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"THE BIBLE IN PICTURES!"--Chapter Twenty-Four--1Kings 11-13. DFO1162 1962
"THE KINGDOM IS DIVIDED! & THE FALL INTO IDOLATRY!"
WE'RE CONTINUING TONIGHT OUR BIBLE STORY IN PICTURES, THE 24TH CHAPTER, 1Kings Chap. 11-16: The Divided Kingdom! We are taking you clear through the Bible & giving you the Bible Story in Pictures, as well as Bible geography & Bible chronology.
YOU'RE GETTING A WHOLE BIBLE COURSE ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I think it's a very interesting way, to get a little visual knowledge to help you remember. It's like stringing beads on a string: A lot of people have a lot of Bible Stories all disconnected, & they don't know where they belong or where they came from.
BUT THIS IS ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, all the various events, the various times, places & characters, so that you can get them in proper sequence. I think it'll give you a general bird's-eye view of the Bible.
WE HAVE JUST FINISHED THE LIFE OF SOLOMON, a very great king of Israel. We're beginning the story of the Divided Kingdom of Israel. Remember, that it was Solomon who built the Temple--which was the greatest building ever wrought in Israel.
HE WAS A WISE JUDGE; but he was neither the statesman nor the soldier, in some respects, that his father had been. He certainly was not a soldier, he was a man of peace! It was David who had purchased the site for the Temple; & it was his influence on Hiram, king of Tyre, that was responsible for the assistance & materials received from that king.
SOLOMON ACTUALLY WAS UNABLE TO HOLD ALL OF THE TERRITORY LEFT TO HIM BY HIS FATHER. Through a marriage alliance with Pharoah's daughter, he received valuable help from Egypt. Many parts of his country were fortified.
SOLOMON ORGANISED HIS ARMY, BUILT CHARIOTS, ENGAGED IN COMMERCE, LIVED IN LUXURY; but in so doing, he brought upon himself the displeasure of his people--especially those outside of the Tribe of Judah!
THIS FINALLY RESULTED IN THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM, & eventually in their captivity. Solomon ruled Israel for 40 years, & was buried by the side of his father in Jerusalem. Sad to say, during his time, he also fell prey to the love of many idolatrous women.
AS A RESULT, HE COMPROMISED BY ALLOWING THEM TO WORSHIP THEIR OWN GODS, as you see in the artist's conception in the picture, which also displeased the Lord! He promised not to let it happen in Solomon's day, but the kingdom would be torn from his heirs, & divided!
1. ON THE MAP IS THE GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE TERRITORY WHICH WAS LEFT AFTER SOLOMON. He left his country practically intact, as it had been handed to him by David--except for the disturbance at Damascus by Rezon, & Hadad's uprising in Edom.
NOW SOLOMON WAS DEAD, THE KINGDOM WAS PASSED ONTO HIS SON REHOBOAM without opposition--at the beginning, at least, but it was very soon to come!
2. SOLOMON HAD FORCED ALL OF ISRAEL TO LABOUR IN HIS GREAT BUILDING ENTERPRISES. They had been very weary of it, especially the Northern Tribes--where there was a continual disposition to secede from the United Kingdom. These Northern 10 Tribes were led by what particular Tribe? Ephraim. Ephraim was one of the sons of what great-grandson of Abraham? Joseph.
THE NORTHERN TRIBES WERE REALLY LED BY THE HEIRS OF JOSEPH. None of the Tribes of Israel were called Joseph, because his 2 sons had inherited a double portion.--Otherwise, it would have been the Tribe of Joseph, but instead there were 2 Tribes: Ephraim & Manasseh.
THE 2 SOUTHERN TRIBES OF JUDAH & BENJAMIN WERE SEEMINGLY ALWAYS AT ODDS WITH THE NORTHERN 10 TRIBES! The differences had begun to show long before this, eventually resulting in the split.
FOR DIPLOMATIC REASONS, REHOBOAM WENT TO SHECHEM, CAPITAL OF EPHRAIM, for the coronation ceremonies. Trying to unite the whole country together, as much as possible, he went to the capital, the central city, of the Northern 10 Tribes. He was so erratic, in his absolute authority, that it had a very depressing influence on his people!
