Israel's troubles had also 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 murder of king Nadab (about 908 B.C.) two years after his father Jeroboam's death. His murderer, Baasha, fortified a site close to Jerusalem - 1 Kin. 15:17 - Asa, the king of Judah (about 911-870 B.C.) appeared 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 years 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 Phoencia, and arranged a marriage between his son Ahab and Jezebel, a princess of Tyre. (an evil and wicked princess) 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 true prophet Elijah. - 1 Kin. 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 - 1 Kin. 20:1 - but suffered heavy losses, as he also did the following year at Ahpek. Israel was saved by the appearance of the powerful Assyrian forces who was under Shalmaneser III command. About 859-824 B.C. he attacked allied Syrian and Israelite forces 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 - 2 Kin. chapter 3 - as the true prophet Elisha had predicted. About 843 B.C. Ben-Hadad was murdered by Hazel - 2 Kin. 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 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 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. True 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 forsaking the simple Hebrew/Israelite/Jewish way of life for the luxurious living of pagan nation.

The end of all this for Israel (Northern Kingdom) occurred shortly after Jeroboam's death. The kingship was left to political opportunists. 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. But when Menahem died, Israel joined an alliance against Assyria.

Ahaz of Judah (Southern Kingdom) alarmed by this move, appealed to Tiglath-Pileser for help. Tiglath-Pileser overthrow 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. - 2 Kin. 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 3 years later with the fall of Israel and the deportation of more northern tribesmen. Prophet Isaiah's told that God would use Assyria as the rod of His anger upon Israel had been fulfilled. - Is. 10:5-6 -

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, Senacherib 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. - 2 Kin. 19:35 - Hezekiah's successor, Manasseh, encouraged idolatry and depravity in Judah, but he reformed toward the end of his life. - 2 Chr. 33:10-20 -

Manasseh's grandson Josiah reigned until 609 B.C. He finally died at Megiddo while trying to prevent the Egyptians from helping the tottering Assyrian Empire. Assyrai collapsed with the fall of Nineveh, and Haran to Babylonian and Median forces. Later the Babylonians turned against Jerusalem. In the days of the true prophet Jeremiah, they devastated the city in three assaults between 597 B.C. and 581 B.C.

The Captivity Years started with the removal of prisoners to Babylonia - Jer. 52:28-30 - the Southern Kingdom collapsed and the shock of captivity began for the Hebrew/Jew/Israelite people. God's sent prophets Ezekiel and Daniel ministered in various ways to the distraught captives. For almost 7 decades the Jewish people were occupied in building 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 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, but in actual fact, 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 II 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 God's sent prophets, Haggai and Zechariah to reconstruct the ruined Temple before they could expect divine blessing. Even after this had been done, life was still insecure because Jerusalem lacked a defensive wall. - Hag. 1:9-11 -

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, and it is 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 -

The 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 general laid the foundations of later Judaism.

During the period of Greek Dominance, the restoration of the national life of the Jewish people was achieved quickly because of the peaceful conditions in the Persian Empire. But this phrase ended with revolts under Artaxerxes II ( 404-359 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 the Great in 323 B.C.

The small Judean.........

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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 -