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 HISTORY OF THE KINGS 
 
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 My Beloved Husband, 
 
 JAMES S. WITTER. 
 
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 IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 
 
 
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 PREFACE. 
 
 
 The following pages have been written, with 
 the hope, that they may be the means of awaken- 
 ing in the minds of the young a deeper interest 
 in the study of that part of the sacred volume 
 from which they have been principally culled. 
 In the study of profane history there is danger 
 that the great First Cause be overlooked in the 
 multitude of secondary causes, which are pressed 
 on the attention. In sacred history it is far 
 otherwise. In it a victory is not ascribed to the 
 skill of a Commander, or to the bravery of his 
 men ; but to the favour of God. In like man- 
 ner a nation's prosperity is not attributed to Its 
 industries or its commerce, but to His blessing. 
 The historical as well as all other parts of the 
 Scriptures thus plainly teach that God is Lord 
 over all ; and that though men act according to 
 their pleasure, they are either His agents or His 
 instruments, and forward His designs. 
 
 In presenting this little Work to the Public 
 the writer craves indulgence, as it has been 
 
 a 
 
[ 
 
 "* 
 
 H 
 
 Preface. 
 
 penned during the scanty leisure which falls to 
 the lot of the wife and mother. Difficulties and 
 apparent discrepancies have been passed over 
 in silence, in part at least, frotn the fact that 
 with these the writer has felt her inability to 
 cope. 
 
 While every help within reach has been free- 
 ly used, not a single thought has knowingly 
 been borrowed without being acknowledged, or 
 marked as a quotation. References and foot 
 notes have been avoided as not generally at- 
 tractive to the young. 
 
 The writer has endeavoured to keep the one 
 object before her mind, and in her opinion the 
 Work is as well fitted to benefit those for whom 
 it is designed as if it were critical and elaborate. 
 
 <;;; ' n " i ■ 
 
 -r * ' 
 
 ll.V^X 
 
 MARY L. T. WITTER. 
 
 CAmmra, Nova Sootia. 
 
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 'I V 
 
 Canaan or Palestine was the theatre of the events 
 about to be recorded, and the home of the kings whose 
 history I intend to write. The young reader will 
 please to refer to a map of Asia and in the north- 
 western part he will find this celebrated country. It 
 is comprised within thirty and a half and thirty-three 
 and a half degrees north latitude, and within thirty- 
 three and a half east longitude in the south-west, and 
 thirty>six in the north-east. It '*is situated on the 
 east of the Mediterranean, and south of the mountains 
 of Lebanon. It is about two-thirds the size of Nova 
 Scotia. Its length from north to south is one hundred 
 and eighty miles, and the breath seventy-five miles." 
 Being about midway between the equator and the 
 arctic circle, it has a genial climate, and was anciently 
 very fertile. The country is mountainous, but none of 
 the mountains are of great elevation. It has but one 
 river, the Jordan, and not many other perennial streams. 
 Its lakes are Merom, Gennesareth and the Asphaltic 
 lake or Dead Sea. The Jordan passes through the 
 first two of these, and Iobsb itself in the last. 
 
 This small country was, at the time of which I write, 
 divided into two kingdoms — Judah and Israel. The 
 part known of the Kingdom of Judah was only about 
 one-third of the country — not far from one-fourth the 
 size of Nova Scotia — and was bounded by the King- 
 dom of Israel on the north ; on the east by Jordan, the 
 Dead Sea and the Land of Moab ; on the south by the 
 Land of Edom, and on the west by the Great Sea or 
 Mediterranean, 
 
 ,A 
 
 # 
 
viii. 
 
 Priliminary Retnarks. 
 
 The Kingdom of Israel, which was equal to about 
 half of Nova Scotia, was bounded on the north by 
 Phoenicia, the Mountains of Lebanon and Syria ; ou 
 the east by Syria and the Land of Ammon ; on the 
 south by the Land of Moab, the Dead Sea and the 
 kingdom of Judah ; and on the west by the Great Sea 
 and Phoenicia. ( , A . • -i i . 
 
 Besides the small extent of territory of which these 
 kingdoms were comprised, the reader should take into 
 consideration the great difference between that age, 
 and this in which we live. The times of which I write 
 were very long before gunpowder was invented and 
 set at its work of death ; and of course much longer 
 still before steam was used to propel over land and 
 sea, and the lightning of heaven made to convey the 
 thoughts of man. Political and social institutions were 
 too, very different then from what they are now. 
 Take the institution of marriage. A man could be 
 truly pious and yet have several wives. Polygamy, 
 like slavery was one of those practices which in the 
 early ages of the world God winked at. Were it 
 otherwise it would be absurd to speak of the piety of 
 Abijah, for instance, while he was the husband of four- 
 teen women. Polygamy was the natural out -growth 
 of the supposed inferiority of woman, and was calcu* 
 lated to perpetuate that feeling ; and she never at- 
 tained her proper position in society till the Christ was 
 of woman born. To God manifest in the flesh is she 
 indebted for the amelioration of her condition here, no 
 less than for her hopes of eternal life hereafter. How 
 much to comfort her, and raise her in the estimation of 
 the other sex is there in the gracious words : " Whoso- 
 ever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, 
 my sister, and mother." ;* , if r 
 
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 PART I. 
 
 I ,■. ! 
 
 'I,'- l.t 
 
 THE KINGS OF JUDAE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 'r!T 
 
 REHOBOAM, ' « ^ 
 
 '^IIUDAH, from whose descendants this kingdom 
 took its name, was the son of Jacob, and the 
 i^fti great-grandson of Abraham. The tribe of 
 Judah was larger than either of the other tribes, 
 and in some respects more important. "Judah," 
 said the inspired Jacob, 'Hhou art he whom thy 
 brethren shall praise." The throne was filled not 
 only by persons belonging to this tribe but to one 
 family — the family of David — four hundred and fifty- 
 six years. It is a fact unparalleled in history that 
 the genealogy of this line of kings is traceable up 
 to the creation of man, so that one can truthfully close 
 by saying : " which was the son of Adam which was 
 
V. 
 
 10 
 
 Rehoboatn, 
 
 •*-?R 
 
 '■■•* 
 
 ' 
 
 I 
 
 the son of God." In this family are to be found some 
 of the most renowned personages that ever lived. 
 Among these are Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David and 
 above all, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Behoboam, the first king who reigned over the Judah- 
 ites, as a distinct nationality, seems to have been the 
 only child of Solomon, who had one thousand wives. 
 His mother was an Ammonitess by the name of 
 Naamah ; and his maternal grandmother, three genera- 
 tions back, a Moabitess. Thus he was a descendant of 
 Haran, who lived and died in idolatry, scarcely less 
 than 01 \braham. He became king at the age of 
 forty-one, nine hundred and seventy-five years before 
 Christ ^ - ' '■■ 
 
 The extensive buildings which Solomon had erected 
 together with his court, his servants, his horses, and 
 his chariots, had obliged him to impose heavy taxes on 
 his subjects, and it is possible that many were, even 
 during his lifetime, ready for a revolt. This feeling 
 gathered strength from the following incident. The 
 prophet Ahijah met Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who 
 at the time held an office under government, and taking 
 the new garment that was on him rent it into twelve 
 pieces, and thus addressed him : <^ Take thee ten pieces : 
 for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold I 
 will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and 
 will give ten tribes to thee." But the impolitic con- 
 duct of Rehoboam was, of itself, sufficient to cause his 
 subjects to rebel. Scarcely had he been proclaimed 
 
 " 
 
Rehoboam. 
 
 II 
 
 id some 
 p lived. 
 
 .vid and 
 
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 I Judah- 
 3en the 
 \ wives, 
 ime of 
 genera- 
 idant of 
 )ly less 
 age of 
 i before 
 
 erected 
 es, and 
 xes on 
 , even 
 feeling 
 The 
 t) who 
 taking 
 ;welve 
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 loldl 
 n,and 
 \ con- 
 se his 
 limed 
 
 \ ' 
 
 king ere he received a deputation from ten tribes of 
 Israel, with Jeroboam at their head, praying for a 
 diminution of the taxes from which they had been for 
 some time suffering. The new king, following the ad- 
 vice of the companions of his pleasure rather than that 
 of his father's counsellors, haughtily replied : ^ My lit- 
 tle finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. And 
 now whereas my &ther did lade you with a heavy yoke 
 I will add to your yoke ; my father hath chastised you 
 with whips but I will chastise you with scorpions." 
 This reply gave the people a plu.usible pretext for de- 
 claring their independence ; and they at once gave their 
 watchword, "To your tents O Israel." Behoboam, 
 very naturally, determined on reducing his subjects to 
 obedience. For this purpose every man in the two 
 tribes who still remained Mthfrd to him, who was capa- 
 ble of bearing arms, was enrolled : " A hundred and 
 fourscore thousand chosen men which were warriors." 
 They disbanded, however, without striking a single 
 blow. One Shemaiah, a prophet, told Rehoboam that 
 it was the will of God that the ten tribes should have 
 a king of their own, and forbade him fighting against 
 them. From that time the tribes of Judah and Ben- 
 jamin were known as the kingdom of Judah, and the 
 remaining ten tribes as the kingdom of Israel. It is 
 probable that the population of the two kingdoms was 
 more neai^ly equal than would be supposed from the 
 number of tribes which belonged respectively to each. 
 Idolatry was at once established in the kingdom of 
 
 jf-. 
 
 .1 
 

 m 
 
 Rehohodm, 
 
 Israel, and the Judahites still adhered to the worship 
 of the true God, which caused the tribe of Levi, with 
 the truly pious of all the other tribes, to connect them- 
 selves with them in order that they might enjoy the 
 services of the temple. 
 
 The piety of the Judahites seems to have been but 
 of short continuance. Rehoboam had reigned less than 
 five years when the statement is made, that " Judah 
 did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked 
 him to jealousy with their sins which they had com- 
 mitted, above all that their fathers had done. For 
 they built them high places and images and groves, on 
 every high hill, and under every green tree." Li con- 
 sequence of this defection the Lord sent against this 
 people Shishak, king of Egypt, who took city after city 
 till he came to Jerusalem, where Rehoboam appears to 
 have remained inactive. Shemaiah who had forbidden 
 Rehoboam to fight against the seceding tribes now 
 visited him and the princes of Juhah, and thus address- 
 ed them : " Thus saith the Lord ye have forsaken me, 
 and therefore have I also left you in the hand of 
 Shishak." On receiving this message they acknow- 
 ledged the righteous judgment of God and humbled 
 themselves before him. No sooner had they done so 
 than the prophet came to them again and told them in 
 the name of the Lord that they should not become a 
 prey to the Egyptian king : " Nevertheless," said the 
 Lord, *' they shall be his servants ; that they may know 
 my service, and the service.^ of the kingdom of the 
 
 ii^i^^lk 
 
\ 
 
 Rehohoam, 
 
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 countries." Shishak entered Jerusalem and carried 
 thence a vast amount of treasure, among which were 
 three hundred shields of gold, which have been com- 
 puted at about eight hundred and forty-three thousand 
 nine hundred and five dollars. Shishak was the first 
 plunderer of the sacred temple, and the spoil must 
 have been immense. 
 
 The conduct of this king was altogether voluntary. 
 Little did he know that the great God was using him 
 as his rod to correct his refractory children ; and pow- 
 erfiil as he thought himself, he could not carry away" 
 any more than it Was necessary that they should lose. 
 This was the only foreign foe by which Judah was dis- 
 turbed during this reign, but they and the Israelites 
 lived in a state of continual hostility ; so much so that 
 the historian says : " There were wars between Beho" 
 boam and Jeroboam continually." >^ ^ vm-^v^iiQ 
 
 Behoboam had in all, principal and secondary^ 
 seventy-eight wives. The names of but three of these 
 are given, Mahalath, Abihail and Maachah : these were 
 respectively the grand-daughter, the great-grand- 
 daughter and the great-great-granddaughter of Jesse 
 his great-grandfather. 
 
 Rehoboam, conscious of his weakness, builded and 
 fortified fifteen cities. He died after a reign of seven- 
 teen years, at the age of fifty-eight. His talents were 
 probably below mediocrity. May this not be inferred 
 from his seeking companionship with the young and 
 thoughtless, from Abijah designating him at the age of 
 
 .'♦ 
 
■■■m^s:?^i 
 
 u 
 
 i 
 
 Ahijah or Abijani* 
 
 , : 
 
 forty-one '< yotmg and tender hearted,*' and from the 
 following Ingubriotts words of his £Either: 
 
 •' Tea I hated all my labour 
 
 Which I had taken under the snn ; 
 
 Because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me 
 ' And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a foolj 
 
 Tet shall he have rule over all my labour. * ' 
 
 Solomon*8 fears were realized. Behoboam succeed- 
 ed to a large, powerful and wealthy kingdom : he be- 
 queathed to his son one that was small, weak and poor* 
 He was buried in the city of David by the side of his 
 illustrious fiuther and grand-father. It may perhaps be 
 well to state that <' the city of David" was a strong 
 fort on mount Sion, which was long held by the Jebu- 
 sites. It was finally taken by storm under the leader- 
 ship of David's nephew, the hardy, inde&tigable, 
 heroic general Joab. It remained a place of great 
 strength ; and was used as the burial place of all the 
 honoured of Judah's kings* 
 
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Abijah or Abijam, 
 
 IS 
 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 ABIJAH OR ABIJAM. 
 
 (BIJAH succeeded to the throne of his father 
 nine hundred and fifty-eight years before 
 Christ. There are no data by which to 
 ascertain his age either at the time of his succes- 
 sion to the throne, or at the time of his death. 
 He evidently was, when he became king, a man 
 of matured judgment. The handsome, brave, dis- 
 criminating, and at the same time artM and un- 
 principled Absalom was his maternal grand&ther. 
 May it not that in person and in some of the quali- 
 ties of his mind he resembled that unfortunate 
 prince ? Is not his popularity thus readily accounted 
 for? That he was popular is apparent; for severe as 
 had been the drain on the treasury during the lifetime 
 of his father he, early in his reign, found himself able 
 to equip an army of four hundred thousand men. With 
 these he entered the kingdom of Israel. We do not 
 know the cause of this war. It was perhaps entered 
 on as the readiest means of putting an end to the long 
 existing feuds. The location of Abijah's army is said 
 to have been "Mount Zemarain which is Mount 
 Ephraim." Having chosen his ground he calmly 
 awaited the approach of the enemy. Jeroboam came 
 against him with an army double that of his own. Abi- 
 jah, nothing daunted, ascended an eminence and de- 
 
!6 
 
 Abijah or Abijam. v 
 
 livered an harangue which reflects great credit on him 
 as a man, and as a believer in the true God. He re- 
 minded them that the Lord had given the kingdom of 
 Israel to the house of David forever, but that it had 
 been wrested from that family by Jeroboam and his 
 coadjutors, who also had set up false gods and cast off 
 the tribe of Levi from the services of the altar ; and 
 that Judah, on the contrary, still worshipped the true 
 God, and still offered the daily sacrifice by the hands 
 of those whom the Lord had chosen for that purpose. 
 He then told them that to fight against him was to 
 fight against* God himself, since He was the captain of 
 the hosts of Judah ; and finally reminded them that the 
 true God was the God of their fathers. ' ' - - - '^'" 
 If there were those in the army of Abijah who were 
 not in the exercise of the most unwavering faith in 
 God their hearts must have quailed with fear when 
 they perceived that the enemy had surrounded them. 
 One can almost hear the shrill sound of the silver 
 trumpets, and the cry of the army as it ascends to 
 God for help. For a moment the stillness of death 
 prevails ; but it is only for a moment. There is reason 
 to believe that the great God by some means gave them 
 an assurance of his assistance ; for they shout ; and as 
 they shouted God smote Jeroboam and his vast army. 
 The terror-stricken Israelites flee, the Judahites pur- 
 sue, and ere the carnage stops more than half of Jero- 
 boam's army lie weltering in their blood. By this sig- 
 nal victory the Judahites procured a considerable 
 
 I 
 
T-' 
 
 Asa, 
 
 V 
 
 period of peace, and became the possessors of Bethel, 
 Jeshailah and Ephraim with the surrounding villages. 
 
 Very little is recorded of Abijah after this victory 
 except that he became powerful, married fourteen 
 wives, and became the father of thirty-eight children, 
 twenty- two of whom were males. - -^ 
 
 The sacred writer in this instance, as in many others, 
 refers us to works which are not now extant. Had the 
 works of Iddo been handed down to us, we doubtless 
 might learn much to interest us relative to this excel- 
 lent man. 
 
 Abijah died after a prosperous reign of three years.' 
 Were it not for the record that " he walked in all the 
 sins of his father, which he had done before him, and his 
 heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the 
 heart of David his father," we should be led to believe 
 that he was nearly faultless. He was buried in the city 
 of David — the fourth of the royal line there interred. 
 
 In the person of Abijah two branches of David's 
 family were united ; and he, who reared for himself a 
 pillar, because he had no son to keep his name In re- 
 membrance, became the ancestor of a long line of 
 kings. It is worthy of notice that Abijah's maternal 
 great-great-grand-father was Talmai king of Gesher. 
 Before David became king he smote the Gesherites ; 
 and it is possible that he was so much influenced by the 
 beauty of Maacah, the Gesheritish princess, that while 
 he waged against her people an exterminating war, he 
 saved her and her fether's house alive. , upir, ^i^v .^ , .. 
 
iS 
 
 Asa. 
 
 
 h^Mk^Mi ■'*'-'' ■■ 
 
 > ^ .... 
 
 '■VW'v^ 
 
 I, I 'i .• ._, 
 
 CHAPTER III, 
 
 ASA. 
 
 ,v)^; Vl; 
 
 [SA succeeded to the throne of his father nine 
 hundred and fifty-five years before Christ. 
 ^"^^^ At the beginning of the reign of Abijah 
 there was a chronic war between his kingdom and 
 that of Israel: at its close the latter kingdom was 
 entirely powerless. The result was a long period of 
 peace. ^ 
 
 Asa used this season of quiet for the best of pur- 
 poses : ** He took away the altars of the strange gods 
 and the high places, and brake down the images, and 
 cut down the groves : and commanded Judah to seek 
 the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and 
 the commandment." Having done all in his power to 
 remove the temptations to idolatrous practices out of 
 the way of his subjects, he, not presuming on perpetual 
 peace, prepared for the defence of his kingdom. To 
 this end he builded fortifications and reorganized and 
 enlarged Us army. It is remarkable that at this time 
 the tribe of Benjamin fiirnished almost as many war- 
 riors as the tribe of Judah. One cannot suppose that 
 there were as many men in Benjamin as in Judah who 
 were capable of bearing arms. Does not the large 
 number of warriors ftirnished by this remnant of a 
 tribe shew that they were still noted for that activity, 
 courage and cruelty which caused one, under the spirit 
 
 
II 
 
 Asa, 
 
 19 
 
 .0 
 
 id 
 le 
 
 It 
 
 ILO 
 
 re 
 la 
 
 ^9 
 \t 
 
 
 of prophesy, to say, *' Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf." 
 The first war in which Asa was engaged was with 
 Zerah the Ethiopian. Who this was, I confess my- 
 self unable to decide ; but am most inclined to think 
 that he was the king of Egypt, and the son and suc- 
 cessor of Shishak. If this opinion be correct, is it not 
 probable that he hoped to acquire as great wealth as 
 his father had on a former invasion ? and may it not 
 be that the immense spoil with which Asa became 
 enriched, was designed by the great God as payment 
 for that which was carried away by Shishak during the 
 reign of Behoboam? But whoever Zerah was it is 
 evident that he was possessed of great power. He 
 came against the Judahites *^ with a host of a thousand 
 thousand, and three hundred chariots." There is no 
 doubt but that Asa felt himself unable successfully to 
 oppose this vast host, he, therefore, with the greatest 
 care and prudence disposed to the best advantage his 
 comparatively small army, and then looked to God 
 for help. 
 
 The prayer of Asa on this occasion is very remark- 
 able : <* Lord it is nothing with thee to help, whether 
 with many, or with them that have no power : help us 
 O Lord our God ; for we rest on thee, and in thy name 
 we go against this multitude. O Lord thou art our 
 God ; let not man prevail against thee." The prayer 
 was heard : " The Lord smote the Ethiopians before 
 Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled / iA^^I^ 
 They were overthrown that they could not recover 
 
 ■■''■j^f 
 
20 
 
 Asa, 
 
 themselves, for they were destroyed before the Lord 
 and before his hosts." The question naturally arises, 
 by what agency was this army destroyed ? Did the 
 Lord cause great fear to fall upon them, so that they 
 fled, and their vast number obstructing their flight they 
 became an easy prey to the Judahites ? Did a suffoca- 
 ting wind sweep over them ? or were they slain by spiri- 
 tual invisible beings, those *^ ministers of His that do His 
 pleasure ?" This army being destroyed the Judahites 
 " smote all the cities round about Gerar ; for the fear 
 of the Lord came upon them : and they spoiled all the 
 cities ; for there was exceeding much spoil in them." t,) 
 i One can scarcely conceive of the joy of the Judahites 
 as they returned, driving vast herds of cattle, laden 
 with spoil, and not one man missing. Victories are 
 generally obtained by heavy losses even to the victors ; 
 and consequently while the nation is rejoicing many 
 hearts are desolate. This was a season of universal 
 joy throughout the kingdom. Before Asa made his 
 triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he was met by a pro- 
 phet by the name of Azariah, who commended his con- 
 duct, encouraged him still to persevere in the service 
 of God, and warned him of the danger of departing 
 from Him. After the Judahites had offered sacrifices 
 to the Lord " they entered into a covenant to seek the 
 Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with 
 all their soul ; and that whosoever would not seek the 
 Iiord God of Israel should be put to death, whether 
 small or great, whether man or woman." Was it not 
 
Asa. 
 
 21 
 
 ices 
 the 
 dth 
 jthe 
 ther 
 not 
 
 that the hearts of the people were permeated with the 
 most ecstatic joy that caused this oath to he taken 
 " with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trum- 
 pets, and with comets ?" ' ■'-••-«* 
 
 In connection with the events just related the sacred 
 historian brings to our notice a melancholy instance of 
 defection from the service of God, by one of advanced 
 age. I refer to Maacah, the grandmother of Asa. 
 That Maacah was an idolatress when engaged in train- 
 ing her son Abijah, and her grandson Asa, the cha- 
 racter of those princes most emphatically deny. The 
 alternative is, that she, late in life, forsook the worship 
 of the Lord God of Israel and turned to the worship 
 of idols. One cannot suppose that Asa was ignorant 
 of this ; but it is probable that her elevated position — 
 she being queen dowager — and the tender relation in 
 which she stood to him prevented him from interdict- 
 ing it. But now that the great God had given him so 
 signal a victory over his enemies, gratitude compelled 
 him to make any sacrifice in order to maintain His 
 cause. The vengeance, executed on the idol, shews 
 the mental effort Asa was obliged to make to gather 
 resolution to destroy it. He cut it down, stamped it 
 and burned it 
 
 Judah*s peace and prosperity attracted many from 
 the neighbouring kingdom of Israel. To this Baasha, 
 who then ruled over that kingdom, resolved to put an 
 end. Having made extensive preparations he entered 
 that kingdom ; and protected by a large army, builded 
 
J 
 
 Asa. 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 a fortress at Ramah. This he intended should be well 
 garrisoned, and thus be, for the future, an effectual 
 barrier to further losses. 
 
 One cannot reflect on the conduct of the pious Asa 
 on this occasion without pain. Can it be, one is ready V 
 to ask that, he, who, on a previous occasion, exercised 
 such unwavering trust in God, now applied to a hea- 
 then power for aid? Such, however, was the case. 
 This decline in Asa's faith is an instructive lesson on 
 the weakness of human nature, and should teach even 
 those who have the strongest faith to offer the prayer 
 of the Psalmist: r^^^- *'* ""•■ • '•^-' '"■'; -' 
 
 " Hold thon me np and I shall be safe : 
 And I will have respect to thy statutes continually.'* ' * 
 
 Instead of relying on God for help, Asa sent to Ben- 
 hadad, king of Syria, to aid him m resisting the aggres- 
 sions of the wicked king of Israel, with whom it seems 
 Benhadad was then in league. Asa, in order to insure 
 success, sent with his request an immense sum of gold 
 and silver : he too at the same time reminded Benha- 
 dad that he had an hereditary right to his friendship. 
 It is not likely that Benhadad cared for any tr' ; ty, 
 however sacred, into which his aii ostors had enU-.m • 
 but the very large present which he had receive^* aad 
 the knowledge that there were great quantities of the 
 precious r.'iet'Js in the temple at Jerusalem caused him 
 to comply. 1 " therefore, with as little delay as pos- 
 8ible» eAtere I ^h<* kingdom of Israel, and took several 
 
 a 
 
Asa. 
 
 23 
 
 the 
 
 )0S- 
 
 sral 
 
 t . 
 
 important cities. Amon^ these .vere the store cities 
 of Naphtali. The advantages which were thii<« ^ined 
 by Benhadad were only equalled by the loss to Baasha, 
 and had the effect of recalling him from Ramah in or- 
 dor to protect his own kingdom. Asa seeing this, lost 
 :;o d^>ie in undoing that which Baasha had done, at so 
 nrnch pains and expense. 
 
 The strength of the fortifications at Ramah may be 
 inferred from the fact that there was carried thence 
 sufficient stone and timber to build the towns of 
 Geba and Mizpah. 
 
 About this time the prophet Hanani came to Asa 
 and reproved him for his want of trust in God. "L n- 
 like one of his noble ancestors, who when told of his 
 sin immediately humbled himself before God, he be- 
 came angry with the prophet and cast him into prison. 
 Asa does not appear ever to have regained his former 
 status in regard to piety. When quite advanced in 
 age he became diseased in his feet Here again he 
 shewed his lack of trust in Grod. *^ He sought not to 
 the Lord but to the physicians." No doubt it was 
 right for him to seek for medical aid ; but his sin was 
 in trusting to it, instead of relying only on the living 
 
 The name of Asa's mother is not lefb on record. 
 Maacah, his paternal grand-mother, is called his mo- 
 ther. There have been various conjectures relative to 
 this. The mc*3t probable of these conjectures is that 
 his mother, dying in his infancy, he was adopted by 
 
24 
 
 yehoshdphat 
 
 Ua>^MM>lU 
 
 Maacah and known only as her son. Asa reigned 
 forty-one years. But two of the kings of Judah— 
 Uzziah and Manasseh — reigned longer than he. 
 Though guilty of great faults yet he was emphatically 
 a good man. His " heart was perfect with the Lord^ 
 all his days." The Judahits gave Asa an honorable 
 burial. His body was embalmed, and vast quantities 
 of spices burned, the ashes of which were placed 
 around it ; and then laid in the sepulchre he himself 
 had prepared in the city of David. 
 
 ,U 
 
 Q^ng^^r^ 
 
 uy. 
 
 "S 
 
 , \ 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 j^,. ; JEHOSHAPHAT. . 
 
 lEHOSHAPHAT succeeded to the throne of 
 his father nine hundred and fourteen years 
 before Christ. Asa had with his crown be^ 
 queathed to his son the war with Israel ; and the young 
 king was no less careful to preserve the conquests 
 which had been made in that kingdom, than to keep 
 his own in a posture of defence. 
 
 As Jehoshaphat had received religious training, had 
 now arrived at the age of thirty-five, and had, for some 
 years, borne with his father the cares of government, 
 his reign might reasonably be expected to be a pros-" 
 perous one : and it was pre-eminently so. It is worthy 
 of remark that he is the only king who increased in 
 
yekoskapkat. 
 
 25 
 
 FT 
 in 
 
 fci*iMni«i^<i^ 
 
 i> 
 
 piety as he increased in wealth. While he was pros- 
 perous and happy at home, respected and feared by 
 surrounding nations, had *' had riches and honour in 
 abundance— ^his heart was lifted up in the ways of the 
 Lord." He established the first mission on record. 
 The missionaries, sent by him, were sixteen in number, 
 and were all either princes, priests or Levites. They 
 *' had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and 
 went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught 
 the people." 
 
 Jehoshaphat was one of the few kings of Judah 
 whom the neighbouring nations sought to propitiate 
 with presents. Even the warlike Philistines disdained 
 not to pay him a tribute, and the Arabians brought 
 him of their flocks. No reader of the Bible can have 
 failed to notice the vast increase in the army since the 
 secession of the ten tribes. Then Judah could arm but 
 one hundred and eighty thousand men : now one mil- 
 lion one hundred and si^ty thousand. 
 
 The great error of Jehoshaphat*s life seems to have 
 been his joining affinity with Ahab king of Israel by 
 the marriage of his son Jehoram, with the princess 
 Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab. I do not believe that 
 this marriage was contracted to serve political purposes 
 merely ; but chiefly to gratify Jehoram's unbridled de- 
 sires. As to the early history of our race " the sons 
 of Gk)d saw the daughters of men that they were fair ; 
 and they took them wives of all which they chose," so 
 the son of the eminently pious Jehoshaphat suffered 
 
26 
 
 yehoshaphat. 
 
 himself to become enamoured of this beautiful, talented 
 but idolatrous woman. Had Jehoram had the fear of 
 God uppermost in his thoughts he would no more have 
 allowed his affections to be fixed on one who did not 
 Worship Him than he would injure the reputation of 
 his neighbour, or lay hands upon his goods. It is a 
 principle that runs through the whole of the sacred 
 Volume that the God-fearing man is under obligation 
 to seek for a companion for life from among God- 
 fearing women, 
 
 A few years after the unholy alliance between Jeho- 
 ram and Athaliah, Jehoshaphat made Ahab a visit. 
 Ahab had for some time been making preparations to 
 take Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians ; and was in 
 readiness for the expedition when he received the visit 
 from Jehoshaphat with his numerous attendants. Hav- 
 ing been honoured with all due ceremony and about to 
 depart Ahab said to him : " Wilt thou go with me to 
 Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat consented though 
 against his own better judgment. That he had 
 doubts about the propriety of the undertaking is evi- 
 dent frorif his saying : " Inquire I pray thee at the 
 word of the Lord to-day." Four hundred, who pro- 
 fessed to have the spirit of prophecy were readily 
 gathered together, and they as one encouraged the king 
 to go to Ramoth-gilead, and promised him success. 
 Jehoshaphat having no confidence in their predictions 
 asked : " Is there not here a prophet of the Lord be- 
 sides that we may enquire of him." Ahab acknow- 
 
•.*i.Y 
 
 ! I 
 
 yehoshaphat. 
 
 27 
 
 lented 
 tear of 
 e have 
 lid not 
 tion of 
 It is a 
 sacred 
 ligation 
 I God- 
 
 n Jeho- 
 a visit, 
 tions to 
 was in 
 )he visit 
 Hav- 
 ibout to 
 me to 
 though 
 he had 
 is evi- 
 at the 
 pro- 
 readily 
 ihe king 
 success, 
 idictions 
 lOrd be- 
 .cknow- 
 
 ledged that there was another prophet ; " but," said he, 
 " I hate him ; for he never prophesieth good unto me 
 but always evil." This prophet was, however, brought 
 before the two kings, and was at first so intimidated as 
 to unite with the other prophets in encouraging them 
 to go on the proposed expedition ; but when abjured 
 to speak only the truth in the name of the Lord said : 
 " I did see all Isral scattered on the mountains, as 
 sheep that have no shepherd ; and the Lord said these 
 have no master, let them return, therefore every man 
 to his own house in peace." i ■ 4'_ •- . ,. 
 
 It is astonishing that the pious Jehoshaphat would 
 persist in an undertaking which he knew to be counter 
 to the will of God. But one wrong step leads to 
 another, and upright and talented though he was, he, 
 in tliis instance, became the creature of one who in 
 both these respects was his inferior. 
 
 In the engagement which took place at Ramoth- 
 gilead Jehoshaphat, being mistaken for the king of 
 Israel, was soon hemmed in by the Syrians. Like 
 all true children of God he, in his extremity, called on 
 Him and did not call in vain. " The Lord moved 
 them to depart from him. Benhadad had attributed 
 this war to Ahab, not to the king of Judah or to the 
 people of Israel ; and had charged his troops saying : 
 " Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the 
 king of Israel." They, therefore, perceiving their mis- 
 take left Jehoshaphat unharmed ; and he returned in 
 safety to his kingdom. He had hardly reached home 
 
i^i 
 
 28 
 
 yehoshapkat. 
 
 ) 
 
 when He was thus accosted by the prophet Hanani: 
 ^ Shouldst thou help the ungodly, and love them that 
 hate the Lord ? therefore is wrath upon thee from the 
 Lord. Nevertheless there are good things found in 
 thee, in that thou hast taken the groves out of the 
 land and hast prepared thy heart to seek the Lord.*' 
 There is reason to believe that the words of Hanani 
 brought the king to repentance ; for though his repent- 
 ance is not recorded, yet he resumed his former wise 
 administration ; and appears to be more zealous than 
 ever, for the good of his subjects, and the glory of hia 
 Grod. I do not know that there is, in the annals of 
 history, any saying of any sovereign, which manifests 
 greater depth of piety than the following charge given 
 by Jehoshaphat to the judges in his kingdom : ** Take 
 heed what ye do : for ye judge not for man but for the 
 Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Wherefore 
 now let the fear of the Lord be with you : take heed 
 and do it : for there is no iniquity with the Lord our 
 Grod, nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts." When 
 Hanani reproved Jehoshaphat for helping the ungodly 
 and loving them that hated the Lord, he did not refer 
 solely to aid given to Ahab, but also to his having 
 joined his interest with Ahaziah — who reigned con- 
 jointly with his father — ^in ship-building. The ships 
 were wrecked, and this probably had much effect in 
 working repentance in the mind of Jehoshaphat. Even 
 good men seldom feel the enormity of any sin till for it 
 they are made to suffer. 
 
yehoshaphat. 
 