3. HERE'S MOUNT EBAL & MOUNT GERIZIM. You're standing on the one, looking across to the other. This is where Joshua had the people gather, in this natural amphitheatre, & had the Law read to them. They must have had pretty strong voices in those days, because there were evidently several million people gathered together!
JEROBOAM, WHO HAD BEEN A SERVANT OF THE KING--HE WASN'T EVEN OF THE ROYAL SEED--had fled to Egypt, because of his break with Solomon. Hearing of the death of his adversary, Solomon, he returned with the hope of becoming king--at least of the Northern Tribes!
HE DID NOT, HOWEVER, PRESS HIS CLAIM UNTIL ISRAEL HAD FULLY DECIDED TO REBEL AGAINST REHOBOAM. He took advantage of the natural desire for revolution & the desire to rebel against the 2 Southern Tribes! This is how the division of the kingdom came about.
THE SCRIPTURE OFTEN SPEAKS OF ISRAEL & JUDAH. Now those 2 terms were synonymous, generally speaking, in the earlier days. But later, Israel came to be the common name for the Northern 10 Tribes & Judah the common name for the Southern Kingdom. We find the terms used interchangeably, especially later on, after the captivity & return from captivity, in the Book of Nehemiah, also in Ezra.
THERE IS A DISTINCTION MADE AT THE TIME OF THE SPLIT BETWEEN EPHRAIM & JUDAH. The southern part being called Judah & the northern part being called Israel--although originally all 12 Tribes were called Israel.
4. HERE ARE THE SOUTHERN 2 TRIBES, JUDAH & BENJAMIN. Jerusalem was the capital, where the kings of the seed of David had been ruling the House of Israel for many years.
JEROBOAM WAS PROCLAIMED KING AT SHECHEM BY THE NORTHERN TRIBES, hereafter called Israel; & the kingdom was divided, until after the return from captivity--although sometimes they were still separate in Bible Prophecy. The Tribes of Benjamin & Dan were on the border, part of them clung to Judah & part to Israel.
5. THIS IS A PHOTO OF PENUEL. Jeroboam not only rebuilt Shechem, which became the first capital, but also rebuilt & fortified Penuel, just east of the Jordan.
6. THE LAND OF DAN. Israel had helped to build the Temple at Jerusalem, & actually looked upon it as the centre of their religious system! This feeling had to be broken down by their new king, otherwise his head would have been in constant danger!
SO, JEROBOAM SET UP A GOLDEN CALF HERE IN DAN & AT BETH-EL, as a substitute & in opposition to the Temple worship of Jerusalem. To divide the people, he had to divide them not only politically, but also religiously! The same tactics are being used today in the matter of Communism: If they can divide us from our God, they can also divide us politically! They're doing their best to do so!
7. HERE WE HAVE A PHOTO OF BETH-EL. Jeroboam, no doubt, claimed that Jerusalem was a new departure; & that Beth-el, perhaps, was sanctified by Abraham & Lot, & Jacob's name was changed to Israel here & he'd actually called it the "House of God"!
THIS IS TYPICAL OF THE BEGINNING OF ANY HERESY OR HERETICAL TEACHING--taking a few suppositions & a few odds & ends & generalities & trying to make a new religion of it. That's exactly what we find Jeroboam doing here!
8. THE MAP. Jeroboam could also claim Dan had established a real precedent as a place of worship--having been established by one no less than the grandson of Moses!
THIS ARRANGEMENT WOULD GIVE THEM 2 PLACES OF WORSHIP, & would make it more convenient. Thus Jeroboam may have argued; but, of course, his real object was to keep his people away from Jerusalem, capital of the Southern Kingdom! Notice, Dan is in the extreme north & Jerusalem the extreme south.
9. NO. 9 IS THE ARTIST'S CONCEPTION OF JEROBOAM WITH HIS IDOL, OFFICIATING AT THE ALTAR AT BETH-EL. A prophet of God approached him, at this time, with very severe criticism. God is always faithful! God always has a witness! God always has someone there to tell the people the truth!--Even if they don't believe it!--Even if they won't heed it or obey it!
THE PROPHET MADE A CERTAIN PROPHECY REGARDING THE ALTAR. He addressed his prophecy: "Altar, Altar!" (1Kings 13:2.) Remember the famous prophecy? And he said that it would be destroyed!
