2. Dav. achiev. 1.) Uni. tri. 2.) Sub. la. 3.) Org. gov.
4.) Est. ar. 5.) Est. rel. 6.) Conq. surr. nat. 7.) Rei. theo.
kin.
Questions for Review
What event marks an epoch in Is"ra-el-ite history?
What were the causes leading to the monarchy? What events in the period of the judges show a tendency toward settled government? What changes in government in the surrounding nations helped to bring on the monarchy in Is"ra-el? From what source did external danger lead the Is"ra-el-ites to desire a king? How had Sam"u-el unconsciously helped to prepare the way for a kingdom? What worldly spirit promoted the same result? What kind of a kingdom did G.o.d intend for Is"ra-el? What is a theocratic kingdom? Wherein was Is"ra-el an exception among Oriental kingdoms? By what inst.i.tutions was the kingdom regulated? Name some instances of prophets rebuking kings. Into what two parts may Saul"s reign be divided? Wherein was Saul a failure? How did he fail in gaining and holding friends? What was the condition of Is"ra-el when Da"vid came to the throne? What were the achievements of Da"vid? What great incomplete work did Da"vid finish? What did he do in the organization of his kingdom? What was the arrangement of his army? What were his services to the cause of religion? What nations did he conquer? What was the extent of his empire? In what spirit did he rule?
TENTH STUDY
The Reign of Solomon
PART ONE
The reign of Sol"o-mon may be regarded as the culminating period in the history of Is"ra-el. But, strictly speaking, the latter part of Da"vid"s reign and only the former part of Sol"o-mon"s const.i.tute "the golden age of Is"ra-el"; for Sol"o-mon"s later years manifested a decline, which after his death rapidly grew to a fall.
I. =Sol"o-mon"s Empire= embraced all the lands from the Red Sea to the Eu-phra"tes, and from the Med-i-ter-ra"ne-an to the Syr"i-an desert, except Phoe-ni"cia, which was isolated by the Leb"a-non mountains. 1.
Besides Pal"es-tine, he ruled over E"dom, Mo"ab, Am"mon, Syr"i-a (here referring to the district having Da-mas"cus as its capital), Zo"bah, and Ha"math. 2. On the Gulf of Ak"a-ba, E"zi-on-ge"ber was his southern port (1 Kings 9. 26); on the Med-i-ter-ra"ne-an, Ga"za (Az"zah) was his limit; in the extreme north, Tiph"sah, by the Eu-phra"tes (1 Kings 4.
24); in the desert, Tad"mor, afterward Pal-my"ra (1 Kings 9. 18).
II. =His Foreign Relations= were extensive, for the first and only time in the history of Is"ra-el. 1. His earliest treaty was _with Tyre_ (Phoe-ni"cia), whose king had been his father"s friend (1 Kings 5. 1).
(What this alliance brought to Sol"o-mon see 1 Kings 5. 6-10; 2 Chron.
2. 3-14.) 2. His relations _with E"gypt_: in commerce (1 Kings 10. 28, 29); in marriage, a bold departure from Is"ra-el-ite customs (1 Kings 3.
1). Perhaps Psalm 45 was written upon this event. 3. _With A-ra"bi-a_, the land bordering on the southern end of the Red Sea (1 Kings 10. 1-10, 14. 15). 4. _With the Far East_, perhaps India, referred to in 1 Kings 9. 21-28. 5. _With the West_, perhaps as far as Spain, the Tar"shish of 1 Kings 10. 22.
III. =His Buildings.= No king of Is"ra-el ever built so many and so great public works as did Sol"o-mon. Among these are named:
1. _The temple_, on Mount Mo-ri"ah, to be described later.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PLAN OF SOLOMON"S PALACE.
(According to Stade.)
"Reprinted from Kent"s History of the Hebrew People, from the Settlement in Canaan to the Division of the Kingdom. Copyrighted, 1896, by Charles Scribner"s Sons."]
2. _His own palace_, south of the temple precincts, on the slope of O"phel and Mo-ri"ah. This consisted of several buildings, as follows: 1.) The House of the Forest of Leb"a-non, so called because of its many columns of cedar; this was the forecourt, or entrance. 2.) The Porch to the Palace. 3.) The Throne Hall. 4.) The King"s Palace. 5.) The Queen"s Palace, or Harem.
3. _His fortified cities_, forming a cordon around his kingdom. (See the lists of these in 1 Kings 9. 17-19.)
4. _His aqueducts_, some of which may still be seen (Eccl. 2. 4-6).
IV. But all was not bright in the reign of Sol"o-mon. We must notice also =His Sins=, for they wrought great results of evil in the after years. 1. That which led to all his other sins was his _foreign marriages_ (1 Kings 11. 1-4). These were the natural and inevitable results of his foreign relations, and were probably effected for political reasons as well as to add to the splendor of his court. 2. His _toleration of idolatry_, perhaps actual partic.i.p.ation in it (1 Kings 11. 5-8). We cannot overestimate the harm of Sol"o-mon"s influence in this direction. At once it allied him with the lower and evil elements in the nation, and lost to him the sympathy of all the earnest souls.[13] 3. Another of Sol"o-mon"s sins, not named in Scripture, but referred to in many legends of the East, may have been a _devotion to magical arts_. He appears in Oriental traditions as the great master of forces in the invisible world, engaging in practices forbidden by the law of Mo"ses (Lev. 19. 31; Deut. 18. 10, 11).
