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BIBLE ADVENTURES 1 - OLD TESTAMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) Introduction
Jump down to
introduction
a.) what Bible Adventures is about
(2) JUDGES
from Othneil to Samson
Chapter 1 - Othniel
Jump down to chapter 1
Chapter 2 - Gideon
Jump down to chapter 2
Chapter 3 - Samson
Jump down to chapter 3
(3) Song OF Solomon
King Solomon and the Shulamite woman he could not win (now also see
the 3-Act Play on Bible Playhouse)
Chapter 1 - Shulamite woman
Jump down to chapter 1
Chapter 2 - Shulamite woman saw a
magnificent chariot coming down the road
Jump down
to chapter 2
Chapter 3 - Her audience with King
Solomon
Jump down to chapter 3
Chapter 4 - "As my eyes look upon
your beauty"
Jump down to chapter
4
Chapter 5 - Their mother said, "I
raised her as a proper girl!"
Jump down to
chapter 5
(4) Kings of Israel & Judah
from Rehoboam to Josiah
Chapter 1 - Rehoboam
Jump down to chapter 1
Chapter 2 - Jeroboam
Jump down to chapter 2
Chapter 3 - Asa, Ahab, Jehoshaphat &
Jehoram
Jump down to chapter 3
Chapter 4 - Joash
Jump down to chapter 4
Chapter 5 - Hezekiah
Jump down to chapter 5
Chapter 6 - Manasseh
Jump down to chapter 6
Chapter 7 - Josiah
Jump down to chapter 7
(5) DANIEL and King Nebuchadnezzar
interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams which foretell events to
come
Chapter 1
Jump down to chapter 1
a. Nebichadnezzar
b. Attacked Jerusalem
Chapter 2 - Dream
Jump down to chapter 2
Chapter 3
Jump down to chapter 3
a. Interpretation
b. The LORD answered their prayers
Chapter 4 - Fiery furnace
Jump down to chapter 4
Chapter 5 - Dream two
Jump down to chapter 5
Chapter 6 - Judgment
Jump down to chapter 6
Conclusion
Jump down to conclusion
(7) DANIEL and King Belshazzar
the writing on the wall and its significance
Jump down to part 7
(8) DANIEL and King Darius -
Daniel in the lion's den and his deliverance by the Lord
Jump down to part 8
(9) ABRAHAM, The "FRIEND OF GOD"
Jump down to Abraham
(10) ISAAC, the Son of Promise
Jump down to Isaac
a.) Isaac's great test of faith
b.) A bride for Isaac
c.) Isaac's twins ... Esau and Jacob
d.) Jacob steals his brother's
birthright
(11) THERE'S NO ESCAPE! (Jonah)
Jump down to
Jonah
a. Jonah's disobedience
b. God's discipline for Jonah
c. Jonah' learns his lesson and
confesses his sin. God's grace to Nineveh and Jonah's reaction to it.
INTRODUCTION
All young people seem to have a curious mind, and they enjoy a good
adventure story! How do I know? Well, I, too, was once a young person
with a mind full of curiosity and a love for adventure!
Some of the greatest adventures ever told are found in the Bible.
Many of the characters stand out distinctly on the pages of the Word
of God in a spectacular way, while others are more obscure but still
important. Some of those people were honorable, godly individuals, and
some were really scoundrels, but they all had one thing in common.
They all had a sinful nature just like we have!
Our adventures are going to focus on a period of time when God gave
Judges the power to deliver [his people, Israel, from their enemies
after they had entered the land He had promised them.
After Moses and Joshua died, the Children of Israel forgot much of
what they had been taught and began to worship the false gods of the
people in the land. The Lord disciplined them by sending enemy armies
against them. When they cried out to Him for mercy, He raised up
Judges to deliver them. Over a period of about 300 years and involving
several generations, the Lord gave the Israelites ten different Judges
to help them. After each one of those Judges died, the people went
back to worshiping idols again.
Let's take a closer look at some those Judges as we begin our
journey into BIBLE ADVENTURES.
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CHAPTER 1 - JUDGES, OTHNIEL
The first Judge in the land was a man by the name of Othniel. He
was a very godly man, and the Lord gave the people forty years of
peace while Othniel lived. When he died, the Children of Israel again
did evil in the sight of the Lord, therefore, the Lord strengthened
the hand of their enemy, Eglon, the king of Moab. Eglon gathered the
armies of Ammon and Amalek together with his own men, and they fought
against the Israelites and defeated them. As a result, the Israelites
were made to serve them for eighteen years.
Then Israel cried unto the Lord, and He provided a Judge named Ehud.
He was a left-handed man, and one of his first acts as Judge was to
take a gift to King Eglon. The gift was an 18" dagger which had two
sharp edges. Ehud hid the dagger on his right thigh under his cloak
and went to see Eglon.
Eglon was a very fat man, and he was sitting in his summer house
which was his private quarters. When he heard that Ehud had come to
give him a present, he invited him into his house. Ehud had dismissed
the men who came with him on this errand.
Ehud said to Eglon, "I have a secret errand unto you, 0 king!"