JEROBOAM'S HAND, AS HE STRETCHED IT FORTH TO ATTACK THE PROPHET, BECAME WITHERED!--A miracle of God! The prophet of God interceded for the king--that's the mercy of God for sure! Here's a man about to slay him, & his hand becomes withered as he starts to raise his hand against God's anointed!
GOD'S WORD SAYS, "LIFT NOT YOUR HANDS AGAINST THE LORD'S ANOINTED, & do His prophets no harm!" (1 Chron.16:22 & Ps.105:15.) The prophet prays for poor Jeroboam, & asks the Lord to have mercy on him & restore his withered hand--& the Lord does!
JEROBOAM INVITED THE PROPHET TO HIS HOME. But having been divinely instructed, the prophet rejected the king's hospitality. He had been instructed to go straight home & turn neither to the right nor to the left--a very unusual prophecy!
10. THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING STORY IN GOD'S WORD. Many people have been puzzled about this story for many years & don't seem to understand it. Another old prophet, which you see in the artist's conception here, came to the young prophet.
THIS OLD PREACHER CAME ALONG & HE SAID, "Listen, young fellow, I know you're tired & hungry! You had a hard time: You had to stand up against the king today! You've been through a rough experience, & you've got a long ways to go. Come on over to my house & have a bite to eat. Surely the Lord isn't that unmerciful & that cruel, to expect you to have to go straight home without a bite to eat & without any rest!"
THE YOUNG PROPHET PROTESTED THOUGH, HE SAID, "NO! THE LORD SAID I MUST GO STRAIGHT HOME! I shouldn't turn to the right or left. I must obey & go straight home!" But the older prophet kept using psychology & persuasion, & even prophesying, to try & persuade him to turn aside!
YOU SEE, IT WAS THE LORD TESTING THE YOUNG PROPHET--TO SEE IF HE WAS GOING TO BE AN ABSOLUTELY OBEDIENT PROPHET! That's one reason why you never hear about this prophet any more! Perhaps if he had been obedient & kept on straight, he would have become one of the great prophets of the Scripture! But he finally heeded the old prophet's invitation & went home with him, against God's direction!
THE OLD PROPHET, WHEN THE YOUNG PROPHET CAME HOME WITH HIM, STOOD UP, & UNDER THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, PROPHESIED AGAINST THE YOUNG PROPHET for what he had done!--When he, the old prophet himself, had invited him!--Showing that he was merely testing him & tempting him!
SINCE HE DISOBEYED, ON HIS WAY HOME, HE WAS KILLED BY A LION! He was identified by the old prophet as being the man who had dined with him. God wanted to show the people that this death was a miracle, that it didn't just happen by accident! There were many lions in the land, they could have attacked any traveller. But the lion simply slew the man! Then stood silently, quietly, still above him!
HE STOOD THERE AS A SIGN TO THE PEOPLE: THAT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO A MAN OF GOD WHO DISOBEYS THE LORD, gets out of God's will & fails to do what God has anointed him to do! That story made a great impression!--So much so, that it has been recorded in God's Word, in the Bible, to pass on to you. That's a good lesson for you to remember!
11. JEROBOAM NOW RESIDED AT TIRZAH, NORTHEAST OF SHECHEM. When his son Abijah took sick, he didn't seem to be willing to trust in his own priest, at Dan or Beth-el.--Typical of a fellow who is an apostate, who at least knows he's started a heretical religion!
WHEN HE REALLY GETS IN TROUBLE & NEEDS REAL HELP, THEN HE GOES BACK TO GOD! Lots of people stray away into false cults & isms & whatnot; but boy, when they got in real serious trouble, all of a sudden, they woke up & came back to the Truth! That false thing didn't satisfy them & didn't meet the need!
WHEN HIS SON WAS SICK, HE SENT HIS WIFE TO THE TRUE PROPHET OF GOD, Ahijah, at Shiloh, to inquire whether his son's sickness would be fatal. The prophet spoke to his wife: He warned & criticised Jeroboam. He received the sad news that his son would die, which came to pass very soon; & there was great lamentation. A fulfilled prophecy! (1Kings 14:1-18.)