Blackboard Outline
I. =Sol. Emp.= Pal. Ed. Mo. Amm. Syr. Zob. Ham. E.-G. G. T. T.
II. =For. Rel.= Ty. Eg. Ar. F. E. W.
III. =Buil.= 1. Tem. 2. Pal. 1.) H. F. L. 2.) P. 3.) T. H. 4.) K. P.
5.) Q. P.
IV. =Sins.= 1. For. mar. 2. Tol. idol. 3. Mag.
Review Questions
What is the reign of Sol"o-mon called? How far is that a correct t.i.tle? What lands were included in Sol"o-mon"s empire? What cities were on its boundaries? With what countries did Sol"o-mon have treaties and foreign relations? How was Sol"o-mon connected with the court of E"gypt? What were some of Sol"o-mon"s buildings? Name the various parts of his palace. What were the sins of Sol"o-mon?
PART TWO
V. =General Aspects of Is"ra-el in the Reign of Sol"o-mon.=
1. =It was a period of peace.= For sixty years there were no wars This gave opportunity for development, for wealth, and for culture.
2. =It was a period of strong government.= The age of individual and tribal energy was ended, and now all the life of the nation was gathered around the throne. All the tribes were held under one strong hand; tribal lines were ignored in the government of the empire; every department was organized.
3. =It was a period of wide empire.= It was Is"ra-el"s opportunity for power in the East; for the old Chal-de"an empire had broken up, the new As-syr"i-an empire had not arisen, and E"gypt was pa.s.sing through a change of rulers and was weak. For one generation Is"ra-el held the supremacy in the Oriental world.
4. =It was a period of abundant wealth= (1 Kings 3. 12, 13; 4. 20; 10.
23, 27). The sources of this wealth were: 1.) The _conquests_ of Da"vid, who had plundered many nations and left his acc.u.mulated riches to Sol"o-mon (1 Chron. 22. 14-16). 2.) The _tribute_ of the subject kingdoms, doubtless heavy (1 Kings 10. 25). 3.) _Commerce_ with foreign countries (E"gypt, A-ra"bi-a, Tar"shish, and O"phir) in ancient times was not carried on by private enterprise, but by the government. The _trade_ of the East from E"gypt and Tyre pa.s.sed through Sol"o-mon"s dominions, enriching the land. 4.) There were also _taxes_ laid upon the people (1 Kings 4. 7-19; 12. 4). 5.) The erection of _public buildings_ must have enriched many private citizens and made money plenty.
5. =It was a period of literary activity.= The books written during this epoch were Sam"u-el, Psalms (in part), Prov"erbs (in part), and perhaps Ec-cle-si-as"tes and Sol"o-mon"s Song. Not all the writings of Sol"o-mon have been preserved (1 Kings 4. 32, 33).
VI. =Dangers of the Period.= There was an A-ra"bi-an tradition that in Sol"o-mon"s staff, on which he leaned, there was a worm secretly gnawing it asunder. So there were elements of destruction under all the splendor of Sol"o-mon"s throne.
1. =The absolute power of the king.= Da"vid had maintained the theocratic const.i.tution of the state; Sol"o-mon set it aside and ruled with absolute power in all departments. He a.s.sumed priestly functions (1 Kings 8. 22, 54, 64); he abolished tribal boundaries in his administration (1 Kings 4. 7-19); he ignored both priests and prophets, and concentrated all rule in his own person.
2. =The formal character of the worship.= There was a magnificent temple and a gorgeous ritual, but none of the warmth and personal devotion which characterized the worship of Da"vid. The fervor of the Da-vid"ic Psalms is wanting in the literature of Sol"o-mon"s age.
3. =Luxury and corruption of morals.= These are the inevitable results of abundant riches and worldly a.s.sociation. We do not need the warnings of Prov. 2. 16-19; 5. 3-6, etc., to know what a flood of immorality swept over Je-ru"sa-lem and Is"ra-el.
4. =The burden of taxation.= With a splendid court, an immense harem, and a wealthy n.o.bility came high prices and high taxes; the rich growing richer rapidly, the poor becoming poorer. The events of the next reign show how heavy and unendurable these burdens grew.
5. =Heathen customs.= With the foreign peoples came the toleration of idolatry, its encouragement, and all the abominations connected with it.
Jer-o-bo"am could not have established his new religion (1 Kings 12. 28) if Sol"o-mon had not already patronized idol worship.
6. Underlying all was the old =tribal jealousy= of E"phra-im and Ju"dah, fostered by an able leader (1 Kings 12. 26), ready to break out in due time and destroy the empire.
Blackboard Outline
V. =Gen. Asp. Isr.= 1. Pea. 2. Str. gov. 3. Wi. emp. 4. Abun. weal.
1.) Conq. 2.) Trib. 3.) Com. 4.) Tax. 5.) Pub. build. 5. Lit.