Excitedly, Eglon sent everyone out of the house so that he and Ehud
were alone.
As Ehud approached the king, he said, "I have a message from God
for you."
Eglon got up out of his chair with anticipation for the gift, but
as Ehud drew closer, he took the dagger from his right thigh and
plunged it into Eglon's belly. The fat in his body enclosed both the
handle and the blade, so that Ehud was not able to pull it out again.
He made a hasty exit by way of the porch and locked the doors behind
him.
After several hours, Eglon' s servants came to see if everything
was all right. When they found the doors locked, they assumed that the
king was taking a nap, so they left. Much later, when the servants had
still heard nothing from the king, they came again with a key and
opened the doors. To their dismay, they found that the king was dead!
Meanwhile, Ehud had escaped, and he went back home to get his army.
The Israelite army attacked Moab, and they killed about 10,000 men.
Following that great victory, Israel obeyed the Lord, and there was
peace in the land for 80 years.
When Ehud died, the Children of Israel did evil again in the sight
of the Lord. This time the Lord sent Jabin, king of Canaan, against
them. The captain of Canaan's army was a man named, Sisera, who
troubled and threatened Israel with his command of 900 chariots for 20
years. Once more, Israel cried out for help, and this time the Lord
sent them two Judges, Deborah and Barak. Barak took 10,000 men to
fight against the Canaanites, and they were victorious. However,
Sisera ran away on foot during the battle and escaped.
Sisera found his way to the tent of Heber, the Kenite, who had
separated himself from the Canaanites. Sisera thought he could hide
there in safety. Heber' 5 wife, Jael, was in the tent, and she came
out to meet Sisera.
She said to him, "Turn in her, my lord. Don't be afraid"
He went into her tent, and she covered him with a shawl.
Sisera pleaded, "I am very thirsty. Please give me a drink of
water!"
Jael brought him water and another warm garment.
Then Sisera instructed Jael, "Stand in the tent door, and if anyone
comes to inquire if you have seen a stranger today, tell him NO!"
Then Sisera fell into a deep sleep.
Jael knew that Sisera was an enemy of Israel. While he slept, she
took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand and entered the tent quietly
without disturbing him. Before he could awaken, she drove the peg
through his temples and into the ground, and Sisera died.
Meanwhile, the Judge, Barak, had looked everywhere for Sisera on
horseback. As he came closer to Jael's tent, he saw her standing in
the doorway.
Barak leaned toward her and shouted, "Has any stranger passed this
way today?"
Without any hesitation, Jael answered, "Come inside my tent, and I
will show you the man for whom you are searching!"
Barak dismounted from his horse and ran into the tent. There he
found the body of his enemy, Sisera, lying on the ground with a tent
peg driven through his temples!
That is how the Lord delivered Israel from the Canaanites that day
by means of this woman named Jael.
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CHAPTER 2
- JUDGES, GIDEON
Israel enjoyed peace for forty years after Barak defeated the
Moabites, but then they did evil again in the sight of the Lord. He
delivered them into the hand of the Midianites, another enemy of the
Israelites. The Midianites oppressed the Jews for seven years, and
then God's people cried out for deliverance.
This time, the Lord sent a prophet to them with this message from
Him:
"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought your forefathers up
from Egypt and delivered you from the hand of your enemies who
troubled you! I drove them out and gave you their land! Also, I said,
I am the Lord your God! Do not trust in the gods of the heathen in
whose land you dwell, but YOU DID NOT OBEY MY VOICE!" (Judges 6:8-10)
After saying that, the Lord was gracious to His people and chose
another man to be Judge over them. The man's name was Gideon. When we
first meet him, he is trying to hide some wheat that he is threshing
in a very secluded place so the Midianites wouldn't find it.
Suddenly, the Angel of the Lord appeared, sitting under an oak tree
nearby, and He said to Gideon, "Hello there, hero! The Lord is with
you!"
Gideon looked around behind him to see who this man was talking to,
because he knew he wasn't a brave man or a hero.
Seeing he was the only one standing there, Gideon said, "If the
Lord is really with us, why has all this misery come upon my people?
Why doesn't the Lord perform a miracle for us as He did for our
fathers when they were delivered from slavery in Egypt? I'm convinced
that He has forsaken us and has given us to the Midianites!" (Judges
6:12,1
(At this point in time, Gideon did not realize that he was actually
talking with God the Son. In the Old Testament, before Jesus came into
the world as a baby in a manger, He appeared to some people as The
Angel of the Lord. You can easily identify Him as Deity by the context
in the scriptures. God the Son is the only revealed member of the
Trinity.)
The Lord looked steadily at Gideon and said, "Haven't I commanded
you to do this? Go and do as I tell you. I will save Israel from the
Midianites, and I will tell you what you must do to accomplish their
deliverance!"
Still not sure about the Person to whom he was speaking, Gideon
responded, "If I have found grace in your sight, show me a sign that
it is really You giving me this command. Stay here while I prepare a
sacrifice to set before you."
The Lord replied, "I will wait for you here."