 2^ 
 
 We once more find the king of Judah in league with 
 the king of Israel. Ahaziah, who died without issue» 
 was succeeded by his brother Jehoram, and as he was a 
 better man than his father, or elder brother, one feels 
 less surprise in finding the two kings together. They, 
 with the king of Edom, went on an expedition against 
 the king of Moab. Their march seems to have been 
 ill planned ; for they would have died of thirst had not 
 water been supplied to them by a miracle. When re- 
 duced to great extremity the king of Israel yielded 
 himself to despair ; but the king of Judah, with 
 characteristic piety, asks if there is not some prophet 
 to whom they can go for direction. Having learned 
 where Elisha could be consulted, they present them- 
 selves before him. The prophet, not at all flattered by 
 a visit from the three crowned heads, told them that it 
 was only out of respect to the piety of the king of 
 Judah, that he consented for them to enquire of the 
 Lord. He called for a minstrel, and as his mind is 
 soothed by the sweet strains of music, he becomes the 
 subject of divine afflatus. One can almost see the 
 majestic form of the prophet, who had just reached 
 manhood's prime, as he stands in his robe of camel's 
 hair, fastened with a leathern girdle, his head closely 
 shaven, which is in strange contrast with his flowing 
 beard. And one almost hears the deep tones of his 
 voice as he says : " Make,, this valley fiill of ditches. 
 For thus saith the Lord. Ye shall not see wind, 
 neither shall ye see rain ; yet that valley shall be filled 
 
30 
 
 Jehoshaphat. 
 
 with water, that ye may drmk, both ye, and your cattle 
 and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the 
 sight of the Lord : he will deliver the Moabites also 
 into your hand." 
 
 The v^ley, as the prophet had commanded, was 
 made ftdl of ditches, and the Lord caused them to be 
 filled with water. This the Moabites saw, as it was 
 reddened by the reflected rays of the sun ; " and they 
 said : " This is blood, the kings are surely slain, and 
 they have smitten one another : now, therefore, Moab 
 to the spoil." They were probably led to this con- 
 clusion from their knowledge of the fact that there 
 were no streams of water in that part of the country. 
 Being thus deceived they threw down their arms, and 
 ran heedlessly on, eager only to possess the wealth of 
 their enemies. What was their dismay when they 
 found those whom they supposed slain, set in battle ar- 
 ray, and ready to receive them ! A horrible carnage en- 
 sued. The Moabites appear to have thought that if 
 they could gain access to the Edomites they might be 
 induced to join them in opposing the forces of Judah 
 and Israel. To this end the king of Moab, with seven 
 hundred chosen warriors, made a desperate sally, but 
 without avail. He then took his eldest son, the heir 
 apparent to the throne, and offered him in sacrifice to 
 his god. But the Moabites, seeing that no advantage 
 had been gained by this shocking act, fled in the 
 greatest disorder. • ^ 
 
 There was still another war in which Jehoshaphat 
 
 \ 
 
Jehoshaphai. 
 
 31 
 
 was engaged. The Moabites and the Ammonites with 
 their allies were the aggressors. Their motive is not 
 apparent. It may be that Moab wished to avenge 
 herself for her late losses, and that Edom hoped to be- 
 come independent. The Ammonites were naturally 
 the allies of the Moabites ; and we lack proof that 
 either of these three nations ever had any true 
 friendship either for Judah or Israel. In no inci- 
 dent, connected with the life of Jehoshaphat, is the 
 high tone of his piety more conspicuous than on this 
 occasion. When he learned that these peoples had 
 come against him " he set himself to seek the Lord, 
 and proclaimed a fast througliout all Judah." This 
 call seems to have been heartily responded to. The 
 prayer of Jehoshaphat on this occasion is one of the 
 most beautiful left on record. He refers to the rela- 
 tion in which they stood to God : — " God of our 
 fathers" — to his sovereignty — " art' thou not God in 
 heaven ? and rulest thou not over the kingdoms of the 
 heathen" ? — to his almightiness" — in thy hands is there 
 not power and might, so that none is able to with- 
 stand thee"? — to his former loving-kindness" — our 
 God who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land 
 before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of 
 Abraham thy friend for ever" — to his covenant to 
 aid — " when we stand before this house and in thy 
 presence" — to the justice of their cause, and finally to 
 their utter helplessness and their hope in God — ^" we 
 have no might agamst tliis great company, that cometh 
 
t I 
 
 I H 
 
 a 
 
 yehoshaphat 
 
 against us ; neither know we what to do : but our eyes 
 are upon thee." While Jehoshaphat and the as- 
 sembled families of Judah were still in the posture of 
 worship, the spirit of the Lord came upon one of the 
 Levites present, who told them that they need not 
 fear ; for God would fight for them, and that they 
 were only to stand still and see his salvation. On 
 hearing this the king reverently "bowed his head, 
 with his face to the ground ; and all Judah and all the 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord worship- 
 ping the Lord." Li obedience to God's command they 
 arose early the next morning and went out to meet the 
 enemy. On their way the king gave the order to halt, 
 and exclaimed : " Believe in the Lord your God, so 
 shall ye be established ; believe his prophets so shall 
 ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the . 
 people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, that they 
 should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out 
 before the army, and to say praise the Lord for his 
 mercy endureth forever." As the prophet had foretold 
 the Judahites were not required to strike a single blow. 
 The Lord, who has sovereign control over the affections 
 and wills, as well as the bodies of his creatures, caused 
 the Ammonites and the Moabites to rise up against the 
 Edomites and slay them ; and then to slay each other ; 
 " And when Judah came to the watch-tower in the 
 wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and behold, 
 they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none 
 escaped," The foe being thus destroyea they began 
 
yehoshaphat. 
 
 at once to remove the gold and precious jewels from off 
 their corpses. This occupied three days, and the spoil 
 was more than they could carry away. They then 
 assembled in a valley, thence called Barachah, collec- 
 tively to thank the Lord for this great deliverance : 
 after which they returned to Jerusalem with the king 
 at their head ; and as they marched, praised the Lord 
 with psaltery, harp and trumpet. 
 
 This victory was attended by more important ad- 
 vantages than the increase of wealth ; for " the fear of 
 God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when 
 they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of 
 Israel." 
 
 It seems probable that Jehoshaphat lived only about 
 five years after this remarkable victory. He was sixty 
 years old at the time of his death. His reign had been 
 a very prosperous one, and he undoubtedly enjoyed a 
 larger share of happiness than generally falls to the lot 
 of crowned heads. In all his ways he acknowleged 
 God; and He directed his paths. He, like all his 
 predecessors on the throne of Judah, was buried in the 
 city of David. 
 
 There are few persons, with whose history we are 
 acquainted, who are more faultless than Jehoshaphat : 
 his sins having their origin in the kindness of hia 
 nature, or perhaps parental fondness. Eli was inex- 
 cusable for passing over the heinous sins of his sons 
 with the mild rebuke : " Nay, my sons ; for it is no 
 good report that I hear : ye make the Lord's people to 
 
r^ 
 
 34 
 
 Jchoram or yoram. 
 
 transgress." David, doubtless, erred egregiously in 
 allowing Adonijuh to grow to yoars of manhood un- 
 restrained, without even the implied reproof: "Why 
 hast thou done so." And if Jehoshaphat joined affinity 
 with Ahab in compliance with the vishes of his son, ho 
 too sinned ; but his sin belonged to that class to which 
 good men are most prone. The natural tendency of 
 true religion is to refine the feelings and to make one 
 averse to give pain, either mental or bodily ; and to 
 put the best construction on the conduct of othety. 
 There consequently may be danger that the pions 
 
 father be too indulsent. 
 
 -@7^.3:7^^ 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 JEHORAM OR JORAM. 
 
 IE HOE AM succeeded to the throne of his 
 ^^U father at the age of thirty-two, eight hundred 
 ^^1 and ninety-two years before Christ. As his 
 father was an enimently pious man and he had on 
 different occasions been associated with him in the 
 government of the kingdom, it might reasonably be 
 expected that he would be a good man and a good 
 king. But it was far otherwise. The very first act 
 recorded of him after his father's death but too plainly 
 shewed his great depravity. I refer to his murdering 
 his brothers. Jehoshaphat had, during his lifetime 
 
yehoram or yoratn. 
 
 35 
 
 wisely made provision for all his sons ; and there is no 
 proof that they attempted or even wished to dethrone 
 their elder brother. Jehoram had for some years 
 been united in marriage to the talented, but most un- 
 scrupulous Athaliah; and as her subsecjuent history 
 shews that she Was quite capable of designing so 
 tragical a scene, it is probable that it Was at her sug- 
 gestion that the horrible crime was committed* If one 
 seeks for the motive by which she could have been 
 actuated there seems to be none more likely than 
 avarice* She may have coveted the gold, silver and 
 fortified cities assigned them. This hateful fratricide 
 so seared the conscience of Jehoram that he proceeded 
 to other acts of cruelty and blood without compunctioni 
 Finding that there wore several persons connected with 
 the family into which he had married that were dis- 
 pleasing to his wife, he seems jUst quietly to have 
 hinted to some of the tools of his injustice to put them 
 out of the way. During this reign the Edomites 
 revolted " and made a king over themselves." Jehoram^ 
 being resolved not to permit his authority to be thus 
 ignored, " went over to Zair and all his chariots with 
 him." But he found himself surrounded by his foes. 
 He was in a similar condition to that in which his 
 grandfather was placed when he fought against 
 Jeroboam and gained a complete victory. But Jehoram 
 had not like Asa the aid of Omnipotence : he had for- 
 saken the Lord and so was shorn of his strength. 
 Perhaps he, in his extremity, did the best that mere 
 
rr 
 
 36 
 
 yehorani of yoram. 
 
 human prudence CoUld suggest. Having learned wherfi 
 the enemy Were least able to make resistance, he arosd 
 in the night, While they were in a profound sleep, and 
 cut his way through them and returned to his own 
 kingdom. The Edomites did not pursue them, for all 
 they desired was to be let alone. " So,** says the 
 historian, " the lidomitefi revolted from under the hand 
 of Judah unto this day.** . 
 
 About this time Jehoram received a document which 
 had been written by illijah who had been translated 
 during the former reign. The great God, before whom 
 all things, present, past, and future are equally plain^ 
 foreseeing the character of this prince inspired this 
 noted prophet to Write a suitable Warning for him^ 
 took care for its preservation, and so ordered that it 
 Was placed in his hand at the proper time« In this 
 document he Was told that on accoilnt of his sins, the 
 Lord would smite his people and his children and his 
 wives ; and that he should die of a most loathsome and 
 painful disease. This solemn Warning was altogether 
 disregarded } and from that time Commenced a series of 
 calamities which terminated only with his life. During 
 the late reign the Philistines and Arabians brought a 
 tribute to the king t now not Content with withhblding 
 that tribute, " they came up into Judah, and brake into 
 it, and carried away all the substance that was found 
 in the kingfe house and his sons also and his wives ; so 
 that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz the 
 youngest of his ddns. And after all thid the Lord 
 
 . i. 
 
1 1 
 
 Ahaziaky Assariah or yehoahas, 
 
 » 
 
 wher6 
 3 arosd 
 3p, and 
 is own 
 for all 
 ys the 
 le hand 
 
 t, which 
 nslated 
 3 whom 
 f plain^ 
 ed this 
 )r him^ 
 that it 
 In this 
 ns, the 
 and his 
 me and 
 )gether 
 eries of 
 During 
 ught a 
 iblding 
 e into 
 found 
 res ; so 
 laz the 
 Lord 
 
 smote him in his bowels with an incurable diseasci 
 And it cani' to pass that in process of time, after the 
 end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his 
 sickness ; so he died of sore diseases. And his people 
 made no burning for him, like the burning of his 
 fathers. He departed without being desired : howbeit 
 they buried him in the city of David, but not in the 
 sepulchre of the kings*" 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AHAZIAH, AZARIAH, OR JEHOAHAZ, 
 
 I 
 
 [H A 2 1 A H came to the throne eight hundred 
 and eighty-five years before Christ, at the 
 age of twenty-two. The circumstances by 
 which he was surrounded were most unfavorable* The 
 kingdom had been drained of its treasures ; its tributa* 
 ries had become independent; its army greatly re- 
 duced ; his father remembered but to be despised ; his 
 mother the most depraved of women ; and all his bro- 
 thers either slain or in a state of captivity. When one 
 adds to these considerations that he held the sceptre 
 but one year, little could be expected of him, even had 
 he been a man of independent thought and action* 
 Such, however, does not appear to have been his cha- 
 racter. His was one of those plastie natures which 
 readily take the impress of those about !iim, whethef 
 
,\ 
 
 Ahaziahf Azariah or yehoakas. 
 
 good or evil. It is observable that as often as hid 
 wickedness is spoken ofj there is a reference to his 
 surroundings. We are reminded that he had wicked 
 counsellers, or that he Was connected with a wicked 
 family. Though noted for his impiety, he was what 
 is generally termed a kind-hearted man« This is 
 shown both by his visiting the invalid king of Israel 
 and by his retaining the children of liis deceased or 
 captive brothers as members of his household. 
 
 The only warlike expedition in which this king Was 
 engaged was that in which he and the king of Israel 
 endeavoured to retake Ramoth-gilead from Syriai 
 There the king of Israel was so severely injured that 
 he was obliged to return to Jezreel in order to be 
 healed. During his illness Ahaziah visited him, and 
 himself received a wound which ultimately occasioned 
 his death. There is some difficulty in forming a cor- 
 i'ect judgment of the statements of the historian. The 
 circumstances seem to be as follows: He went out 
 with the king of Israel to meet a company of armed 
 men. Finding that the army of his friend and ally 
 Was in a state of insurrection he fled. In his flight he 
 received a wound from Jehu, (the newly anointed king 
 of Israel) or some of his attendants. The wound does 
 not appear to have been severe, for he eluded his pur- 
 suers and hid himself in Samaria. Perceiving that the 
 place of his retreat was discovered, he again fled. Hav- 
 ing gone as far as Megiddo, some eighteen miles, he 
 Was unable to proceed further. There the wound, 
 
Ahaziahy Azariah or yehoahaz. 
 
 39 
 
 together with fatigue and anxiety, soon terminated his 
 life. There appears to have been some controversy 
 among his attendants as to whether he should be 
 buried at Megiddo or carried back to Jerusalem and 
 buried in the city of David. The latter proposition 
 was concluded on, partly out of respect for the piety of 
 his late grandfather, and partly because he, young as 
 he was, had there prepared for himself a sepulchre. 
 Ahaziah is the first king of Judah, whose death was 
 occasioned by violence. 
 
 The downward course of this family is an impressive 
 lesson on the evil of ungodly marriages. The calami- 
 ties which at this time befell it being traceable to such 
 an alliance. Had Jehoram not married Athaliah he 
 would not have had as strong temptations to evil, nor 
 would have left to his son the sad inheritance of evil 
 counsellers; and had not Ahaziah been under the 
 influence of evil counsellors he had not brought his 
 kingdom to the brink of ruin, nor, but for a seeming 
 accident, occasioned the total extinction of the royal 
 line of David, 
 
 •WJ' 
 
 ©^"©S^^Qw 
 
 "JnV 
 
40 
 
 Athaliak. 
 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ATHALIAH. 
 
 ;HIS is a very dark chapter in tlie history of 
 Judah. One of the worst women that ever 
 lived now sat on the throne. In few instances 
 is the truth of the proverb : " As is the mother so is 
 the daughter '* illustrated more clearly than in the cha- 
 racters of Jezebel and Athaliah. They both possessed 
 the intellect of man, and almost infernal wickedness 
 united to their womanly tact. The great God created 
 woman that she might be a helpmeet for man. Alas I 
 neither men nor women are what they were when they 
 came from the hands of the Creator ; yet woman has 
 ever been far more frequently the restrainer than the 
 prompter of evil in the other sex. It cannot be denied, 
 however, that there are melancholy exceptions to this 
 rule. Athaliah was one of these exceptions. Indeed, 
 she is the only woman in the Scriptures of whom it is 
 said that " she was her son's counsellor to do wickedly." 
 To me it seems absurd to claim for woman intellectual 
 equality with man ; that she is greatly his inferior in 
 physical strength is too apparent to need assertion; 
 but morally and spiritually she is his equal ; and as far 
 as her emotional nature merely is concerned his supe- 
 rior. But Athaliah seems to have had no tender 
 feelings. No further proof of the truth of this state- 
 ment is needed than the fact that as soon as she " saw 
 
 I 
 
Athaliah, 
 
 41 
 
 I 
 
 that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the 
 seed royal of the house of Judah." To these unnatural 
 murders she was evidently incited by ambition. Though 
 no woman had ever worn the crown of Judah, she on 
 the death of her son at once conceived the plan of 
 usurping the government of the nation herself. Her 
 influence in the kingdom must have been great, for she 
 seems to have found no difficulty in fhnling those who 
 were willing to assassinate the late king's children and 
 proclaim her queen. It is worthy of remark that 
 though she was at the head of the nation six years, of 
 her conduct in that position the Scriptures contain no 
 record. It is my opinion that Joel prophesied during 
 this reign. If this opinion be correct, the land was at 
 this time visited by vast swarms of locusts. How 
 graphic the description of the devastation thus caused : 
 
 " He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree; 
 He hath made it clean bare, and cast it away ; 
 The branches thereof are made white." 
 
 And then, as if the soul of the prophet was pained 
 witness the sufferings which man's 
 upon the lower animals, he exclaims : 
 
 to witness the sufferings which man's sin had brought 
 
 a 
 
 saw 
 
 " How do the beasts groan ! 
 The herbs of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture, 
 Yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate." 
 
 Was it not that they were suffering from famine and 
 its sad concomitants, — that the line of David had (as 
 they thought) become extinct, and a woman ruled over 
 
42 
 
 Athaliah. 
 
 ;i 
 
 them, which brought them to reflect on their trans- 
 gressions against God ? 
 
 While Athaliah supposed herself without a rival, 
 there was a little Prince, in one of the rooms belong- 
 ing to the temple, tenderly watched over by a pious 
 uncle and aunt. This prinee was Joash, the infant 
 son of the late king. When Athaliah slew all the seed 
 royal of the house of Judah, Jehoshabeath, the half 
 sister of Ahaziah, secretly carried him and his nurse 
 away, and concealed them in tlie house of the Lord. 
 There they lived in the greatest privacy six years. 
 Jehoshabeath and her excellent husband, who was a 
 priest by the name of Jehoiada, doubtless watched over 
 the health and comfort of the royal infant with the 
 greatest care, and as his mind developed instructed him 
 in the law of God. 
 
 The reader may think it incredible that a child 
 could be nursed in the temple, as in it the priests only 
 were permitted to enter. I would reply that the tem- 
 ple proper, that is the holy place, and the most holy, 
 were entered only by the priests : the holy place daily, 
 the most holy on one day in a year. The temple 
 being not a place in which men met to worship God, 
 but a place in which God himself dwelt by his mani- 
 fested presence. The name temple, however, was 
 given to all the apartments, courts or inclosures con- 
 nected with it ; so that the whole space which was so 
 called was about a half mile in circumference. As 
 into the interior court none but the priests were per- 
 
f':, i'- ' 
 
 Athaliah. 
 
 4i 
 
 mitted to enter, and there were several rooms connec- 
 ted with this court, for their use, if they could be 
 induced to favoiir the concealment of the prince, there 
 fcould be no difficulty in keeping his very existence a 
 secret. ^ ^.^ ^ -> .^^ ,, ,-, ■.-,.;-<. ..-..u 
 
 While Joash was most carefully concealed, Jehoiada 
 embraced every opportunity of ascertaining the feeling 
 of the nation, both towards the supposed extinct 
 family and the usurper who then filled the throne. 
 When he saw, at the end of six years, that the yoke, 
 which Athaliah had lain on the neck of the Judahites, 
 was too heavy longer to be endured, and that they 
 were ripe for a revolution, he gathered together the 
 chief men in the kingdom and caused them to enter 
 into a covenant to serve the Lord, and to return to 
 their allegiance to the house of David, if it should be 
 proven that any of that house still survived. When 
 this covenant had been solemnly ratified he, to their 
 surprise and delight, shewed them the latt king's son. 
 They proceeded without delay to prepare for i he young 
 prince's coronation. Tlieir measures were so well 
 advised, and so heartily did the people acquiesce in 
 the arrangements, that the ceremony was undisturbed ; 
 and the usurper was ignorant of what was being trans- 
 acted till she heard the clapping of hands, together 
 with the shout : " God save the king." Athaliah at 
 once went to the temple. Ah ! who can conceive of 
 her astonishment and dismay when she saw one v/hom 
 she supposed to be dead arrayed in royal vestments, 
 
44 
 
 Athaliah. 
 
 the crown upon his head, and guarded by those whom 
 she deemed among her adherents. She rent her 
 clothes and cried, " Treason, treason." Jehoida, who 
 had been the instrument in bringing about this revolu- 
 tion, appears not to have been quite certain but that 
 there might be some who would still befriend her ; for 
 when he gave the command : " Have her forth without 
 the ranges," he added, " And him that foUoweth her 
 kill with the sword." It does not appear that even 
 one attempted to aid her, or in any way shewed him- 
 self her friend. She was slain while endeavouring to 
 make her escape. There is no proof that she received 
 burial. It may be that like her wretched mother's her 
 mangled body was eaten by dogs. Thus perished the 
 last relic of the house of Ahab. We lack data from 
 which to learn the age of Athaliah at the time of her 
 death. As she had been for some time a grandmother, 
 she could not have been very young ; and as her mother 
 died but a few years before, and then died of violence, 
 it is improbable that she was far advanced in age. 
 
 ' ( tiiii 
 
I < 
 
 yoash or Jehoash, 
 
 45 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 „ JOASH OR JEHOASH. ^ 
 
 jOASH, or Jehoash, was proclaimed king at the 
 early age of seven, eight hundred and seventy- 
 eight years V efore Christ. He reigned forty 
 years. None of the kings of Judah succeeded to the 
 throne so early in life, and but three reigned a greater 
 length of time. During his minority Jehoiada, the 
 priest, was virtually king ; indeed, he exercised a very 
 powerful influence over him during his whole lifetime. 
 The first care of Jehoiada was to induce the people to 
 return to the worship of the true Grod. For this pur- 
 pose he " made a covenant between Him and between 
 all the people and between the king, that they should 
 be the Lord's people." This done, they resorted to the 
 house of Baal, which they destroyed, with its altars 
 and images. They also slew the priest who was in 
 attendance on the altar. > . 
 
 The first act of this reign which can be said to be 
 the king's was the repairing of the temple. On the 
 erection of the tabernacle God commanded that a 
 poll tax ol a half shekel (about thirty cents) should be 
 levied on all male Israelites above the age of twenty. 
 This was to be a fund for the current expenses of that 
 edifice, and afterwards of the temple. When Joash 
 called the priests and Levites and commanded them to 
 go into the cities of Judah and collect money for th9 
 
• K 
 
 Joash or Jehoash. 
 
 repairs of the temple, it was this tax to which he had 
 reference. The execution of this command was de- 
 ferred till the three-and-twentieth year of his reign. 
 As the king had expressed a desire that the matter 
 should receive prompt attention, and as Jehoiada was 
 a truly pious man, entirely devoted to his interest, there 
 must have been a sufficient reason for the delay. May 
 it not be that the good priest feared that the collection 
 of this impost would render the king unpopular, and 
 make the people averse to the costly services of the 
 temple ? Is it not questionable whether such policy 
 can b6 justified? When Jehoiada was called to ac- 
 count for his seeming negligence, he persuaded the 
 king that for the present it was not best to enforce the 
 payment of the tax, and he accordingly had recourse 
 to the voluntary principle. By the king's command 
 Jehoiada r.aused a chest to be made, and placed at the 
 gate of the house of the Lord. This chest was closed, 
 and had an aperture in the lid of just the dimensions re- 
 quired to allow the money to pass through. The plan 
 worked well, for the people were rejoiced to have this 
 opportunity to shew their attachment to the service of 
 God. The chest was again and again filled, till there 
 was even more than was needed for the repairs of the 
 
 temple. ' "' -""^ :■/<:..-.:,.;,,_:■•. ..i ..',.- J;. .,, l,-.,v....i^ 
 
 The king appears to have conducted wisely, and the 
 nation to have enjoyed prosperity during the Jifetime 
 of Jehoiada. And his life was a very long one — a 
 hundred and thirty years. Then, as now, few lived 
 
yoash or yehoash. 
 
 47 
 
 more than three score ai.u ten years ; and it was a spe- 
 cial favour to Judah that the life of this good man tvas 
 prolonged for so great a period* It is probable that 
 the leading men in the kingdom were never hearty in 
 the reformation effeded by Jehoitida, for after his 
 death they went to the king and induced him to leave 
 the worship of the true God for that of idols. The 
 Lord did not suffer the people to relapse into idolatry 
 tinreproved, but sent his prophets to exhort them 
 steadfastly to adhere to his worship. Among these 
 prophets was Zechariah, to whose mother the king was 
 indebted for the preservation of his life, and to whose 
 father he owed his crown. On one occasion, when the 
 people were assembled in the temple courts, the Spirit 
 of the Lord came upon Zechariah, and he told them 
 that as they had forsaken the Lord they could not 
 prosper. The scene which followed is an indelible 
 stain on the character of Joash, for, notwithstanding 
 his deep indebtedness to both Zechariah^s parents, the 
 sacredness of the place, and the fact that he was under 
 oath to serve the Lord, he commanded that the pro- 
 phet should be stoned. Zechariah looked with calm- 
 ness on the infuriated people, and asking not for mercy 
 or even justice from his earthly king, he appealed to 
 the King of Heaven to avenge his cause : " The Lord,'* 
 said he, " look upon it and require it." -^ ^ ,?"; 
 
 The remainder of this reign was most imfortunate. 
 About a twelvemonth after the martyrdom of Zecha- 
 riah an army of Syrians came against the Judahites^ 
 
■ ^ 
 
 t > 
 
 48 
 
 yoash dr yehoash. 
 
 ■■^•M^^AAiMAaflA 
 
 killed many of the princes and great men among 
 them, and carried off their wealth. The king remained 
 fiupine till some of his cities were taken. This aroused 
 him, and he sent all the strength of his kingdom 
 against them ; and as the invading army was small, he 
 felt certain of success. But it might be said of Joash^ 
 as was said of Samson, that he knew not that the Lord 
 had departed from him ; and, so far from this army 
 being the victors, they Were cut to pieces by the 
 Syrians. There being no longer an army to oppose, 
 they marched towards Jerusalem, killing the inhabi- 
 tants and enriching themselves with their goods* In this 
 dilemma '^ Joash, king of Judah, took all the hallowed 
 things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, 
 his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own 
 hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in 
 the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the 
 king's house, and sent it to Hazael, king of Syria." 
 As is common in such cases the period of peace wa& 
 too dearly bought. The Syrians returned at the end 
 of the year, and Joash, being now too poor to purchase 
 another peace, was obliged to fight. The battle was 
 lost, and Judah for the time completely ruined. 
 
 The Syrians left Joash " in great diseases." It is 
 probable that the loss of his army, the loss of his trea- 
 sures, the reproaches of his subjects, and the remorse 
 of his own conscience, so preyed oil his mind as tc 
 destroy his health. It may be that pain of body, and 
 anguish of mind rendered him irascible beyond endu>* 
 
 
yoash or yekoash. 
 
 49 
 
 ranee. He was assassinated by two of his servants. 
 As they do not appear to have made any effort to leave 
 the kingdom, nor to have aspired to the crown, it is 
 probable that they but carried out the known wishes 
 of the people. He was the first king of Judah who 
 was assassinated. So abhorred was he that he was 
 denied burial '^ in the sepulchres of the kings.** Though 
 this honour was not allowed him, it was conferred on 
 Jehoiada, through whose efforts he had been made 
 king. Jehoiada was the only person laid there whose 
 head had never worn a crown. He was there interred 
 ^ because he had done good in Israel, both toward Grod 
 And tow .\rd his house. n: 
 
 Joash died at the age of forty-seven. His sins 
 seem to have been altogether without excuse. From 
 childhood he had been instructed in the law of the 
 Lord ; and during the greater part of his reign he had 
 the counsel of the good, disinterested, self-sacrificing 
 Jehoiada. The repairing of the house of the Lord is 
 the only act recorded of him which is worthy of praise. 
 Though he adhered to the worship of the true Gk)d 
 while sustained by the counsel and influence of 
 Jehoiada ; yet when that priest died he was easily 
 persuaded to worship idols. 
 
i. .1 J -lai jiij 
 
 10 
 
 Amaziah. 
 
 r.....i.,, CHAPTER IX. 
 
 AMAZIAH. ' 
 
 ' ( 
 
 
 fi jf .t' ;.'')*t'» wfi (>; 
 
 {MAZIAH succeeded to the throne of his father 
 at the age of twenty-^ve, eight hundred and 
 ^^^ thirty years before Christ. His mother's 
 name was Jehoaddan. She was a Jewess. Amaziahy 
 when compared with some others, may be called a 
 good kmg. Indeed, his conduct appears to have been 
 -for some time irreproachable. " He did that which 
 was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David 
 his father : he did according to all things, as Joash, his 
 fether, did." By those who are acquainted with the 
 two kings referred to, this short sentence may be con" 
 sidered a pretty full biography. David was guilty of 
 grave faults, yet " his heart was perfect with the Lord 
 his God." Joash was never really whole-hearted in 
 the service of the Lord." " He did that which was 
 right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect 
 heart." .•,.?. -t-.^ „,■..,... , , i. . •u..,, .' j,,,,, ,. 
 
 Amaziah felt himself bound by honour to avenge his 
 father's death, and his first act as a king was to slay 
 the murderers. In accordance with the law of the 
 Lord the children were not punished for their father's 
 crime. This incidental reference to the Pentateuch is 
 one of the many proofs of its genuineness. 
 
 The reader of course renaembers that a little before 
 the death of Joash his kingdom was invaded by the 
 
Amaziak, 
 
 51 
 
 Syrians, by whom his army was almost annihilated. 
 Accordingly Amaziah, early in his reign, set about 
 organizing another army. Ho was the more earnest 
 in this work as he was threatened with an invasion of 
 the people of Seir. He found he had but three hun- 
 dred thousand men fit for war. This he considered 
 too small a number successfully to oppose the invaders. 
 Ho therefore hired a hundred thousand men of Israel, 
 for whom he paid a hundred talents of silver, a sum 
 about equal to a hundred and sixty thousand dollars. 
 This is a large sum in itself considered, but the more 
 especially so, as the kingdom of Judah was at this time 
 exceedingly poor. ' " ■ i.'-k> ct, .,♦.»«. 
 
 "When Amaziah was about to march against the 
 Edomites he was told by a prophet that the Israelites 
 ought not to go with him, because the Lord was lot 
 with them. The ' Kjrt with which the hundred talents 
 had been raised !nay be conjectured from the impor- 
 tance attache(\ to it. On hearing the words of the 
 prophet : " What," cried the needy monarch, " shall I 
 do for the hundred talents which I have given to the 
 army of Israel?" His anxiety was, however, soon 
 allayed by the answer of the prophet : The Lord is 
 able to give thee much more than this." The Israelitsh 
 soldiers were dismissed. They were extremely un- 
 willing to return, though they retained their wages as 
 if they had endured the campaign. - '' '/ - : 
 
 Amaziah now marched his army a distance of some 
 fifty miles, to the valley of salt, where he gained a 
 
J !di 
 
 ;h. 
 
 Amaziak. 
 
 decisive victory over the men of Seir. He slew ten 
 thousand men, and took another ten thousand prisoners, 
 whom, according to the barbarous custom of many 
 ancient nations, he dashed to pieces by throwing them 
 firom a precipice, .si; , -.;?:■.,•-*.:;•» ..rv ^";..'s,;. ":: . ^'a,: :.<■; \.^y 
 r ^ While the Judahites were pursuing their victorious 
 career, their unprotected £Eunilies were suffering from 
 the depredations of the Israelites. The hundred thou- 
 sand men whom Amaziah had dismissed, instead of 
 returning to their own land, entered his kingdom, killed 
 many of the inhabitants, and carried off their goods. 
 On the hearing of this, Amaziah returned, and the 
 marauders consequently fled. The king of Judah de- 
 manded reparation for the lives and property of his 
 subjects ; and this being refused he declared war against 
 Israel. The reply of Joash on hearing this declaration, 
 was a very haughty one, but it had been well for Judah 
 had the taunt been meekly borne. ; . m 
 
 There is little doubt but that Amaziah would have 
 been victorious over Israel, as he had been over Edom, 
 iiad he steadfastly adhered to the worship of the true 
 God ; but instead c^ doing so, " he brought the goda 
 of the children of heir and set them up to be his gods, 
 and bowed down himself before them, and burned 
 incense unto them." The great God condescended to 
 expostulate with him by the mouth of one of his 
 prophets ; but Amaziah refused to listen to the mes- 
 sage. It was to punish him for these sins that he was 
 delivered into the hands of the king of Israel. In the 
 
I I 
 
 Amasiak. - 
 
 Si 
 
 battle which was fought between the two nations, 
 *^ Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they 
 fled every man to his tent.'' The engagement took 
 place at Bethnshemesh, a town nearly west from Jeru- 
 salem, at a distance of about fifteen miles. Here the 
 poor king was taken prisoner and carrieu to his own 
 capital, where he was probably obligoa to witness the 
 demolition of its walls for a distance of some six 
 hundred feet. The Judahites ransomed their king, for 
 the payment of which they gave some of their chief 
 men as hostages. r r >..-.... v,^.. 
 
