After Joshua died, individual charismatic leaders known as judges provided leadership for the Hebrew/Jew/Israelite nation. This event coincided with increasingly independent activity by the Israelite tribes, caused partly because of Canaanite resistance to the conquerors. The lack of centralized leadership meant that 'Covenant Law' was not being observed, and it was being replaced by 'Idolatry.'

Although the judges tried hard to correct local problems, they were no match for the increasingly militant Canaanites or for Eglon, a Moabite ruler who oppressed some of the Hebrew people for 18 years before being killed by a left-handed judge named Ehud.

Then Israelites cried to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera the Benjaminite; he was left-handed. The men of Israel appointed him to take their tribute to Eglon the king of Moab. Ehud made a dagger - it was double-edged and a cubit long - and strapped it on under his clothes, over his right thigh. He presented the tribute to Eglon the king of Moab. This Eglon was a very fat man.

Having presented the tribute, Ehud went off again with the men who had carried it; but he himself, on reaching the Idols of Gilgal, turned and went back and said, 'I have a secret message for you, O king.' The king replied, 'Silenced!' and all who were with him went out. Then Ehud went in. The king sat in the cool retreat of his upper room; he was alone. Ehud said to him, 'I have a message from God for you, O king.' The king immediately stood up from his seat. Then Ehud, using his left hand, drew the dagger he was carrying on his right and thrust it into the king's belly. The hilt too went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for Ehud left the dagger in his belly; then he went out through the window. Ehud went out by the porch; he had shut and locked the doors of the upper room behind him.

When Ehud had gone, the servants came back and looked; the doors of the upper room were locked. They thought, 'He is probably covering his feet in the inner part of the cool room.' They waited until they no longer knew what to think, for he still did not open the doors of the upper room. At length they took the key and unlocked the room; their master lay on the ground, dead.

While they were waiting, Ehud had fled. He passed the Idols and escaped to safety in Seriah. When he reached the territory of Israel, he sounded the horn in the highlands of Ephraim, and the Israelites came down with him from the hills, with him at their head. And he said to them, 'Follow me, because Yahweh has delivered your enemy Moab into your hands.' So they followed him, cut Moab off from crossing the fords of the Jordan and let no one across. On that occasion they beat the Moabites, some ten thousand men, all tough and seasoned fighters, and not one escaped. That day, Moab was humbled under the hand of Israel, and the land enjoyed rest for eighty (80) years. - Judg. 3:15-30 -

By this time Hazor had been reoccupied by Canaanites under Jabin, their king, who made several northern tribes his subjects for twenty (20) years. When Ehud died, once again the Israelites began to do what displeases Yahweh, and Yahweh handed them over to Jabin the king of Canaan who reigned at Hazor, and Jabin the king had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty (20) years. - Judg. 4:1-3 -

Jabin's forces were superior because they had iron-fitted, horse-drawn chariots. These chariots were effective on level ground but they proved less threatening in the hill country. Then, again, the Israelites cried out to Yahweh for help. Again, with God's help, Jabin's general Sisera was defeated by the Hebrew commander Barak and slain by Jael, the wife of an ally named Heber. - Judg. 4:1-24 -

The Book of Judges shows clearly that Israel's troubles were the result of disobedience and rejecting 'Covenant Law' and adopting various forms of Canaanite idolatry. Canaanite religion was one of the most sensuous and morally depraved that the world has ever known; it contrasted dramatically with the Holiness and Moral Purity demanded of the Israelites by the 'Sinai Covenant.'