Gideon made preparation for a sacrifice, and he presented it to the
Lord. The Lord told him to place it on a rock, and then He took His
staff and touched it. Fire came out of the rock and consumed the
sacrifice.
After witnessing that, Gideon knew it was truly the Lord who was
speaking with him, and he fell down and worshiped Him.
The Lord said, "Don't be afraid, Gideon, you will not die because
you have seen me face to face."
Gideon was speechless, and as he looked on in amazement, the Lord
disappeared out of his sight. (Judges 6:14-23)
The Lord did not appear personally to Gideon again but spoke to him
by direct conversation or in dreams. The Lord told Gideon to destroy
the altar of Baal, a false god, which his father had built and replace
it with an altar where the people could come and worship the Lord God
only. Gideon obeyed. Under cover of darkness, he took ten men from the
city and tore down the altar of Baal.
When the men of the city arose the next morning and saw that the
altar of Baal was destroyed, they were furious. They demanded to know
who was responsible, and when they learned it was Gideon, they ordered
his father to bring Gideon to them so they could execute him.
Gideon's father said, "Why do you want to kill my son and defend
Baal? If Baal is truly a god, let him defend himself."
When the men heard that, they kept silent.
The Lord put His Spirit upon Gideon to empower him to deliver the
people as He had promised. Gideon sent messengers throughout the land
and gathered a great army to fight against their enemy, but he still
had doubts about his own personal role in leading the men to victory.
He made a request of the Lord and said, "Lord, if you will save
Israel under my leadership as you have said, please let it be proved
to me one more time. I will put some wool on the doorstep outdoors
tonight, and if; when I arise in the morning, the ground is dry and
the wool is wet, I will know that you mean to keep your promise."
The Lord agreed. When Gideon got up the following morning, he took
the wool in his hands and wrung a bowlful of water out of it, but the
ground around it was dry. Still, Gideon wasn't satisfied. Once more he
put God to the test.
"Please don't be angry with me, Lord," he said, "But I have one
more request to make. I wish to try the same experiment tonight, and
then I will be sure you mean to keep your promise. This time if the
wool is dry and the ground is wet, I will believe You."
The Lord graciously agreed again, and in the morning, the ground
was wet and the wool was absolutely dry. At last, Gideon was content!
Early the next morning, Gideon took his army and positioned his men
near the enemy lines.
Then the Lord told Gideon in a dream, "There are far too many men
with you, Gideon. If they defeat the Midianites and their allies, they
will be proud of their own achievement and say that they alone have
done it. They will not give Me the glory. Therefore, go and tell your
men that if any of them are afraid, they should go home."
When Gideon made this offer, 22,000 men decided to leave and just
10,000 were left.
Then the Lord told Gideon, "There are still too many men here! We
must eliminate some of them, and I will tell you what to do. Take all
of the men to the river bank. Those who get down on their hands and
knees to lap water like a dog will not go with you, but those who
remain on their feet and take water in their hand to drink are the men
who are prepared to go into battle with you."
Only 300 men drank from their hand. Then the Lord instructed Gideon
and said, "By these 300 men will I deliver Israel. Send the rest of
the men home."
When Gideon awoke from his dream, he knew that the Lord did indeed
mean to keep His promise, and Gideon worshiped the Lord.
He told his men, "Let's go! The Lord has delivered our enemies into
our hands."
They were victorious that day, because the Lord fought for them.
Another forty years of peace followed that great victory
After Gideon died, the people who had witnessed all the things the
Lord did for them still went back to their idolatry and worshiped
Baal. They forgot how God had delivered them and how gracious the Lord
had been to them while Gideon lived.
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CHAPTER 3 - JUDGES, SAMSON
During the forty years following the death of Gideon, there were
five more Judges for short periods of time, and then, because of the
Israelite's idolatry, the Lord delivered them into the hands of the
Philistines. During the time of the Philistine conquest when Israel
was forced to served them, a young man named Samson was born, and the
Lord prepared him to lead the people against the Philistines.
Samson is, no doubt, one of the most colorful of all the Judges,
and the Lord used him in some very spectacular ways. Because he was to
be God's instrument against the Philistines, the Holy Spirit came upon
Samson in order to enable him to perform great feats of strength.
Unfortunately, Samson had a weakness for beautiful women, and
eventually that weakness became his downfall. The first recorded
incident involving him with a woman took place when he saw a very
lovely Philistine woman and asked his parents to arrange for her to be
his wife.
Samson's parents were angry with him and replied, "Why do you want
a wife who worships idols? There are plenty of attractive Jewish girls
here that you could choose."
Samson ignored their answer and insisted on having his own way.
While traveling to see the Philistine woman, he passed through a
vineyard. Suddenly, a young lion roared out and challenged him. The
Holy Spirit came upon Samson, and he killed the lion with his bare
hands. He told no one about the incident and went on his way.
The Philistine woman whom he loved agreed to marry him. After a
while, Samson went home to make preparations for the wedding feast. On
the way home, Samson went through the vineyard again and looked to see
if the lion's body was still where he had left it. By this time, the
body had dried and become a carcass. A swarm of bees had made honey in
it. He took honey in both his hands and ate until he was satisfied.