 Amaziah does not appear to have profited by the 
 calamities through which he passed. Indeed his con- 
 duct soon became unbearable. His subjects conspired 
 against him, and he, remembering the tragical end of 
 his father, fied from Jerusalem, and took refuge in 
 Lachish. But hither he was pursued by his exasperated 
 subjects and slain. His corpse was, however, carried 
 back to Jerusalem and buried in the city of David* 
 
 ( ; 1 ■/ 
 
 ! !, i 1 ■ 
 
 
>W 11 
 
 I I 
 
 
 ,.( 
 
 54 
 
 Uzziah or Azariah, 
 
 s*.t):<mvi^ <"V/i 
 
 ;\\ 
 
 ;S,/ 
 
 ll;; '•4ji*i:^ 
 
 !i? 
 
 ■U 't; ., !;WU jJi It 
 
 ^■wtfM.i i.>.v5. CHAPTER X. 
 
 UZZIAH OR AZARIAH. ; ' ' 
 fZZIAH succeeded to the throne of his father 
 
 eight hundred and ten years before Christ, at 
 the age of sixteen. ; ,, ,a ;,. i.„ ? ..:^„ . 
 
 ;One cannot fail to be struck with the fidelity of the 
 Judahites to the house of David. Though the grand- 
 father and father of Uzziah had become exceedingly 
 unpopular — so unpopular that they were assassinated — 
 they lost no time in proclaiming the young Uzziah 
 king. It is not improbable that on hearing of the 
 murder of his father he went to some retired place, 
 solicitous only for his own safety. The phraseology 
 of the historian is somewhat peculiar. "The people of 
 
 Judah ^Hooh Uzziah and made him king." 
 
 He reigned fifty-two years, his being, with the excep- 
 tion of that of Manasseh, the longest reign in the 
 history of Judah. Isaiah, Hosea and Amos began to 
 prophesy in this reign. In this and in all similar 
 instances the prophecies should be read in connection 
 with the history, they mutually throwing light on each 
 other. 
 
 Uzziah*s mother's name was Jecoliah : she belonged 
 to Jerusalem. She probably early instructed her son 
 in the duties of religion, and to that instruction, no 
 less than to the influence exercised over him by 
 
Uzziah or Azariak. 
 
 55 
 
 Zechariah, is his long period of prosperity to be 
 attributed. 
 
 Early in this reign the town of Eloth was rebuilt. 
 It was situated on the Red Sea, and formerly belonged 
 to the Edomites. It was taken by Solomon, but by 
 succeeding kings had been suffered to go to decay. Its 
 situation rendered it a place of considerable import- 
 ance. The Edomites, to whom reference has been 
 made, were the descendants of Abraham ; but Esau, 
 from whom they took their name, though descended 
 of pious parents, was a very wicked man. He sold 
 his birthright, with all its high spiritual privileges, for 
 the ' gratification of his appetite. He also married 
 two Uanaanitish women, and soon relapsed into idola- 
 try. As we meet with this people, sometimes tributary 
 to the descendants of Jacob, sometimes independent, 
 we are reminded of the prophetic words of Isaac : 
 thou " shalt serve thy brother ; and it shall come to 
 pass w!lien thou shalt have the dominion, that thou 
 shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." , , , 
 
 Uzziah's next work, after building Eloth, was to 
 humble his hereditary enemies, the Philistines. For 
 this purpose he demolished several of their cities, and 
 builded others for himself in their territory. These 
 he doubtless strongly garrisoned. He also gained 
 important advantages over the Arabians who dwelled 
 at Gur-baal and the Mehunims, who probably inhabited 
 Arabia Deserta. 
 
 During the reigfiof Amaziah a considerable portion 
 
I 
 
 •ff«!^^«WW* 
 
 m^mn^i^ffm^mm 
 
 :!■ 1 
 
 i < 
 
 «<5 
 
 Dzzia/t or Asanah. 
 
 of the wall around Jerusalem was destroyed. This 
 Uzziah re-built and greatly strengthened. He was 
 not, however, so intent on providing for the safety of 
 his capital a& to neglect other parts of his kingdom. 
 Believing that the true wealth of the nation must be 
 derived from the earth, he encouraged agriculture; 
 and had in his employ both husbandmen and vine- 
 dressers. He is the only king of Judah of whom it 
 is said, "he loved husbandry." While engaged in 
 these peaceful arts, he did not forget that he had 
 warlike neighbours; and wisely deemed preparation 
 for war necessary for the preservation of peace. For 
 this purpose he organized a large army, officered by 
 men of acknowledged valour, and provided both 
 defensive and offensive armour. In this connection is 
 found the remarkable statement that he "made in 
 Jerusalem engines in ented by cunning men, to be on 
 the towers, and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows 
 and great stones withal." "This," as Dr. Clarke 
 observes, "is the very first intimation on record of 
 any warlike engine for the defence or attack of 
 besieged places : and this account is long prior to any 
 thing of the kind among either the Greeks or the 
 Romans." Since he was the inventor of hese engines 
 it can create no surprise that " his name spread far 
 abroad." This state of prosperity did not continue 
 during the whole of his reign. " When he was strong 
 his heart was lifted up to his destruction; for he 
 transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into 
 
S ,1- 
 
 I I, 
 
 Uzziah or Azariah, 
 
 S7 
 
 the temple of the Lord to bum incense upon the altar 
 of incense." One cannot fail to u jAtq the resolution 
 and intrepidity of Ahaziah and the accompanying 
 priests on this occasion. One can almost see the pious 
 priest in his sacerdotal robes as he follows the king 
 into the holy place, to the altar of incense which stood 
 before that symbolical vail ^^ of blue and purple and 
 scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work," and 
 hear him exclaim: ^^It appertaineth not unto thee, 
 Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the 
 priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to 
 burn incense : go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast 
 trespassed, neither shall it be for thine honour from 
 the Lord God." Uzziah appears to have felt indignant 
 that one of his subjects would dare thus to address 
 him, and he might have persisted in offering the 
 incense had not the Lord at that moment smitten him 
 with leprosy. He at once felt, and the priests saw, 
 that he was a leper ; and he was now not less anxious 
 to leave the precincts of the holy temple than were 
 they that he should do so. The leproisy, painful and 
 nearly incurable as it was, was peculiarly distressing 
 to the Jew, as, by the Mosaic law, the leper was 
 required to dwell alone. The law was put in force on 
 this occasion, which is somewhat remarkable, as the 
 nation had grievously departed from God. The testi- 
 mony of Isaiah relative to Judah at this time is : 
 "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of 
 thieves; everyone loveth gifts and followeth after 
 
 t 
 
58 
 
 Uzziah or Azariah. 
 
 rewards : they judge not the &therless, neither doth 
 the cause of the widow come unto them." - --- 
 
 It is possible that Uzziah's dwelling apart was not 
 altogether out of regard to the law. He may have 
 become too loathsome a spectacle to be endured as 
 chief magistrate ; indeed his sufferings may have been 
 too severe to leave him ability for the duties, or even 
 desire for the estate of royalty. During his illness his 
 son Jotham was regent. 
 
 In the year in which Uzziah died Isaiah saw one of 
 the most wonderful visions ever vouchsafed to man, 
 and heard those mysterious symbolical beings, here 
 called Seraphim cry one to another : — 
 
 m 
 
 ''-I "! 
 
 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, 
 The whole earth is full of His glory." 
 
 ' It too was during this reign that Hosea, in the name 
 of the Lord, uttered the pathetic expostulation : ' 
 
 " O Judah, what shall I do with thee ? 
 For your goodness is as a morning cloud, 
 ? !'? ; ! And as the early dew it goeth away." ' 
 
 While Hosea was uttering this tender entreaty, 
 Amos was sent with the terrible message — 
 
 " The Lord shall roar from Zion, ; . 
 
 ;i .<) Andutter his voice from Jerusalem; ^ 
 
 . ° ^ And the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, 
 And the top of Carmel shall wither" 
 
 Uzziah doubtless died in the retired apartments in 
 
yotliam. 
 
 59 
 
 which, smce his leprosy, he had lived. He was buried 
 in a field which was> probably used as a place of inter* 
 ment for the yoinger brothers and female members of 
 the royal family* ^ .,, , . t ,,^ . , ,,. 
 
 ••f: J 
 
 ■^M:i} 
 
 bV-A 
 
 (^'Igfe/^ 
 
 
 
 
 t CHAPTER XI, 
 
 JOTHAM. 
 
 OTHAM succeeded to the throne of his father 
 seven hundred and fifty-eight years before 
 Christ. He was at that time twenty-five 
 years old, and he reigned sixteen years. His 
 mother's name was Jerushah, and she probably 
 belonged to the tribe of Levi. She, doubtless, was 
 careful that her son, who w^s destined to fill a 
 throne, should be early instrucLcd in the law of the 
 Lord ; and to the blessing of God on that instruction 
 the eminent piety of this prince is to be attributed. 
 His character, as far as it is made known, is without 
 a single blemish, except that he married an idolatress^ 
 id of that we have but presumptive proof. He had 
 for some years before his father's death been king in 
 every thing but name ; and he appears to have been, 
 during the whole of his public life, devoted to the good 
 of his people and the service of his God. He " be- 
 came mighty because he prepared his ways before the 
 Lord his God." He did not, like his father, presume 
 
'\ 
 
 I \ 
 
 60 
 
 yotham, 
 
 to enter the temj.^'^) but manifested his respect for that 
 edifice by makin? such repairs as were needed about 
 its enclosures. The wall around his capital next 
 received his attention ; and extensive as had been the 
 repairs during the preceding reign, some portions of 
 it were found to be extremely pregnable ; and he, with 
 as little delay as possible, added to the strength of 
 such portions. "On the wall of Ophel he built 
 much." He, too, "built cities in the mountains of 
 Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers/' 
 His deep religious character, so far from interfering 
 with the proper discharge of the duties of his station, 
 caused him to be the more diligent in the performance 
 of those duties. That piety is alone genuine which 
 has this effect. ' 
 
 The Judahites, during this reign, enjoyed a period 
 of profound peace, if we except the rebellion of their 
 tributary the Ammonites. The efforts of this people 
 to throw off the yoke of Judah were entirely ineffec- 
 tual. They were not only reduced again to subjection, 
 but for three consecutive years were required to pay 
 a much heavier tribute than that previously imposed. 
 
 The historian tells us that " in those days the Lord 
 began to send against Judah Rezin, the king of Syria, 
 and Pekah, the son of IJemaliah." By these words 
 we are probably to understand that the Lord caused 
 ihem to plan an invasion of this kingdom, but withheld 
 them from putting their plans into execution. The 
 piety of the king caused the Lord to spare his sub- 
 
Ahat. 
 
 6t 
 
 jects. As guilty Sodom could not be consumed till 
 Lot made his escape ; as rebellious Israel could not be 
 destroyed while Moses interceded for them ; so Bezin 
 and Fekah had no power over the Judahites while the 
 pious Joth'^.m pleaded their cause before God. 
 
 Jothum died at the age of forty^one. Death can 
 never come unseasonably to the believer, for with ' b ^m 
 to be absent from the body is to be present witli the 
 Lord. But one always regrets the early removal of 
 those who are eminently useful here. May it not be 
 that such are needed in heaven ? May it not be that 
 Jotham rendered more important services there, than it 
 was possible for him to render on earth ? 
 
 '».j 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 . AHAZ. i , 
 
 iHAZ succeeded to the throne of his father 
 seven hundred and fbrty-two years before 
 Christ. He was at the time twenty-two 
 years of age, and in many respects his father's anti- 
 podes. Good a man as Jotham was, I cannot avoid the 
 conclusion that he married an idolatress. It is scarcely 
 possible that Ahaz could so early have become an 
 adept in wickedness had his mother been a believer in 
 the true God. We learn from sacred and profane 
 history that it is no unusual thing for pious men to 
 
( t 
 
 tl 
 
 Ahaa. 
 
 have wicked sons, but pious women generally leave 
 their impress on the characters of their children. 
 
 Ahaz was. When he came to the throne, both a hus-* 
 band and a father* It may be that Jotham, being con-* 
 vinced of the error he had Oommitted in his own 
 Ungodly marriage, made it his care to have his son 
 early united to one who feared and served the Lord* 
 But powerful as is the influence of a Wife, for good or 
 for evil, the influence of a mother is more powerful 
 still ; and the mind of Ahaz had in childhood and youth 
 become so permeated with idolatry that his wife's 
 efforts to win him over to the Worship of the true God 
 were ineffectual. The young king soon became famous^ 
 or rather infamous, on account of his great 2eal for the 
 Worship of idols. To it he gave the full Weight of his 
 influence and example. And as if idolatry Was not in 
 itself bad enough to suit his depraved heart, he prac- 
 tised it in its most revolting forms, even sacrificing his 
 own children in the valley of Hinnom, Which was 
 situated at the south of Jerusalem. This valley took 
 its name Hinnom from being once owned by persons 
 of that name. It was also called Topket from the 
 name of an instrument Which Was played there in order 
 to drown the cries of the miserable victims as they 
 were consumed. The valley was probably selected 
 for the horrid rites of pagan worship on account of its 
 shade and privacy. It was doubtless to Moloch that 
 Ahaz offered his children. This object of idolatrous 
 Worship is thus described by Barnes. It *^was of 
 
Ahas, 
 
 63 
 
 brass, adorned with a royal crown, having the head 
 of a calf, and his arms extended as if to embrace 
 any one. "When they offered children to him they 
 heated the statue within by a great fire, and when it 
 was burning hot th jy put the miserable child into his 
 arms, where it was soon consumed by the heat ; and in 
 order that the cries of the child might not be heard, 
 they made a great noise with drums and other instru- 
 ments about the idol." 
 
 Ahaz was the first kin;[^ of Judah who sank so low 
 in iniquity as to offer human sacrifices. It may be 
 said he multiplied idolatries, for the testimony of God's 
 word is : " He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the 
 high places and on the hills and under every green 
 tree." As a chastisement for his sins the Lord delivered 
 him into the hands of Rezin, king of Syria, and into 
 the hands of Pekah, king of Israel. '"' ' ' '• ^• 
 
 It is surprising that even Ahaz, wicked as he was, 
 should in this dilemma seek aid from a heathen power ; 
 for soon after these kings came against him the Lord 
 sent the prophet Isaiah to him v/ith the following 
 message : 
 
 " Take heed and be quiet; 
 
 Fear not, neither be fainthearted, * 
 
 For the two tails of these smoking firebrands, 
 
 For the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and the son of Remaliab, 
 
 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliab, 
 
 Have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, 
 
 Let us go up against Judah and vex it» 
 
 And let us make a breach therein for us, . • , 
 
 And set a king in the midst of it, even the son of 'labeal: 
 
• ^ 
 
 I 
 
 Ahaz. 
 
 I 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God, 
 It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass, 
 For the head of Syria is Damascus, 
 And the head of DamaHcus is Rezin, 
 
 Ar \ within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that 
 it be not a people." 
 
 Ahaz, instead of relying on the word of God, sent 
 to Tiglath-pileser for aid. Rollin says of this king 
 that ^ ho is supposed to be the first that reigned at 
 Nineveh after the destruction of the ancient Assyrian 
 empire.*' Tiglath-pileser complied with the request of 
 the king of Judah ; his efforts were, however, more 
 particularly directed against Syria than against Israel. 
 '^ He went up against Damascus and took it, and car- 
 ried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin." 
 For these services the Assyrian monarch extorted 
 such vast sums of money that in reality he left the 
 kingdom of Judah in a much worse condition than he 
 found it. In the emphatic words of the historian he 
 ** distressed Ahaz and strengthened him not." The 
 straits to which they were reduced in order to satisfy 
 the demands of Tiglath-pileser may be inferred from 
 the fact that for this purpose he " cut off the borders of 
 the bases, and removed the laver from off them, and 
 took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were 
 under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones. And 
 the covert of the Sabbath that they had built in the 
 house, and the king's entry without turned he from the 
 house of the Lord." 
 
 While Tiglath-pileser was at Damascus ^ihaz visited 
 
Ahaz. 
 
 6s 
 
 // 
 
 him, and saw an altar with which he was so much 
 pleased that he " mnt to Urijah the priest, the fashion 
 of the altar, and tho pattern of it, according to all the 
 workmanship thereof." - ■ ^ 
 
 Urijah seems to have been more zealous in the ser- 
 vice of his king than in the service of his God, for he 
 at once set about the required task, and had the altar 
 completed when they returned to Jerusalem. Araas, 
 in order to bring the temple service into disuse, lost no 
 time in offering sacrifices on the new altar ; and gave 
 command that henceforward the daily sacrifices should 
 on it be offered. And lest there should be some ;a his 
 kingdom who were so true to God's appointmr its as 
 still to use the brazen altar, he claimed that as his 
 private property. " That," said he, " shall be for me 
 to enquire by." 
 
 It is improbable that Ahaz enjoyed a very long 
 period of peace. The king of Israel again made war 
 against him. He was encouraged to do this, as the 
 Judahites were now sunken into idolatry, and the his- 
 tory of that people proved that when tv>e- had forsaken 
 God they became an easy prey to their enemies. 
 There appears to have been but one battle. In this 
 the victory gained by the Israelites exceeded their 
 most sanguine expectations. They slew of the valient 
 men of Judah one hundred and twenty thousand. The 
 domestic circle of Ahaz was, too, invaded; his son, 
 Maaseiah, together with others of the most valued mem- 
 bers of his household, were slain. The victorious 
 
i ■ 
 
 66 
 
 Ahaz. 
 
 Israelites then returned to Samaria, laden with spoil, 
 and carrying two hundred thousand women and chil- 
 dren captive. They intended to make these captives 
 slaves ; but so far from this being carried into effect, 
 they were liberated and consreyed in safety to their 
 own land. Some of the circumstances connected with 
 their release are without a parallel in the annals of 
 history. The captives, as before lemarked, were 
 women and children. Their fathers, husbands and 
 brothers had been recently slain. They had been 
 forced to travel a considerable distance unshod and 
 uncovered, and the male portion of the children in a 
 state of nudity. They now trembling stand at the gate 
 of Samaria awaiting their doom. Suddenly a man of 
 God, by the name of Obed, comes before the hosts of 
 armed men, and boldly utters the stern language of 
 reproof: " Behold," said he, " because the Lord God of 
 your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered 
 them into your hand, and ye have slain them with rage 
 that reacheth up to heaven. And now ye purpose to 
 keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for 
 bondmen and bondswomen unto you; but a' 3 there not 
 with you, even with you" sins against the Lord your 
 God ? Now hear me, therefore, and deliver the cap- 
 tives again, which ye have taken captive of your 
 brethren, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you." 
 It is quite possible that the warriors, flushed as they 
 were with recent conquest, would have demurred to 
 comply with the demand of the prophet, had not other 
 
Ahaz. 
 
 67 
 
 influences been brought to bear upon them." The 
 leading men in Israel had assembled in Samaria in 
 order to give the victors a proper reception, but en 
 hearing the words of Obed some of these added their 
 authority to his exhortation. They positively forbid 
 the entrance of the captives into their city. On hearing 
 this " the armed men left the captives and the spoil 
 before the princes, and all the congregation.** The 
 scene which followed was one on which He who de- 
 lights in mercy must have lof ked with complacency. 
 The captives were tenderly cared for, clothed and fed, 
 and the feeble among them being provided with the 
 means of conveyance, were escorted a distance of some 
 thirty miles to the town of Jericho. The sacred writer, 
 in narrating these events, takes pains to remark " to 
 their brethren** to show that they were not left un- 
 protected. .^ ^. ^, . . ,. , 
 
 The Judahites were not as generously treated by 
 other nations. Edom, one of their hereditary enemies, 
 had smitten them, and carried away many of them 
 captives, who no doubt died in captivity. The Philis- 
 tines, too, invaded them, and took possession of several 
 of their towns and villages. 
 
 Though there are many who while in prosperity 
 live in forgetfulness of God, there are comparatively 
 few who do not try to seek him in the day of their 
 calamity. Ahaz was, however, an exception to this 
 rule : " In the time of his distress did he trespass yet 
 more against the Lord ;** and, as if this was the dis- 
 
68 
 
 Hezekiah. 
 
 tinguished trait of his character, it is added : ^^ This is 
 that king Ahaz." He appears to have become more 
 and still more wicked. He worshipped the gods of 
 Damascus: he shut up the house of the Lord, and 
 multiplied altars to heathen gods, and gathered toge- 
 ther the sacred vessels of the temple, and cut them in 
 pieces. 
 
 Ahaz died at the age of thirty-six, and was buried in 
 the city of Jerusalem, but not in the sepulchres of the 
 kings. 
 
 During the year in which this king died the prophet 
 Isaiah uttered a prophecy against the king of Babylon, 
 which is incomparable for majesty of style. 
 
 (^ngigu^ 
 
 \ ■ 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HEZEKIAH. 
 
 [EZEKIAH came to the throne of his father at 
 the age of five-and-twenty, seven hundred 
 and twenty-six years before Christ. It has 
 been well said : *^ God can raise up good men to do his 
 work in the worst of times." The character of Heze- 
 kiah is an instance of the truth of this statement. 
 When one reflects on the character of Ahaz, and the 
 idolatry which prevailed throughout his kingdom, it is 
 reasonable to expect his son and successor to be not 
 less wicked than himself. But I think there were good 
 
Hezekiah, 
 
 69 
 
 influences even in that licentious, idolatrous court, 
 which were the means, in God's hand, of preserving 
 the mind of the young prince comparatively pure in 
 the midst of moral contagion. I refer to the influence 
 of his mother, who was a Jewess, the daughter of 
 Zechariah. It may be that she was a truly pious 
 woman. She probably lived in the closest retirement, 
 contented to be unknown, if she was but permitted to 
 train her son in such manner as to fit him to serve 
 God in the elevated position which he was destined to 
 occupy. If she indeed were a pious woman, there 
 could have been but little fellowship between her hus- 
 band and herself; and it must have been refreshing to 
 her mind to have one member of her family, to whom 
 she could express unblamed her conviction of the 
 righteousness of God's law, and the solenm obligation 
 all are imder to conform their lives to its requirements. 
 While she doubtless mourned over the general defec- 
 tion, and her consequent inability publicly to worship 
 the true God, she felt deep satisfaction in the con- 
 sciousness that He knew her heart, and would accept 
 of her desire for actual service. " The head of the 
 woman is the man.," and it is natural and proper for a 
 woman to look to her husband or father for sympathy 
 and guidance in the momentous concerns of religion ; 
 but t:iis being denied, there is, perhaps, no one 
 else who can supply the want as well as a son. Sweet 
 must have been the fellowship which was enjoyed by 
 Abijah and the excellent Hezekiah. It must have 
 
: S 
 
 70 
 
 Hezekiah, 
 
 been witli intense anxiety that she watched him, on 
 his succession to the throne, lest in his altered condition 
 he should forget the lessons that she had, with so 
 much care, endeavoured to impress on his mind ; and 
 with deep satisfaction must she have observed that his 
 piety was but strengthened by the high responsibiUties 
 he had assumed. ..' 1.?- o.r ■' ,..n(tuu/ 
 
 The kingdom, on the succession of Hezekiah, was in 
 a most miserable condition. During the late reign it 
 had suffered loss of territory, loss of treasures, and loss 
 of subjects, and had become tributary to Assyria. In 
 these circumstances one would not have been surprised 
 had he made it his first care to better the temporal 
 condition of his people. But he felt that it was alike 
 easy for God to defend the weak or the strong, and 
 and consequently sought first of all to secure His 
 favour. Scarcely had he been proclaimed king, and 
 the ceremony of his coronation been performed, when 
 he opened and repaired the doors of the house of the 
 Lord. Having rendered the sacred enclosures easily 
 accessible, he gathered together the priests and Levites, 
 and commanded them to sanctify themselves, and then 
 prepare to cleanse the Lord's house. He reminded 
 them of the sins of which they as a nation had been 
 guilty, and of the miseries which had in consequence 
 come upon them ; and then told them that it was in his 
 heart to make a covenant with the Lord his God, and 
 exhorted them to co-operate with him in his endeavors 
 to bring about a reformation. As he wisely deemed it 
 
Hezekiah. 
 
 la. In 
 
 Unreasonai^le to expect that the people would be p/on 
 over f,o the Worship of the true God while the altars 
 on which they had been accustomed to offer sacrifices^ 
 and the idols to Which they had offered these sacrifices 
 continually met their eyes, he, with commendable zeal^ 
 removed these temptations* In this connection we 
 meet With the remarkable statement that up to that 
 time the brazen serpent, made by Moses, had been an 
 object of idolatrous Worship* It is very surprising that 
 many as had been the pious kings who had reigned 
 over Judah, and extensive as had been the reforms 
 from time to time effected, this had been allowed to 
 remain from generation to generation* But remiss 
 as had been former good kings in regard to this idol^ 
 (for idol it had become), Hezekiah shewed no lack of 
 zeal in the matter. He brake it in pieces, and called 
 it Nehushtan. It may be that he sent the pieces to 
 different workers in brass to be mixed with the same 
 material, so that no one in the future could say, " This 
 is a relic of the brazen serpent." 
 
 When the priests and Lcvites Were callec^ upon to 
 assist in the Work of refortnation they appear to have 
 been taken by surprise ; and for a little to have been 
 Undetermined as to what course to pursue. But after 
 consultation among themselves, twelve men, chief of 
 the families of the Levites, " gathered their brethren, 
 and sanctified themselves, and came according to the 
 command of the king, by the word of the Lord, to 
 cleanse the house of the Lord." Though these men 
 
mi. 
 
 A 
 
 72 
 
 Hezekiak, 
 
 had hesitated bo profess their willingness to co-opcrst^s 
 with the king, in agaiL< introducing the worsiup cf the 
 true God, yet thcrf manifested their sii^cerity by the 
 manner in which they proceede^^ with tiie work, Tlie 
 law permitted the priests only to eiiter the tempie, and 
 they, evea in the cleansing of thiy aacred edifice, care* 
 fully adhered to this law 5 they theraseisefl going into 
 thy temple, and ca crying thence into the courts wha* 
 ever ought nrjt to be there. The Levites then conveyed 
 these ihinga out -de the walls of the city, and threw 
 them iato the book Kidron. 
 
 Eight days were ■Cfccupied in sanctifying the house 
 of the Lord, and another eight days in cleansing the 
 altars, the table for the shew-bread- and the sacred 
 vessels. They then went to the king and informed 
 him what they had done. " Then Hezekiah the king 
 rose early, and gathered the i-ulers of the city, and 
 vent up to the house of the Lord. And they brought 
 seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven he goats, for 
 a sin offering for the king, and for the sanctuary, and 
 for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons 
 of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. So 
 they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the 
 biood and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when 
 they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood 
 upon the altar. And they brought forth tbr ha goats, 
 for the sin offering before the king and t> ngrega- 
 tion, and they I .A their hands upori eh* : and the 
 priests killed tL^ia, and they made re^ > ^.cViation, with 
 
Hezekiah. 
 
 73 
 
 their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for 
 all Israel : for the king commanded that the burnt 
 ofTering and the sin ofiering should be made for all 
 Israel. And he set the Levites in the house of the 
 Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, 
 according to the commandment of David, and of Gad 
 the King's seer, and Nathan the prophet ; for so was 
 the commandment of the Lord by his prophets. And 
 the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and 
 the priests with trumpets. And Hezekiah conmianded 
 to offer the burnt offering upon the alt^. And when 
 the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began 
 also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordain- 
 ed by David King of Israel. And all the congregation 
 worshipped and the singers sang, and the trumpets 
 sounded : and all this continued until the burnt offering 
 was finished. And when they had made an end of 
 offering, the king and all that were present with him 
 bowed themselves, and worshipped*'* Hezekiah then 
 invited those who had consecrated themselves to present 
 BUuli offerings as they desired to the Lord. This 
 invitation was gladly responded to. Seventy bullocks, 
 a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs were offered 
 up to the Lord by iire. There were at the same time 
 consecra' ^d to the .'ervic^ of the Lord six hundred 
 oxen, id three the ■-.sand oheep. 
 
 t^'.iAT these things Hezeki ih resolved to keep the 
 passover which, as is well known, was a feast instituted 
 on the night on which the Israelites departed from 
 4 
 
 ...mk^.-£^ 
 
■ t 
 
 74 
 
 Hezekiah. 
 
 ^K ., 
 
 
 Egjrpt, in memory of the destroying angel passing ovei* 
 *^heir dwellings while the firstborn among the Egyptians 
 were slain. At this feast, the carcase of a lamb, dressed 
 and roasted whole, was eaten with unleavened bread 
 and bitter herbs. When the lamb was slain the blood 
 was sprinkled on the posts and lintels of the doors of 
 their houses which procured for its inmates safety while 
 ffurrounded by death. There is much of an interesting 
 nature connected with this feast, especially the fact that 
 the lamb was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Hezekiah, as I have already said, resolved to keep 
 the passover, and he was desirous that not only 
 his own subjects, but that all who wished in the 
 neighbouring kingdom of Israel should also enjoy this 
 privilege. To this end he consulted the princes, 
 and leading men in his kingdom; and with their 
 approval sent written invitations to Judah and 
 Israel requesting them to meet for this purpose, 
 at Jerusalem. It was on the fourteejith day 
 of the first, not of the second month, that the law 
 required this feast should be celebrated ; but it at the 
 same time permitted those who for any reason could 
 not keep it on that day, to observe it on the fourteenth 
 day of the second month. From this Hezekiah and 
 his counsellors justly inferred, that in their peculiar 
 circumstances the privilege might be granted to the 
 whole nation. The circular, which was sent on this 
 occasion, was well calculated favourably to impress the 
 minds of those w\o received it. As if the ki 7 ^ould 
 
Hezekiah. 
 
 75 
 
 have tliem, for the time forget that they formed distinct 
 nationalities, he refers to their common ancestry, and 
 addresses them all as children of Israel ; and he adverts 
 to the fact that on account of their departure from God 
 they had both suffered from aggressions of the Syrian 
 kings. He too reminded them that some, who to them 
 were dear, were captives in a foreign land ; and that 
 He who is gracious and merciful would restore these, 
 if their brethren returned to Him with all their heart. 
 On receiving the letter the Judahites, as one man, came 
 to Jerusalem to worship God before his temple ; but by 
 the great majority of the people of Israel the message 
 was treated with contempt. There were however 
 several belonging to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, aad 
 Manasseh who gladly availed the' islves of the oppoi 
 tunity. 
 
 As the priests had a little befor3 removed from the 
 temple all that pertained to idol worship, so now the 
 assembled multitude, ere they killed the passo^'^er, 
 gathered together all the idolatrous altars in the city 
 and cast them into the brook Kidron. 
 
 The people, in observance of this feast, were both 
 sincere and earnest ; and the service was acceptable '-m 
 God, though from circumstances connected with it there 
 were necessarily irregularities. This was more par- 
 ticularly the case in rcg..ird to those who came from the 
 kingdom ^ Isaael, whe : idolatry had been all but 
 univers; , i r n, period of /'bout two hundred years. 
 "t After navinrr kept the pasL>over seven days with 
 
;^ 
 
 76 
 
 Hezekiah. 
 
 great gladness, the '^rople were so unwilling to sepa- 
 rate that it was ionciaci u to continue the festival seven 
 days more, the king p.nd princes providing for the as- 
 sembled multitude. This is the only instance in which 
 the feast of the passover continued more than seven 
 days. Would not the pc];*!' li.;*« derived greater 
 spiritual advantage had they confined themselves to 
 the time allotted by the great Lawgiver ? When the 
 servij.swere ended, the worshippers, fired with reli- 
 gi< >us zeal, went through the kingdom of Judah and 
 some parts of the kingdom of Israel, and destroyed all 
 the images, groves and altars used for idolatrous pur- 
 poses, before they sought the quiet of their respective 
 homes. The service of the temple being thus he--tily 
 entered on, the king made arrangements for its con- 
 tinuance, and for the maintenance of the priests. - 
 
 QJISLT^ 
 
 " CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 , , HEZEKIAH — (Continued.) 
 
 U D A H appears to have enjoyed a season of 
 profound peace from the coronation of Heze- 
 kiah till the fo- teenth year of his reign. 
 Sennacherib, king of Ass jiia, ti en came against them 
 with a large army. He was emboldened to do this 
 as his late father had but a few years previously added 
 the kingdom of Israel to his dominions. The imme- 
 
o sepa- 
 
 al seven 
 
 the as- 
 
 ,n which 
 
 in seven 
 
 greater 
 
 elves to 
 
 hen the 
 
 ith reli- 
 
 dah and 
 
 'oyed all 
 
 3U8 pur- 
 
 jspective 
 
 he'^^tily 
 
 its con- 
 
 . \f 
 
 ts. t 
 
 teason of 
 )f Heze- 
 is reign, 
 ist them 
 ) do this 
 ly added 
 le imme- 
 
 Heuekiah. 
 
 r? 
 
 diate cause for this invasion was that Hezekiah had 
 refused, or at any rate neglected, to pay the tribute 
 which Ahaz had promised to the grandfather of Sen- 
 nacherib. When Sennacherib entered the kingdom 
 Hezekiah sent him the following very submissive mes- 
 sage : " I have oflfended ; return from me ; that which 
 thou puttest on me I will bear." Sennacherib, on 
 receiving this message, promised to leave the kingdom 
 if Hezekiah would pay him three hundred talents of 
 silver and thirty talents of gold. In order to raise 
 this sum the king gave all his treasures, and the trea- 
 sures of the house of the Lord, and even the gold 
 plating of the doors and pillars of that sacred edifice. 
 The immense sum imposed was at length duly paid ; 
 but the Assyrian king, disregarding his promise, 
 pushed on the war as vigorously as ever. Hezekiah, 
 perceiving this, assembled the chief men in his king- 
 dom to consider what was to be done. They at length 
 determined to stop all the fountains and the brook that 
 ran through th3 land, and to strengthen the wall 
 around the city. They also " made darts and shields 
 in abundance." The whole male population doubtless 
 became soldiers, the most valiant and experienced 
 taking the command. The pious king, having done 
 all in his power to preserve his subjects in safety, 
 encouraged them to trust in God. Strong indeed must 
 have been the faith which enabled him to say, when 
 several of his towns had been taken, and his very 
 capital besieged by the powerful Assyrian monarch : 
 

 78 
 
 Hezekiah. 
 
