of the elders, spoke to them harshly, as the young men had recommended. 'My father made you bear a heavy burden' he said, 'but I will make it heavier still. My father beat you with whips; I am going to beat you with loaded scourges!' But the northern tribes declared independence and formed a separate kingdom "Israel". The southern section of the divided kingdom was known as Judah. It soon attracted the attention of Shishak, pharaoh of Egypt [about 945-924 B.C.] who moved into Judah, robbed the Temple of its golden objects, and destroyed a number of Judah's fortresses.
Israel's troubles had begun. The Arameans of Damascus were becoming powerful in Syria and were beginning to put pressure on Israel's northern borders. There was internal instability in the kingdom as well, indicated by the murdered of king Nadab [about 908 B.C.] two years after his father Jeroboam's death. His murderer, Baasha, fortified a site close to Jerusalem - 1Kin. 15:17 - Asa, king of Judah [about 911-870 B.C.] appealed to the Syrians for help against Baasha. Baasha's son Elah reigned for two years; Elah was murdered by Zimri, who committed suicide after seven days and plunged the nation into civil war.
Four years later the army general Omri gained control of Israel and began his own dynasty. Omri moved Israel's capital from Tirzah to Samaria, which he fortified strongly. He allied with Phoenicia, and arranged a marriage between his son Ahab and Jezebel, a princess of Tyre. When Ahab [about 874-853 B.C.] became king, he continued Omri's policy of resistance to Syria. But his support of pagan Tyrian religion in Israel drew strong criticism from the prophet Elijah. - 1Kin. 18:18 - The nation was punished by famine, but this did little to halt the widespread spiritual and social corruption.
About 855 B.C. the Syrian Ben-Hadad attacked Samaria - 1Kin. 20:1 - but suffered heavy losses, as he also did the following year at Aphek. Israel was saved by the appearance of the powerful Assyrian forces who, under Shalmaneser III [about 859-824 B.C.] attacked allied Syrian and Israelite forces in 835 B.C. at Qarqar on the Orontes River. The Assyrians were defeated decisively, but the victorious allies soon quarreled, and Ahab died while trying to recover Ramoth Gilead from Syrian control. Meanwhile Mesha, king of moab, had refused to pay further tribute to Israel; consequently, he was attacked by Ahaziah, Ahab's successor.
Jehoram [about 852-841 B.C.] of Israel enlisted Jehoshaphat of Judah [about 873-848 B.C.] in the struggle against Moab, which proved successful - 2Kin. 3 - as prophet Elisha had predicted. Ben-Hadad was murdered by Hazel - 2Kin. 8:7-13 - and two years later Jehu seized the throne of Israel, carrying out a vicious purge of Ahab's house and suppressing pagan religions.
At the same time, Athaliah, queen of judah, exterminated the royal house except for jehoash who was proclaimed king six years later. jehoash first banned idolatry, but then became attracted to it and subsequently killed the son of the high priest who had protected him earlier. In 841 B.C. Shalmaneser III again attacked a Syrian coalition. But Jehu wished to avoid fighting the Assyrians, so he paid heavy tribute to this powerful nation instead.
For both Israel and Judah the eighth century B.C. was marked by a period of prosperity. Jeroboam II [about 782-752 B.C.] was able to develop agriculture, trade, and commerce because the westward advance of Assyria compelled the Syrian armies to defend their eastern territories. In Judah, Uzziah [790-740 B.C.] raised the prosperity of the country to levels unknown since the time of king David. In both nations there was a sense that the true "golden age" had arrived.
Unfortunately, however, idolatry and the rejection of covenant spirituality were prominent especially in Israel. Prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah spoke out against these abuses. They condemned the exploitation of the poor. They also rebuked the rich for accumulating land and wealth illegally and for for forsaking the simple Hebrew way of life for the luxurious living of pagan nations.
The end of all this for Israel occurred shortly after Jeroboam's death. The kingship was left to political opportunists. But they were dwarfed by the powerful Assyrian monarch Tiglath-Pileser III. About 745 B.C. he placed Menahem of Israel [752-741 B.C.] under tribute. When Menahem died, Israel joined an alliance against Assyria.
Ahaz of Judah, alarmed by this move, appealed to Tiglath-Pileser for help. He overthrew Damascus in 732 B.C. - Is. 8:4, 17:1; Amos 1:4 - He then carried people from the territory of Naphtali captive to Assyria. - 2Kin. 15:29 - But he still had to reckon with the resistance from Samaria under Pekah, whose murderer, Hoshea, was later made an Assyrian vassal.
On Tiglath-Pileser's death [727 B.C.] Hoshea of Israel rebelled. This brought the Assyrians to Samaria in a siege that ended three years later with the fall of Israel and the deportation of more northern tribesmen in 722 B.C. Prophet Isaiah messaged is that, God would use Assyria as the rod of His anger upon Israel. - Is. 10:5-6 - and had been fulfilled.
The southern kingdom under the godly Hezekiah [716-686 B.C.] son and successor of Jehoahaz I, prospered for a time. This was possible because Hezekiah took advantage of a developing power struggle between Assyria and Egypt to fortify Judah and build up its resources. Some 20 years after Samaria fell, Sennacherib, who succeeded Sargon, invaded Palestine and reduced the cities of Joppa, Ashkelon, Timnath, and Ekron in quick succession. An Egyptian army sent to relieve Ekron was defeated about 701 B.C. and the frontier fortress of Lachish came under heavy assault.