When Samson arrived home, he said nothing to his mother and father
about the lion, because he knew the commandment God had given to the
Jews that they were not to approach any dead body.
Not long after that, Samson and his father went back to the home of
the bride-to-be for the customary wedding feast. The woman's friends
came to the celebration and brought thirty of their own friends with
them.
Samson thought it might be fun to tease them a little, so he said,
"Here's a riddle for you. If you are able to untangle it within seven
days, I will give each of you thirty changes of clothing; but if you
are not able to explain it to me, you shall give me thirty changes of
garments."
The men agreed to take the challenge.
Samson said, "Here's the riddle: Out of the eater came meat, and
out of the strong came sweetness."
After three days, the men still had been unable to figure out the
riddle, so they cornered Samson's wife and threatened her.
"Find out the meaning of this puzzle for us," they demanded, "Or we
will burn you and your father's household to the ground."
Fearing for her father's life as well as her own, she wept in
Samson's arms night after night until he finally relented and
explained the riddle to her. She, in turn, gave the men the answer.
On the seventh day, they came to Samson and said, "What is sweeter
than honey, and what is stronger than a lion.”
Samson knew at once how they had gotten the right answer and said,
"If you had not put pressure on my wife to get the answer, you never
would have been able to know it."
Angrily, Samson left and went down to Ashkelon where he found
thirty men wearing beautiful garments. The Holy Spirit came upon him,
and Samson killed the men, took their clothing, then brought it back
to the Philistines to pay his wager. That done, he stormed out of
their presence and went home.
Doubting that Samson would ever return, the woman's father arranged
for her to marry another man. Time passed, and Samson's anger
subsided. He decided to go back and claim his wife and took along a
nice gift for her.
When her father saw him, he said, "I thought you hated my daughter
for betraying you, so I gave her to another man."
Samson was furious, for he had loved the woman. Determined to have
revenge, he caught three hundred foxes, tied their tails together with
a firebrand between each fox and sent them through the Philistine's
cornfields. When they saw that their crops had been burned, the
Philistines sought the one responsible. They were told it was Samson
who had done it, because his wife had been given to one of their
friends.
They set fire to household of the woman's father. When Samson
learned that the men had killed his wife, he went away to be alone.
While he was gone, the Philistines gathered a small army and
positioned themselves against the Israelites.
The Israelites asked why they had come to threaten them, and they
answered, "We have come to find and kill Samson for what he had done
to us." Immediately, 3,000 Israelites set out in search of Samson, and
when they found him, they asked, "Why have you put us in this great
danger by your actions?
Samson replied, "I was just paying them back for what they did to
me."
Then the men said, "We have come here to tie you up and deliver you
to the Philistines.
"If you promise not to kill me yourselves," Samson said, "I will
let you bind me and turn me over to the Philistines."
The enemy shouted victoriously when they saw Samson being delivered
to them, but the Holy Spirit empowered him, and he broke the cords
that bound him as if they were a piece of string. Looking about him,
he found a new jawbone of an ass and fought against them, killing
1,000 of them that day.
Unfortunately, Samson had not learned his lesson regarding women.
He met another beautiful Philistine woman who lived in the valley of
Sorek. Her name was Delilah.
When the men in her city noticed Samson's interest in her, they
approached her and said, "Find out where his great strength comes from
so we can capture him, and we will give you a great deal of money."
Delilah wanted the reward they offered, so she asked Samson to
reveal the secret of his strength to her.
He answered, "If they tie me with seven new willow twigs that are
still green and strong, I will be as weak as any other man."
While Samson slept, Delilah tied his hands and feet and then called
the Philistine leaders. When they came, Delilah woke Samson by
shouting, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" Samson got up
quickly and snapped the ties about him, and the men ran away. Still
determined to get the promised reward, Delilah kept asking Samson
about his strength and said to him, "You are making fun of me. You
lied to me about your great strength. You don't really love me or you
wouldn't lie about it."
Twice more after that Samson gave her the wrong answers, but
finally he grew weary of her constant questioning.
He told her, "I am a Nazarite, and my long hair is a symbol of my
obedience to the Lord God. If I allow it to be cut, I would be
disobeying my God and be as weak as any other man.
This time Delilah was sure he was telling her the truth, so that
night when Samson was sleeping soundly, she called one of the
Philistines to cut his hair.
Then Delilah shouted, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"
Unaware that his hair had been cut, Samson awoke and faced his
enemies confidently, but this time he wasn't able to protect himself
against them. It took Samson a moment to realize that the Holy Spirit
was not with him. Delilah accepted her reward. The Philistines took
him prisoner. In revenge, they blinded him, bound him with brass
chains, and forced him grind grain in their prison.