 " There be more with us than with him ; with him is 
 an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to 
 help us and to fight our battles." The besiegers 
 called to Hezekiah, with the hope that he would come 
 out to them, and they would thus obtain possession of 
 his person ; but his subjects entreated him not to adven- 
 ture himself. It is worthy of remark that the historian 
 does not say that Eliakim, Shcbna and Joab were 
 Hnt to the officers of the Assyrian monarch, but that 
 they " came out" as if their coming was a voluntary 
 thing. The message of the Assyrians, was a very 
 insulting one. The king of Assyria speaks of his for- 
 mer conquests, and tells the Judahites that it is utterly 
 vain to hope successfully to oppose him. He refers 
 to the futility o^*^ trusting to Egypt, " the staff of this 
 bruised seed," and artfully insinuates that God had 
 become their enemy; for, said he, "Is it not He 
 whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath 
 taken away?" and then invidiously compares the 
 strength of Judah with that of Assyria : " Now there- 
 fore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of 
 Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, 
 if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them." 
 Finally he assures them that they come against Jeru- 
 salem by the command of God : " The Lord said unto 
 me go up against this land and destroy it." The 
 Assyrian king also sent a letter to Hezekiah in the 
 same insulting style. The officers of Sennacherib then 
 address the people of Judah, and beg them not to suffer 
 
Hezekiah, 
 
 79 
 
 him is 
 xod to 
 siegers 
 i come 
 sion of 
 adven- 
 storian 
 a were 
 »ut that 
 luntary 
 a very 
 his for- 
 utterly 
 B refers 
 of this 
 od had 
 lot He 
 ih hath 
 •es the 
 V there- 
 king of 
 horses, 
 them." 
 }t Jeru- 
 lid unto 
 The 
 in the 
 db then 
 to suffer 
 
 themselves to be duped by their king, and thus incur 
 certain death, but to come out to them with a present, 
 that is," ackuowledge themselves tributary ; and then 
 they would bo permitted to enjoy in peace the luxuries 
 of their own land till they were removed to one equally 
 fruitful. 
 
 The Jews on this occasion acted nobly. One can 
 scarcely tell whether the conduct of the king, of his 
 officers, or of the common people, is most worthy of 
 admiration. The officers of Hezekiah were afraid lest 
 some of the people might, by threats or promises, be 
 seduced from their allegiance, and go over to the 
 Assyrian king, and therefore begged the ijmbassadors 
 of that monarch not to speak in the Jews language. 
 But they misjudged their countrymen. They, in obe- 
 dience to their king's command, " held their peace and 
 answered him not a word." When Hezekiah heard 
 the words of Sennacherib "he rent his clothes and 
 covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the 
 house of the Lord," and then sent to the prophet 
 Isaiah, requesting him to pray for them. The pro- 
 phet told the messengers to say to the king : " Thus 
 saith the Lord, be not afraid of the words which thou 
 hast heard with which the servants of the king of 
 Assyria have blasphemed me : Behold, I will send a 
 blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall 
 return to his own land ; and I will cause him to fall by 
 the sword in his own land." It was probably before 
 Hezekiah received this message that he spread the 
 
i*. 
 
 ..'■' ,-:W. '■'■'■^ 
 
 He^.ekiah. 
 
 letter of Sennacherib before the Lord, and poured out 
 his soul to Him in prayer. The more closely we 
 examii.o this prayer the more we shall see in it to 
 admire. Hezekiah appeals to God as the God of 
 Israel and the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth, as He 
 who dwelt between the cherubim which overshadowed 
 the mercy seat, thus shewing that He was willing to 
 dispense mercy ; and then in words of deepest pathos 
 entreats God to save them, and thus vindicate His own 
 cause, and bring honor to His holy name. 
 
 One', while reading this narrative, is reminded of the 
 promise : 
 
 " And it shall come to pass 
 That before they call I will answer, 
 And while they are yet speaking I will hear." 
 
 This prayer seems to have been hardly presented 
 before God answered him by the mouth of a prophet. 
 In glowing terms is the retreat of the invader pre- 
 dicted. The proud king of Assyria being likened to a 
 stubborn animal brought into subjection by man. God 
 considers his people's cause his own, and says ; 
 
 " Therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, 
 And my bridle in thy lips, 
 And I will turn thee back by the way by which thou earnest." 
 
 While the army of Sennacherib was besieging Jeru- 
 salem, Hezekiah was seized with a very severe illness, 
 and during this illness Isaiah came to him and said : 
 " Thus saith the Lord ; set thy house in order, for thou 
 
Hezekiah, 
 
 8i 
 
 shalt die and not live." Hezekiah again goes to God 
 in prayer and thus addresses him : " I beseech thee, 
 O Lord, remember how I have walked before Thee, in 
 truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that 
 which is good in Thy sight." Having proceeded thus 
 far his tears choked his utterance. 
 
 This prayer has, it may be, the appearance of being 
 Pharisaical, but it is so in appearance only. It should 
 be remembered that he speaks of himself in his official 
 character ; and besides we do not know what confes- 
 sion of sin he intended to make had not his feelings so 
 far overcome him that he was unable to speak. 
 
 One cannot be surprised that Hezekiah wished to 
 live. He was at that time but thirty-nine years old, 
 and as his capital was then besieged, he was desirous of 
 seeing the siege raised, and liis enemies overthrown. 
 He too was at this time childless ; and it was both 
 natural and proper that he should wish to have a son 
 to succeed him on the throne. To these considerations 
 must be added the fact, that at this age of the world 
 even good men had but obscure views of the future 
 state. It is most emphatically true that our adorable 
 Redeemer " hath brought life and immortality to light 
 through the gospel." 
 
 The Lord heard the prayer, and saw the tears of 
 Hezekiah, and again sent Isaiah to him, to tell him 
 that his life should be prolonged fifteen years, and 
 that in three days he should go up to the house of the 
 Lord. On the king requiring a sign he was told that 
 

 Hezekiah. 
 
 the shadow in the dial of Ahaz should, in aocordanoe 
 with his wishes, go either forward or backward ten 
 degrees. Hezekiah demanded the latter, and the 
 great God, in tender n^ercy, granted his request. I 
 would remark in passing that,,, this was probably 
 effected by means of refraction. When Isaiah told 
 Hezekiah that he should recover, he also reassured 
 him that Jerusalem should be delivered out of the 
 hands of the Assyrians. The Lord, he said, would 
 send a blast upon him and he should hear a rumour. 
 The rumour which Sennacherib heard was that Tir- 
 hakah, king of Ethiopia, had invaded his dominions, 
 and the blast was, as Dr. Clarke says, " a suffocating 
 or pestilential wind by which the Assyrian army was 
 destroyed as in a moment, without noise, confusion or 
 any warning." If it should be objected that it is 
 expressly said that the angel of the Lord smote the 
 Assyrians, it may be answered that those things which 
 are sent by God to execute his judgments, or dispense 
 his mercy, are frequently called angels. The destruc- 
 tion of the Assyrians was immense, " A hundred four- 
 score and five thousand." 
 
 Hezekiah having been restored to health, and the 
 invading army destroyed, a considerable period of 
 peace and prosperity ensued, which was not 
 devoted to the interests of religion. He appears 
 to have concluded that the blessings, which had 
 been bestowed in such rich profusion upon him, were 
 but the reward of his superior piety ; and to have 
 
tiezekiah. 
 
 83 
 
 become inflated with pride. It may be that the cer*- 
 tainty of living fifteen years, which in prospect seemed 
 a long time, was the temptation to seek his own aggran- 
 dizement : " He made himself treasuries for silver, and 
 for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and 
 for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels. 
 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, 
 and oil ; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes 
 for flocks." These, indeed, were but a part of his 
 possessions. His chief care at this time seemingly was 
 to amass wealth. While thus engaged he received a 
 congratulatory visit from the ambassadors of Mero- 
 dach-baladan, king of Babylon. To these Hezekiah 
 ostentatiously shewed all his treasures. They had 
 hardly departed when Isaiah, who had so often visited 
 him before, came to him, and asked who had been 
 there, and what they had seen. The king frankly 
 told him that they were from Babylon, and that he 
 had shewn them all his treasures. Then answered 
 the prophet : " Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts. 
 Behold the days come that all that is in thy house, 
 and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto 
 this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall 
 be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons which shall 
 issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they 
 take away ; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of 
 the king of Babylon." The answer of Hezekiah 
 shewed that though he had in some measure backslid- 
 den from God, yet he was a loving child still. " Good," 
 
 I 
 
Manasseh. 
 
 said he, ** is the word of the Lord." As such was the 
 will of the Lord, he acquiesced in it, and acknowledged 
 that it Was an undeserved marcy that the predicted 
 evils were not to occur during his lifetime. « 
 
 Hezekiah died at the age of fifty-four : " and they 
 buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons 
 of David \ and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusa* 
 lem did him honour at his death.'* 
 
 « s 
 
 O/^-g i gL/c) 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 MANASSEH. 
 
 *ANASSEH came to the throne of his fathei* 
 six hundred and ninety-eight years before 
 Christ, at the early age of twelve years* 
 Only two of the kings of Judah began to reign at an 
 earlier age than he, and his reign exceeded in length 
 that of any of the others by about three years. It 
 seems unfortunate, as we speak, that Manasseh was 
 left fatherless while yet a child, and thus without any 
 counteracting influence was swayed by his idolatrous 
 mother. That Hephizbah was an idolatress may be 
 pretty safely predicated, for her son early in life was 
 Jealous in promoting idolatr}'^, though his father had 
 been a worshipper of the true God. For some years 
 before Hezekiah's death his chief business seems to 
 have been to amass treasures of every description. 
 
Manasseh. 
 
 85 
 
 May it not be that Hephizbah possessed immense 
 riches, and that Hezekiah, dazzled by them, married 
 her without any enquiries relative to ht^r religious 
 sentiments ? If this conjecture be correct, it can occa- 
 sion no surprise that Manasseh should, on the demise 
 of his father, especially if his mother still lived, seek to 
 introduce that form of religion which permitted him 
 unrebuked to act according to the principles of his cor- 
 rupt nature, instead of conforming himself to that law 
 which required purity of heart and life. As for the 
 Judahites, they seem at times to have had no con- 
 sciences, whether moral or religious; but to have 
 watched the predilections of their sovereigns, and to 
 have regulated themselves accordingly. In this in- 
 stance they were not long in suspense, for Manasseh 
 went to work with as much earnestness in abolishing 
 the service of the true God as his father had manifested 
 in establishing it. To whatever influence it may be 
 attributed, it is quite evident that Manasseh in early 
 life became a giant in wickedness. He not only built 
 again the high places, and made groves, and worship- 
 ped all the host of heaven, but he also built altars for 
 idols in the courts of the Lord's house, and even 
 within its consecrated walls. He, too, followed the 
 wicked, revolting and most unnatural practice of his 
 grandfather, Ahaz^ and caused his children to be 
 oiFerpd in sacrifice to the detestable idol Moloch ; and 
 as if he wished in every possible way to transgress the 
 law of God, " he observed times and used enchant- 
 
 li 
 
 Jj^i 
 
 I 
 
 111 
 
 i 
 
g6 
 
 Mana.tseh. 
 
 ments, a,nd used withcraft, and dealt with a familiar 
 spirit, and with wizards." , , ^ 
 
 , Most of the idolatrous kings of Judah seem to have 
 gone no further in promoting their own religion than 
 to cease to worship the true God, practiqp idolatry 
 themselves, and offer every opportunity and induce- 
 Dient to their subjects to worship idols too. Jehoram 
 and Manasseh are the only ones who had recourse to 
 force. The last named king " shed innocent blood 
 very much, till he filled Jerusalem from one end to 
 another." Notwithstanding the general defection, 
 there may have been opposition to the carved image 
 being placed in the temple of the great God, and this 
 blood was perhaps shed in order to compel the inhabi- 
 tants of Jerusalem to worship that image. We have 
 no means of ascertaining exactly the length of time 
 this persecution continued ; J)ut as Manasseh died at 
 the age of sixty-seven, and his successor was but 
 twenty-two years old, it is probable that he was not 
 only an idolator and persecutor, but in the horrid 
 practice of offering his children to Moloch the greater 
 portion of his reign. By adversity he was at length 
 brought to repentance. " The Lord brought upon 
 Judah the captains of the hcdt of the king of Assyria^ 
 who took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him 
 with fetters and carried him to Babylon." It may not 
 be out of place to remark that the Babylonian and 
 Assyrian empires were at this time united. To use 
 the words of Rollin : " After Merodach-baladan, there 
 
Manassek. 
 
 87 
 
 was a succession of kings at Babylon, of whom 
 history has transmitted nothing but the names. The 
 royal family becoming extinct, there was an in- 
 terregnum of eight years, full of troubles and com- 
 motions. Esserhadden, taking advantage of this 
 juncture, made himself master of Babylon, and 
 annexing it to his former dominions, reigned over 
 the two united empires thirteen years." 
 
 Prior to the capture of Manasseh th'^re was doubt- 
 less an engagement between the Assyrians and the 
 Judahites, in which the latter were defeated. Manas- 
 seh fled, to avoid being taken prisoner : and being 
 pursued hid among the thorns and brambles with 
 which that land has ever abounded. Though the 
 hands of Manasseh were stained with innocent blood, 
 yet one cannot but pity him as he crouches amidst the 
 thorns, deserted by all his courtiers, exhausted by 
 hunger and fatigue, and trembling with fear. In the 
 place where he lies concealed he hears the sound of 
 advancing footsteps, as they draw nearer, their voices, 
 and then their words are heard. The language in 
 which they are talking he but imperfectly under- 
 stands ; but he hears his name mentioned, and knows 
 they are seeking for him. They appear to pass his 
 hiding place, a gleam of hope passes through his 
 mind that perhaps he will still be allowed to remain 
 in his kingdom ; but they turn, he is surrounded by 
 armed men, and is taken and loaded with chains. By 
 and by he is conveyed a prisoner to the far-fame4 
 
ss 
 
 Manasseh. 
 
 Babylon. There in captivity he is brought to reflec- 
 tion. It may be that the seed sown by his father when 
 he was but a little child now began to germinate. It 
 may be that he remembered the lambs which were 
 morning and evening preseuted to God, and that his 
 father told him that this sacri^ce was a type of Him, 
 who in the fullness of time was to be wounded for our 
 transgressions, and bruised for •ur iniquities. But 
 whatever were the thoughts that passed through his 
 mind, this is certain : " He besought the Lord his God, 
 and humbled himself greatly before the God of his 
 fathers, and prayed unto Him." One would like to 
 know the prayer, or rather some of the prayers, which 
 Manasseh offered when brought to a sense of his 
 guilt ; but they were not recorded, or if recorded have 
 not come down to us. There is reason to believe that 
 the prayer in the Apocrypha called the prayer of 
 Manasseh is of a much later date. There is one ex- 
 pression in that prayer which is very beautiful, and 
 which might with propriety have been used by this 
 wicked king, or any other sinner under a just sense of 
 his sins : " I am bowed down with many iron bandy, 
 that I cannot lift up my heal." While we do not 
 know the words Manasseh uttered, we know he offered 
 the prayer of faith, for God " was entreated of him, 
 and heard his supplication, and brought him again to 
 Jerusalem into his kingdom." Though the sacred 
 historian, passing over all secondary causes, says the 
 Lord brought him to Jerusalem, yet there is no doubt 
 
F<^ 
 
 Manassch. 
 
 89 
 
 but tiut the ev . was brought about by natural means. 
 It is probable thi: the Lord put it into the heart of 
 the king of Babylon to ask but a small sum for Man- 
 asseh's ransom, and to the Jews gave the inclination, 
 and the ability, to pay that sum. 
 
 From the time of ManasseL j re-establishment on 
 his throne, till his death, he did I'll in his power to undo 
 the evil effected in the ^jre^^ding part of his reign. He 
 doe^ not appear to have b( )n able to persuade his 
 subjects to worship God in the courts of His temple. 
 Was this because that sacred spot had been so desecra- 
 ted that they deemed the worship there offered 
 unacceptable? 
 
 Manasseh was probably sa* ed, but there has been 
 more sin. and suffering than there would have been 
 had he never lived. It is an overwhelming thought 
 that the effect of our conduct j ^sses beyond our con- 
 trol ; whether for good or for e . i1, it passes on, on, ON 
 for ever and for ever. 
 
 \h 
 
 HI 
 
I > 
 
 90 
 
 Amon. 
 
 Vu 
 
 r.r.iP 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 !,*'» >;'•'! 
 
 AMON. , , 
 
 fMON, the son of Manasseh, succeeded to the 
 throne six hundred and forty-three years 
 ^^^t«^ before Christ, at the age of twenty-two, and 
 reigned but two years. These two years appear to 
 have been occupied in endeavouring to re-establish 
 paganism in his kingdom. Like his father he sinned ; 
 but he jcl^d not, like his father, repent. On the con- 
 trary he " trespassed more and more." He " sacrificed 
 unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father 
 made and served them." Though young he prepared 
 for himself a p'jj ulchre. His appears to have been 
 one of those hueiinely selfish natures which had rather 
 dig theii* own giiives than in any way to labour for the 
 benefit of others. 
 
 Amon was guilty of the fault, too, common with 
 kings, of placing foreigners in posts of emolument and 
 honour. It is possible that there were none but 
 foreigners about him ; for his servants seem to be con- 
 trasted with the people of the land. It is not impro- 
 bable that they were from Jotbah or Jotbatah, and 
 were the friends and relations of Meshullemeth, the 
 queen dowager. These foreigners, not satisfied with 
 the p'ower and advantages which they enjoyed, appear 
 to have aimed at the royal dignity itself. The king's 
 eldest son was but a child, unable to defend his rights ; 
 
Josiah, 
 
 91 
 
 and they probably thought that Amon had been so 
 unpopular that the Judahites would make little if any 
 effort to defend his house. But if these assassins had 
 hoped that one of their num^'^r would ascend th« 
 throne, they experienced a bitt* appointment. It 
 is worthy of remark that thi^ ^ ^on was always true 
 to the house of David. 1* hi « in their national 
 character, is in this instance vei . ispicuous* They 
 seized the murderers of the late king and put them to 
 death, and then With as little delay as possible placed 
 the young Josiah on the throne. 
 
 Amon was laid in his own sepulchre, contiguous tb 
 the grave of his father. 
 
 i 
 
 Qj'^^^ 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 JOSIAH. 
 
 IIOSIAH came to the throne six hundred and 
 forty-one years before Christ. He was at 
 that time but eight years old, being with one 
 exception the youngest king who ever sat on the 
 throne of Judah. The reign of Amon had fortunately, 
 or more properly speaking by God's providence, been 
 a very short one ; and it is probable that the nation 
 was quite witling to return to the worship of the true 
 God. Whether the great God or idols was to be 
 worshipped was with many a merely political ques* 
 
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 92 
 
 yosiah. 
 
 tion, with which the affections and the conscience had 
 yer7 little to do, which made the transition from the 
 worship of God to that of idols an easy matter, i vfrr 
 V Though the son of an idolator Josiah worshipped 
 the true God. In this, as in many previous instances, 
 the character of the king is, under God, attributable 
 to the influence of his mother. As Amon was but six- 
 teen years older than his son Josiah, it is highly pro- 
 bable that Manasseh had much to do in reference to 
 the marriage between his son and Jedidah ; and if the 
 event occvvrred after his conversion, he would take 
 great care that he should marry a pious woman. That 
 Amon did marry, or at any rate that Josiah was born 
 after Manasseh's conversion, is to my mind quite clear, 
 from the amount of work accomplished after his 
 return to his kingdom. If the reader will 
 turn to the thirty-second chapter of second 
 Chronicles, and read the fourteenth, fifteenth 
 and sixteenth verses, he, I think, will acknowledge 
 that it is extremely improbable that all there 
 related could be done in less than eight or ten years. 
 If this supposition be correct it would not be difficult 
 for Jedidah to prevent the young prince from being 
 contaminated by the evil example of his father during 
 the two years he occupied the throne. But whoever 
 or whatever was the means of preserving the mind of 
 Josiah untainted by idolatry, it is quite evident that he 
 was thus preserved. The historian says : " He did that 
 which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked 
 
Josiah. 
 
 93 
 
 in the ways of David his father, and declined neither 
 to the right hand nor the left." And again : *^ Like 
 unto him there was no king before him that turned to 
 the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul and 
 with all might." 
 
 As the first twelve years of Josiah's reign are passed 
 over in silence, one infers that the acts of that portion 
 were not considered his. It may be that during that 
 period he was under the control of hii counsellors. 
 We are told that when he had reigned eight years " he 
 began to seek after the God of David his father." I 
 am not certain what is to be understood by these 
 words; but they mean either that now he engaged 
 more earnestly than before in the worship of God, or 
 that he experienced a change of heart ; in other words 
 that he was converted. When he had attained his 
 twenty-first year he destroyed all the temptations to 
 and remembrances of paganism, which up to that time 
 existed in his kingdom. There is something very 
 interesting in the statement that tho altars of Baalim 
 were broken in pieces in his presence. As if he wished 
 to shew his utter abhorrence of the objects of idol 
 worship, he not only " brake the images in pieces," 
 but '^made dust of them, and strewed it upon the 
 graves of them that had sacrificed to them." This 
 pious king did >not confine his efforts to put a stop to 
 idolatry to his own kingdom, but extended them to 
 many of the cities of Israel. In the conduct of Josiah 
 there was the falfilment of a prophecy delivered more 
 
\\ 
 
 94 
 
 yosiah. 
 
 than three hundred years previously. Jeroboam, the 
 first who reigned over the ten tribes, was standing 
 before the altar at Bethel, offering incense, when a 
 man of God came to the altar and uttered the follow- 
 ing words : " O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord ; behold 
 a child shall be born to the house of David, Josiah 
 by name ; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of 
 the high places that burn incense upon thee ; and men's 
 bones shall be burnt upon thee." I presume the pro- 
 phet referred to posthumous burning; and we learn 
 that Josiah 'slew the priests of the high places on the 
 altars, and no doubt, there burned their bodies. Rela- 
 tive to the altar of Bethel, we are told that Josiah 
 " spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, 
 and sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, 
 and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, accor- 
 ding to the word of the Lord which i man of God 
 proclaimed." ' - i- ^ . v v , r ^ f a i i?' .; 
 
 "^ It is unaccountable that when an Asa, a Jehosha- 
 phat, a Hezekiah and other pious kings had reigned 
 over Judah, that high places built by Solomon should 
 have been allowed to remain up to the time of Josiah, 
 Such, however, was the case ; and shews that the last 
 named king possessed not only deeper piety but more 
 energy of character than any of his predecessors. The 
 magnitude of the work of purging the kingdom of all 
 the vestiges of idolatry is shewn by its completion 
 requiring a term of six years. This being accom- 
 plished, the king issued a command to repair the tern- 
 
yosiah. 
 
 9S 
 
 -TT- 
 
 V 
 
 
 pie of the Lord; and faithfully and zealously was the 
 work performed. There is one circumstance connec- 
 ted with these repairs which is of peculiar interest, 
 namely, the performance of music by some while others 
 were engaged at work. From it may be learned a 
 lesson relative to the building of the spiritual temple* 
 While some are performing a great work as missiona- 
 ries, pastors and evangelists, and others who possess 
 wealth build places of worship and endow colleges, 
 there are many, especially among my own sex, who 
 have little strength of body or mind, or even money 
 to devote to the service of God, and yet most sincerely 
 desire to serve Him. But cannot we, like these 
 Levites, cheer those who are engaged in labour ? and 
 if this is dl we can do, will not the great God accept 
 it as service? . ,{>:' , - , :\ ^.^^ -, ;.;:•.-, .^ ';!•: .'.ts^^if:? *«,...[ 
 While at work in the temple Etilkiah, who was then 
 high priest, found the book of the law which had been 
 written by Moses. This he gave to one Shaphan a 
 scribe who carried it to the king. He had long known 
 that Moses, a little before his death, had written the 
 law, and had deposited it in the tabernacle beside the 
 ark, and that by some means it had been lost or 
 destroyed. It may be that up to this time he had 
 never read or heard the whole of God's law, with all 
 its promises and threatenings. The book was read 
 before him, and knowing as he did that the people over 
 whom he reigned had most grievously sinned against 
 God's law he must have been stricken with horror 
 
1*. 
 
 96 
 
 jFosiaL 
 
 \ 
 
 as he listened to the awful words : " And thou shall 
 become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word 
 among all nations whither the Lord shall lead 
 thee!" or the more fearful words still: "The 
 Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness> 
 and astonishment of custom of the heart!'* 
 He manifested his grief, according to the times, 
 by rending his clothes, and then calling to him some 
 of his most faithful attendants commanded them to go 
 and enquire of the Lord. The enquiry which he 
 wished to have made evidently was whether the threats 
 of God's law must be executed, or mercy might still 
 be found. One would suppose that he would have 
 desired the high priest to ascertain the will of God by 
 the ephod or breastplate : or that enquiry would have 
 been made of Jeremiah or Zephaniah as both of these 
 were Josiah's contemporaries. They were, however, 
 sent to the prophetess, Huldah, the wife of one 
 Shallum. Though this is the only occasion on which 
 this woman is referred to, it is evident, from the 
 circumstances connected with the matter, that it was 
 well known the word of the Lord was with her. She 
 appears to have listened to their story in silence and 
 then with all the intiepidity and solemnity becoming 
 her sacred office, returned the following message: 
 " Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon 
 this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all 
 the curses that are written in the book which they have 
 read before the king of Judah : because they have for- 
 
Baken me, and have burned incense unto other godsy 
 that they might provoke me to anger with the works 
 of their hands ; therefore my wrath shall be poured 
 out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. And 
 as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of 
 the Lord, so shall ye say unto him, thus saith the Lord 
 God of Israel concerning the Words which thou hast 
 heard ; because thy heart was tender, and thou didst 
 humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his 
 words against this place, and against the inhabitants 
 thereof, and humblest thyself before me, and didst 
 rend thy clothes, and weep before me ; I have even 
 heard thee also saith the Lord* Behold I will gather 
 thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy 
 grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil 
 that I will bring upon this place and upon the inhabi* 
 tants of the same%'' . .,,v 
 
 Josiah's conduct, on the reception of this message, 
 was most praiseworthy. He assembled all his subjects, 
 rich and poor, young and old, male and female into the 
 courts of the house of the Lord ; and there read to 
 them out of the book that had been lately found* 
 Why was not the wonderfiil book read by some of the 
 priests or Levites ? Was it that the king feared that 
 all the threatened judgments would not by them be 
 read to the assembled multitude? or did he read it 
 himself to shew his respect for Grod's law ? The law 
 having been read, the king, still standing on the pillar 
 which was never pressed but by royal feet, ** made a 
 5 
 
i^ 
 
 98 
 
 yosiah. 
 
 covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and 
 to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and 
 his statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul, to 
 perform the words of the covenant which are written 
 in this book." He also caused all Judah and Benjamin 
 to solemnly renew their covenant with God. To this 
 the J steadfastly adhered during his life time, j v,^ , . ^., 
 The celebration, of the passover, shortly after the 
 prophecy of Huldah, is invested with peculiar interest, 
 as the Judahites knew that their destiny as a nation 
 was sealed^ In the keeping of this passover there was 
 the most scrupulous regard to all the divine appoint- 
 ments relative to it. Josiah did not deem anything 
 which God had commanded a non-essential. The 
 historian has recorded the liberality both of the king 
 and the princes on this occasion. They together con- 
 tributed thirty-three thousand eight hundred cattle, and 
 seven thousand six hundred lambs and kids. " There," 
 we are told ^^ was no passover like to that kept in 
 Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, neither did 
 the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah 
 kept." At this time the ark was again placed in the 
 temple. It had been removed to save it from profana- 
 tion, or perhaps from being carried away. The ark, 
 though only about forty-five inches long, by twenty- 
 seven broad, and as many deep, was of immense value. 
 Every part of it, except the cover, was made of shittim 
 wood plated on both sides with gold ; and the cover — 
 the mercy seat — ^was a massy slab of pure gold to 
 
Jostah, 
 
 99 
 
 which were attached cherubims, also of pure gold. It 
 was not, however, its money value which rendered it 
 particularly dear to the pious Jew ; but because between 
 the cherubims there was the symbol of the divine glory. 
 But to return to our story. The passover was celeb- 
 rated in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah ; and 
 between this event and his death, which occurred thir- 
 teen years after, there seem to have been no transactions 
 which it was necessary to record. We know it was a 
 season of peace, and there is no doubt but that the 
 king endeavoured to promote the good of his subjects. 
 They were at this time professedly worshippers of the 
 true God, but that their worship was insincere we learn 
 from the following words of Jeremiah : *< Judah hath 
 not turned to me with her whole heart but feignedly 
 saith the Lord." The nation was now ripe for destruc- 
 tion, and as the Lord had said that Josiah should be 
 gathered to his grave in peace he must be removed 
 before the threatened judgment con es upon them. 
 His death was occasioned by his attempting to oppose 
 Pharaoh-nechoh on his way to fight the Assyrians. It 
 has been conjectured by some persons that the Egyp- 
 tian king brought his troops by sea to Caesarea, and that 
 he intended to cross the Jordan at the southern ex- 
 tremity of the Sea of Galilee, as the shortest route to 
 the Assyrian dependencies. Josiah's motive in oppos- 
 ing Pharaoh-nechoh is not evident. It was probably 
 out of friendship to Assyria, or because he feared an 
 invasion of his own kingdom. When Josiah was on 
 
 . 
 
100 
 
 yosiah. 
 
 iiis way to oppose the Egyptian king, he received 
 ambassadors from that monarch who stated that they 
 had no intention of entering the kingdom of Judah ; but 
 that by the command of Grod they were hastening to 
 fight against Assyria, Josiah however could not be 
 dissuaded, but attacked the Egyptians at Hadadrimmon 
 in the valley of Megiddo. He received a wound before 
 the general engagement began, and turning to his 
 servants said ^^ Have me away ; for I am sore wounded." 
 The Judahites dispersed ; and the Egyptians continued 
 their march. Josiah was tenderly cared for ; but he died 
 on his journey, probably near Megiddo. The manner 
 of his death does not impugn the veracity of the 
 prophecy uttered by Huldah. The kingdom enjoyed 
 uninterrupted peace during the whole of his reign. So 
 averse were Pharaoh-nechoh and his army to fighting 
 against him, that he was obliged to disguise himself 
 before they could be induced to do so, and we lack 
 proof that any others of the Judahites were slain. The 
 sufferings of Josiah were probably less severe, and 
 certainly far less protracted, than is usual when one 
 dies of disease. That he was not neglected is shewn 
 by his being conveyed from one chariot to another — ^his 
 own chariot was perhaps rendered unfit for travelling, 
 or it may be that the one to which he was removed 
 was more convenient for a wounded man — ^and from his 
 being carried back to Jerusalem. He died at peace 
 with the neighbouring kingdoms; at peace with his 
 subjects ; at peace with his conscience, and at peace 
 
^ekoahaz and yehoiakitn, i6i 
 
 received 
 lat they 
 lah; but 
 aning to ^ 
 
 not be 
 [rimmon 
 i before 
 ; to his 
 )imded.** 
 )ntinued 
 b he died 
 manner 
 ^ of the 
 enjoyed 
 !gn. So 
 fighting 
 himself 
 v^e lack 
 n. The 
 }re, and 
 hen one 
 
 shewn 
 ler — ^his 
 ivelling, 
 emoved 
 &omhis 
 it peace 
 Tith his 
 it peace 
 
 with his Grod. The mourning for him was so great 
 that it became proverbial. He was thirty-nine at the 
 time of his death and had reigned thirty-one years. 
 He was laid in his own sepulchre in the midst of his 
 illustrious ancestors. He was the last king who was 
 
 buried 
 
 in the city of David. 
 
 I ."'. ' ■ ' 
 
 *n>-,iir 
 
 ■,'i:i -^'^ 
 
 Q>ifta/c) 
 
 'r >., {>;!' 
 
 . CHAPTER XVIII. . 
 
 JEHOAHAZ AND JEHOIAKIM. ■ 
 
 EHOAHAZ succeeded to the throne of his 
 . father six hundred and ten years before 
 f? Christ, at the age of twenty-three. Though 
 his reign was short, only three months, it was long 
 enough to show his great depravity. " He did evil in 
 the sight of the Lord according to all his fathers had 
 done." He had a brother two years older than him- 
 self, and why he was made king, to the prejudice of 
 that brother, is one of the many problems which in this 
 very brief history is left unsolved. He was deposed 
 by the king of Egypt. The Scriptures do not inform 
 us how it happened that he was in the Egyptian's 
 power ; but it is possible, perhaps, I might say proba- 
 ble, that he met Pharaoh-nechoh on his return from 
 
102 
 
 yehoahaz and yehoiakim. 
 