12. HERE'S A PHOTO OF BETHLEHEM. Little is said about Rehoboam's activities back in Bethlehem in Judah. He did, however, fortify certain cities south of Jerusalem--the most important being Bethlehem.
REMEMBER, WE ARE DEALING WITH THE HISTORY OF THE 2 KINGDOMS NOW. The Northern 10 Tribes & the 2 Southern Tribes--all Israel actually. The 2 Southern Tribes were called Judah & the 10 Northern Tribes were called Israel.
13. REHOBOAM MARRIED STRANGE WOMEN &, LIKE SOLOMON, WAS LED INTO IDOLATRY by these gals, together with his people. "For they also built them high places, & images & groves, on every high hill, & under every green tree." 1Kings 14:23.
14. MEANWHILE DOWN IN EGYPT, SHISHAK WAS KING. Rehoboam had been ruling for about 5 years. As every king & every people & every nation that sins against God & backslides & rebels against the Lord, they begin to suffer! They first of all begin to suffer within & then they begin to suffer without!
THEIR ENEMIES BEGIN TO POUNCE UPON THEM, because the Lord no longer protects them! I think that's the same thing that's happening to America today!: God seems to be gradually withdrawing His protection, as they gradually withdraw from God!
SHISHAK INVADED JUDAH, PILLAGED THE TEMPLE & CARRIED AWAY THE TREASURES OF THE HOUSE OF GOD & the golden shields, which Solomon had equipped the Temple guards with. Here's a photo of some of the great pyramids of Egypt. No doubt, some of those very vessels were buried with the great kings of Egypt, in later times!
15. MOUNT ZION. REHOBOAM WAS 41 WHEN HE ASCENDED TO THE THRONE. He reigned 17 years, died in Jerusalem & was buried near his father Solomon & his grandfather David.
16. HERE'S BETH-EL COUNTRY AGAIN. REHOBOAM WAS SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON, ABIJAH, who continued his father's campaign against Jeroboam. He took Beth-el from his opponent, & chastised him for his forsaking God & substituting idols--though Abijah was guilty of the same thing!--Except he also supported the Temple. (2 Chronicles 13.)
IN FACT, THE PEOPLE WERE BEGINNING TO BACKSLIDE, BOTH THE NORTHERN & SOUTHERN KINGDOMS! The Southern Kingdom was hypocritical: It was pretending to continue to worship God, while it also worshipped idols! The Northern Kingdom didn't even pretend to worship God any more, it became almost completely heathen!
THAT'S VERY TYPICAL OF AMERICA TODAY!: The South, deeply religious, called the "Bible Belt", very Christian, priding itself in its self-righteousness, has become seemingly very hypocritical in that religious attitude; whereas the North has become almost entirely heathen!
17. HERE'S ZION. ABIJAH REIGNED FOR ONLY 3 YEARS. He was also buried in Jerusalem, near his father Rehoboam.
18. THE KIDRON VALLEY. It seemed, sometimes when they had a bad king, his son turned out to be a good king. Sometimes children, that have had very bad parents, are so terribly impressed by their parents' evil & wicked lives, that they don't want to be like that themselves!
THEY TURN TO GOD & THE LORD SAVES THEM! They turn to Him in faith & their lives are a great deal different!--So it was with good king Asa, the son of wicked Abijah. He now becomes king of Judah, just a year before the death of Jeroboam, king of Israel.
ASA IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO REFORM THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM, & EVEN DESTROYED THE IDOLS of his grandmother, one of his grandfather's heathen wives. The idols & the strange gods, he burned in the Kidron Valley, just outside the walls of Jerusalem, which you see here.
19. THEN THE BATTLE OF GIBBETHON. Jeroboam lived to see both Rehoboam & Abijah of Judah pass away. For some reason or other, the Lord prolonged the life of Jeroboam--evidently as punishment to the Southern Kingdom!
ONE YEAR AFTER ASA BECAME KING OF JUDAH, NADAB TAKES THE THRONE OF ISRAEL. He accomplished nothing of note during his short reign of only 2 years. He attacked the Philistines at Gibbethon. He met death at the hands of a conspirator, Baasha, a man of humble status, who then succeeded him as king.