It is because of their persistent idolatry, the Hebrews/Jews/Israelites were punished further by Midianite and Ammonite attacks. The most serious threats, however,, came from the 'Philistines.' These war-like people had migrated to Canaan in small numbers in the time of Abraham. But they came in a body about 1175 B.C. and settled on the southwestern Palestinian coast. 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 monopolised the manufacture and sale of iron implements and weapons. In fact, 'Samson' had delivered the Israelites periodically from Philistine oppression, but after Samson death they were at the mercy of the enemy once more. - Judg. 13 to 16 -

The social chaos described in the closing chapters of the Book of Judges came to a head in the religious corruption in Israel at a time of 'Samuel's' childhood. 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.' - 1 Sam. 2:12-22; 8:19-20 - Saul, son of Kish, was duly anointed by Samuel as a charismatic leader over the nation. The first king of Israel. - 1 Sam. 10:1 -

But  king Saul had an unbalanced personality which soon showed signs of paranoia. He disobeyed God's commands and a successor was chosen and anointed in the person of 'David', son of Jesse. David gained popular favour by his defeat of the Philistine champion Goliath. Thereafter, David was seen as Israel's saviour, much to the dislike of king Saul, who felt his own position threatened. Saul fought at intervals against both David and the Philistines but was ultimately killed along with five sons at Mount Gilboa.

The northern tribes then looked to Ishbosheth, the surviving son of Saul who was made king at Mahanaim in Transjordan by Abner, his father's commander. - 2 Sam. 2:8-10 - While David settled in Hebron - 2 Sam. 2:11 - and Abner tried to gain favour with him. But Abner was murdered by Joab, David's commander, at Hebron. - 2 Sam. 3:27 - When Ishbosheth was also murdered - 2 Sam. 4:5-6 - the way was clear for David to assume sole rule of Israel and unify the kingdom. King David established his capital at Jerusalem which he captured from the Jebusites. King David also brought the "Ark Of The Covenant" to the city, making it a religious as well as a political centre.

For the remainder of king David reign, king David fought against the Ammonites and Syrians as well as the Philistines. His later years were clouded by family dissension and by a revolt among some of his subjects. In spite of his troubles, king David behaved with great courage and managed to overcome all his enemies. Before king David death, he proclaimed his son Solomon as his successor. Solomon was duly anointed at Gihon by Zadok the priest. - 1 Kin. 1:39 -

King Solomon renowned by God's given wisdom. He brought the kingdom of Israel to great prominence at a time when other Near Eastern nations were weak politically. He renewed the alliance that king David had made with Hiram, king of Tyre, engaging Hiram's workmen to construct a "Temple" complex in Jerusalem.

Although the finished building had some of the characteristics of the wilderness 'Tabernacle' it also included some pagan features. These included the free standing columns found in Syrians shrines, while certain aspects of the internal decoration reflected Canaanite religious symbolism.

The cost of king Solomon's ambitious building projects in and around Jerusalem was high. Much of the agricultural productivity of the land was sent to Phoenicia to pay for materials and workmen's wages. Although king Solomon levied tolls on the caravan trade that passed through his kingdom, king Solomon could not meet the rising costs that an increasingly lavish way of live involved. He attempted to replenish his depleted resources by increasing productivity in the mining industry of the Arabah and by building a fleet of ships near Elath for trading purposes.

In desperation, king Solomon finally began a program of forced labour which involved 30,000 men working by rotation and 10,000 working every third month, labouring in the forests, mines, and cities under harsh conditions.

As he grew older, Solomon entered into political marriages with non-Israelites. These women brought with them the gods of their native lands, adding to the problem of idolatry in Israel. Before Solomon died, he managed to antagonise almost all his subjects. - 1 Kin. chapter 3 to 11 - When he was succeeded by his son Rehoboam, the ten northern tribes led by Jeroboam, a former head of the forced labour units, met with him and sought relief from the burdens of work and taxation. Rehoboam followed bad advice and refused.

With Rehoboam refusal, the northern tribes declared independence and formed a separate kingdom with Jeroboam as head. They named their kingdom "Israel" (this sometimes causes confusion because the name is also used for the remnant of the "Covenant People" at a later time) 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. This event weakened still further an already vulnerable people.

Israel's troubles had also begun...

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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 -