 Carchemish, and that there was an engagement, in 
 which the Egyptian monarch gained a complete vic-^ 
 torj. His brother Eliakim was placed on the throne, 
 now rendered vacant, and he himself loaded with 
 chams, and carried to Egypt, where he was kept a 
 prisoner the remainder of his life. ,. ..^ rt^y ^ , 
 
 Pharaoh-nechoh, in order to show his supremacy 
 over Eliakim changed his name to Jehoiakim, and im- 
 posed on him a tribute " of a hundred talents of silver 
 and a talent of gold," about one hundred and sixty- 
 five thousand dollars. During this reign the Judah- 
 ites were most grievously oppressed. Their condition 
 would have been far from happy under this heavy 
 tribute, even had it been levied in the most equitable 
 manner ; but from what we know of the character of 
 this king, justice was not to be expected of him. He 
 seems to have been a weak man, and a cruel tyrant. 
 To him it mattered little whether Judah was indepen- 
 dent or tributary to another kingdom, whether his 
 subjects were in the enjoyment of plenty, or suffering 
 from destitution, provided he could live in ease and. 
 luxury. He was to Judah what the unprincipled John 
 was to England ; but alas ! for this wicked nation, God 
 himself had become her enemy. They had walked 
 contrary to God, and now He walked contrary to 
 them. They were cursed with one of the heaviest of 
 curses, a wicked ruler. One knows not whether most 
 to detest the character of this prince, or the policy he 
 
yehoahaz and yehoiakim. 
 
 103 
 
 ent) in 
 3te vic- 
 throne, 
 i with 
 kept a 
 
 remacy 
 md im- 
 r silver 
 1 sixty- 
 Judah- 
 mdition 
 
 heavy 
 suitable 
 icter of 
 Q. He 
 
 tyrant, 
 idepen- 
 ler his 
 iffering 
 ase and 
 ■,d John 
 >n, God 
 walked 
 rary to 
 priest of 
 er most 
 licy he 
 
 pursued. In reference to him the inspired Jeremiah 
 
 " Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, 
 And his chambers by wrong; 
 That uselh his neighbour's service without wages, 
 And giveth him not for his work ; 
 Thatsalth J 
 
 , \ I will build me a wide house and large chambers, 
 And cutteth him out windows, 
 And it is ceiled with cedar and painted with rermilion.*' 
 
 > '«., 
 
 Then, after a reference to the piety of Josiah, the 
 same prophet says : 
 
 " But thine eyes and thine heart are not 
 But for thy covetousness, and to shed innocent blood, 
 And for oppression and for violence to do it/* 
 
 Jehoiakim was not permitted to be the Viceroy 
 of Pharaoh-nechoh very long. Nebuchadnezzar made 
 war against the king of Egypt, and took from him all 
 his possessions from the river of Egypt to the 
 Euphrates ; and then invaded the kingdom of Judah. 
 His reason for doing so probably was that it was 
 tributary to Egypt. Jehoiakim became his vassal. 
 The historian has left us in ignorance as to what 
 tribute was imposed by his new master ; but it is likely 
 either that it was heavier than that formerly imposed, 
 or that the people had become so poor that it was 
 difficult, even by the most oppressive acts, to raise 
 that tribute, and enough more to meet the expenses of 
 his luxurious court. Having served the king of Baby** 
 
r 
 
 .1 
 
 104 
 
 jehoahaz and Jehoiakim. 
 
 Ion three years, he rebelled against him. He may 
 have thought that the king of Babylon was too busy 
 with other matters to enforce the payment of the 
 stipulated tribute. His expectations were vain. Bands 
 of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites came 
 against the kingdom of Judah to destroy it. They 
 ravaged the country and killed many of the inhabi- 
 tants, or made them prisoners. Among the prisoners 
 was king Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar bound with 
 fetters, with the intention of carrying him to Babylon. 
 He, however, was not carried thither. He was put to 
 some ignominous death in his own capital, and was 
 denied burial. This we learn from the following 
 words by Jeremiah : 
 
 '* He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, 
 Drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem." 
 
 And again : 
 
 " And his dead body shall be cast out 
 In the day to the heat 
 And in the night to the frost." 
 
 Jehoiakim was, at the time of his death, thirty-six 
 years old, and had borne the name of king eleven years. 
 It is not clear whether he was acquainted with the pro- 
 phecies which Jeremiah had pronounced against him ; 
 but if ignorant, his ignorance was culpable. Being 
 told of Jeremiah's words, he ordered the roll containing 
 them to be brought and read before him. He was at 
 the time sitting in his winter house by the fire. 
 
Jehoiachin. 
 
 105 
 
 e may 
 busy 
 of the 
 Bands 
 3 came 
 
 They 
 inhabi- 
 'isoners 
 ad with 
 abylon. 
 
 put to 
 md was 
 llowing 
 
 m.' 
 
 irty-six 
 Q years. 
 ;he pro- 
 st him; 
 Being 
 itaining 
 was at 
 le fire. 
 
 Haying listened to the reading of a few leaves, and 
 perceiving that the contents were such as were not 
 pleasing to him, he, as if to show his contempt, took 
 his penknife and deliberately cut the roll into frag- 
 ments and cast them into the fire. 
 
 There are, alas! some at the present day who 
 neglect the study of the word of God, as if their igno- 
 rance of that word, wilful though it be, would be an 
 excuse for neglecting to comply with its requirements. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 JEHOIACHIN. 
 
 IJEHOIACHIN was placed on the throne for- 
 merly occupied by his father, five hundred 
 and ninety-nine years before Christ. He began 
 to reign at the age of eighteen, and reigned three 
 months and ten days, Jeremiah had said of the late 
 king : " He shall have none to sit upon the throne of 
 David." But I do think that his words failed of fulfil- 
 ment ; for not only did Jehoiachin sit there, but for a 
 very brief period, but while there, was merely a vassal, 
 being by the king of Babylon elevated to the throne, 
 and at his pleasure deposed. 
 
 This prince is known by three different names, 
 Jehoiachin, Jeconiah and Coniah. He was. as well as 
 his father, a very wicked man ; for short as was the 
 

 io6 
 
 yekoiachin. 
 
 i 
 
 time he occupied the throne, and little as was the power 
 he possessed, still of him it is recorded, " he did evil in 
 the sight of the Lord." The utter abhorrence in which 
 he was held by the great God, who looks not so much 
 on the conduct as on the heart, may be inferred from 
 the following words by Jeremiah : 
 
 ^' As I live, saith the Lord. 
 Though Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, 
 Were the signet upon my right hand, 
 Yet Aifould I pluck thee thence." 
 
 The prophet then proceeds to tell of the miseries 
 which should fall upon this prince ; and as if his sins 
 were so notorious that all would acknowledge the 
 justice of the punishment, exclaims : 
 
 " O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." 
 
 We are not told why Jehoiachin was deposed. 
 The probability is he rebelled against the king 
 of Babylon. This of course would not be per- 
 mitted. An army was immediately sent to be- 
 siege Jerusalem. The city was not in a con- 
 dition to make much resistance. The king, with a 
 degree of resolution, hardly to be expected of him, 
 bravely met the fate which he found himself unable to 
 avert, and " went out to the king of Babylon, he and 
 his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his 
 officers." They thus saved their lives ; but they were 
 all made prisoners* Jerusalem was then entered, the 
 
yehoiachifu 
 
 lOf 
 
 e power 
 I evil in 
 n which 
 }0 much 
 ed from 
 
 ,h, 
 
 miseries 
 his sins 
 idge the 
 
 »♦ 
 
 I. 
 
 deposed. 
 
 le king 
 
 be per- 
 
 to be- 
 
 a con- 
 
 with a 
 
 of him, 
 
 nable to 
 
 he and 
 
 and his 
 
 ley were 
 
 jred, the 
 
 temple despoiled, the royal treasures seized, and all 
 who could be either useful in Babylon, or injurious if 
 left in Jerusalem, taken prisoners. The number of 
 captives carried at this time to Babylon, exclusive of 
 females, was eight thousand. 
 
 Jehoiachin remained a prisoner at Babylon till Evil- 
 merodach began to reign, a period of thirty-seven 
 years. The Scriptures do not inform us by what 
 means his release was effected. But there were many 
 thousand Jews residing in Babylon, and it is probable 
 that they, in accordance with the advice of Jeremiah, 
 sought the peace of the city whither they had been 
 carried captive, and thus gained the esteem of their 
 conquerors* If such was the case it is easily con* 
 ceivable that they, on the succession of a new monarch, 
 might have petitioned for the release of their fellow- 
 countrymen, the descendant of a long line of kings, 
 and that their petition was granted. 
 
 Jehoiachin was, when liberated, fifty-five years old, 
 probably grey-headed, his face deeply lined, and bear- 
 ing the impress of suffering and anxiety. Though his 
 prison garments were changed, his throne set above 
 those of the other captive kings, and he privileged to 
 eat bread before Evil-Merodach all the days of his life^ 
 yet he felt himself to be the prisoner still. He diedj 
 and was buried at Babylon. 
 
io8 
 
 Zedekiak. 
 
 ■ifciii ■■> ifcitoi 
 
 ! Hi 
 'ill, 
 
 
 CHAPTER XX. ' 
 
 ZEDEKIAH. 
 
 [HEN Nebuchadnezzar desposed Jehoiachiii) 
 and carried him to Babylon he placed his 
 captive's Uncle Mattaniah on the throne 
 which was thus rendered vacant. Mattaniah was own 
 brother to Jehoahaz. Three of the sons of Josiah 
 successively wore the crown, which is a thing wholly 
 Unique in the history of this people* As the king of 
 Babylon had a few years previously changed the name 
 of Eliakim to Jehoiakimj so now he changed the name 
 of Mattaniah to Zedekiah. This, as in the former 
 instance, was done to manifest his supremacy. It had 
 been wise in Zedekiah to endure his vassalage patiently ; 
 but he, either from love of liberty, or to rid his people 
 of the heavy tribute by which they were oppressed 
 before very long, planned a revolt. He was encouraged 
 to do this by the ambassadors of the kings of £dom, 
 Moab, and others. While thus engaged the prophet 
 Jeremiah came to him, and told him that he had 
 received a command from the Lord, to make bonds 
 and yokes, and to put them on his neck as a symbol 
 of their subjection to the king of Babylon j and also to 
 send these symbols of servitude to the nations who had 
 their representatives at Jerusalem, saying that it was 
 utterly vain to oppose Nebuchadnezzar, as the Sove- 
 reign of the universe had given all nations into his 
 
 . I 
 
Zedekiah, 
 
 109 
 
 ,j 
 
 )iachin) 
 iced his 
 throne 
 as own 
 Josiah 
 wholly 
 king of 
 name 
 le name 
 fonner 
 It had 
 tiently ; 
 people 
 pressed 
 )uraged 
 Edom^ 
 prophet 
 he had 
 honds 
 ymbol 
 also to 
 rho had 
 b it was 
 ! Sove- 
 nto his 
 
 hands, and that they should serve him, and his son, 
 and his son's son ; and that afterwards many nations 
 should servo themselves of him. ' ' i 
 
 Though Zedekiah did not give full credence to what 
 Jeremiah said, yet his conduct was so much affected by 
 it that the destruction of Jerusalem was deferred seve* 
 ral years* It is difficult for one to conceive of the 
 distracted state of the public mind during this reign. 
 While Jeremiah told the people that their only hope 
 was in submission to Nebuchadnezzar, another who 
 also professed to be a prophet of the Lord, encouraged 
 them to assert their independence, promising that in 
 two years from the date of his prophecy they would 
 be free j and that those who were then in captivity 
 Would return to their own land. Jeremiah^ on hearing 
 these words, added his solemn Amen to manifest that 
 such Was his most earnest wish ; and then turning to 
 the false prophet said : " The Lord hath not sent thee \ 
 but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. There- 
 fore thus saith the Lord, behold I will cast thee off 
 from the face of the earth : this year thou shalt die, 
 because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.'* 
 Hananiah, that Was the name of the false prophet, died 
 that same year. This for a short time caused the peo- 
 ple to place entire confidence in whatever Jeremiah 
 told them in the name of the Lord. Jeremiah's next 
 opponent was one of the captives of Babylon, who pre- 
 tended to be endowed with the spirit of prophecy. 
 The incident which called forth his opposition was 
 
no 
 
 Zedekiah, 
 
 this , Jeremiah had written to his brethren in captivity 
 exhorting them to be good citizens, to build houses, 
 to plant gardens, and to contract marriages, telling 
 them that they were to remain there seventy years. 
 The pseudo prophet not only exerted all his influence 
 in Babylon to counteract the effect of this letter, but 
 also wrote to the leading men at Jerusalem, telling 
 them that the communications of Jeremiah had an 
 injurious effect on the minds of their brethren in cap- 
 tivity, and intimating that such a one should not be at 
 large. B^ut these were not the only persons who 
 opposed Jeremiah. The whole of his prophetic life 
 illustrated the truth of the statement of the great God 
 at its commencement : , ; . , . , 
 
 ''And they shall light against thee, but they shall not prevail 
 
 against thee ; 
 Fof I am with thee to save thee, '' 
 
 And to deliver thee, saith the Lord." , , 
 
 Zedekiah and his counsellors were for a long time 
 undecided whether to follow the advice of Jeremiah or 
 of those who encouraged them to oppose Nebuchad- 
 nezzar. They finally concluded to follow the advice 
 of the latter. That this step was deliberately taken 
 after having increased the fortifications, and provisioned 
 their city, is apparent from the fact that, though but a 
 few years before they could offer but little resistance, 
 they now sustained a siege of eighteen months. During 
 this time Jeremiah again and again told them in the 
 
 
Zedekiah, 
 
 III 
 
 iptivity 
 houses^ 
 
 telling 
 '- years, 
 ifluence 
 ber, but 
 
 telling 
 had an 
 in cap- 
 >t be at 
 ns who 
 Btic life 
 lat God 
 
 t prevail 
 
 ng time 
 miah or 
 juchad- 
 
 advice 
 y taken 
 dsioned 
 but a 
 istance, 
 During 
 
 in the 
 
 name of the Lord that the only possible means of pre- 
 serving their lives was by yielding themselves up to 
 the besiegers. At one time, when reduced to great 
 extremity, they concluded to do so; and willing to 
 make a shew of piety by giving up that which would 
 be of no value if retained, gave liberty to the Hebrew 
 slaves, whom they had long held in direct opposition 
 to the law of God. Shortly after this the Chaldeans, 
 hearing that the king of Egypt was coming to the 
 relief of Zedekiah, withdrew from Jerusalem in order 
 to intercept his march. This raised the hopes of the 
 Jews, and they again reduced to slavery the men and 
 women they had so lately freed. As has already been 
 intimated the Jews, when the Chaldeans withdrew for 
 a little from Jerusalem, indulged the hope that they 
 would soon be obliged to raise the siege ; but these 
 hopes were entertained against Jeremiah's most solemn 
 protestations : " Deceive not yourselves," said he, " say- 
 ing the Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for 
 they shall not depart. For though ye had smitten 
 the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against 
 you, and there remained but wounded men among 
 them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, 
 and burn this city with fire." One looks with admira- 
 tion on the intrepidity of Jeremiah, and with mingled 
 contempt and pity on the vacillating conduct of the 
 king. At one time he releases the prophet from 
 prison and j^ves command that he should receive kind 
 
 ■ : 
 
 ; '^ 
 
I ( 
 
 ? 
 
 12 
 
 Zedekiah. 
 
 .ifili; 
 ■'Hi'! 
 
 h 
 
 Ei: ^1; 
 
 treatment; and at another time, yields him to the 
 will of his enemies, whether that will be life or death. 
 There was perhaps, to the mind of Zedekiah, some 
 difficulty in reconciling the statements of Jeremiah with 
 those of Ezekiel. The last named prophet said : 
 
 "And I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans, 
 Tet shall he not see it, though he shall die there." 
 
 And Jeremiah said : ^^ Zedekiah, king of Judah, shall 
 not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall 
 surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Baby- 
 lon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his 
 eyes shall behold his eyes." The apparent difficulty 
 was probably greatly increased by the specious rea- 
 soning of the pseudo prophets. 
 
 The Jews were, during this siege, reduced to such 
 extremity that they ate human flesh. " I will cause 
 them," said the Lord by his prophet, " to eat the flesh 
 of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they 
 shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege 
 and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that 
 seek their lives, shall straiten them." And we, too, 
 hear the same prophet, in strains of melting pathos, 
 lament: 
 
 "The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children, 
 
 They were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my 
 people." 
 
 But all the horrors of famine did not cause the 
 infatuated Jews to yield. A breach was ultimately 
 
to the 
 >r death, 
 ih, some 
 liah with 
 d: 
 
 Ideans, 
 
 ah, shall 
 but shall 
 )f Baby- 
 ., and his 
 difficulty 
 lous rea- 
 
 1 to such 
 ill cause 
 the flesh 
 md they 
 the siege 
 hey that 
 we, too, 
 pathos, 
 
 children, 
 iter of my 
 
 mse the 
 timately 
 
 Zedekiah^ 
 
 "3 
 
 made in the wall, through which the Chaldeans en- 
 tered ; and it is probahle that famine and pestilence 
 had so thoroughly done their dreadful work that little 
 resistance could be made. It was when the kingdom 
 of Judah had existed about three hundred and eighty- 
 seven years, " in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the 
 fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, that the 
 city was broken up. And all the princes of the king 
 of Babylon came in and sat in the middle of the gate.'* 
 Zedekiah, seeing that the city was in the hands of his 
 enemies, fled under covert of night, being accompanied 
 in his flight by his sons, his princes and his men of 
 war. They were pursued by the Chaldeans, and over- 
 taken in the plains of Jericho. The king, in this 
 extremity, was deserted by all his army, and himself 
 and sons were made prisoners and carried to Riblah 
 to the king of Babylon. As Zedekiah had taken the 
 oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, the latter had 
 a right to act as judge, and he appears to have been 
 disposed to exercise that prerogative rather than to 
 dispense mercy. Zedekiah was obliged to witness the 
 execution of his sons ; and as if it was intended that 
 that horrible sight should ever be vivid to his imagi- 
 nation, his eyes were put out ; he was then bound with 
 fetters of brass and carried to Babylon. 
 
 While these atrocities were being committed at Rib- 
 lah, the Chaldeans at Jerusalem were going on with 
 their work of plunder and of death. " They slew their 
 young men with the sword in the house of their sane- 
 
114 
 
 Zidektah, 
 
 tuary, and had no compassion upon young man or 
 maiden, old man or him (hat stooped for age." Their 
 wanton cruelty may be inferred from the following 
 
 words : 
 
 ■^f , I ■ 
 
 ii 
 
 " Oh daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed ; 
 Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee 
 As thou hast served us.^* .^ ., 
 
 Happy shall he be. 
 That taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." 
 
 If children were subjected to such barbarous treat- 
 ment, what must have been the fate of adults ? The 
 heart sickens at the thought. 
 
 The bodies of the vast multitude who died during the 
 siege, or were afterwards slain by the sword, were 
 thrown into the valley of Tophet and became food 
 
 " For the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth." 
 
 The temple furnished spoil of very great value. The 
 Chaldeans preserved many of the most curiously 
 wrought vessels for future use ; and many others were 
 broken in pieces, and with the plating of that sacred 
 edifice, with all its elaborate workmanship, valued 
 only as so much of the precious metals. The walls of 
 the city were broken down ; and the houses of the 
 great men, the palaces of the princes, and even the 
 glorious temple itself, were consumed by fire. The 
 temple had stood reckoning from the time of its dedi- 
 cation, four hundred and seventeen years. 
 
 Nearly all the Jews who escaped the sword were 
 
Zedekiah, 
 
 "5 
 
 man or 
 
 Their 
 
 )llowing 
 
 les." 
 
 us treat- 
 j? The 
 
 iring the 
 •d, were 
 bod 
 
 earth." 
 
 ue. The 
 
 uriously 
 
 ers were 
 
 i sacred 
 
 valued 
 
 walls of 
 
 s of the 
 
 )ven the 
 
 •e. The 
 
 its dedi- 
 
 >rd were 
 
 made prisoners. Many were carried to Babylon ; and 
 a few of the very poor were left to till small portions 
 of the land, and dress the vines. > 
 
 Zedekiah died a prisoner in Babylon ; and was 
 buried, by his countrymen, according to the rites prac- 
 tised in his own land. One can scarcely conceive of 
 reflections more painful than those which would 
 naturally occupy the mind of this captive, sightless, 
 childless kmg. One of his brothers was a prisoner in 
 Egypt, another had been slain and denied burial, and 
 a son of that brother was with himself a prisoner at 
 the court of Babylon. His kingdom, too, had been 
 rendered desolate, his capital demolished, and his sub- 
 jects slain or made prisoners ; and he knew that all 
 these calamities were the effect of the righteous dis- 
 pleasure of the great God. 
 
 The territory which had been occupied by the 
 Judahites was not, on their removal, colonized by 
 foreigners ; but, comparatively speaking, it was allowed 
 to lie waste. God had commanded that the land 
 should be untilled every seventh year, and the com- 
 mand had been violated from generation to generation, 
 which was one reason why God caused his people to 
 endure a seventy years' captivity. The land by this 
 means enjoyed a season of rest equal to that which it 
 would have had, had the sabbatical year been statedly 
 observed. The neglect of this law was, however, not 
 among the chief sins of this people, for " All the chief 
 of the priests and the people transgressed very much 
 
u6 
 
 Zedekiah, 
 
 after all the abominations of the heathen^ an 1 polluted 
 the house of the Lord, which he had hallowed in Jeru- 
 salem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to 
 them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and send- 
 ing because he had compassion on his people, and on 
 his dwelling place ; but they mocked the messengers of 
 God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, 
 until the wrath of the Lord arose against his pecnl^, 
 till there wot no remedy" 
 
 ■ ri : 
 
 
 r i . 
 
 * I' 
 
 f\ ■ . 
 

 PART IL 
 
 THE KINGS OF ISRAEL 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 JEROBOAM. 
 
 JEROBOAM, the son of Nebat, began to reign 
 nine hundred and seventy-five years before 
 Christ He belonged to the larg<' tribe of 
 Ephraim, and was born at Zereda. His father died 
 when he was young, and his mother, for many years, 
 if not for the remainder of her life, lived in widow- 
 hood. Her name was Zeruah. Jeroboam w xs early 
 noted for strength of body and energy of mind. Did 
 not Solomon make him the collector of impost in his 
 own tribe, because he feared his restless spirit would 
 become dangerous if unemployed? The result was 
 not what the king expected; for while it gave 
 Jeroboam employment, it at the same time gave him 
 
Ii8 
 
 yeroboam. 
 
 !■ 
 
 i;l!! 
 
 abundant opportunity to witness the discontent which 
 prevailed, and the influence which he himself was 
 capable of exerting. It is quite possible that he 
 expressed his regret relative to the tax which it was 
 his duty to collect, and like Absalom said : " that I 
 were made judge in the land," thus intimating that 
 if such were the case they would be relieved of their 
 burdens, His ambitious schemes, probably took no 
 definite form till he was told that it was the will of 
 God, on the demise of Solomon, to invest him with 
 the sovereignty over ten tribes. But no sooner does 
 the thought of possessing sovereign power obtain a 
 lodgement in his mind than he becomes impatient of 
 delay, and meditates a rebellion. His acknowledged 
 prowess, his popularity, and the general discontent 
 encouraged him to hope that be might effect a revolu- 
 tion. He may have raised an army, which being 
 met by the king's forces, were defeated, and he 
 obliged to flee in order to preserve his life. This, at 
 any rate, is certain, Solomon sought to kill him, and 
 he fled to Shishak, king of Egypt, for protection. It 
 is not probable that when, a few years after this, 
 Shishak invaded Judah, Israel owed her safety to the 
 friendship formed during this period ? Though the 
 people had sent to Jeroboam, and recalled him from 
 Egypt, he appears to have quietly gone to his own 
 family, and there to have remained till he was re- 
 quested to head the deputation to the new king ; 
 
yeroboam. 
 
 119 
 
 M 
 
 jnt which 
 Qself was 
 that he 
 ;h it was 
 ' O that I 
 iting that 
 I of their 
 ^ took no 
 he will of 
 him with 
 ►oner does 
 • obtain a 
 ipatient of 
 lowledged 
 discontent 
 , a revolu- 
 lich being 
 and he 
 This, at 
 I him, and 
 ction. It 
 after this, 
 fety to the 
 lough the 
 him from 
 his own 
 e was re- 
 lew king; 
 
 and then again to have sought the privacy of his 
 widowed mother's dwelling. 
 
 Israel asked Rehoboam for a diminution of taxes. 
 Their petition was scornfully rejected. This was 
 most impolitic. Could he have failed to see it would 
 cause the dismemberment of his kingdom ? One can 
 only say that God permitted him to take the advice of 
 the young and thoughtless in order to bring about his 
 own designs. It is observable that on receiving this 
 answer the reply is not by Jeroboam but by the people ; 
 and that they, after declaring that they had no portion 
 in David, " sent and called him unto the congregation, 
 and made him king over all Israel." 
 
 The Lord forbade the king of Judah to fight against 
 the seceding tribes, and consequently Jeroboam became 
 king of a new nationality without the shedding of 
 blood. One of his first acts was to build, or rather re- 
 build Shechem, and fit it for a royal residence. This 
 city — the Sychar of the New Testament, and the 
 Naplouse of modern times — is very ancient. It suf- 
 fered very severely from the ravages of Simeon and 
 Levi, some seven hundred years previous to the events 
 just adverted to. It is situated about thirty-five miles 
 north of Jerusalem, between Mount Gerizim and 
 Mount Eba) . This city, or at least the valley in 
 which it was situated, and these mountains, were the 
 scene of one of the most august ceremonies ever wit- 
 nessed by man. I refer to the blessings and the curse 
 here pronounced, and to the Amen added by those on 
 
 IV > 
 
 ;' ■■ 
 
 
 % 
 
 ^'B 
 
TH-'Cv-vriji- V 
 
 120 
 
 yerohoam. 
 
 Mount Gerizim to the former, and Mount Eba i to the 
 latter. May it not be that it was because its historic 
 associations rendered it dear to the Israelites that 
 Jeroboam made it his capital? He next rebuilt 
 Penuel, a city on the east side of Jordan, near the 
 brook Jabbok. Penuel, as well as Shechem, has a 
 previous history. In it occurred one of the most re- 
 markable incidents recorded in the Bible. Jacob 
 wrestling with God and being victor ! A worm over* 
 commg omnipotence ! 
 
 Jeroboam indulged the hope that either Shechem 
 or Penuel would become Jerusalem's rival. But he 
 was anxious still, and ^' said in heart now shall the 
 kingdom return to the house of David, if this people 
 go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at 
 Jei^salem,'' and at once set about devising means 
 to prevent the tri-annual gatherings in that city* He 
 consulted with a few of the leading men in the king* 
 dom, and with their approval set up objects of worship 
 at both its extremities $ and inv'ted his subjects at 
 these places to perform their devotions. He kept his 
 real motive out of sight, and artfully insinuated that> 
 in making this arrangement, he was prompted by a 
 desire to promote their ease and comfort. 
 
 It is perhaps impossible to ascertain what caused 
 Jeroboam to select the calf or ox as the model for his 
 gods. It may have been in imitation of Apis wor- 
 shipped by the Egyptians ; but it is more probable that 
 this form was chosen on account of its resemblance to 
 
yeroboam* 
 
 111 
 
 v\ to the 
 historic 
 tes that 
 rebuilt 
 near the 
 1, has a 
 most re- 
 Jacob 
 rm over* 
 
 Shechem 
 
 But he 
 
 shall the 
 
 3 people 
 
 Lord at 
 
 means 
 
 ity» He 
 
 he king-* 
 
 ' worship 
 
 bjects at 
 
 kept his 
 
 ted that) 
 
 «d by a 
 
 caused 
 
 for his 
 
 pis wor- 
 
 able that 
 
 fiance to 
 
 those mysterious beings the cherubim. That they 
 generally resembled the ox in form more nearly than 
 any other creature, \b deducible froir ; the fact that in 
 the description given of them by i!2zekiel, he in one 
 instance) uses the word ox, and in another cherub, as if 
 they were convertible terms. As they were symboli* 
 cal, the probability is that their form varied according 
 to the objects or attributes they were used to symbo* 
 lize. If those that overshadowed the mercy seat 
 resembled the ox, is it not conceivable that the Israel* 
 ite would more easily be induced to worship before 
 that, than any other form ? 
 
 Jeroboam's plans were eminently successful: the 
 great majority of the people acceding to his proposal, 
 and offering their sacrifices either at Bethel or at Dan. 
 This was the first step in preparing the people for the 
 darkest and most revolting forms of idolatry, and 
 caused the contriver ever after t« be known as he 
 *^ who made Israel to sin%" 
 
 Some of the Israelites were too true to their Grod 
 to '' worship any likeness of anything," and voluntarily 
 parted with home and its privileges, and removed to 
 the kingdom of Judah, in order to worship the true 
 Grod, in the courts of the temple. There appear to 
 have been some of the priests and Levites who were 
 80 much ensnared by Jeroboam's plans that they were 
 willing to officiate before these golden gods; for we 
 are told that *' Jeroboam and his sons cast them off from 
 
 executing the prieit't office unto the Lord," ]>o to«i 
 6 
 
 r 
 
 4 
 
 1^ 
 
 ■: ; ,« 
 
 !'. 
 
i 
 
 122 
 
 yeroboant. 
 
 these words too shew that they professedly worshipped 
 the true God while they worshipped hefore calves ? 
 Though the family of Levi were ejected from the 
 priesthood, it was open to all others who chose to 
 accept it; and the king sometimes acted the priest 
 himself. An incident of great interest is recorded in 
 connection with his acting in that capacity. Wliile 
 he was offering incense before the altar at Bethel, a 
 man of God came and uttered a prophecy against the 
 altar and against the priests ; and added that, in proof 
 of the truthfulness of his words, the altar should be 
 rent and the ashes poured out. This occurred almost 
 as soon as the words were spoken. Jeroboam became 
 so exasperated that he attempted to seize the prophet 
 with the intention of incarcerating him, or of putting 
 him to death. But to his astonishment he found that 
 he had lost all power over that outstretched hand. 
 This at once convinced and humbled him; and he 
 begged the prophet to entreat the Lord on his behalf. 
 Prayer was offered, and the withered hand healed. 
 Jeroboam did not profit by this admonition : he " re- 
 turned not from his evil way, but made again of the 
 lowest of the people priests of the high places." About 
 this time he was visited by domestic affliction. His 
 son Abijah being seized with a severe illness. The 
 fears of Jeroboam became strongly excited; and he 
 desired his wife to take with her a present, and go to 
 the prophet, who had foretold his elevation to the 
 throne, and enquire whether or not the young prince- 
 would recover. The Lord told the prophet that this 
 
,u 
 
 yeroboafft. 
 
 123 
 
 i' 1 
 
 •shipped 
 calves ? 
 'om the 
 ;hose to 
 e priest 
 jrded in 
 Wliile 
 bethel, a 
 linst the 
 in proof 
 lould be 
 i almost 
 I became 
 prophet 
 ■ putting 
 und that 
 3d hand, 
 and he 
 behalf, 
 healed, 
 he " re- 
 a of the 
 About 
 m. His 
 ts. The 
 and he 
 id go to 
 to the 
 g prince 
 ;hat this 
 
 woman was coming, and gave him a message for her, 
 of which the following words form a part : " Him that 
 dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat ; and 
 him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air 
 eat : for the Lord hath spoken it. Arise, thou, there- 
 fore, get thee to thine own house ; and when thy feet 
 enter the city the child shall die. And all Israel shall 
 mourn for him and bury him : for he only of Jeroboam 
 shall come to the grave, because in him there is found 
 some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel.** The 
 record of the death of Abijah is very brief: " And 
 when she came to the threshold of the door the child 
 died ;'* but it is one which no mother can read without 
 being deeply moved. How inexpressibly painful were 
 the feelings of this woman on the return from Shiloh 
 to Tirzah. Though only about eighteen miles, to her 
 it seemed an almost interminable distance. How 
 earnestly she wished, that she had remained at home 
 to minister to her beloved son during the closing 
 hours of his life. At length she reaches the city, and 
 enters the palace. She thinks of the prophet's words : 
 " When thy feet enter the city the child shall die ;'* 
 but she cannot, she will not, really believe them. " It 
 must be," she mentally exclaims, " that he still lives, 
 that I once more shall hear him say Mother, once 
 more feel the pressure of his hand, and receive a 
 parting kiss." She rushes to his apartment, but. ah ! 
 though still warm, with that incomprehensible princi- 
 ple called life, life itself is gone. The spirit which but 
 a moment before was there, is now in the invisible 
 
 t :i 
 
 -i :, 
 
 
 I :* 
 
■ ■( 
 
 ».r 
 
 124 
 
 Jeroboam, 
 
 world, as truly beyond recall aa if it had passed away 
 before the flood. How thin the partition which divides 
 time from eternity ! In what proximity lies this state 
 of mixed joy and pleasure, to one of unchanging joy or 
 woe ! Dear reader, if unexpectedly called away, into 
 which of these states would you enter ? 
 
 During the first seventeen years of Jeroboam's 
 reigd he was engaged in no actual warfare, but he and 
 his neighbour Rehoboam lived in a state of continual 
 hostility. In the eighteenth year of his reign Reho- 
 boam, king of Judah, was succeeded by his son 
 Abijah ; and soon after, there was a battle fought be- 
 tween these two nations, in which the Israelites were 
 miserably defeated, losing of their chosen men five 
 hundred thousand, and being obliged to surrender 
 three important towns with the surrounding villages. 
 