While Samson labored in their prison, the Philistine leaders
decided to hold a celebration in the house of their god, Dagon, in
honor of their victory over Samson. When their hearts were merry with
wine, they sent for blind and chained Samson to have him entertain the
crowd. They didn't realize that Samson's hair had grown again during
the imprisonment, and when he was brought to them, they stood him in
the auditorium between two pillars which held up the balcony of the
temple. That day, the temple was filled with 3,000 men and women plus
all the leaders of the Philistines who had come to watch Samson and to
make fun of him.
Samson said to the lad who led him by the hand, "Take me to the
pillars and place my hands on both of them."
The boy did as he asked. Then Samson bowed his head and prayed to
the Lord saying, "0 Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen
me, I pray thee, only this once, 0 God, so that I may be avenged of
the Philistines because they blinded me."
Samson then took a firm grip on the two pillars and made one more
request of the Lord saying, "Let me die with the Philistines."
Samson gathered his strength and pushed against the pillars with
all his might. The temple collapsed and fell upon all the people
there. The dead in the temple that day numbered more than all the
Philistines Samson had previously destroyed during his lifetime. The
Lord's purpose to defeat the Philistines was accomplished.
Samson died that day along with the Philistines, as he requested.
He had been a Judge in Israel for twenty years.
End of JUDGES
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SONG
OF SOLOMON
CHAPTER 1
No doubt, every young woman has dreamed that one day she would meet
her own "prince charming". He would be her ideal companion for life.
He would also be attractive to her in every way, and he would take her
to his "castle" where they would live happily everafter. Well, life
doesn't always progress the way we imagine it will perhaps you have
discovered that for yourself just as the heroine of our story did.
Let's begin by introducing the author of our story . . .King
Solomon. He tells us about a beautiful young woman to whom he was
attracted, but lost, in his rendition of "SONG OF SOLOMON" in the
Bible. Even though he had all of the qualifications that any woman
could ever hope to find in a man, Solomon failed to win the love of
this lovely Shulamite woman about whom he writes. Solomon doesn't give
any proper names to the characters in this story, but he simply
identifies each one with descriptive words so I will do the same.
As our story unfolds, we find a young Shulamite woman in the harem
of the wealthiest, most intelligent and most handsome young king who
has ever lived, and she definitely did not want to be there. You may
be thinking that she was a very foolish woman for not being the
happiest and most fortunate woman in existence, but perhaps, when you
hear her story, you will understand.
Before our heroine was brought to the palace, she had found her
"prince". He was a shepherd who was caretaker of a flock of sheep near
her home not far from Jerusalem. They grew to love each other and
vowed they would marry. Joyfully, she took him to her home where she
supposed he would be accepted by her widowed mother and her brothers.
Instead, her brothers were very upset and said she was much too young
for marriage. They forced the shepherd to leave and made their sister
work in the vineyards of Baal-hamon, which the brothers leased from
Solomon. Her duties were to keep the foxes away from the fruit on the
vines.
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CHAPTER 2
While working in the vineyards one day, the Shulamite woman saw a
magnificent chariot coming down the road. As it came closer, she
noticed that the air was filled with the scents of myrrh and
frankincense. Also, some beautifully-scented powders were being thrown
up into the air, and the sight resembled great pillars of smoke. She
knew immediately that the chariot must belong to King Solomon. There
were a great many soldiers accompanying the chariot as the king toured
the countryside to check on the land he had leased to farmers in the
area.
Oddly, our heroine had the feeling she was being watched, and when
the chariot came closer, it stopped, and several of the soldiers
approached her. They said the king was the man in the chariot, and he
was attracted to her. They asked if she would accompany them to the
palace where he could talk with her. She was very anxious to leave her
duties as caretaker of the vines, and she thought perhaps she would be
better able to find her betrothed shepherd if she was with other
people who may know of his whereabouts. With that in mind, she
accompanied the men to the palace.
The king did not place her in the harem with his wives, but she was
taken to the house where the servants lived. In our story, they are
referred to as "the virgins of the harem" or "the daughters of
Jerusalem".
The virgins of the harem bathed and perfumed the Shulamite woman's
body and dressed her in beautiful clothing to prepare her to be
presented to the king. They also told her that the king's plan for her
was to attempt to persuade her to become one of his queens.
It was common knowledge among all of the people in the kingdom that
King Solomon had many wives ... in fact, he had 700 of them! They were
all princesses who had been presented to Solomon by their fathers when
a peace treaty was signed with Israel
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CHAPTER 3
While she was being made ready for her audience with King Solomon,
the Shulamite woman told the virgins about her wonderful shepherd and
how he alone filled her thoughts. Her one desire was that he would
find her and take her away from the palace. As she spoke about her
lover, the ladies also wanted to see him. They said, if she were to
leave, they would follow her. Also, they told her they were curious
and very puzzled as to why she had agreed to come to the palace if she
was so much in love with her shepherd.
Our heroine related the whole story to them and said, "While living
at home, I desperately wanted to find my lover. I dressed and went out
into the streets in the middle of the night to look for him, so I
could take him to my mother and my brothers to ask their permission
for us to marry. I was unable to find him and my search was
interrupted by a policeman who stopped me and questioned why I was out
in the street in the middle of the night. It was not proper for a
respectable young woman to be wandering about alone the way I was. The
officer listened politely to my explanation and then took me home.