THE NORTHERN KINGDOM HAD NO ACTUAL ROYAL LINE, that they could cling to, since Jeroboam, who had begun it, had been a slave! Whoever happened to be the strongest, & killed the other guy, would take over! But the real God-chosen line of David ruled Judah & the Southern Kingdom.
20. HERE IS A PHOTO OF DAMASCUS. One of the most ancient cities in the world that is still in existence. It's the oldest city in the world that has been continuously inhabited.
BAASHA, THE NEW KING OF NORTHERN ISRAEL, BECAME ACTIVE AGAINST JUDAH AT ONCE! He fortified Ramah, the old home of Samuel, which is almost in sight of Jerusalem. He was the first of a new dynasty, & murdered every member of the family of Jeroboam!
THAT'S ONE REASON I ALMOST USED TO HATE TO READ THE BOOKS OF KINGS & CHRONICLES: BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH TERRIBLE CONNIVERY, thievery, murder & deceit--all kinds of intrigue & espionage! It's a terrible state that a country falls into, when it neglects & falls away from God!
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE FALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE & GOD'S LAND! It pays us well to take heed to it--to see how a nation of God's People, founded upon God, by God, for God, can be destroyed by its own sins!
BEN-HADAD, KING OF SYRIA, WHO LIVED IN THE CAPITAL, DAMASCUS, WAS IN LEAGUE WITH ISRAEL. Asa took all the gold & silver in the House of the Lord &, with it, he bribed the Syrian king, who joined Judah.
21. THE MAP. BEN-HADAD WAS NOT A CANAANITE, he was not an Israelite, he was a Syrian. He immediately invaded Northern Israel, as far south as the Chinnethereth Sea or the Sea of Galilee.
HE WAS COMING FROM THE FAR NORTH, DAMASCUS, around Mount Hermon & the northern Lebanese Mountains, clear down to the Sea of Galilee called Chinnethereth at that time. This drew Baasha, the king of Northern Israel, from Ramah.
ASA WAS NOT SLOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION! So, he took the stone & the timbers away from Ramah. While king Baasha of Northern Israel was up there trying to fight one of his enemies in the north, Asa rushed up from the kingdom of Judah & grabbed Ramah! He strengthened his own border cities of Geba & Mizpah.
22. HERE'S A PHOTO OF TIRZAH. BAASHA RULED ISRAEL FOR 24 YEARS. He died a natural death & was buried here at Tirzah. His son Elah succeeded him, & was murdered by his own captain, Zimri, in the course of a drunken carousal!
ZIMRI THEN ANNOUNCED HIMSELF KING OF NORTHERN ISRAEL; but at the end of 7 days, the army crowned Omri. When Zimri heard the news, he set Tirzah on fire & he himself perished in the flames! 1Kings 16.
HERE'S TERRIBLE STORIES IN THE BIBLE, that show how bad people are! The Bible isn't terrible!--It's because people are terrible, amen? The Bible just tells the Truth, whether it's good or bad!
23. THE HILL OF SAMARIA. ASA HAD BEEN KING OF JUDAH, THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM, FOR 31 YEARS WHEN OMRI ASCENDED THE THRONE OF ISRAEL. Judah, it seemed, was always a little more righteous, at this time, than was Northern Israel.
WE MIGHT EVEN LIKEN THESE 2 DIVISIONS OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL TO THE DIVISIONS OF THE CHURCH TODAY: The Southern Kingdom of Judah was very orthodox; it was very fundamental. It had a form of Godliness, but lost the power thereof! It was self-righteous, in a sense, but it did have the right religion!
THEY DID WORSHIP THE ONE TRUE GOD! It had the Temple, & it was going through the forms & the ceremonies & the traditions, which were correct & according to the Law; but it was largely self-righteousness!
NORTHERN ISRAEL, HOWEVER, HAD COMPLETELY GOTTEN AWAY FROM THE TRUE RELIGION, the right religion, & had become like, what we would call, the Modernistic Church of today!: Idolatrous, away from the true Bible & away from the true God & the true form of worship! The Northern Kingdom was much more wicked, idolatrous & so on!
IT SEEMED THAT THE KINGS OF THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM LASTED LONGER, no doubt, because of a little more righteousness; but, nevertheless, even their righteousness tended later on to be self-righteousness! God judged them both eventually! He judged Israel more & He judged Israel sooner!