 Jeroboam never recovered from these disasters. The 
 historian says : ^^ The Lord struck him and he died." 
 It is probable that the loss of so large a part of his 
 army, the loss of some towns and villages, together 
 with the loss of a beloved son, and the knowledge that 
 his family was to become extinct, so preyed on his 
 mind as to destroy his health, and ultimately cause 
 him to die. He reigned twenty-two years. 
 
 Neither the age of Jeroboam, nor that of any of his 
 successors is recorded. Had he kept the command- 
 ments of Grod, He had made him ^'a sure house;" 
 but he chose to forsake Him, and found it an evil and 
 bitter thing. 
 
Nadah and Baasha. 
 
 1^5 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 NADAB AND BAASHA. 
 
 lADAB succeeded to the throne nine hundred 
 and fifty-four years before Christ. He, 
 when compared with his late father, seems 
 a harmless character, but we do not know that he 
 had a single virtue. '^ He did evil in the sight of the 
 Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his 
 sin wherewith he made Israel to sin." That is, he 
 worshipped the gods of gold himself, and encouraged 
 his subjects to do so too. It could hardly be expected 
 that he would do otherwise than follow his father's 
 policy ; for he came to the throne amidst very un- 
 auspicious circumstances, a large part of the army 
 having been recently cut to pieces, and the nation over 
 which he reigned aware of the fact that the house to 
 which he belonged was doomed to utter extinction. 
 He reigned but two years. His only warlike ex- 
 pedition was an effort to take Gibbethon from the 
 Philistines. He was unsuccessful. We are left 
 entirely to conjecture as to the manner of his death. 
 It is possible that as they were besieging the town 
 some dispute arose between him and Baasha as to the 
 best manner of conducting it. Baasha was obliged to 
 yield his judgment to that of the king ; but he de- 
 termined on revenge. Knowing that the king was 
 despised and hated; and that he himself was very 
 
 ■V , 
 
ii 
 
 126 
 
 Nadab and Baasha. 
 
 popular, he resolved to avenge his own quarrel, and 
 serve the nation, by putting the king to death. It may 
 be that like as Ehud, some six hundred years previously, 
 had slain Eglon king of Moab, so Baasha went to 
 Nadab, and saying, '^ I have a message from God unto 
 thee," stabbed him to the heart. K the king was thus 
 slain, it is highly improbable that the murderer at- 
 tempted to flee, but rather that he came to the army, 
 declared what he had done, and was received with 
 shouts and acclamations : ^^ Long live king Baasha'' 
 sounded from thousands of voices ; and the walls of 
 Gibbethon echoed back " Long live king Baasha." 
 
 The body of the wretched Nadab was thrown aside, 
 to become the prey of ravenous beasts or birds ; and 
 the army, elated by the elevation of their general to 
 the throne, raised the s' ige of Gibbethon, more 
 anxious to destroy the house of their late king, than to 
 humble their hereditary enemies. Tirzah, of proverbial 
 beauty, had been for some years the capital of this 
 kingdom, and to it the new king at once returned. 
 Being attended by an army devoted to his interests, the 
 civilians accepted him as their sovereign without re- 
 monstrance. There appears to have been no blood 
 shed excepting that of the house of Jeroboam. That 
 house was exterminated, to it there was not left any 
 that breathed. 
 
 Baasha began to reign in the third year of Asa king 
 of Judah ; before Christ nine hundred and fifty-three 
 years. He reigned twenty-four years. Finding him 
 
Nadab and Baasha, 
 
 127 
 
 rel, and 
 It may 
 jviously, 
 went to 
 rod unto 
 vras thus 
 derer at- 
 lie army, 
 red with 
 Baasha** 
 walls of 
 ha." 
 
 ivn aside, 
 rds; and 
 meral to 
 n, more 
 5, than to 
 roverbial 
 of this 
 returned, 
 rests, the 
 Lthout re- 
 no blood 
 n. That 
 left any 
 
 Asa king 
 ifty-three 
 :ling }iim 
 
 self established on the throne, he made preparation for 
 a war against the kingdom of Judah. To this he was 
 incited by his lust of domination and thirst for blood ; 
 and perhaps to avenge the injuries the kingdom had 
 sustained during the reign of Jeroboam. While 
 Baasha was pursuing a career of wickedness the Lord 
 sent him the following message : " Forasmuch as I 
 exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over 
 my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of 
 Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to 
 provoke me to anger with their sins ; Behold I will take 
 away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of 
 his house, and will make thy house like the house of 
 Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Him that dieth of 
 Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat ; and him that 
 dieth in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat." 
 Notwithstanding this admonition he went on in his 
 plans for his own aggrandisement. 
 
 Ever after the secession of the ten tribes it had 
 been the practice of the truly pious in Israel to forsake 
 their homes and remove to the kingdom of Judah. 
 Baasha appears to have thought himself in a position 
 to put a stop to this, and accordingly made extensive 
 preparations, and indeed began to build a fortress 
 within the limits of that kingdom. This measure 
 seems a bold one ; but it is probable that he was pro- 
 tected by so strong an army that he knew that the king 
 of Judah could offer no resistance. But his schemes 
 were thwarted by the treachery of his ally, Benhadad, 
 
 
 
 'i I 
 
 \ % 
 
w 
 
 li 
 
 I! ='! 
 
 A 
 
 128 
 
 Nadab and Baasha. 
 
 who was evidently one of those men, to be found in all 
 ages of the world, and in all ranks of society, ready to 
 sell themselves to the highest bidder. Though he 
 well knew that Baasha was depending on his friendship, 
 yet when he received Asa's magnificent present, ac- 
 companied with a request for his aid, he did not hesitate 
 to comply. With as little delay as possible he sent 
 his forces into the kingdom of Israel and took several 
 cities. Baasha on hearing this — as Berh^dad hoped 
 and expected — left off building Ramah in order to 
 defend his own territory. Thus were the well laid 
 plans of this wicked king baffled, and the immense 
 quantities of building material which he had collected, 
 served to enrich the very kingdom against which his 
 plots were designed. 
 
 Baasha must have been, during the last years of his 
 life, one of the most wretched of human beings. He 
 knew not only that his family was to become extinct, 
 but that all of them, however tender and delicate, 
 were to be eaten by dogs or by birds of prey ; and 
 though his ideas of the future may have been very 
 vague, he must have felt that a fearful retribution 
 awaited him. He died a natural death, and was buried 
 at Tirzah, which was at that time the capital of the 
 kingdom. 
 
Elah and Zintri, 
 
 129 
 
 nd in all 
 ready to 
 >ugh he 
 endship, 
 lent, ac- 
 ; hesitate 
 he sent 
 : several 
 id hoped 
 order to 
 irell laid 
 immense 
 collected, 
 7hich his 
 
 rs of his 
 5s. He 
 extinct, 
 delicate, 
 ey; and 
 en very 
 tribution 
 as buried 
 al of the 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ELAH AND ZIMRI. 
 
 iLAH succeeded to the throne of his father nine 
 hundred and thirty years before Christ. He 
 '^'^^ reigned but two years. That he sinned and 
 caused Israel to sin is recorded, but not one act except 
 that he was drinking himself drunk at the time of his 
 assassination. He, like Nadab the son of Jeroboam, 
 was the second and last king of the dynasty to which 
 he belonged. Some may perhaps say that his knowing 
 that he should come to a miserable death was an 
 excuse for his transgressions. This is a very wrong 
 view of the subject. All are under obligation to repent 
 and turn from their sins independently of the hope of 
 forgiveness. " There is no hope ; no, I have loved 
 strangers and after them I will go " is not so much the 
 language of despair, as of rebellion. 
 
 I cannot conceive of one appearing laore contempt- 
 ible than Elah does in the picture in which the historian 
 presents him. Regardless of his dignity or the good 
 of his subjects, he sought only the gratification of his 
 appetites and passions, for this purpose he left his palace 
 and went to the house of his steward. 
 
 The reader doubtless remembers that an effort had 
 been made, some quarter of a century previously, to 
 take Gibbethon from the Philistines and that the 
 Israelites had been diverted from the undertaking by 
 
130 
 
 Elah and Zintri. 
 
 the murder of Nadab, and the elevation of Baasha to 
 the throne. The Philistines appear to have been 
 undisturbed in their possession of that fortress from 
 that time till the second year of the reign of £lah, 
 when we again find Israel encamped around it. One 
 Zimri, captain of half the army of Israel, was dispatched 
 from Gibbethon with a message to the king. He went 
 to the royal palace, but the king was not there, he then 
 went to the house of Arza the steward where he found 
 the king in a state of intoxication : his face is bloated, 
 his eyes dull, and with trembling hand he is endeavour- 
 ing to carry still another glass to his feverish lips. 
 Zimri addresses him, and is answered only by a sense- 
 less stare, and fiendish laugh : a frown passes over the 
 face of the veteran, his eyes dart fire, as with closely 
 pressed lips he rushes from the presence of the king 
 to the armed men by whom he had been attended from 
 Gibbethon, they consult a few moments then dash into 
 the house of Arza, slay the king and his dissolute 
 companions, and proclaim their captain king. Now 
 commences a scene of slaughter which knows no respite 
 till the whole house of Baasha, and all his friends are 
 slain. No respect is shewn to the man of grey hairs, 
 nor mercy, to the tender infant lying in its mother's 
 bosom. Zimri knew that having taken the sword, he 
 must defend himself by the sword, or by it perish. 
 He had been been in the enjoyment of royalty but 
 seven days when Omri the captain of the other half of 
 the army came to Tirzah and besieged it. The city 
 
 ■ri 
 lis 
 
Omri and Tibnu 
 
 UI 
 
 aasha to 
 ve been 
 ess from 
 of Elah, 
 it. One 
 ispatched 
 He went 
 ), he then 
 he found 
 i bloated) 
 ideavour- 
 irish lips. 
 jr a sense- 
 3 over the 
 th closely 
 the king 
 ided from 
 dash into 
 dissolute 
 g. Now 
 10 respite 
 lends are 
 rey hairs, 
 mother's 
 sword, he 
 it perish, 
 yalty but 
 er half of 
 The city 
 
 was altogether unprepared for a siege, and tlio citizens 
 little inclined to endure one, had thoy been prepared. 
 Th« brave, warlike, ambitious, but unfortunate Zimri 
 seeing all was lost, determined not to endure the scoffs 
 of the conquerors. He shut himself up in the palace^ 
 and setting fire to it, burned both it, and himself to- 
 gether! Thus miserably perished the only king of the 
 third dynasty which reigned over this turbulent 
 people* 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OMRI AND TIBNI. 
 
 It^HE army, which was encamped before Gibbethon, 
 ll no sooner heard of the usurpation of Zimri 
 ^^^ than they proclaimed their general king. 
 What determined their choice is not known. It is 
 possible that Omri was noted for his patriotism ; but it 
 is probable that his martial qualities were his chief 
 recommendation. It has generally happened that 
 those, who have been raised to supreme power by the 
 soldiery, have themselves been soldiers. Omri lost no 
 time in marching to Tirzah, and Zimri as has been 
 already stated, put an end to his own life 
 
 The people were not unanimous in their choice, a 
 large faction were in favour of elevating one Tibni to 
 the throne. A civil war ensued in which the strength 
 of opposing parties was so nearly equal that it continued 
 
13^ 
 
 Omri and Tibni. 
 
 six years. One can scarcely conceive of the injury 
 thus done to the nation ; for civil wars are Unmitigated 
 evils. A defeat of either party is a national loss* It 
 is but reasonable to suppose that all the maleS) who 
 Were capable of bearing armS) Were enrolled as soldiers ) 
 *and that agricultural operations, as well as the care of 
 flocks and herds, devolved on aged men, women and 
 children. If such were indeed the Case, the land must 
 have been in a great measure untilled ; and as a natural 
 result a scarcity of provisions ensued. From how 
 many domestic circles too Was the means of support 
 taken away, aged parents left to pine ii: want, wives 
 made widows, and children fatherless I 
 
 The war was at length brought to a close, by a com- 
 plete victoi*y of the forces of Omri over those of Tibni. 
 •* So Tibni died and Omri reigned." Omri began to 
 reign, if we reckon from the time that he was proclaim* 
 ed king by the army, nine hundred and twenty-nine 
 years before Christ, and he reigned twelve years. 
 
 It is not probable that the kingdom ever wholly 
 recovered from the effects of this war. Not only were 
 numbers of those who may be termed the bulwarks of 
 the nation slain ; but all classes became demoralized* 
 During such a period as that through which Israel had 
 just passed, military prowess is most likely to become 
 most emphatically the virtue to which every thing else 
 is subsidiary. More especially is this the case, when 
 the conflict is not entered on in defence of right, but 
 merely to gratify ambition* Omri resolved to change 
 
- I'a 
 
 Ontri and TibnL 
 
 U3 
 
 ) injury 
 Litigated 
 oss< tt 
 les, who 
 (oldiers \ 
 J care of 
 nen and 
 nd must 
 I natural 
 om how 
 ' support 
 it» wives 
 
 y a com* 
 ofTibni. 
 began to 
 proclaim* 
 nty-nine 
 trs* 
 
 ' wholly 
 nly were 
 Warks of 
 oralized* 
 srael had 
 > become 
 ling else 
 se, when 
 ight, but 
 change 
 
 the royal residence. The palace had been burned just 
 before he became king ; and probably during the com- 
 motion which ensued all its surroundings, which 
 rendered it desirable as a residence had been destroyed* 
 The place chosen for the new capital was the hill of 
 Samaria^ for which he paid a sum about equal to two 
 thousand eight hundred and thirty dollars* 
 
 It has been said of Augustus Caesar that it had been 
 well for the people of Rome if he had never been 
 boru) or had never died* This cannot be said of Omri^ 
 for though it might have been well for Israel if he had 
 never been bom, the prolongation of his reign was 
 anything but desirable* He came to the throne through 
 seas of blood, but so far from making any atonement) 
 he disgraced the throne thus reached, and injured the 
 people through whom it had been reached : ^ He 
 wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, and did worse 
 than all that were before him." His exceeding wicked- 
 ness may be inferred from the fact, that when the 
 prophet Micah, long afterwards, was denouncing judg- 
 ments on X:r»/i\ one of the charges brought against 
 them waS) that the statutes of this king were by them 
 observed* 
 
 We are not told the age of Omri at the time of his 
 death, nor indeed of any of the kings who reigned 
 over Israel* It is worthy of notice too that the name 
 of but one of their mothers has been left on record. 
 
 Omri was buried in Samaria, which was henceforth 
 the burial place of the kings of Israel* 
 
 ^ ,'; 
 
 fi 
 
1 
 
 li 1 
 
 134 
 
 Ahab, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ARAB. , 
 
 HAB succeeded peaceably to the throne 
 which it had cost his father a six years 
 conflict to obtain. He began to reign nine 
 hundred and eighteen years before Christ and reigned 
 nineteen years. Judging of the little we know of 
 Omri he pursued his course of wickedness without 
 restraint or warning, compunction or remorse. The 
 Lord appears to have left him, as he might justly leave 
 any of us, to choose his own way, and eat the fruit of 
 his own doings* With Abab it was far otherwise* 
 Again and again was he visited by Elijah to encourage, 
 counsel or warn him, as the exigencies of the case 
 required. And at one time he went on in the most 
 fragrant transgressions, at another he walked humbly 
 before God. His, appears to have been one of those 
 impressible natures which are very much affected by 
 circumstances. Had he had the advantage of early 
 religious training ; and had his chief wife been a pious 
 woman, he would probably have been free from any 
 great transgressions. But precisely the opposite state 
 of things existed. The first lessons he received were 
 on treachery and deceit ; and he early became fami- 
 liarized to scenes of cruelty and blood. As he entered 
 on the responsibilities inseparable from manhood, his 
 surroundings were equally unfavourable to the develop- 
 
•1 
 
 Ahab, 
 
 135 
 
 ment of a religious character. He was young when he 
 married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the 
 Zidonians. That she was even then noted for her 
 wickedness is apparent, for this marriage is referred to 
 as one of Ahab*s most heinous sins. The nation, over 
 which he was called to rule, was so thoroughly de- 
 moralized that he did not risk his popularity by in- 
 dulging in the grossest vices. All these circumstances 
 combined caused him, as he came to the throne, to 
 pursue a course of high-handed wickedness. He made 
 the concerns of religion his chief care ; but his religion 
 was most irreligious, his piety, most impious. He lost 
 no time in building a house and rearing an altar for 
 Baal in his own capital ; and even planted a grove, in 
 order that every facility might be afforded for the 
 obscene rites of idol worship. There was one however 
 in his kingdom who often caused him to pause in his 
 evil course, and who, it may be, was ultimately the 
 means of leading him to true repentance. This was 
 the renowned prophet Elijah, to whom reference has 
 already been made. This man acted so conspicuous a 
 part during this reign that he requires more than a 
 passing notice. His origin is enveloped in obscurity. 
 This has given rise to many conjectures, some of them 
 the most extravagant. Some supposing him to have 
 been an angel, and others a divine personage. That 
 he was neither the one nor the other is proven by 
 " Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are." 
 None can deny, however, that there is something very 
 
 1: 
 I- 
 
 ^1*1 
 
 i 
 
 I. 
 
 
I ! 
 
 136 
 
 Ahab, 
 
 remarkable in the manner of his entrance into public 
 life ; and wholly unique in his departure from earth. 
 We first see him as he comes before Ahab, and an- 
 nounces an impending judgment in a most impressive 
 manner : '^ As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before 
 whom I stand there shall not be dew nor rain these 
 years but according to my word." The Apostle James 
 tells us that Elijah ^^ prayed earnestly that it might not 
 rain/' and he doubtless received the assurance that his 
 prayer was answered before he made the announcement 
 to the king. The reader may perhaps enquire, as to 
 whence arose the desire in the mind of the prophet 
 that there should not be rain. It was to vindicate the 
 honour of his God. It was the belief that the idols 
 worshipped by the wicked Ahab, and still more wicked 
 Jezebel, had power over rain, and the prophet wished 
 to show the falacy of the belief. Having made the 
 statement to the king, and thus rendered himself ob- 
 noxious, he secreted himself as God directed, some- 
 times in one place, and at other times in another. It 
 would be interesting to follow him in his wanderings, 
 but it would be foreign to my present purpose. 
 
 The kingdom of Israel suffered a drought of three 
 years and six months, during which time Ahab sent 
 to all the neighbouring nations to seek for Elijah, and 
 on his not being found, an oath was required to the 
 effect that the place of his concealment was unknown. 
 No doubt it was the imperative duty of Ahab to seek 
 the favour of God, from the chastisement of whose 
 
JO public 
 im earth, 
 and an- 
 ipressive 
 h, before 
 ain these 
 le James 
 night not 
 ) that his 
 ancement 
 lire, as to 
 I prophet 
 licate the 
 
 the idols 
 re wicked 
 et wished 
 made the 
 mself ob- 
 ed, some- 
 )ther. It 
 ind3rings, 
 e. 
 
 of three 
 \.hab sent 
 llijah, and 
 
 ed to the 
 unknown, 
 lb to seek 
 
 of whose 
 
 Ahab. 
 
 137 
 
 hand he and his people were suffering, and then to use 
 his most earnest endeavours to mitigate the evils. But 
 while we look on his impenitence with grief and sur- 
 prise, we cannot withhold our admiration, as we ob- 
 serve his energetic, self-sacrificing conduct. When he 
 saw that the flocks and herds were suffering from 
 want of pasturage and water, he called his faithful ser- 
 vant Obadiah and recommended that a careful search 
 should be made throughout the length and breadth of 
 his kingdom, in order to ascertain whether some fertile 
 spot or bubbling spring might not yet be found. His 
 care would have been commmendable even had he 
 entrusted the carrying out of his plan entirely to 
 others ; but how much more so when he engages in the 
 arduous undertaking himself. He and Obadiah divided 
 the land between them, each determined to make the 
 most careful survey of his portion. They had not 
 parted far asunder when Elijah who had so long been 
 sought for in vain, presented himself to Obadiah, and 
 bade him go and tell Ahab that he was there. In the 
 meeting between the king and the prophet the holy 
 intrepidity of the latter is very conspicuous. In an- 
 swer to Ahab*s question : " Art thou he that troubleth 
 Israel?" he boldly replied, "I have not troubled 
 Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have 
 forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou 
 hast followed Baalim. Now, therefore, send and 
 gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the 
 prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty ; and the pro 
 
 
 i 
 
 Hi 
 
 8- 
 I 
 
 In 
 
 Hi 
 
 
 il 
 
 ■1' 
 
138 
 
 Ahab. 
 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 pliets of the groves four hundred, which did eat at 
 Jezebel's table." The request of Elijah was complied 
 with, without delay or remonstrance. It does not 
 seem probable that the prophets of the groves came i 
 at the command of Ahab ; over them he may not have 
 exercised any control. ' 
 
 When the people had assembled at Mount Carmel 
 Elijah addressed them, and exhorted them to come to 
 a decision relative to the proper object of worship. 
 He proposed settling the claims of the various deities 
 by agreeing to acknowledge him to be God who 
 answered by lire. The priests, perhaps, would have 
 declined the test, but they were in a manner forced to 
 it by the people. In accordance with the wishes of 
 Elijah one bullock was given to him, and one to the 
 prophets of Baal. They presented their offering first. 
 Having slain their bullock, cut it in pieces, and laid it 
 on the altar, they vehemently called on Baal from 
 morning till noon ; " but there was no voice, nor any 
 that answered." Elijah then " mocked them and said, 
 cry aloud ; for he is a god, either he is talking, or he 
 is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he 
 sleepeth and must be awaked." As either of these 
 suppositions were, to their minds, within the range of 
 probabilities, the bitter sarcasm had the effect of in- 
 creasing their vociferous supplications. They too " cut 
 themselves with knives and lancets, till the blood 
 gushed out upon them." They imagined that if Baal 
 could not be moved by their entreaties, or by the blood 
 
Ahab. 
 
 139 
 
 of the bullock, he perchance might be, by their blood. 
 They were evidently sincere, and expected that fire 
 would descend and consume their sacrifice ; " and they 
 prophesied till the time of the offering of the evening 
 sacrifice, and there was neither voice, nor any to 
 answer, no" any that regarded." Elijah now called 
 on the people to witness his preparations for the 
 offering of his bullock. There was an altar on Mount 
 Carmel on which sacrifices had formerly been offered 
 to the Lord. This he repaired, and around it he 
 placed twelve stones, he then dug a trench around the 
 altar of considerable dimensions, and cut the bullock 
 in pieces and laid it on the wood. These preparations 
 being made, he desired those present to fill four barrels 
 with water, and to pour it on the burnt offering and 
 on the wood. This, by his request, was repeated 
 three times. Elijah knew that fire would descend, 
 and he wished the bystanders to be absolutely certain 
 that it was not the kindling of some latent spark. 
 Had fire been there, it would necessarily " have been 
 extinguished when the water was poured on the burnt 
 offering, and on the wood." Elijah then, in the pre- 
 sence of the assembled multitude, thus prayed : " Lord 
 God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Israel let it be known 
 this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy 
 servant, and that I have done all these things at thy 
 word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people 
 may know that thou art the Lord God, and thou hast 
 turned their heart back again." The prayer was no 
 
 Ml : 
 
 "T I 
 
 
 i:i 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 \\i. 
 
I40 
 
 Ahab. 
 
 sooner offered than "the fire of the Lord fell, and 
 consumed the burnt-sacrifice, and the wood, and the 
 stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was 
 in the trench/' The people were deeply affected ; and 
 although the great majority of them had been idolators 
 some sixty years, when they saw the fire they " fell 
 on their faces : and they said. The Lord he is the Grod ; 
 the Lord he is the God." The prophets of Baal were 
 now, by the command of Elijah, taken and slain. In 
 this fearful work he appears himself to have assisted. 
 It is not clear whether this was done with the consent 
 of Ahab, or whether he became so intimidated that he 
 dared not oppose. Elijah now told Ahab that there 
 was a sound of abundance of rain, and shortly after 
 urged him to make no delay in returning to his 
 palace, if he would escape the coming storm. Ahab 
 at once entered his chariot, and drove to Jezreel, 
 which was a distance of something more than thirty 
 miles. He must have been surprised on arriving at 
 the city to find that Elijah, though on foot, had 
 reached the place before him. One would like to 
 know why Ahab returned to Jezreel, rather than to 
 his capital, Samaria. Was it merely that he might 
 have the sympathy of Jezebel, or did he hope that she, 
 inventive and energetic as she was, would devise 
 same way to undo, what had on that day been effected, 
 or at any rate to have revenge ? He lost no time 
 in telling the remarkable events of the day, and 
 especially of the massacre — ^for such he doubtless 
 
Ahab, 
 
 141 
 
 )11, and 
 ind the 
 lat was 
 3d; and 
 lolators 
 3y « fell 
 le God; 
 lal were 
 tin. In 
 assisted, 
 consent 
 that he 
 lat there 
 tly after 
 to his 
 Ahab 
 Jezreel, 
 m thirty 
 iving at 
 )ot, had 
 like to 
 than to 
 e might 
 hat she, 
 devise 
 effected, 
 no time 
 ay, and 
 oubtless 
 
 represented the execution of the prophets of Baal. 
 On hearing this she became exasperated and sent to 
 Elijah the following message : ^^ So let the gods do to me 
 and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of 
 them by to-morrow about this time.*' As Jezebel was 
 vindictive and cruel, one would rather have expected 
 that instead of this message, she would have sent one 
 of her creatures to take his life, or at least, take him 
 into custody. I cannot avoid the conclusion that even 
 she, hardened though she was, scarcely wished to 
 imbrue her hands in his blood. She may have had 
 doubts whether it would be possible to make that man 
 her prisoner, through whose agency fire had been 
 brought down from heaven, and the rain restrained. 
 Consequently what she most desired was to be rid of 
 him. The means employed were well calculated to 
 bring about this end. She threatened his life and at 
 the same time allowed him ample opportunity to escape. 
 The character of Ahab seems to have been made up 
 of contrarieties : the next time he comes before us he 
 appears as a believer in the true God. Benhadad, 
 king of Syria, with a large army besieged Samaria, 
 and sent to Ahab demanding not only his gold and 
 silver, but all his wives and children. Ahab, knowing 
 that opposition was useless, and perhaps hoping to 
 obtain safety for his subjects by personal sacrifices, 
 submissively replies : ^^ My Lord, O Jung according to 
 thy saying 1 am thine and all that I have." Benhadad, 
 not satisfied with these concessions, sent another mes- 
 
 M 
 
 % 
 
 ■ 4 
 
 H\ 
 
i 
 
 M i 
 
 iilih 
 
 142 
 
 Akab. 
 
 sage, more insolent than the first, in which, in addition 
 to his former demands, he claimed the privilege of 
 searching the houses of Ahab's servants and of carry- 
 rying thence whatever he pleased. Ahab, feeling that 
 he had no right thus to dispose of his subjects* goods, 
 called together the chief men in his kingdom, and laid 
 the matter before them. They advised him resolutely 
 to answer no. Ahab accordingly sent word to Benha- 
 dad that the first demand would be complied with, as 
 his word had been passed, but it was useless to de- 
 mand ai!iy thing further. Benhadad, vexed that one 
 so much weaker than himself should dare to oppose 
 his wishes, haughtily replied : " The gods do so to me 
 and more also if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for 
 handfuls for all the people that follow me." Ahab 
 answered this insolent, revengeful speech in the lan- 
 guage of a proverb : " Let not him that girdeth on his 
 harness boast himself as he that putteth it off*." Ben- 
 hadad now prepared to take the city, and the Israelites 
 determined on the most vigorous defence. While they 
 were thus engaged, the Lord sent a prophet to Ahab 
 with the promise of a complete victory over the be- 
 sieging host. The mind of Ahab was prepared for 
 this message ; he gave it entire credence, and was only 
 anxious to learn the will of God as to how he was to 
 proceed. His whole available force consisted only of 
 seven thousand two hundred and thirty-two men, and 
 these were opposed by an immense host, no small part 
 of which were cavalry. But not a doubt, not a fear 
 
Ahab. 
 
 143 
 
 iddition 
 lege of 
 f carry- 
 ing that 
 i' goods, 
 md laid 
 solutely 
 Benha- 
 with, as 
 i to de- 
 :hat one 
 I oppose 
 80 to me 
 iffice for 
 Ahab 
 the lan- 
 ;h on his 
 Ben- 
 "sraelites 
 hile they 
 to Ahab 
 ' the be- 
 ared for 
 
 « 
 
 was only 
 e was to 
 i only of 
 men, and 
 nail part 
 >t a fear 
 
 crossed the mind of Ahab, The language of his heart 
 evidently was : " Hath the Lord said it, and shall he 
 not do it ? hath he spoken it, and shall he not make it 
 good ? Like the pious Asa he could say : " Lord, it is 
 nothing with thee to help whether with many or with 
 them that have no power." But while Ahab's whole 
 confidence was in God, he evidently used every means 
 that human prudence could suggest to secure a vic- 
 tory. For this purpose he chose, as a battle ground, 
 a spot where the surface was so uneven that the 
 Syrians could derive little if any advantage from their 
 horses and chariots. He, too, ordered that the attack 
 should be made at the hour of noon, knowing that they 
 at that time would be engaged in feasting. 
 
 When Benhadad was told that certain men had 
 come out of the city, he supinely remarked that he 
 wished them to be taken alive, whether they had come 
 for peace or for war. He does not appear to have left 
 his pavilions. Secure in his immense army he hardly 
 supposed that Israel would dare to offer battle ; and it 
 does not seem to have occurred to his mind that a defeat 
 was possible. The two hundred and thirty-two princes 
 were immediately followed by seven thousand men* 
 The slaughter at once commenced, and each of the 
 seven thousand two hundred and thirty-two slew a man 
 before the Syrians struck a single blow. Though the 
 enemy had, but an hour before, regarded Israel with the 
 utmost contempt, they were now panic struck. "While 
 they believed that the living and true God was only as 
 
 m 
 
 wm 
 
 I 
 
< ! 
 
 •tip ! 
 
 t44 
 
 Ahab. 
 
 one of the gods of the nationS) they felt that he was fight* 
 ing against them, and that they were not in a condition 
 to receive aid from their own deity. They had no 
 heart to fight, but were, by a comparative handful of 
 men, put to a complete rout, and Ahab, taking advan* 
 tage of their confusion, caused their horses to be slain 
 and their chariots rendered unfit for use. Benhadad 
 seeing all was lost escaped to his own land. But on 
 the return of spring he, with another very large army 
 came again against Israel. AhaVs faith in God ap* 
 pears to have remained unshaken during the year, 
 and he fearlessly prepared a second time to meet 
 Benhadad, who in the plains of Aphek was waiting 
 his approach. The two armies seem to have been 
 nearly as disproportionate as during the previous 
 campaign. ''The children of Israel pitched before 
 them like two little flocks of kids, but the Syrians 
 filled the country." The Israelites were again vic^ 
 torious. They slew one hundred thousand men. The 
 rest of the Syrian army took refuge in Aphek. It 
 is probable that Israel undermined the walls of this 
 city, for they fell and by this means twenty-seven 
 thousand more of the Syrians were slain. Benhadad 
 was now solicitous only to preserve his life. For 
 this purpose he, with the few who still remained faithful 
 to him, concealed himself in an inner chamber. How 
 transitory is human greatness ! He, who but a twelve- 
 month before had haughtily demanded gold, silver 
 wives and children now humbly {>etitions for life. H« 
 
Ahab, 
 
 145 
 
 Eu fight* 
 >ndUion 
 had no 
 Ddful of 
 
 advan-' 
 be slain 
 mhadad 
 
 But on 
 re army 
 jrod ap- 
 le year, 
 to meet 
 waiting 
 ve been 
 previous 
 I before 
 Syrians 
 ;ain vio 
 in. The 
 lek. It 
 I of this 
 ty-seven 
 enhadad 
 re» For 
 IfaithfiU 
 r. How 
 , twelve- 
 d, silver 
 ife. Hft 
 
 was but illy supplied with provisions and knew that if 
 he remained in his hiding place he would escape the 
 sword only to die by famine. He and his attendants 
 consulted as to what was, in their extremity, to be 
 done ; and the latter concluded to clothe themselves in 
 sackcloth and put ropes upon their heads, and to go to 
 Ahab and ask for the life of their master. They then 
 went in this humiliating manner and presented their 
 petition : ^^ Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee 
 let me live/' The impulsive Ahab replied : ^ Is he yet 
 alive? he is my brother." The Syrians eagerly caught 
 the tender word brother, and answered ^* thy brother 
 Benhadad." Ahab, who was probably sitting in his 
 chariot at the head of his victorious troops, gave com** 
 mand that Benhadad should come to him ; and when 
 he came invited him to a seat. Benhadad improved 
 the oppoi tonity still further to conciliate his conqueror. 
 *^ The cities " said he, *^ which my &ther took from thy 
 father I will restore ; and thou shalt make streets for 
 thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria*** 
 With this arrangement the Syrian king was permitted 
 to return to his own land. 
 
 The conduct of Ahab relative to his fedlen enemy 
 might be considered generous were it not that the 
 context shews that the Lord had commanded him to 
 put Benhadad to death; therefore to allow him to 
 return to his own land in safety is no more to 
 be <:ommended than would be the conduct of a 
 »heri£^ who should permit on« to Moap^ who by th« 
 7 
 
 .r 
 
 i 
 
 
II .'i^: 
 
 ) ;• 
 
 if 
 
 r i 
 
 I If I 
 
 146 
 
 Ahab. 
 
 laws of his country had been justly condemned to die« 
 God's will whenever it is made known^ not our feel- 
 ings, is the rule of conduct. 
 