The Assyrians also threatened Jerusalem. To gain relief, Hezekiah offered to pay tribute to Sennacherib. In the end the Assyrians withdrew from Palestine, perhaps as the result of being devastated by a plague. - 2Kin. 19:35 - Hezekiah's successor, Manasseh [687-641 B.C.] encouraged idolatry and depravity in Judah, but he reformed toward the end of his life. - 2Chr. 33:10-17 - Manasseh's grandson reigned until 609 B.C. He finally died at Megiddo while trying to prevent the Egyptians from helping the tottering Assyrian Empire. Assyria collapsed with the fall of Nineveh [612 B.C.] and Haran [610 B.C.] to Babylonian and Median forces. Later the Babylonians turned against Jerusalem. In the days of prophet Jeremiah, they devastated the city in three assaults between 597 and 581 B.C.
During the 'Captivity Years' and with the removal of prisoners to Babylonia - Jer. 52:28-30 - the southern kingdom collapsed and the shock of captivity began for the Hebrew people. The prophet Ezekiel and Daniel ministered in various ways to the distraught captives. For almost seven decades the Jewish people were occupied in building of the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II [605-562 B. C.] and Nabonidus [556-539 B.C.] In this alien environment some Hebrew captives lost all hope for the future. But through a ministry of prayer, study of the law, memorial observances, worship, and personal testimony to God's power, prophet Ezekiel was able to promote trust in divine mercy. He kept alive the hope that some day a faithful remnant would return to the ancestral homeland.
Magnificent as the Babylonian Empire appeared, it was fundamentally weak. It collapsed under the attack of the Persian ruler Cyrus II. Babylon fell in 538 B.C. and the same year Cyrus proclaimed liberty to all captives in Babylonia. The Hebrew remnant that longed to return home was able to do so between 536 and 525 B.C. The returnees, however, found a desolate land claimed by Arab tribes and the Samaritans. They had to be urged by prophets Haggai and Zechariah to reconstruct the ruined Temple before they could expect divine blessing. - Hag. 1:9-11 - Even after this had been done, life was still insecure because Jerusalem lacked a defensive wall.
In 458 B.C. Ezra came from Persia as a royal commissioner to survey the situation and report to king Artaxerxes I [464-423 B.C.] Twelve years passed before action was taken, due to the initiative of Nehemiah, a high court official, who in 446 B.C. was appointed governor of Judea. As a preliminary step toward restoring regional security and prosperity, he supervised the reconstruction of Jerusalem's wall in the short period of 52 days, after which it was dedicated. - Neh. 12:27 - Then Ezra led a ceremony of national confession and commitment to covenant ideals. He also instituted religious reforms which made the law central in community life, as well as reviving tithe-offerings and stressing Sabbath worship. He expelled non-Israelites from the community, regulated the priesthood carefully, and in general laid the foundations of later Judaism.
The restoration of the national life of the Jewish people was achieved quickly because of the peaceful conditions in the Persian Empire. But this phase ended with revolts under Artaxerxes II [404-358 B.C.] and the defeat of Darius III in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great of Greece. Thereafter Greek culture became firmly established in the ancient world, in spite of the premature death of Alexander in 323 B.C.
The small Judean community which had faced extinction before because of Canaanite paganism, now reacted with fear lest it should become engulfed by the idolatry of Greek religion. The adoption of Greek traditions transformed the old Persian Empire. When Egypt became 'Hellenized', the culture of Greece was represented strongly in cities such as Alexandria.
The chief threat to the Jewish community was not so much military or political as religious. Greek religion was coarse and superstitious, and its sensuous nature encouraged a wide following. The philosophy of Stoicism attracted some adherents because of its fatalism and the view that God was in everything, while a less rigorous view of life was taught by Epicurus [341-270 B.C.] He stressed the values of friendship, advising his followers to avoid sensual excesses if they wished to enjoy true pleasure. By contrast, emphasis upon the teachings of the Jewish law became the hallmark of the Scribes, who had replaced the wise men as guardians of Jewish religious tradition. About the second century B.C. they were aided by the rise of a separation or Pharisee group, which taught scrupulous observance of the Mosaic Law, advocated synagogue worship, and professed belief in angels, demons, and the resurrection of the dead. Another influential religious group during this period of Jewish history was the Sadducees, an aristocratic priestly minority that exercised close control over Temple ritual. The Sadducees accepted only the Law as Scripture. They would not allow any doctrine that could not be proved directly from the Law. This brought them into conflict with the Pharisees.
The political conflict in Palestine became critical under the Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes [175-163 B.C.] who was determined to force Greek culture upon the Jewish community. Greek fashions were imposed upon Jerusalem. This provoked such unrest that Antiochus deliberately polluted the Temple in 168 B.C. and forbade traditional Jewish worship. A Greek family near Jerusalem rebelled against Greek authority. Its leader, Mattathias, began what is known as the Maccabean revolt. This continued under his son, Judas Maccabeus, who finally won concessions from the Syrian regent Lysias.
Even after the Maccabean war ended, Greek culture exerted a considerable influence in Judea. The province came under Roman rule after 64 B.C. with the rise of the Roman Empire, but this did little to stop the threat presented by Greek religion. In spite of all adversity, the faithful remnant of God's people, Israel, struggled on and in hope, looking for the long promised Messiah who would deliver them from their enemies and bring God's kingdom upon earth.
More than 600 years after the prophet Micah had foretold the birthplace of the Messiah...
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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