When my brothers heard that I had been arrested and the reason for the
arrest, they were very angry with me. They sent me away to work in
their vineyards, and that is where the king saw me."
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CHAPTER 4
As the Shulamite woman was telling her story, the doors of the room
suddenly burst open, and King Solomon appeared in all of his glory! It
was truly a breathtaking sight to behold as he approached her and
kissed her hand! Then he stepped back a little, and said very
dramatically, "As my eyes look upon your beauty, my love, I can only
compare your person with the very magnificent horses in Pharoah's
chariots!"
When she heard that. she drew back while attempting to free her
hand and said to him, "Please don't even look upon me, your majesty,
because I am very unattractive . . . my skin has been blackened by the
sun, and it is like the tents of Kedar!" (Kedar was a black-skinned
son of Ishmael ) The Daughters of Jerusalem who were with her answered
in a chorus, "Oh, No! We would compare your skin to the beautiful and
delicate white curtains of Solomon!"
Not to be outdone by the flattering words of the virgins, Solomon
passionately began to use many other descriptive words with which to
describe how beautiful she was. Our heroine felt a little sick by all
of those words, and she interrupted the king saying, "I am formally
engaged to another man! Please do not force your attentions upon me.
No matter how hard she tried Solomon was not about to be distracted
by her words, and he tried to win her favor with more flattery. He was
very sure that she would not be able to resist his advance.
In desperation, the Shulamite woman said, "I am feeling a little
faint! Please allow me to go out into your beautiful gardens for a
breath of fresh air!"
Reluctantly, Solomon gave his consent, but he watched her eagerly
from the window as she ran down the pathway to the gardens. Also, as
he watched, Solomon was mentally planning the next strategy he would
use when she returned, but his thoughts were suddenly distracted by a
familiar voice saying to him, "What do you see in this Shulamite?"
Solomon quickly turned away from the window and saw that it was one
of his favorite queens who was standing there addressing him.
He said politely, "My dear, how long have you been listening and
watching?"
The jealous queen answered, "Long enough to know that this woman
presents no competition for me, your majesty. Just watch me now as I
dance for you!"
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CHAPTER 5
Meanwhile, in the garden, the Shulamite woman thought she heard the
voice of her beloved shepherd. She ran to the gate and called his
name. He answered and climbed over the wall near the gate, swept her
up in his arms, and they sped away quickly in his humble chariot to
her home.
The brothers were watching them come down the road and called their
mother. The chariot approached in a cloud of dust, and the brothers
said to one another, "It is our sister and her shepherd lover in that
chariot! If she is undefiled, we will build them a beautiful house;
but if she has been defiled, we will lock her up and keep her away
from this shepherd whom she loves."
Their mother said, "I raised her as a proper girl!"
By this time, the couple had arrived and had overheard what was
said about them. In response, the Shulamite woman said, "I am
undefiled, even though I was in Solomon's palace for a brief moment!
My love is only for my shepherd, and for that reason I remained pure
and undefiled just for him!"
After hearing that, the brothers and their mother gave their
permission for the two lovers to marry.
The End of Song of Solomon
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KINGS OF ISRAEL & JUDAH
CHAPTER 1
During the years following the reigns of David and of Solomon, two
young men appeared on the scene in Israel.
One of them is Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and the rightful heir
to the throne, and the other is a man called Jeroboam who was a very
promising young man who had been given a position of rulership over
the tribe of Joseph.
While Solomon still lived, Jeroboam was traveling outside of
Jerusalem one day, and the Lord sent the prophet Ahijah to give him a
message. When Ahijah met Jeroboam, they were alone in a field.
The prophet took his own new cloak, ripped it into twelve pieces,
and gave ten of them to the young man and said, "This is God's message
to you, Jeroboam. Because my people were involved in idolatry during
Solomon's later years, I will divide the kingdom. Solomon's son will
still rule over two tribes, because of my promise to David, and you
will be king over ten tribes. If you will obey me as David did, your
sons will rule after you."
When Solomon heard about that, he attempted to kill Jeroboam, but
Jeroboam fled into Egypt and was safe there until word came to him
that Solomon had died, and his friends brought him back to Jerusalem.
Rehoboam became king over the whole nation after his father's
death, and the leaders of the people along with Jeroboam, came to the
king and said to him, "Your father put a heavy tax burden upon us and
made our lives very difficult. If you will lighten our tax load and
treat us kindly, we will serve you well."
Rehoboam answered, "Let me think it over. Come back here in three
days while I consider what I will do about the matter."
His arrogance combined with poor judgment caused the young king to
accept the bad advice given to him by the young men with whom he had
grown up rather than to follow the good advice given him by the older
men who had been with his father for forty years, so after three days
when the people returned for his answer, Rehoboam spoke roughly to
them and said, "You think my father was severe with you? Well, I will
make your tax burdens heavier than he ever did!"
Many of the men became very angry at that reply from their king,
and they went to their homes to plan what they would do. Only the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained in Jerusalem with Rehoboam.