 Though Samaria was the capital of the kingdom of 
 Israel ; and Jezebel was the favourite wife of Ahab we 
 never meet with her at Samaria ; but on more than 
 one occasion meet both her and Ahab at JezreeL 
 May it not be that the palace in the last named city 
 was her own property ? and that she chose to reside 
 there that she might have the better opportunity to 
 practif^e the horrid rites connected with idolatrous 
 worship? ! .,^ : . ) . 
 
 It is apparent that Jezebel exercised a very power- 
 ful influence over the mind of her husband and that 
 she was one oi the very few wives who have used their 
 influences for evil purposes. "Was it owing to her in- 
 Huenoe that Ahab always appears to disadvantage^and at 
 times contemptible at Jezreel ? One is at a loss whether 
 most to abhor his wickedness^ or despise his weakness, 
 in connection with the incidents connected with the 
 death of Naboth. This man owned a vineyard near 
 the re; .i palace, Ahab coveted the vineyard and offer- 
 €(d the owner a better vineyard' in exchange, or if he 
 preferred, the value in money. At first sight the 
 proposal seems reasonable, and one to which a subject 
 should have conceded, in order to oblige his sovereign. 
 But the matter has a very different aspect if one bears 
 in mind the fact that the real estate of the Israelite 
 was unalienable. Ahab had no right to tempt l^abotb 
 
Ahah. 
 
 W 
 
 led to die. 
 b our feel- 
 
 ingdom of 
 ■ Ahab we 
 nore than 
 t JezreeL 
 amed city 
 to reside 
 ptunity to 
 idolatrous 
 
 ry power- 
 L and that 
 used their 
 to her in- 
 ige^and at 
 IS whether 
 weakness, 
 with the 
 fard near 
 and offer- 
 e, or if he 
 sight the 
 a subject 
 jovereign. 
 one bears 
 ) Israelite 
 >t l^abotb 
 
 by offering a better vineyard ; nor had Naboth a right 
 to sell it except on the condition of its being returned 
 at jubilee, the observance of which had gone into 
 desuetude. He therefore respectfully, but positively 
 declined parting with his inheritance. On his refusal 
 the king, the soldier, the man acted the part of a child. 
 He laid down on his bed and refused to take any 
 nourishment. Jezebel went to him and affectionately 
 enquired the cause of his grief. On learning it she 
 rather reproached him for his pusillanimity, and told 
 him if he would permit her to use his name and seal 
 she would put him in possession of the wished for vine- 
 yard. It is observable that he assented only by silence. 
 He was willing to have the benefit of l^ier act, but he 
 shrank from incurring the responsibility. Jezebel soon 
 compassed the death of Naboth, in which she manifest- 
 ed a degree of tact, a strength of resolution and a 
 depth of depravity seldom., if ever, surpassed. The 
 letters, which were written by Jezebel on this occasion, 
 are the first of which we have any record. 
 
 As Naboth had suffered death under the charge of 
 disloyalty to his king and impiety towards God, his 
 estate was confiscated. Ahab therefore hesitated not 
 to go and take possession. While congratulating 
 himself on his new acquisition he saw the Tishbite 
 approaching him. He quailed before the eye of his 
 subject, and with stammering tongue asked " hast thou 
 found me, O mine enemy ?" " I have found thee," said 
 Elijah, " because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in 
 
 HI 
 
 ,;.; 
 
 ■ I 
 
 I 
 
 l'.^ 
 
 ^>' 
 
<ii! 
 
 148 
 
 AAad. 
 
 the sight of the Lord." Elijah then proceeded to tell 
 the king that the Lord had determined to cut off his 
 fiunily as He had cut off the families of Jeroboam and 
 Baasha ; and that Jezebel should be eaten by dogs at 
 the wall of Jezreel. ^ When Ahab had heard these 
 things he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his 
 flesh, and lay in sackcloth and went softly." The great 
 Grod, who delights in mercy, saw Ahab's repentance, 
 and in consequence promised that the threatened evils 
 should not occur during his lifetime. 
 
 The next time we see Ahab he is entertaining the 
 king of Judah and persuades his guest with him to 
 make an effort to retake Ramoth-gilead from the 
 Syrians. A prophet by the name of Micaiah had 
 fisdthfully told the king what would be the result of the 
 proposed ek^pedition, and as a reward for his faithful- 
 ness was imprisoned by order of his impulsive, 
 vacillating master. ^ Feed him,'' said he, ^^ with the 
 bread of affliction, and with the water of affliction until 
 I come in peace." Ah ! little did he think that he 
 never would return. 
 
 Early in the engagement, which took place before 
 Ramoth-gilead, Ahab was mortally wounded and per- 
 oeiving that he could be of no further use in the army 
 he desired his charioteer to drive him a little aside, but 
 not so far away but that he could still give orders. 
 The deadly conflict was obstinately maintained from 
 hour to hour and the dying king, unable to sit unsup- 
 ported and yet more concerned about the issue of the 
 
Aka^, 
 
 149 
 
 ed to tell 
 !ut off his 
 boam and 
 y dog9 at 
 ird these 
 upon his 
 rhe great 
 pentance, 
 med evils 
 
 fining the 
 bh him to 
 from the 
 isa&h. had 
 ult of the 
 i faithful* 
 [upulsive, 
 with the 
 tion until 
 that he 
 
 » before 
 and per- 
 the army 
 side, but 
 orders, 
 aed from 
 it unsup- 
 lie of the 
 
 battle than his own fate, was ^ stayed up in his chariof 
 The losses on both sides were probably nearly equal, 
 and a few of the chief men of Israel knowing tb.a 
 condition of Ahab did not feel themselves in a position 
 to make any further efforts to take the city; the 
 proclamation was therefore made : ^ Every man to his 
 city, and every man to his own country.^ It may be 
 that these words were the last that ever fell on the ear 
 of Ahab. As the army v^as retreating, and the day 
 drawing to its close, the soul of this fearfully wicked 
 but repenting king, took its flight, may one not indulge 
 the hope, to be forever with the Lord. But however 
 opinions may differ relative to his spiritual state, none 
 can fail to admire the fortitude and patriotism exhibited 
 as he drew near to death. In vain was he entreated 
 to allow himself to be removed from his chariot and to 
 seek the repose of a couch. In vain was he wamc 1 
 that every command he issued but caused a greater 
 efiusion of blood. He felt the blood gushing from his 
 wound, he saw it trickling down his armour and then 
 coagulate at the bottom of his chariot, and mentally 
 exclaimed what matters it if Ramoth-gilead can but 
 be regained! 
 
 Ahab's patriotism is the more remarkable, as he 
 knew that his family was to become extinct. His 
 corpse was carried to Samaria, a distance of about 
 thirty miles, and was laid by the side of his father. 
 The chariot in which he had died, and the armour 
 which he at the time wore, were washed in the pool of 
 Samaria and dogj:lioked up his blood. 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
 ■'■f 
 
 I.: 
 
ISO 
 
 Ahaziah. 
 
 During this reign Jeric \o was rebuilt by one Hiel, 
 ^ ho, as Joshua had predicted, laid the foundation in 
 his first-bom, and in his youngest son set up its gates. 
 ^^ Heaven and earth/' says Christ, '^ shall pass away 
 but my words shall not pass away,'* 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 , ,,. AHAZIAH. . .. , , 
 
 (HAZIAH the son of Ahab began to reign eight 
 hundred and ninety-eight years before Christ, 
 in the sevent-eenth year of Jehoshaphat king 
 of Judah, consequently during the lifetime of his father. 
 It is posbiole that Ahab was too much occupied with 
 preparations to take Ramoth-gilead to attend to the 
 domestic policy of his kingdom. Ahaziah reigned but 
 two years j and his death therefore must have occurred 
 about the same time as Ahab's. The silence of the 
 Scriptures as to any thing he affected, leads to the 
 inference that he was quite satisfied with the name of 
 king, and the splendour of r. , alty, and cared little for 
 its toils and responsibilities ; and that while his father 
 was engaged in preparations for war his talented and 
 ambitious mother was virtually ruler. One is compel- 
 led to form a very unfavourable opinion of his character, 
 for he walked in the way of his mother, who was one 
 of the worst women that ever lived. His death was 
 
Ahaziah 
 
 151 
 
 me Hiel, 
 iation in 
 its gates, 
 iss away 
 
 ign eight 
 e Christ, 
 hat king 
 is father, 
 led with 
 d to the 
 yned but 
 occurred 
 je of the 
 s to the 
 name of 
 little for 
 is father 
 ited and 
 compel- 
 iiaracter, 
 was one 
 aath was 
 
 occasioned by his falling through a lattice in his upper 
 chamber. He appears to iia,YG apprehended danger as 
 soon as he received the fall ; and calling to him some 
 of his most faithful servants sent them to Ekrona town 
 some thirty miles south west of Samaria, to enquire of 
 its tutelary god, Baalzebub, whether or not he should 
 recover. While pursuing their journey they were met 
 by Elijah, who bade them return to their master, and 
 deliver a severe reproof to him for consulting a heathen 
 oracle, and tell him he certainly would die. On 
 receiving this nev/s the king sent a company of armed 
 men to Elijah, peremptorily demanding him to come 
 down to Samaria. Having reached the place where 
 the prophet was, the captain thus addressed him : "Thou 
 man of God the king hath said come down." Elijah , 
 answered, if I be a man of God, then let fire come down 
 from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. He had 
 scarcely spoken when fire descended and consumed 
 them. A second company of men was sent with the 
 same message and shared the same fate. The enraged 
 king lost no time in sending a third deputation. The 
 captain of these men was evidently awed by the manifest 
 judgment of God. " He fell on his knees before Elijah 
 and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God I 
 pray thee, let my life and the lives of these fifty thy 
 servants be precious in thy sight. Behold there came 
 fire down from heaven and burnt up the two captains of 
 the former fifties with their fifties, therefore let my life 
 now be precious in thy sight." The prayer of the 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 •I! 
 
 
 ■ ■ 1 
 
 ill 
 
 r 
 
152 
 
 Jehoram or yorant. 
 
 captain was accepted, and the prophet by the command 
 of God presented himself before the king and fearlessly 
 told him of his impending fate. The king died soon 
 after this interview. He left no issue. He was denied 
 burial, his body being thrown out and eaten by dogs. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 JEHORAM OR JORAM. 
 
 lEHORAM or Joram the son of Ahab and the 
 brother of Ahaziah came to the throne eight 
 ?^i hundred and ninety-six before Christ, which 
 was the eighteenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat. 
 Early in this reign there occurred one of the most 
 remarkable events that have ever transpired since the 
 creation of man — the translation of Elijah, the most 
 renowned prophet of Israel. He had been faithAil to 
 his God, and in an eminent degree experienced the 
 fulfilment of the promise, *' Them that honour me I 
 will honour." Elijah was the drst man who ever 
 raised the dead to life ; and one of the only two of the 
 whole race of Adam who have exchanged worlds with- 
 out passing *^ through the valley of the shadow of 
 death." No one can fail to admire his humility on 
 this remarkable occasion, nor the affectionate interest 
 of his disciple. In vain was the latter requested to 
 allow his master to proceed without him. As often as 
 
yihorani or yoram. 
 
 153 
 
 >mmand 
 larlessly 
 Led soon 
 3 denied 
 ^ dogs. 
 
 and the 
 le eight 
 t, which 
 ihaphat. 
 le most 
 ince the 
 le most 
 ithfldto 
 iced the 
 ur me I 
 10 ever 
 o of the 
 ds with- 
 dow of 
 ility on 
 interest 
 ested to 
 often as 
 
 solicited, his reply was, ^As the Lord liveth, and 
 as thy roui liveth, I will not leave thee." ^ And it 
 came to pass as they went on and talked, that behold 
 there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and 
 parted tliem both asunder ; and Elijah went up by a 
 whirlwind into heaven/' The chariot and horses of 
 fire were no other than the cherubim which were seen 
 in so many different forms in olden times. If asked 
 why all, who were living in the surrounding country, 
 did not witness this phenomenon as well as Elisha, I 
 would ask why do not we see the angels of the Lord 
 encamped around those who fear him? They have 
 been seen by mortal eyes, as by Jacob on his way to 
 meet Esau, and by Elisha and his servant on a later 
 occasion. Is it not a subjective rather than an o5- 
 jective change which is required to enable us to see 
 spiritual beings ? 
 
 The Moabites, who had been tributary since the 
 time of David ; and who had, since the secession of 
 the ten tribes, been partly under Judah and partly 
 under Israel, now rebelled. As is well known the 
 Moabites were the descendants of Lot ; and they, as a 
 people, were noted for their wickedness. But vile as 
 this nation was in its root, and not less vile in its 
 outgrowth, from it one was chosen as ancestress of our 
 adorable Redeemer. Is there not a latent reference to 
 this in the following words by Isaiah ? 
 
 " Send ye the lamb to the niler of the land 
 From Sola to the wilderness 
 Unto the mount of the daughter of Zion." 
 
 
 I 
 
 i u 
 
 i 
 
. 1 
 
 ^54 
 
 yehoram or yoram. 
 
 The name of the king who ruled over Moab at this 
 time was Mesha. One cannot be surprised that he 
 should seek to become independent, if there was the 
 least hope of obtaining so desirable an end. On the 
 supposition that he paid the same tribute to Judah as 
 to Israel there would be the annual drain on his king- 
 dom of two hundred thousand lambs, and two hundred 
 thousand rams. Hoab must have been at this time a 
 comparatively strong nation, or the two confederate 
 kings would not have wished for the assistance of 
 Judah's llributary, the king of Edom. Jehoram seems 
 to have shewn considerable tact in the manner in 
 which he obtained the assistance of the Edomites. 
 He left the route which they should take, entirely to 
 the judgment cf Jehoshaphat, who thus seemed, by 
 courtesy, to be required to recommend that which 
 would secure the services of his tributary. In this 
 expedition the three kings, with their respective 
 armies, together with their servants, sutlers and herds 
 of cattle, came near dying of thirst. The hopeful 
 spirit of Jehoshaphat and the despondency of Jehoram 
 are illustrative of the difference between the righteous 
 and the wicked in the hour of trial. As the man- 
 ner of their deliverance was dwelt upon at some 
 length in the former part of this work, it is necessary 
 here only to state, that they were miraculously sup- 
 plied with water ; and that, the Moabites were slain. 
 
 The next time we see Jehoram he is in perplexity, 
 relative to a letter sent by the king of Syria, by 
 
yekofam of yoratft. 
 
 '55 
 
 ) at this 
 that he 
 was the 
 On the 
 ^udah as 
 lis king- 
 hundred 
 s time a 
 [federate 
 tance of 
 m seems 
 mner in 
 idomites. 
 tirely to 
 jmed, by 
 t which 
 In this 
 spective 
 nd herds 
 hopeful 
 Jehoram 
 ighteous 
 le man- 
 at some 
 lecessary 
 sly sup- 
 slain, 
 rplexity, 
 iyria, by 
 
 Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army. The lettei* 
 was accompanied with a ver^ large present, and in it 
 Was a request that he would recover the bearer of his 
 leprosy, "And it came to pass, when the king of 
 Israel had read the letter that he rent his clothes, and 
 said : am t God to kill and to make alive, that ti ' t 
 man doth send unto me to recover a man of ms 
 leprosy ? Wherefore consider 1 pray you and see hoW 
 he seeketh a quarrel against me." One would be in- 
 clined to think that the king of Syria did indeed seek 
 occasion for a quarrel, did he not know the circum- 
 stances which led to the request* The Syrians, a 
 short time previously, had gone out in companies, 
 entered the kingdom of Israel and carried away 
 several captives. Among these was a little girl, who 
 Was so pleasing in her manners, or so beautiful, that 
 she became an attendant on Naaman^s wife* Her 
 Sympathies became enlisted in behalf of her master \ 
 and she revolved the thought in her owu n^ind 
 whether or not he on whom the spirit of Elijah rested^ 
 could not curf*, even leprosy. She knew that these 
 renowned prophets performed miracles, not by their 
 own power, but by the power of the Lord God of 
 Israel, with whom nothing was impossible: and so 
 drew the conclusion that with him leprosy was as 
 curable as any other disease. She knew that both 
 her master and mistress were worshippers of Kimmon^ 
 and feared to give ofifence by speaking of the prophet 
 
 
 *!' I 
 
,. 
 
 »S6 
 
 yehoram or yoram. 
 
 of the God of Israel, as possessing greater powet 
 than his prophets. 
 
 It may be that the Syrian leper had heard of some 
 physician Whose skill had seldom been bafAed by any 
 disease, and that at immense pains and expense he had 
 been brought to Syria, into the mansion of the invalid 
 nobleman. It may be that the little Captive maid Was 
 in attendance on her mistress, and with her listened 
 with intense interest to every word that dropped from 
 the lips of the physician, as he examined the loathsome 
 sores of the mighty warrior and able statesman, but 
 most wretched leper. It may be that when the lady 
 perceived that hei" husband's case was considered 
 hopeless, even by this man, so renowned for his skill, 
 she gave vent to her feelings in a flood of tears ; and 
 that the emotions of the timid little captive became so 
 much excited that she, forgetful of the possible conse** 
 quences, exclaimed : " Would Gbd my lord were with 
 the prophet that is in Samaria ! for he Would I'ecover 
 him of leprosy." This saying Was immediately re- 
 ported to Naaman ; and he, both because he knew the 
 little girl to be truthfill, and because it seemed to be 
 his only hope, determined at once to make trial of the 
 prophet's skill. He therefore told his king, and that 
 led to the letter, the contents of which had given 
 Jehoram so much uneasiness. The king of Syria 
 probably addressed the king of Israel, either because 
 he did not know the prophet's address, or because he 
 
yehoram or yoram. 
 
 «57 
 
 powet 
 
 of some 
 by any 
 3 he had 
 I invalid 
 laid Was 
 listened 
 »ed from 
 athsome 
 lan, btlt 
 the lady 
 nsidered 
 is skill) 
 tB\ and 
 came so 
 
 11 
 
 e conse*- 
 ere with 
 
 Recover 
 itely re- 
 new the 
 ed to be 
 al of the 
 and that 
 given 
 ►f Syria 
 
 because 
 »U8e he 
 
 ftupposed so remarkable a personage would bo a resi* 
 dent at court 
 
 When Klisha heard what Jehoram had done, he 
 sent to him telling him that his alarm was needless ; 
 for if thd leper would come to him he should know 
 that there was a prophet in Israel. It is not neces** 
 sary, for our present purpose, to refer to the particu* 
 lars of the cure of this leper, the only one who ever 
 feceived a cure before our glorious Redeemer became 
 man ; but there is one incident connected With it which 
 I cannot pass over in silence. Naaman, finding that 
 by following the prophet's directions he was indeed 
 cured, went back to him and presented the gifts sent 
 by the king of Syria. These Elisha positively refused 
 to accept : he would not even allow them to be bes- 
 towed on his servant. It is not likely that Gehazi-^ 
 this was the name of Elisha's servant~-^red to 
 express his feelings to his master ; but he was annoyed 
 that an opportunity of enriching themselves had been 
 lost. As soon as he was left alone he resolved to avail 
 himself of the Syrian's generosity. He ran to him, 
 therefore, and told him that though his master would 
 tiot accept anything for himself or any member of his 
 family, yet as two young men, sons of the prophets^ 
 had just then arrived from Mount Ephraim, he would 
 for them thankfully receive a talent of silver and two 
 changes of garments. One in reading this story is, 
 by the contrast, reminded of the following words of 
 
 Young t 
 
 " t wt»h him joy that* s awkiraM it * li«.** 
 
 
ts8 
 
 yehorant or yorant. 
 
 Gehazi was far from awkward. He was evidently 
 in the habit of lying. The reader will notice he 
 enters into particulars, they were young men, sons of 
 the prophetic, come from Mount Ephraim. Naaman 
 did not for a moment doubt the truth of his statement^ 
 and most cheerfully not only granted his request, but 
 gave him two talents of silver instead of one. Gehazi 
 carefully concealed his treasure and then went out, and 
 as usual, stood before his master, little thinking that the 
 all-seeing God had made known to him his sin. Being 
 questioned as to where he had been, he denied having 
 been from home at all. Elisha then addressed him 
 thus : " The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cleave 
 Unto thee and to thy seed for ever.** The fearful 
 curse at once took effect, and Gehazi went out of the 
 presence of Elisha in an incurable state of leprosy. 
 The lesson taught by this story is too evident to need 
 to be pointed out. It is one of the most solemn warn- 
 ings against covetousness and lying, contained in the 
 sacred volume. 
 
 , Not long after the events just recorded, the Syrians 
 invaded Israel. We do not know under what pre- 
 text They wished to take the army of Israel by 
 surprise, and for that purpose concealed themselves 
 where the Israelites were expected to pass ; but they 
 were repeatedly disappointed. At length, Benhadad 
 suspected some one among his own troops of treachery. 
 An investigation was made, and he became convinced 
 that Israel's prophet occasioned his disappointment. 
 
Jehoram or yoram. 
 
 159 
 
 ddently 
 )tice he 
 sons of 
 ^aaman 
 ktement) 
 est, but 
 Gehazl 
 out, and 
 that the 
 , Bemg 
 
 I having 
 sed him 
 
 II cleave 
 fearful 
 
 It of the 
 leprosy, 
 to need 
 n warn- 
 d in the 
 
 Syrians 
 lat pre- 
 rael by 
 mselves 
 )ut they 
 enhadad 
 eachery. 
 nvinced 
 ntment* 
 
 Having learned that this prophet was residing at 
 Dothan, "he sent thither horses and chariots and a 
 great host : and they came by night and compassed 
 the city round about." This host was, in answer to 
 the prayer of Elisha, smitten with blindness. He then 
 led them into Samaria, when the Lord, in answer to 
 his prayer, again opened their eyes. Jehoram, seeing 
 his enemies in his power, submissively but almost im- 
 patiently enquired : "My father, ^hall T sijiite them? 
 shall I smite them?" Elisha told him that so f <. from 
 smiting them he should treat them hosD'*ably. Jeho- 
 ram at once acted on this suggestion, an< I "prepared 
 great provisions for them ; and when they had eaten 
 and drunk he sent them to their master." This gene- 
 rous treatment caused Benhadad to withdraw his 
 troops, and for a time " the bands of Syrians came no 
 more into the land of Israel." There was, however^ 
 one more invasion of Israel by Syria, during this 
 reign, and this time Benhadad " gathered all his host 
 and went up and besieged r.iT!iaria." The siege was 
 so protracted that the citizen ;rJ were reduced to very 
 great extremity, so great that in some instances they 
 ate human flesh. There is an incident recorded in 
 connection with the siege which throws much light on 
 the character of the king. One day, as he was passing 
 upon the wall, a woman called to him to help. On 
 enquiring into the cause of her complaint, she told him 
 that herself and a neighbouring woman had, on the 
 previous day, eaten her infant son, with the promise 
 
i6o 
 
 yehoram or yoram. 
 
 that the neighbour referred to would, on that day pro* 
 vide food for both by slaying her son ; *^ but,*' said the 
 complainant, ^ she hath hid her son." The king did 
 not pretend to judge between them, his emotional 
 nature was stirred to its very depths. In his agony 
 he rent his clothes and determined that the besiegers 
 should be induced to retire, though for this end he 
 should be obliged to put Elisha, his most faithful friend 
 and counsellor, to death. Do not the words of Jeho- 
 ram show that Assyria made war against Israel to 
 avenge the injury done them by £lisha during the 
 former invasion ? and that they promised to raise the 
 siege if the prophet's head should be given them ? . 
 
 The king, in accordance with his expressed reso* 
 lution, sent to decapitate Elisha. This intended murder 
 certainly cannot be justified ; but it is an extenuation 
 of the crime that he felt himself forced to it by the 
 sufferings of the most helpless of his subjects. He 
 had not a proper sense of justice ; but must he not 
 have had great tenderness of heart ? Does not the 
 conduct of Elisha on this occasion shew, that great and 
 good a man p.s he was, he was nOb altogether free from 
 the frailties of human nature ? Were not the words : 
 " this son of a murderer" prompted by anger ? 
 
 When Jehoram and his attendants came to Elisha, 
 he told them that they need have no further anxiety 
 relative to the existing famine ; for on the day follow- 
 ing the city would be plentifully supplied with pro- 
 visions, so plentifully that in its gates a measure of 
 
yehoram or yoram. 
 
 i6i 
 
 y pro- 
 tid the 
 )g did 
 >tional 
 agony 
 siegers 
 md he 
 
 friend 
 
 Jeho- 
 'ael to 
 ng the 
 lise the 
 a? 
 
 1 reso- 
 murder 
 Quation 
 
 by the 
 s. He 
 
 he not 
 lot the 
 eat and 
 ee from 
 
 words : 
 
 Elisha, 
 anxiety 
 foUow- 
 th pro- 
 Bure of 
 
 fine flour would be sold for a shekel, and two meacures 
 of barley for a shekel. The king, glad to spare the 
 life of Elisha, and believing incredibloy as it then 
 seemed, that his words would be fulfilled, returned to 
 his palace. How safe are they who have God for a 
 helper ! On that evening at twilight, *^ He made the 
 host of the Syrians to hear tho noise of chariots, and a 
 noise of horses, even the noise of a great host : and 
 they said one to another, Lo the king of Israel hath 
 hired against us the k'ligs of the Hittites, and the kings 
 of the Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore they 
 arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and 
 their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, 
 and fled for their life." The tidings were, during that 
 night, brought to the porter of the city by some lepers, 
 and without delay carried to the king. I cannot sup- 
 pose that Jehoram was found asleep, but rather that as 
 he had been wearing sackcloth upon his flesh, so this 
 night was spent in pleading with God for the promised 
 deliverance. The king at once arose and held a council 
 with his nobles as to what was to be done. Though they 
 knew that deliverance would by some means come, 
 they feared that the departure of the Syrians was but 
 a stratagem to take them prisoners, and gain possession 
 of their city. One proposed that five men, mounted on 
 horses, should be sent to make a survey of the camp. 
 This was considered too great a risk. They at length 
 sent two. With trembling did these men hear the gates 
 of the city close against them. They momentarily 
 
 i " 
 
 1 \ 
 
1 62 
 
 yehoram or yoram. 
 
 expected to be taken and slain. But their fears were 
 at once dispelled when they saw the disorder in which 
 the camp was left, and the manner in which the road 
 was strewn, with raiment and armour which the 
 Syrians had cast away in their haste. They pursued 
 the road which the enemy had travelled as far as the 
 Jordan, — a distance of some twenty miles — and re- 
 turned and told the king. How long their time of 
 absence had appeared ! how many fears had been 
 entertained relative to their safety ! And when they 
 came and, , confirmed the tidings of the lepers, what 
 tumultuous joy ! The rush that was made, from the 
 late be:»"iged city, may be inferred from the fact, that 
 the keeper of the gate was trodden to death. But 
 while the joy was general, it was not universal. With 
 the shout of joy was mingled the Yiiil of woe. Many 
 had died of starvation ; others had become so weak 
 that the sudden supply accelarated their death ; and 
 others still had been slain to provide food for the sur- 
 vivors. I think I see the mother who had killed and 
 eaten her infant son, as she stands with her garment 
 rent, beating her breast. I hear her wail of woe : 
 " O my ciiild, my murdered child ! how could I take 
 thy life to save my own !" 
 
 Ramoth-gilead had, for some time, been in the pos- 
 session of the Syrians ; and soon after the accession of 
 Ahaziah to the throne of Judah, he and Jehoram went 
 thither with the determination of wresting it out of 
 their hands. While there, Tehoram received so severe 
 
yehoram or yoram. 
 
 163 
 
 '^ II 
 
 \ were 
 which 
 B road 
 h the 
 irsued 
 as the 
 id re- 
 ime of 
 L been 
 sn they 
 , what 
 om the 
 ct, that 
 L. But 
 With 
 Many- 
 weak 
 1; and 
 he sur- 
 ed and 
 arment 
 woe: 
 I take 
 
 he pos- 
 sion of 
 n went 
 out of 
 severe 
 
 a wound, that he was obliged to return home in order 
 to be healed. It is observable that he did not return 
 to Samaria, but to Jezreel where his mother resided. 
 Was it that he might have her company, sympathy 
 and attention? Ahaziah appears to have left Ra» 
 moth-gilead at about the same time his uncle did; 
 and the conducting of the siege devolved on Jehu, the 
 captain of the host of Israel. The siege might have 
 had a successful termination, had not an unseen oc- 
 currence diverted the mind of the commander from 
 tliis object, to one, which appealed much more strongly 
 to his ambition, namely his being anointed king over 
 Israel. Jehu had received the anointing in private, 
 and we lack proof that it was the will of Him who 
 " putteth down one and setteth up another," that he 
 should, without delay, assume sovereignty, and execute 
 God's wrath on the house of Ahab ; but the work was 
 so well suited to his " natural make and temper" that 
 he was eager to engage in it. When, after receiving 
 his commission, he rejoined his companions, he feign od 
 an unwillingness to communicate the prophet's errand ; 
 but he had no sooner done so than the fickle st «ldiers 
 shouted " Jehu is king ! Jehu is king !" Jehu was one 
 of those who knew how to lead, by appearing most 
 obsequiously to follow. He feared that there might 
 be some who were still faithful to their king ; and that 
 they would hasten to Jezreel to advise him of what 
 had taken place in the army. In order to prevent 
 this, he very submissively remarks : " If it be your 
 
 i 
 
1 64 
 
 yihomm or yoram. 
 
 minds, then lot nono go forth nor esonpo out of tho 
 city to go to tull it in Josrool." John, now knowing 
 thnt (Tohornm would bo uuirroparod for his ooming, 
 onterod his chariot, and attended by a largo number of 
 horsemen, proceeded wUh all speed to JeasreeL As 
 soon as this company came in sight, tho watchman on 
 thci tower informed tho king. A horseman is im- 
 mo<iiately sent, who instead of returning seems to have 
 beoomo one of the company ; a second horseman is 
 sent and the same result follows. They have now 
 drawn so near that their speed u discorAible. The 
 earth seems to tremble beneath their horses' hoofs. 
 ** The driving," says the watchman, " is like the 
 driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi ; for ho driveth 
 fViriously.'' Jehoram, forgetful of his weakness, or- 
 dered his chariot to l)e made ready, and went out 
 to meet his rebellious subjects. *^Is it peace, 
 Jehu ?" asked the king. " What peace," he angrily 
 replied, **so long as the whoredoms of thy mother 
 Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many." Jehoram, 
 knowing that resistance was entirely useless, and wish- 
 ing, if possible, to preserve the life of his nephew, the 
 king of Judah, by whom he was accompanied, turned 
 to flee : ** And Jehu drew a bow at his full strength, 
 and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow 
 went out at his heart, and he sank down in his 
 chariot" This cocurred near the vineyard once 
 owned by Naboth the Jezreelite, and into it Jehoram's 
 lifeless body was cast, and was eaten by dogs, as 
 
7*kM. 
 
 i6s 
 
 wai tho body of his wickod mothev' a few houri 
 afterwardfl. Johoram roigned twelve yeart. On re- 
 viewing his character we see much to admire. He 
 possessed that patriotism which was indigenous to his 
 family, to which he added fidelity to friends, and great 
 tenderness of heart. As there was in Abijah, the son 
 of Jeroboam, so there seems to have been in him» 
 ** some good thing toward tho Lord God of Israel*' 
 Ho was the fourth and last king of the fourth dynasty. 
 
 the 
 
 once 
 
 as 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 JEHU. 
 
 |£HU was made king eight hundred and eighty- 
 four years before Christ. His first care was 
 to exterminate the house of Ahab: having 
 slain Jehoram and thrown his body aside as unworthy 
 of burial, he proceeded to the palace where the infamous 
 Jezebel held her court. She w!- i great intrepidity 
 iafhsed to allow him to enter ; and looking out at a 
 window tauntingly reminded him of the tragical deafh 
 of Zimri, who put nn end to his own life after having 
 worn a crown seven days. J'hu, strong in the know- 
 ledge that he was not an usurper, but thai :iq had 
 received his commission from Him by whom kings rule, 
 cried, *' who is on my side ? who ?'^ Some of the officers 
 of her household, on hearmg his words, presented them- 
 
 1,1' 
 
 iti 
 
 I 
 
i66 
 
 yehu. 
 
 ^\ 
 
 selves, and in accordance with his comimmd thtow hor 
 down from a window of her palace; ^rd she waii 
 trodden t^^ death under the horses' hoofs, Tclr^t bos^' 
 entered the pahice whica was so lately hers ; and pro- 
 bably ate of the iocd whiciv had beer prepared for h«r. 
 Having refreshed himself, he gave orders that Jezebel 
 should be buried "for," said i.e, **s)\e is a king's 
 danojhter/' And they went to bury her; l^it they 
 fowKl no more of her, than the skull, and the feet, and 
 the jjalin \yi hei hands. Thus was the word of the 
 Lord fi I illed \ " In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs 
 eat tLe flesh of Jezebel." 
 