ASA HAD BEEN KING OF JUDAH FOR 31 YEARS WHEN OMRI ASCENDED THE THRONE OF ISRAEL. For 6 years, Omri had his capital at Tirzah, when he bought the Hill of Samaria, which you see in the photo, to which he moved his capital. It remained the royal city until the captivity of Israel.
WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE HE CHOSE A HILL? Because it's easier to defend a city that's set on a hill! They've got to climb up the hill to fight, & that's pretty hard to do! Samaria was the centre of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the Northern 10 Tribes, for the rest of the history of Israel.
24. HERE'S THE ANCIENT RUINS OF THE CITY OF SAMARIA. You'll still find part of the heathen Temple of Omri. Omri also worshipped idols, like the rest of the Israelites were beginning to do--instead of worshipping God! Because they'd broken away from Judah that had the Temple & had Jerusalem & the true God, now they're worshipping idols & other gods!
THIS BEAUTIFUL ARCH, THAT YOU SEE HERE, WAS A PART OF THE TEMPLE OF OMRI, which existed almost 1000 years before Christ. How long ago was that? Nearly 3000 years ago! So that part of that temple building there is nearly 3000 years old. I bet some of the buildings nowadays, these modern fancy skyscrapers, probably wouldn't stand that long! I'm sure they won't!--Because the Lord's going to destroy them!
25. OMRI'S TEMPLE STEPS. RECENT EXCAVATIONS REVEAL SOMETHING OF THE GRANDEUR OF SAMARIA. These ruins are the ruins of a great building, which the natives call the Temple of Omri. It was located on the top of the hill, & commanded a view of the country on every side for miles around the city. You can see it must have been a great temple, to have had so many steps--almost as many as the Capitol in Washington, D.C.!
26. HERE YOU GET A SAMPLE OF THEIR IDOLATRY. Omri, though he had no relation to Jeroboam, carried out Jeroboam's religious & idolatrous ideas. They worshipped idols! He "did worse than all that were before him," God's Word says in 1Kings 16:25.
THESE IMAGES HAVE BEEN UNEARTHED HERE IN SAMARIA, in archaeological diggings; but to what age they belong, we are not quite sure, since this city was under the influence of idolworshippers all the way from Omri to the Roman Empire, in the time of Christ.
THEY WORSHIPPED ALL KINDS OF TERRIBLE IDOLS of wood & stone--which were an abomination to the Lord! God didn't like it, so they suffered for it! Judah, which was good most of the time, had only one king in 38 years! During that king's reign, Israel had 6 kings!
WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE WICKED, THEN THEY HAVE A LOT OF POLITICAL TROUBLE!: They change governments & change kings & change systems!--They have revolutions & all kinds of things!
GOD SAID, "THOU SHALT NOT MAKE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE!" (Exodus 20:4.) That's against the 10 Commandments, & they knew it! They did it deliberately & wilfully, & went against God! Boy, did they suffer for it!--Just like America's suffering for it, & going to suffer worse!
27. HERE'S THE REGION AROUND SIDON. You notice it was a port city. Ethbaal was king of Sidon at this time. Now remember, Sidon was a different kingdom--it was not Syria--it later became the land of Lebanon, the only Christian country in the Near East. At that time, it was still Phoenician. They were the descendents of the famous Phoenician traders.
ETHBAAL HAD A VERY WICKED DAUGHTER. THEY WERE IDOLATROUS! They were not Israelites of course. His daughter was one of the most infamous women in the Bible!: Jezebel! She is the one that fought the prophet of God!
OMRI WAS KING OF NORTHERN ISRAEL. HE WANTED TO MAKE A TRUCE, a peace treaty, with Tyre & Sidon. So, he had his son, Ahab, marry the king of Sidon's daughter, Jezebel--to unite what was supposed to be God's people with this heathen, wicked, idolatrous nation of Tyre & Sidon! That really got Israel in trouble!
UP TILL THIS TIME, ISRAEL WAS PRETENDING TO WORSHIP THE TRUE GOD THROUGH THEIR GOLDEN CALVES & IDOLS! They said, "These things just represent God!" But now this wicked queen Jezebel was an outright heathen! That name has become so bad that any bad woman is called a Jezebel!
