2021-07-02
Good Morning Dear Ones,
2 SAM 7: 12-13, (God speaking) “When your days are over and you rest with your father’s, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body and I will establish His Kingdom. He is the One Who builds a house, for My name, and I will establish a throne forever.” My “Through the Bible,“ class saw (as we studied the books of Kings), no matter who was king of Judah or Israel at a time, God worked things out, so that He could keep His promise to King David. Someone in his line would always be on the throne, and eventually a Descendant of his would rule over the entire earth. Our Lord’s genealogy can be diagramed and named all the way back to the first man, Adam. This entity is called the royal line of David.
We can look at the various time periods of Israel’s history to see the personalities that ruled over her. Prior to her unification, Israel was ruled as separate territories by the Judges, from ~1526 to 1330 BC. Israel wanted human kings like her neighbors. This followed with Saul, who ruled for 40 years and was found wanting in his relationship with God. He ruled from 1051 BC-`011 BC. His crown was removed in favor of David, son of Jesse. David was “a man after God’s own heart” [1 SAM 13: 14]. David also ruled 40 years, from 1011 BC to 973 BC. David was succeeded by his son, Solomon, chosen to build the temple because he didn’t have blood on his hands like his father. Solomon ruled from 971 BC to 931 BC. Solomon’s temple was completed in 960 BC. Against God’s will, Israel split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north with its capital at Samaria, and Judah in the south with its capital at Jerusalem. With the succession in the north, beginning with Jeroboam I (931 BC-910 BC) and running through Hoshea (732 BC-722 BC), until the Assyrian Captivity began. This nation would remain Assyria’s captives until 444 BC, when Cyrus the Great of Persia ended Israel’s exilic period. Similarly, Judah’s last pre-exilic king was Rehoboam I (931 BC-913 BC) followed by a series of kings until Zedekiah (597 BC – 586 BC). By 602 BC, Daniel and his three friends had been taken to Babylon to serve in the king’s palace. In 586 BC, the temple was sacked by the Babylonian’s, and Judah was thrust into dyaspora (loss of nationhood and scattering of its people). In 539 BC, the Persian’s vanquished the Babylonians, so that it was once again, Cyrus the Great, who would release the former Judeans to a united Israel from the exile.
Between 444 BC and the birth of Christ, came the writings of Esther, Malachi, Ezra sent to Judah, Joel, Nehemiah governs Judah, and Nehemiah in Babylon. Ptolemaic Egypt controlled Palestine (331 BC-198 BC). Next the Syrian Seleucids (a cross between Greeks and Arabs) controlled Palestine, leading to a revolt by the Jewish guerillas led by Judas Maccabeus, in 1(160 BC -143 BC). Spartacus leads a slave revolt (73 BC-71 BC). The period between 721 BC and the birth of Christ is called the Intertestamental Period. The events mentioned here are a part of the first book of the Apocrypha, the book of Maccabeus I. One might question why this first book of the Apocrypha isn’t considered canon. At the time of the Council of Jamnia (70 AD-90 AD) in the Holy Land city of Yavneh, the decision was made by the Hebrew rabbis to exclude Maccabeus I and the NT as canon. The author of this theory was Heinrich Graetz in 1871, but it was questioned beginning in the 1960’s and is by me.
John, the Baptist was born in 7.5 BC. AC 13: 23-24, “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus as he promised. Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to the people of Israel” [MK 1: 4; JN 3: 5-6, 16]. Jesus was not recognized for Who He is and was made to suffer beyond any other person in history [MT 1: 22; AC 3: 14-16; IS 53: 1-12]. His condemnation fulfilled prophecy. Later, Saul of Tarsus, converted to belief in the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus [AC 9: 1-6], dedicated himself to the service of Christ [AC 20” 24] greatly increasing the numbers of believers.
PRAYER: O Lord, a large part of an overview of Israel’s history from the beginning helps us to see Your loving hand in it. Israel’s continuing disobedience brought You to punish her with the Assyrian Captivity from 722 BC to 444 BC. She had 19 kings who were evil and led the people into sin. Judah had some good kings, like Joash, Josiah, and Hezekiah, while evil kings who led the people to sin also ruled. You knew they needed punishment for their disobedience, but not for so long. Their captors, the Babylonians were vanquished in 539 BC by the Persians, leading to their release in 444 BC by Cyrus the Great. As You prophesied through Your prophets, a united Israel was restored as Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah led groups of Jews back to the Promised Land. You have no plan to destroy Israel, but her enemies over the last 3000 years have been vanquished. You love the land where You will one day reside in the New Jerusalem described in REV 21-22. Your Son, Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of this place! [EPH 2: 18-20]. We praise and thank You for the love You show us, that agape love, through Him. In the holy/mighty name of Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: One might ask, “why study history?” It is to learn about the mistakes and challenges people overcame before us. Too few people take the time to do this, particularly the history of God’s relationship with mankind. The Bible has many layers, like the skins of an onion. Each layer is history, ethics, wisdom, some allegory, some reality, poetry, and practical things to do to prevent trouble. The people, like David, are complicated, just as we are today. This is always beneficial, always full of life-changing wisdom. Romans 1: 1-12: 21 is the most concise presentation of theology in God’s “Love Letter” to us, and RO 13: 1-16: 27 is the best “how to” the Bible gives. Next week, we will look at the significance of this Man “hung on a tree” [GA 3: 13]. And, more and more, we will come to see how He has brought us salvation, justification, and eternal forgiveness. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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