 Jehu exhibited no small tact in procuring the death 
 of the other sons of Ahab, who appear to have been 
 children and youth under guardians. So far from 
 commanding the murder of these princes he wrote to 
 those under whose care they had been placed, recom- 
 mending them to select the prince, whom they con- 
 sidered best fitted for the duties and responsibilities of 
 sovereignty, and to set him on the throne of his father. 
 He, at the same time, reminded them that they would 
 be required to support his claims by the sword. This 
 they were little inclined to do. Their own lives were 
 too dear to them to be sacrificed in support of a family 
 now fallen into disgrace. They accordingly sent to 
 Jehu expressing their willingness ' / ^io his bidding. 
 This was what he both wished anrl oected : and he 
 wrote f» econd letter to the ir^f that if they were 
 indeed devoted to his interesl, ; e wished them, within 
 
id prcr 
 Por h«r, 
 Je/ebel 
 
 king's 
 >it they 
 Bet, and 
 
 of the 
 all dogs 
 
 e death 
 ve been 
 ir from 
 rrote to 
 recom- 
 ley con- 
 lities of 
 father, 
 would 
 This 
 es were 
 family 
 sent to 
 bidding, 
 and he 
 ey were 
 ,, within 
 
 JehiL 
 
 167 
 
 twenty-four hours, to bring to Jezreel the heads of 
 their master's sons. The request was no sooner made 
 than complied with. On that very night the heads of 
 these princes were sent to him in two baskets. Jehu, 
 on learning that they had been brought, gave com- 
 mand that they should be laid in two heaps at the 
 entering in of the gate. When the morning had 
 arrived the new king came and stood by these heaps of 
 heads, and called the attention of the people to them. 
 He then acknowledged that he had slain his master, 
 " but who," said he, " slew all these ?" He paused for 
 a reply, but no reply being given, he observed that by 
 whomsoever they had been slain, the act was in accor- 
 dance with the will of Heaven* Thus he ingeniously 
 justified his own conduct, while he seemed to be only 
 vindicating the conduct of others. It is indeed true 
 that the great Gk)d made choice of Jehu as his instru- 
 ment to execute his wrath on the house of Ahab ; but 
 did he not exceed his commission ? Was his putting 
 the priests and great men of Samaria to death any 
 thing less than murder ? While his hands were reek- 
 ing with their blood, he met Jonadab, the son of 
 Bechab, whose memory is still fragrant on account of 
 his total abstinence principles, and inviting him to a 
 scat in hij chariot said, " Come with me and see my 
 zeal lor rbe Lord." Jehu, now under the pretence of 
 oiTaring a great sai ritice to Baal, desired all the pro- 
 phets, priests and servants of that idol to assemble in 
 th^ house dedicated to his worship. They came and 
 
 i'ii 
 
 M 
 
 ■ 
 
t68 
 
 yehoahaz. 
 
 were all dlain. Every vestige of everything that per* 
 tained to the worship of this idol was then either 
 destroyed or put to the vilest of purposes. " Thus 
 Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel." 
 
 Jehu reigned twenty-eight years: died a natural 
 death, probably at an advanced age, and was buried 
 in Samaria. We know little of this reign after its 
 commencement, except that he ^^ took no heed to walk 
 in the law of the Lord Gk>d of Israel with all his 
 heart ^'' and that energetic and warlike as he was, he 
 lost very considerable territory, even all the posses- 
 sions of Israel on the east side of Jordan. Jehu did 
 well in executing the wrath of the great Gk)d on the 
 house of Ahab. He too did well in putting an end to 
 the Worship of Baal. But did he not do this work, 
 rather because it was congenial to his disposition) than 
 thau it was the Lord's will ? 
 
 Q/^ gl gL/^ 
 
 ;I1 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JEHOAHAZ. 
 
 JEHOAHAZ, the ^on of Jehu, succeeded peace» 
 ably to the throne eight hundred and fiffcy^^ix 
 years before Christ. He followed the sins of 
 Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, of such unenviable noto- 
 riety. So aggravated became tLi> sins of both the 
 king and the people that 'Hh^ anger . ^h% Lord ' 
 
ythoakat. 
 
 16$ 
 
 lat per- 
 
 I either 
 
 «Thui 
 
 natural 
 9 buried 
 ifter its 
 to walk 
 
 all his 
 was, he 
 
 posses- 
 ehu did 
 1 on the 
 a end to 
 is work, 
 OU) than 
 
 i peace» 
 lfifty*>six 
 le sins of 
 ble noto- 
 both the 
 [/ord "'■^^: 
 
 kindled against Israel, and He delivered them into the 
 hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of 
 Benhadad, the son of Hazael, all theur days." By 
 these kings Israel was greatly oppressed ; so low were 
 they brought, that there remained in the whole king- 
 dom ^ but fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand 
 footmen.** None of the doings of Jehoahas are left 
 on record. It is possible that he gave himself iq^ to 
 pleasure to the neglect of the a^&irs of his kingdom, 
 till he found himself on the brink of ruin. A man of 
 Jehu's ardent temperament, unflinching courage, in- 
 domitable energy, and overweening self-conceit, would 
 not be likely to share the burdens of state even with 
 his son, the heir apparent to the throne ; and it may be 
 that up to the time of Jehu's death, Jehok^haz was as 
 ignorant of his politics or the state of the ku^^:' Ji aa 
 any of the humble peasants in the most obscure vil* 
 lages ; and that when called to the throne he valued 
 his elevation as aa addition to his income, or as 
 enabling him to place the assodates in his guilt and 
 folly in honourable positions. Had it been otherwise 
 one can scarcely believe it possible, that no effort 
 would have been made to repress the ^^ c^^dons of 
 the cruel and ambitious Syrian king. Jehoahaz reigned 
 seventeen years, and it is probable that during by &r 
 the greater part of his reign Israel was under Syria's 
 ppressive y^ke. The king was at length roused 
 >c^ his state of inaction, and brought to reflect on the 
 gricivances under which his siibjects groaned, lluitlw 
 S 
 
 ll^'i-d. 
 
179 
 
 Jehoakas, 
 
 had some knowledge of the history of his nation is 
 shewn bv a..] '!■ tug their depressed condition to their 
 transgrossiimp against God. ^^ He besought the Lord, 
 and the Lord hearkened to him." In answer to his 
 prayers, " the Lord gave Israel a Saviour." May one 
 not reasonably hope that '..^i^e this king asked for, and 
 received temporal deliverance^ he exercised unfeigned 
 repentance towards God and was accepted of Him ? 
 , -The great God generally brings about his purposes 
 by the use of means : it was so in this instance. While 
 the unpr^ipled Hazael oppressed the Israelites, and 
 for them there seemed no helper, God remembered 
 thei^ still, and was providing for them a deliverer in 
 the person of the young prince Joash, whom He for 
 that purpose had invested with martial qualities of no 
 oi:dinary character. We know not when he began to 
 enquire into, and redress his country's wrongs ; but we 
 find him in the .fifteenth year of the reign of his father 
 associated with him in the government. From that 
 time tl'e afiairs of the kingdom wore a difierent aspect. 
 Soon . Israel went out from under the hand of the 
 Syrians, and dwelt in their tents as beforetime. Jehoa-^ 
 haz died a natural death and was buried at Samariar 
 
 
 
 
 ji:.?-i •".I Jii. 5 
 
 :'-J. 
 
 ■■i ' ■■'■ 
 
 'i> : : ; 
 
 ■ <•( r. ( • 
 
 
 J... 
 
aiion is 
 
 to their 
 
 e Lord, 
 
 r to his 
 
 [ay one 
 
 for, and 
 
 feigned 
 
 im? 
 
 urposes 
 
 While 
 
 :esy and 
 
 imbered 
 
 erer in 
 
 He for 
 
 s of no 
 
 egan to 
 
 but we 
 
 s father 
 
 tm that 
 
 'j aspect. 
 
 of the 
 
 Jehoa- 
 
 iamariar 
 
 .5 ^ ■ 
 
 yoask or yehoash. 
 
 171 
 
 u 
 
 :• / 
 
 
 Mil; 
 
 I!".// .1 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OR 
 
 
 Ui / 
 
 f,f 
 
 'H 
 
 i> I 
 
 JOASH OR JEHOASH. 
 
 jOASH, the son of Jehoahaz, began to reign 
 eight hundred and forty-one years before 
 Christ. For some time he ruled conjointly 
 with his father, whose death, it is probable, was 
 scarcely noticed outside of the domestic circle. Of the 
 moral character of Joash little that is favourable can 
 be said : " He departed not from all the sins of Jero- 
 boam, the son of Nebat." But he had a genius for 
 government. His success in repairing the injuries his 
 kingdom had suffered Is apparent. "Before he be- 
 came associated with his father, the whole military 
 force consisted of fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten 
 thousand foot ; and but few years had elapsed when he 
 was in a condition to hire to the king of Judah " a 
 hundred thousand mighty men of valour." The let- 
 ting cf these men finally resulted in a war between the 
 two kingdoms. The circumstances were nearly as 
 follow : The king of Judah, when about to march on 
 his expedition against Sier (it was to fight that people 
 that the Israelitish troops had been hired) was told by 
 a prophet that these men ought not to form a part of 
 his army. He therefore desired them to return to 
 their own land, but at the same time allowed them to 
 retain the hundred talents of silver which they had re- 
 ceived asacompenaation for their services. They con- 
 
172 
 
 yoash or yihoash. 
 
 •idered themgelyes insulted, and in revenge entered 
 leyeral of the citiei of Jodah, killed the inhabitanti, 
 and enriched themselves with the spoil. When the 
 king of Judah returned from his expedition, and 
 found the king of Israel unwilling to make any re- 
 paration, he dedared war against him. Israel was 
 completely viotorions. Those of the Judahites who 
 were not slain fled, and left their king a prisoner 
 in the hands of the victors. Joash carried his roy&l 
 captive to Jerusalem, and after breaking down a 
 oonsiderable portion of the wall, plundering the 
 sacred temple, and the king^s house, and exchanging 
 the king for some of the principal inhabitants, re- 
 turned I'o his kingdom. This victory is remarkable 
 as beiu'j the first gained by Israel over Judah. 
 
 It wab not long after die events just recorded 
 that *^ Elisha was fallen sick of the sickness of which 
 he died." He had long sustained the relation of 
 prophet to Israel, and it is highly probable that the 
 success of Joash, in his wars, was in part attributable 
 to his counsel. Joash visited the venerable prophet. 
 Men seldom weep. Those who are accustomed to 
 war and bloodshed, and who have become familiarized 
 to death in its most dreadful forms, weep more 
 seldom than other men. But here we see the man 
 of war bathed in tears. Joash enters the chamber 
 of the prophet, his eyes meet the eyes of the dying 
 man; and the heart that never quailed before any 
 danger now throbs with anguish. He leans ^ver the 
 
yoask or ytheash. 
 
 m 
 
 wasted form of the prophet, kitiei hb marble brow, 
 while the hot teart fidl in quick ■ucoeiiion on the 
 pale face; and when his tumoltuoos feelings permit 
 him to speak, he exclaims i *^Omj father, my fiither, 
 the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof!'' He 
 could say no moro; no more needed to be said. 
 By these few woi.'ds he manifested the intensity of 
 his emotion, the deep respect he felt for the dying 
 saint, the tender relation in which they stood to 
 each other, and his appreciation of the prophet's 
 public seryioes. 
 
 Ellsha was a true patriot Even the certainty 
 that he must soon die was insufficient to quench the 
 flame that burned in his bosom. He told his royal 
 visitor to take bow and arrows, and to open the 
 window eastward, and then placing his feeble hands 
 on the hands of the king bid him shoot, and as th^^ 
 king shot the prophet exclaimed : *^ The arrow t<. 
 the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deUver;i m 
 firom Syria; for thou shalt smite the S> \i\ 
 
 Aphek, till thou hast consumed them." The pts. ' 
 then commanded the king to take arrows and shoc^ 
 upon the ground. The king smote three times and 
 stayed. A frown passes over the fiice of the dying 
 saint, and he said: ''Thou shouldst have smitten 
 five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till 
 thou hadst consumed it; whereas now thou shalt 
 smite Syria but thrice." It is possible that these 
 were the last words that Elisha ever spoke ; and that 
 
 Til 
 
■ '\i 
 
 174 
 
 yeroboani II, 
 
 with his heart filled with anxiety relative to the 
 DEunily of God on earth, he joined the family of 
 
 God above. r>i rUyjU.\Uhu'>. ... ;;,■' !::,■; ;:;a«'i •.'\m 
 
 . The prophetic words of Elisha encouraged Joash" 
 to £ght against Syria. He won three victories^ and 
 ^recovered the cities of Israel. ; , . , ^ - - > 
 
 Joash died after a reign of sixteen years. He 
 was buried in Samaria, by the side of his father and 
 grandfather. He left the kingdom in a much better 
 cojnditioA than he found it. ; , 
 
 A |; 
 
 QJINL/^ 
 
 - CHAPTER XI. 
 
 JEROBOAM II. 
 
 lEBOBOAM, the son of Joash, began to reign 
 eight hundred and twenty-five years before 
 Christ, and reigned forty-one years; about 
 thirteen years longer than any othei: kmg who reigned 
 over Israel. Of these forty-one years we have but 
 a very brief sketch. The record of the whole reign 
 being contained in a few sentences. This brevity 
 is in some measure atoned for by what may be 
 gathered from the writings of Hosea and Amos, who 
 prophesied during this reign. Jeroboam II, like 
 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, sinned and caused 
 Israel to sin, and like him, was a brave soldier, and 
 an able politician. No king of Israel was more 
 
to the 
 lily of 
 
 Joash 
 S) and 
 
 He 
 
 er and 
 better 
 
 yeroboam II. 
 
 175 
 
 reign 
 before 
 about 
 signed 
 e but 
 reign 
 [•evity 
 y be 
 » who 
 , like 
 msed 
 ) and 
 more 
 
 prosperous than he, and at his death the kingdom 
 comprised the same extent of territory that it did 
 at the secession of the ten tribes. It really seems 
 as if the infinite One made the experiment if per- 
 chance tkey who had hardened their hearts under 
 the chastisement of his hand, might not be won by 
 his mercies. But in the midst of their prosperity 
 they departed further and still further from God, 
 insomuch that he exclaimed. 
 
 *' My people are bent to backsliding from me." 
 
 And again, as if the Father^s heart yearned over 
 his rebellious child: « 
 
 " How shall I give thee up Ephraira? 
 How shall I deliver thee Israel ? 
 How shall I make thee as Admah ? 
 How shall I set the as Zeboim ? 
 Mine heart is turned within me, 
 Myrepentings are kindled together." 
 
 Then as if the resources of infinite Love, infinite 
 Wisdom, and infinite Power were exhausted, one 
 hears, with astonishment, the tender expostulation : 
 
 " Ephraim vihat shall I do unto thee t 
 
 O what a mystery! what amazing condescension! 
 what incomprehensible love! Can it be that the 
 Creator, the ever-blessed God, yearns over his re- 
 bellious creatures? Yes, He does. Jesus is even 
 now standing at the door, he, desires our hearts, he 
 
276 
 
 yeroboam IL 
 
 is willing to come and sup with us. Dear reader, 
 will you not permit him to be your guest? 
 
 But to return to Jeroboam. Amos, as has been al- 
 ready said, prophesied during this reign ; and in the 
 book which bears his name there is an incident re- 
 lated which represents the king in a favourable 
 light. One Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, came to 
 Jeroboam and told him that Amos had conspired 
 against him. He probably hoped to be rewarded 
 for revealing this pretended conspiracy, and to pro- 
 cure the death of his rival ; but he was disappointed. 
 The king was too well acquainted with the character 
 of Amos to give credence to the report ; and so 
 treated the slanderer with contempt. It is probable 
 that less blood would have been shed for treason had 
 all kings, in succeeding generations, acted as wisely* 
 
 The prevailing sin during this reign seems to have 
 been covetousness. To so lamentable a degree did 
 this sin prevail that the people grudged the time 
 set apart for the duties of religion. In their eager- 
 ness for gain they said: 
 
 " When will the new moon be gone that we may sell corn? 
 And the Sabbath that we maj set forth wheat?'* 
 
 The prophet too accuses them of 
 
 " Making the ephah small, and the shekel great, 
 And falsifying the balances by deceit.*' 
 
 Idolatry, drunkenness and adultery were also 
 among their common practices. 
 
 
Zackariak and Shallum, 
 
 177 
 
 Jeroboam, doubtless, died a natural death, and he 
 was buried with his fathers in Samaria. Of all the 
 houses who reigned over Israel, Jehu's is the only 
 one in which the crown descended from father to 
 son for four generations. This house, too, affords 
 the only instance in which four kings, who reigned 
 consecutively, received sepulchral rites. 
 
 Q/'TftBu/e) 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ZACHARIAH AND SHALLUM. 
 
 HE death of Jeroboam appears to hare been 
 followed by an interregnum of eleven years. 
 The Lord had said : 
 
 *' I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the r^ord." 
 
 And there can be but little doubt that this was a 
 period of civil war. Menahem, it may be, supported 
 the claims of Zachariah, T^hile Shallum, at the head of 
 another party, endeavored to obtain the crown for 
 himself. It would be interesting to learn the marches 
 and counter-marches of these armies, the battles which 
 were fought, and the heroes who were slain, till at 
 length the loyal party so far gained the ascendency as 
 to be able to place Zachariah, the son of Jeroboam, on 
 the throne. He was proclaimed king seven hundred 
 and seventy-three years before Christ; and had he 
 
 
178 
 
 Zachariah and Shallum, 
 
 been his father's equal, in mental qualities, he might 
 have held the sceptre for many long years, but, as far 
 as one has means of judging, he was greatly his in- 
 ferior. His moral status is given in the usual but 
 most comprehensive formula : " He did that which was 
 evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done ; 
 he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of 
 Nebat, who made Israel to sin." 
 
 Nothing is less probable, than that the wickedness 
 of this king rendered him unacceptable to the people ; 
 but by some means he had become very unpopular. 
 It may be that he took no pains to reward those who 
 had freely shed their blood in the promotion of his 
 cause, and that offices of trust and honour were be- 
 stowed on the party whom he feared, not on those 
 to whom he was indebted ; or it is possible that his 
 imbecility rendered him totally unfit to govern. This 
 is certain, a conspiracy was formed against him, and he 
 was slain after a reign of six months. It it not at all 
 probable that Zachariah was honoured with a burial ; 
 but rather that his lifeless body was thrown into the 
 street and eaten by dogs ; and that thus, the blood of 
 Jezreel was avenged on the house of Jehu. Zachariah 
 seems to have been the most wicked and the most un- 
 fortunate prince of the dynasty to which he belonged. 
 
 There can be no doubt but that Shallum aimed at 
 the crown when he imbued his hands in the blood of 
 the late king. The murder had been committed in 
 the presence of the people. He probably thought that 
 
Zachariak and Skallum. 
 
 179 
 
 might 
 1 as far 
 his in- 
 ual but 
 ich was 
 
 done; 
 I son of 
 
 redness 
 )Gople ; 
 opular. 
 se who 
 
 of his 
 ere be- 
 
 those 
 lat his 
 This 
 and he 
 i at all 
 )arial ; 
 ito the 
 ood of 
 hariah 
 )st un- 
 3nged. 
 ned at 
 ood of 
 bed in 
 It that 
 
 I 
 
 he had but carried out their wishes, and expected to 
 be immediately proclaimed king. He, like man j other 
 ambitious men, experienced a heavy disappointment 
 A twelvemonth seems to have elapsed ere he was 
 invested with regal dignity. Another civil war proba- 
 bly ensued, in which he was again and again obliged 
 to engage in deadly strife with the serried ranks of 
 Menahem, till he feared that if he was made king it 
 would be over a depopulated kingdom. It may be i/hat 
 a signal victory Was at length obtained, and that his 
 friends, taking advantage of it, had him crowned with- 
 out delay. He occupied his elevated position but one 
 month, and it is highly probable that it was the most 
 miserable month of his life. For a crown he had 
 sacrificed ease, friendship, character and conscience. 
 And now what would it procure for him ? Could it 
 gain for him esteem ? Could it win for him love ? 
 Could it save him from pain ? Could it shield him 
 from death ? How utterly vain then his glory ! 
 
 If my conjecture be correct, it is probable that 
 Menahem, on his defeat, fled to Tirzah, and there 
 remodeled and enlarged his army, determined to wrest 
 the sceptre from the hand which held it. With so 
 much vigour were his preparations prosecuted, and so 
 well advised were his measures, that by one month 
 ^om the time of Shallum's coronation he was in Sama- 
 ria at the head of a powerful army. The Scriptures 
 are altogether silent relative to the manner of Shal- 
 lum's death. May it not be that these whom he called 
 
i8o 
 
 MtHoJlCHi, 
 
 his IriendS) seeing that his cause was desperate^ saved 
 their own lives by betraying him into the hands of 
 Menahem, and that he was summarily despatched* 
 Shallum had sowed the windj and he reaped the 
 whirlwind* 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MENAHEM. 
 
 [ENAHEM, the son of Oadi, began to reign 
 seven hundred and seventy-two years before 
 Christ) and reigned ten years* He was 
 probably faithful to the house of Jehu, till that house 
 became extinct ; and then it was in accordance with 
 the wishes of the majority of the nation, as well as the 
 large army, of which he had the conmiand) that he slew 
 the murderer of Zachariah and assumed the sovereignty 
 himself. In the brief sketch we have of this king, 
 much is left to conjecture, and the most probable con* 
 Jecture is that on his march to Samaria he called at 
 the city of Tipsah and demanded quarter for the large 
 army which attended him* This the citizens thought 
 proper to refttse* He did not care to waste time then, 
 by forcing a compliance with his wishes, but no sooner 
 did he find himself established on the throne than he 
 resolved on vengeance, such Vengeance as to render 
 his name hateful to all generations* He desolated the 
 
Menakem. 
 
 l8t 
 
 ! 
 
 stirroimding country, took the city by asssault,, slew 
 all the inhabitants, and made helpless woman, in her 
 most helpless state, the chief object on which to glut 
 his mote than savage cruelty. 
 
 During this reign Israel was invaded by Assyria) 
 the first time that this power is adverted to after the 
 days of Nimrod, its founder. Menahem aware of his 
 inability to repel the invasion by force, bribed Pul, the 
 Assyrian monarch, to depart, ari allow him the peace* 
 able possession of his kingdom. For this purpose 
 Menahem paid him a thousand talents of silver, a sum 
 not far fiom one million five hundred thousand dollars. 
 **^ Menahem,*' says the historian, << exacted the money 
 of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each 
 man fifty shekels of silver/' One is surprised that 
 there should have been iiity thousand men in Israel 
 who could be designated *^ mighty men of wealth.'' 
 
 Menahem was probably a good general, but he was 
 not a good king ; he Was both cruel and despotic* He 
 not only did evil in the sight of the Lord, but he did 
 evil all his days. If the chronicles of the kings of 
 Israel were extant, one wotild not care to search them 
 in order to learn more of this detestable man. Let 
 the name of the wicked rot. 
 
 1^1 
 
 ^^'"^i^/^fft^ 
 
1 82 
 
 Pekahiak and Pekah» 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. ^ i 
 
 tEKAHIAH AND PEKAH. ]\ 
 
 jEKAHIAJjL^ the wicked son of a wicked father, 
 succeeded to the throne seven hundred and 
 sixty years before Christ. About all we 
 know of him is that, " he did evil in the sight of the 
 Lord ; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, the 
 son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." lie was pro- 
 bably a common place man, who ate and drank, talked 
 and laughed, regardless of the effect that his conduct 
 had on others. But if he was totally unfit to govern, 
 he did not govern long. Though the people may have 
 been at variance on most subjects, they agreed in re- 
 garding their king with hatred and contempt. Their 
 two preceeding kings, though among the worst of men, 
 were good soldiers, and this made the pleasure-seeking 
 Pekahiah appear to the greater disadvantage. After 
 he had reigned about two years, one Pekahj a captain 
 of his, seeing that the people were ripe for an insur- 
 rection, and knowing his own popularity in the army, 
 resolved to rid them of their worthless king, and to 
 obtain the crown himself. Having communicated his 
 design to fifty men, and finding them devoted to his 
 interest, he determined no longer to delay the ex- 
 ecution of his plans. With his strong band of assas- 
 sins he entered the palace and killed the king and his 
 attendants. Comparatively few knew that Pekahiah 
 
Pekahiak and Pekah. 
 
 was de*"- till they heard the shout: "Long live king 
 Pekah." The people accustomed to sudden revolu- 
 tions, and feeling that the change could not be fbr the 
 worse, acquiesced in the choice of the army. ' 
 
 Pekah, the son of Bemaliah, began to reign seven 
 hundred and fifty-nine j jars before Christ, and reigned 
 twenty years. Pekah was twice at war with Judah. 
 In the first wa' h^ gained a complete victory. One 
 hundred and twent^ thousand were slain, and two 
 hundred thousand women and children were carried 
 captive. As the generous treatment these helpless 
 captives received was referred to, at some length, in 
 the former part of this work, it will be passed over in 
 silence. It is a sto^y, however, of which they who 
 love mercy can never tire. 
 
 The second time that Pekah made war against 
 Judah, Rezin, king o^ Syria, was his ally. Judah, re^* 
 membering her late d Jeat, was filled with consterna- 
 tion when she lean ed that both Pekah and Rezin 
 were coming against her. Isaiah, in recording these 
 events, says of Ahaz, who then sat upon the throne of 
 Judah, that "his he ^rt was moved, and the heart of 
 his people, as the frees of wood are moved by the 
 wind." There can be no doubt but these confederate 
 kings meditated nothing less than the subverting of the 
 reigning family, and ti. j placing of a creature of their 
 own on the throne. The wicked Aliaz, though pro- 
 mised the aid of Omnipotence, if he would rely upon 
 Him, obtained at immense expense, the aid of Tiglath- 
 
i«4 
 
 Pekahiah and Pikah, 
 
 pil uAor, king of Assyria. The reader, no doubt, re- 
 members that about half a century previous to this 
 war, Jeroboam 11. had recovered the territory east of 
 the Jordan, which had for some time been in the 
 possession of the Syrians. The Assyrians now took 
 this territory again from Israel, and carried the inha- 
 bitants—the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and 
 half tribe of Manasseh-'-captive. From this captivity 
 they, as a people, never returned. 
 
 Pekah, like many of his predecessors on the throne 
 of Israel, 4^^ by asassination. It may be his gaining 
 no pecuniary advantage from his victory over Judah, 
 and his ill success in opposing Assyria, especially his 
 allowing so many of his subjects to be carried captive, 
 had icr^Ki3red him exceedingly unpopular. If such 
 werv md^jed the case, nothing could be in better keep- 
 ing \iith the general conduct of this *^ seed of evil- 
 doers," than to put him out of the way by assassina- 
 tion. 
 
 Hoshea, the chief conspirator, did not find it as easy 
 to establish himself on the throne, as to render the 
 throne vacant. There may have been other aspirants 
 to the throne, or perhaps a party who wished for a 
 republican form of government. Was it not they, who 
 disgusted with their wicked rulers, enquired : ^ What 
 then should a king do to us T* The various factions 
 were, after a period of anarchy, either united, or that 
 which was in favour of Hoshea became so powerful 
 that the others deemed further opposition useless. 
 
Hoshea, 
 
 185 
 
 Pekah was the seventh king who was assassinated in 
 a period of two hundred and thirty-six years. Such a 
 state of society needs no comment. 
 
 V^ 
 
 CHAl ..*R XV. 
 
 HOSHEA. 
 
 lOSHEA, the nineteenth, and last^king of Israel, 
 came to the throne seven hundred and thirty 
 years before Christ. Between the death of 
 Pekah and the r^evation of Hoshea there seems to have 
 been an interregnum of about nine ye&rs. It is proba- 
 ble that the kingdom was again devastated by civil war. 
 With the exception of Shallum, who reigned but 
 one month, Hoshea is the only king of Israel of whom 
 it is not said that he walked in the ways of Jeroboam, 
 the son of Nebat. Oh ! of what unutterable anguish 
 must this noted king have been the subject, as one 
 after another of his successors went to the world of 
 woe from having followed his example ! How earnestly 
 he must have wished it were possible for him to stop 
 the tide of influences which he had set in motion I It 
 is an awfully solemn thought that in the eternal state, 
 to the wicked, as well as to the righteous, will be given 
 the reward of their hands. Dear reader, *^Be not 
 deceived ; God is not mocked ; for whatsoever a man 
 ioweth that shall he also reap** 
 
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1 86 
 
 Hoskea, 
 
 Though HoBhea came to the throne through treache- 
 ry and blood, he was one of the best of Israel's kings. 
 This, however, is not saying much either as regards 
 his morals or his religion. In these respects kings 
 generally compare unfavorably with other men. Those 
 who reigned over Israel compare unfavorably with 
 other kings. They, with the exception of Hoshea, were 
 all idolaters, if not during the whole, during a part, of 
 their reigns. Several of them offered human sacrifices 
 to their idols, even causing their own children to pass 
 through the fire to Moloch. Of Hoshea it is recorded 
 that ^^ he did< that which was evil in the sight of the 
 Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before 
 him." But the nation's cup of iniquity was now full ; 
 and the day of vengeance could not be much longer 
 delayed. God determined to remove Israel out of 
 his sight ; and the instrument he made use of for this 
 purpose was Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. Tiglath- 
 pileser, the father of Shalmaneser had, during the 
 reign of Pekah, taken very considerable portions of 
 the kingdom , of Israel. It may be that Hoshea 
 attempted to recover this territory. But whatever 
 may have been the cause this is certain, Shalmaneser 
 invaded Israel and made Hoshea his tributary. After 
 having paid the tribute a few years an effort was made 
 to throw off the Assyrian yoke. For this purpose 
 Hoshea made a league with So, king of Egypt, and 
 took care to have Samaria well fortified, garrisoned 
 and provisioned. He then ventured to omit the pay- 
 
 1 
 
Hoshea. 
 
 187 
 
 ! 
 
 ment of the required tribute. This aroused the wrath 
 of the Assyrian king. He invaded the kingdom, des- 
 troyed fortifications, burned cities, and killed the 
 inhabitants, there being none able to oppose, as the 
 whole army was concentrated in the capital. It is 
 probable that one object that Shalmaneser had in 
 view in devastating the country was to draw the 
 Israelitish troops out of Samaria, that they might the 
 more easily gain possession of that city ; but Hosea 
 was well aware that his strength was to sit still. At 
 length the Assyrians came to Samaria and besieged it. 
 For three long years it repelled their utmost efforts. 
 Jerusalem in the days of Zedekiah sustained a siege of 
 eighteen months; and the inhabitants were reduced 
 to such extremity that they ate human flesh. What, 
 then, must have been the condition of the people of 
 Samaria during a siege of double that length of time ? 
 Did hundreds and tens of hundreds die of starvation ? 
 Were all who could not add to the strength of the city 
 obliged to leave it ? or did the strong for weary months 
 subsist on the flesh of the weak ? The heart sickens 
 at the thought of either of these ; but is there any 
 other possible alternative ? When at length the city 
 was taken, the rage of the conquerors knew no bounds. 
 Such fearAil barbanties were committed that the peo- 
 ple are represented as calling on the mountains to 
 cover them, and on the hills to fall on them. Hoshea 
 was take» prisoner as soon as the Assyrians entered 
 his capital. He was not then slain, but was loaded 
 
 f 
 
I i- 
 
 i88 
 
 Hoshea, 
 
 It- 
 
 with chains, and kept in charge till the general massa- 
 cre was over ; and then he, and all his family, were 
 put to death. In the emphatic words of the prophet 
 he was ^ utterly cut off." Those who did not die of 
 famine, or pestilence, or the sword, were carried into 
 Assyria and placed ^ in Helah and in Habor by the 
 river of Grozan, and in the cities of the Modes." These 
 people are after their dispersion lost sight of. Where 
 their successors are to be found is even now a subject 
 of enquiry. May they not have become incorporated 
 with the Jews/ Is not this the legitimate inference 
 from the fbllowing words by Isaiah: 
 
 *' In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of 
 Israel, 
 And they shall oome together out of the land of the north 
 To the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.** 
 
 from the fact that one belonging to the tribe of Asher 
 was res' | in Jerusalem at the commencement of the 
 Christiati era? and from such phrases as ^To the 
 twthe tribes scattered abroad^" and ^ Unto which pro- 
 mise our /toeZve frt^t^ &c ' 
 
 Israel existed as a separate nation two hundred 
 and fifty-four years. During that time they were 
 ruled over by nine different dynasties. 
 
 If ^ sin is a reproach to any people" Israel cer- 
 tainly is open to reproach; for <<they left all the 
 commandments of the Lord their Qod, and made 
 them molten images, even two calves, and made a 
 grove, and worshipped all the hosts of heaven and 
 
 # 
 
Hoshea> 
 
 189 
 
 serred Baal. And they caused their song and their 
 daughters to pass through the fire, and used divina- 
 tion and enchantments, and sold themselves to do 
 evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to 
 anger." They pursued this course of iniquity though 
 &voured with the exhortations and warnings of two 
 of the most renowned prophets that have ever lived-— 
 Elijah and Elisha, whose prophetic lives extended 
 over a period of more than seventy years; and 
 which was one of the three ages of miracles that were 
 ever vouchsafed to earth. But promises, threatenings, 
 mercies, judgments and miracles being all in vain 
 Grod said ^ Ephraim is joined to idols ; let him alone.'* 
 
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 ERRATA. 
 
 
 P. 9, line 9— For " fifty-six " read " sixty-seven." 
 ', P. 10, line 7— For "child" read ••son," and for ••who" 
 read •• though he," 
 P. 25, line 26--For •• as to " read •• as in." 
 P. 75, line 28— Read •' two hundred and fifty." 
 l» P. 96, line 6— Omit •' custom of the." 
 P. 105, line 16— Read •• do not think." 
 f P. 118, lines 21 & 22— For •• It is " read " Is it." 
 
 P. 167, line 20— After •' Samaria " read •• and the brethren 
 of Ahaziah." 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 ■ 
 
 The other errors the young reader can easily correct 
 
 M. L. T. W. 
 
 I 
 
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