Soon after that, all Israel learned that Jeroboam had returned from
Egypt. They called him before the leaders of the people and made him
king over the Northern Kingdom known now as Israel.
When Rehoboam sent his chief tax collector among them, they stoned
him to death!
Rehoboam gathered 180,000 of his chosen warriors to attack, but the
Lord sent a prophet to the king saying, "You shall not fight against
your brethren, because I am using them to discipline you!" The
soldiers listened and obeyed the Word of God.
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CHAPTER 2
The priests and the Levites who were scattered throughout the
kingdom fled to Judah because Jeroboam had replaced them with prophets
whom he chose. Also, the people in the land who wanted to worship the
Lord God of their fathers rather than idols, went to Judah also.
Jeroboam had made two golden calves for his nation to worship, and
placed them in two very strategic places: one in Dan, which was at the
northern part of the kingdom, and the other one in Beersheba, which
was in the southern part of the kingdom.
Then he said to the people, "Here are your gods, Israel! There is
no need for you to go to Jerusalem to worship anymore!"
Jeroboam knew very well that only priests were authorized to make
sacrifices, but, because of his pride, he decided to offer one
himself. While he was in the process of doing so, the Lord sent a
prophet from Judah to warn Jeroboam of his wrongdoing.
The prophet did not speak directly to Jeroboam but instead he
addressed the altar with God's message. He said, "Altar, altar, thus
saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be born in the line of David by
the name of Josiah, and upon thee shall he offer the priests who burn
incense to the false gods which Jeroboam has set up. You will know
that the Lord has spoken when this altar is broken and all the ashes
pour out!"
Hearing those words, Jeroboam drew his hand back from the altar and
pointed to the prophet saying, "Arrest that man!" Immediately his hand
dried up and he was unable to use it!
Then Jeroboam pleaded with the prophet to pray to God that his hand
be restored again. The prophet did so, and the king's hand became
normal once more.
Then the king said to the prophet, "Come home with me and refresh
yourself after your long journey, and I will reward you!"
The man of God answered, "Even if you would give me half your
kingdom, I would not go with you or eat bread and drink water in this
place, because the Lord gave. that command to me!"
After saying that to the king, he turned away from him and left
another way to return to Judah.
An old prophet who lived in Bethel where Jeroboam was, heard about
the things done that day by a prophet who had come from Judah, and he
wanted to see him and speak with him. He called his sons and had them
saddle his mule, and then he went out to look for the man of God.
He soon found him sitting under an oak tree just a short distance
from Bethel.
The old prophet asked him, "Are you the prophet that God sent here
from Judah?"
The prophet looked up and said, "I am that one."
The old prophet said, "Come home with me and dine with me!"
his answer was the same for this man as it had been given to the
king. "The Lord has forbidden me to eat or drink in this place. Also,
I was told not to go back the same way I came here."
Then the old prophet lied to him and said, "I too am a prophet of
the Lord, and the Lord told me I should take you to my house and give
you food and drink!"
The man of God believed him, and accompanied him to his house.
While they were eating, God spoke to the older man and gave him
this message: "The prophet whom I sent from Judah has disobeyed me.
Now, tell him that because he did not do as I commanded, he will die
and his body will not be buried with his forefathers."
When he heard God's message, the prophet from Judah left there and
went on his way. A short way down the road, a lion attacked him and
killed him. The lion did not eat his body, but stood by it. When some
people came by and saw the lion standing there and the man's body
lying alongside the road, they went to Bethel and told the old prophet
what they saw.
He answered them, "I know it is the body of the man of God who was
here today. The Lord delivered him to the lion because he did not obey
the Word of God."
Then he went to find the body, and he buried it in his own tomb. He
told his sons that he wished to be buried beside the man of God after
his death.
After these things, Jeroboam continued his evil ways, and he took
the worst people in the land and made them priests. God's judgment
came upon him and the people of Israel as well because of their
idolatry.
First of all, Jeroboam's son became very ill, and Jeroboam told his
wife to disguise herself and go to the prophet Ahijah who had
annointed him king over Israel, and ask him to heal their son.
Ahijah was very old, and he was unable to see. The Lord spoke to
him and said, "The wife of Jeroboam is at the door. The woman will
pretend to be someone else, and she will ask you to heal the king's
son who is dying."
As soon as Ahijah heard her footsteps outside his door, he said,
"Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why do you pretend to be someone else? The
Lord gave me a message which you can deliver to your husband”
The message was: "Jeroboam, I took you from among the people of
Israel and I promoted you to be king over the ten tribes which I took
away from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, because he did not follow me
with all his heart as David had done before him! Therefore, your son
will die and none of your offspring will rule over the nation."
Jeroboam ruled Israel for twenty-two years, and then he died. All
Israel suffered discipline because of their idolatrous practices which
were introduced by Jeroboam.
Back in Judah, Rehoboam had become strong, and he, as well as his
people, walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years. After
they were a powerful nation, they forsook the Lord and began to
worship idols. The Lord sent Shishak, the king of Egypt, against them,
and he took away all the treasures in the temple which King Solomon
had stored, and he also took Rehoboam's personal treasures.