SHE DIDN'T MAKE ANY PRETENSE OF WORSHIPPING THESE OTHER IDOLS OR THEIR GOD OF ISRAEL! Instead she was a devotee or worshipper of what god? The Devil! He was a devil god alright; his name was Baal or Baalzebub--the Devil really!
THIS PARTICULAR IDOL OR GOD, THAT SHE WORSHIPPED, WAS THE GOD OF SEXUAL PERVERSION! This nation literally worshipped sin--just like America's getting to do! She tried to get Israel to do the same thing, & succeeded! That caused them a lot of trouble & sickness, & a lot of judgments of God!--Just like it's causing lots of trouble in America today!
28. HERE'S ANOTHER PHOTO OF SAMARIA, THE TOMB OF OMRI. Omri ruled in his new capital for a year, & was buried here in Samaria. Asa has been king now of Judah for 38 years, & had seen the passing away of: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri & Omri, kings of Israel. Asa still lived to see 4 years of the reign of Ahab.
JESUS TALKED ABOUT SAMARIA, & HE VISITED A WOMAN AT THE WELL OF SAMARIA, you remember? They had a revival there! Nearly everybody in Samaria got saved when Jesus came! That was the same city built by King Omri of Israel.
29. HERE WE SEE SOME ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGGINGS, EXCAVATIONS, AT SAMARIA. They're just digging for souvenirs--things that the ancient civilisations, who once lived there, may have left or buried. They want to see what they can find.
ALL THE NATIVES HERE ARE DIGGING FOR THE ARCHAEOLOGIST--a fellow who is supposed to know a lot about ancient things. They dig up what they call artifacts, the things that ancient civilisations have left behind. It tells you something about the people that once lived there. They've dug up a lot of idols & everything here!
THE CALF WORSHIP, IT SEEMS, WAS NOT INTENDED TO BE PURELY IDOLATRY; it was rather a medium of approach to Jehovah. Just as the Modernists today claim that's their way of worshipping God, & as the Catholics today claim that they are not worshipping the statue & the idols, they say, "We just revere what they represent!" We know, of course, that idolatry is an abomination to the Lord!
JEZEBEL INTRODUCED BAAL WORSHIP IN ALL ITS IDOLATRY, in direct opposition to the religion of Israel! This wicked, idolatrous, foreign woman became queen of Israel! If Ahab did not accept his wife's religion, he was very friendly toward it; & the cause of Baal was pushed with very great diligence by this queen!
Review Questions for Chapter 24.
1. Who succeeded Solomon?
2. How did Israel feel toward Solomon?
3. Did Rehoboam promise to lighten their burden?
4. How did this affect Israel?
5. Why did Jeroboam go to Egypt?
6. What was the object of his return to Israel?
7. Where was he crowned king of the 10 Tribes?
8. What was his first capital?
9. What system of worship did he establish?
10. At what 2 places were these idols located?
11. What was the object of these places of worship?
12. What happened when Jeroboam was officiating?
13. What did a prophet of God do for him?
14. What happened to this prophet?
15. Why?
16. What did Ahijah say would happen to Jeroboam's son?
17. What did Rehoboam's kingdom consist of?
18. Who was king of Egypt at this time?
19. Describe the pillage of the Temple.
20. How long did Rehoboam reign in Jerusalem?
21. Who was his successor?
22. Who succeeded Abijam?
23. How long did Jeroboam reign in Israel during the reign of Asa?
24. What kind of king was Asa?
25. Explain the reason for the division of the kingdom of Israel.
26. How was the kingdom divided & what were the 2 parts called?
27. What could you compare the 2 parts of the kingdom to today?
28. Which of the 2 parts of the kingdom was the more Godly?
29. Who succeeded Jeroboam?
30. Who succeeded Nadab in Israel?
31. What was Baasha's attitude toward Judah?
32. What happens to a country that neglects God?
33. Who was king of Syria?
34. With what did Asa bribe Ben-hadad?
35. Describe the conquest of Ben-hadad in Israel.
36. Who was Omri?
37. What was his first capital?
38. Where did he build a new capital?
39. Was he an idol-worshipper?
40. How long had Asa been ruling when Omri came to the throne?
41. Who did Omri's son Ahab marry?
42. What effect did this have on the kingdom?
43. What god did the people now begin to worship?
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