After that, Rehoboam humbled himself before the Lord, and things
went well again in Judah. Rehoboam ruled in Jerusalem for seventeen
years, and then he died.
NOTE: Beginning with Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the nation Israel was
divided into two separate nations with each having their own king.
Judah, which had the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and Israel, which
was composed of the remaining ten tribes of the Children of Israel.
Kings ruled in both nations for fourteen generations. Some of their
kings were faithful, God-fearing men, and some were idolatrous and
wicked. The length of time during which they ruled varied according to
the will of God.
We will study some of those kings, particularly those of Judah, but
for the purpose of seeing the sin nature at its worst, we will also
look at one or two of the kings of Israel.
The line of kings from which the KING OF KINGS, THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST will come, go through the line of David, Solomon, Rehoboam,
etc. The last of these kings was so evil that the Lord said no son of
his would sit on the throne of Judah.
After the last king, there were four hundred silent years in which
no prophecy was given to the Jews. During that time, many man-made
traditions replaced the Word of God. Then we see John the Baptist and
Jesus Christ, the annointed Son of God, appearing on the scene of
history.
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CHAPTER 3
Two kings followed Rehoboam who can give us an excellent object
lesson on what can happen when people make wrong decisions about
choosing friends. The first king we want to look at was the grandson
of Rehoboam. His name was Asa. He pleased the Lord in all of his ways,
and he destroyed the idols which had been set up during his father's
three-year reign. For thirty-five years, Asa and his people trusted
the Lord, and they were delivered from all of their enemies. Then Asa
took his eyes off the Lord and made an alliance with the king of Syria
and asked him to help in Judah's fight against the king of Israel.
The Lord sent a prophet to Asa with this message, "You have done
foolishly, because you relied on the king of Syria rather than asking
help of Me! Therefore, you shall have wars for the rest of your life!"
When he heard those words, Asa was furious with the prophet and put
him in prison. Following that act of wrong-doing against God's Word
and God's prophet, Asa was out of fellowship with the Lord for four
years. In discipline, to turn Asa back to obedience, the Lord
inflicted him with a terrible disease in his feet, but Asa still would
not turn to the Lord and confess his sin. Two years later, Asa died,
and his son, Jehoshaphat, ruled in his place.
Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he
ruled over Judah for forty-one years. He was faithful in all of his
ways, and the Lord blessed him with riches and honor, but in the 25th
year of his reign, Jehoshaphat decided to make friends with a very
evil man ... Ahab, king of Israel.
Jehoshaphat should have listened to the words of his great
grandfather, Solomon, when he wrote, "Confidence in an unfaithful man
in time of trouble is like having a broken tooth or a foot which is
out of joint." (Proverbs 25:18)
Ahab was worse than all the kings of Israel who had gone before
him. Not only did he encourage his people to worship idols, but he
also chose as his queen, a beautiful princess by the name of Jezebel
who brought her false prophets and her idols into Israel.
Ahab wanted to regain a portion of the land which had been taken
from them years before by the king of Syria. That land was known as
Ramoth-Giliad. He sent word to Jehoshaphat and asked him for help in
fighting the Syrians.
Instead of refusing, Jehoshaphat said, "Why not! We are all Jews,
and we must stand together against our common enemies. I'll help you,
Ahab!"
The capitol and palace of Ahab was the city called Samaria, and
when Jehoshaphat arrived there and greeted Ahab, he said, "Let's get
direction from the Lord on how we should proceed against the Syrians."
Ahab summoned four-hundred of his false prophets to appear before
him and questioned, "Shall we go and fight the Syrians in
Ramoth-Gilead or not?" They all agreed on an answer and said, "Go into
battle! The Lord will deliver your enemies into your hand!"
Jehoshaphat, knowing that the prophets were not of God's choosing,
said to Ahab, "Don't you have one of the Lord's prophets here so that
we may ask his advice?"
Reluctantly, Ahab answered, "Well, yes, there is one man, but I
hate him! He never gives me good news, but he always has a message of
doom for me from the Lord."
Jehoshaphat answered, "You shouldn't be so disrespectful of one of
the Lord's prophets!"
After that rebuke, Ahab ordered, "Bring Micaiah from the prison so
we may ask him what we should do!"
The two kings were seated on thrones, dressed in their royal robes
watching as Ahab's soldiers brought Micaiah in.
When one of the chief false prophets by the name of Zedekiah
observed what was happening, he took some iron horns which he had made
and used them to demonstrate his message and said to the king, "This
is the word of the Lord – you shall fight the Syrians until they are
destroyed!"
The other false prophets who were with him spoke as they had before
and said, "Go into battle. The Lord will deliver your enemy into your
hands!"
A soldier standing with Micaiah turned to him and said, "See how
all of these prophets are encouraging the kings. Be in agreement with
them when you speak!"
Micaiah answered, "I can only speak the words which the Lord gives
me!"However, when he stood before the thrones and heard Ahab command,
"Micaiah, shall we fight against the Syrians and reclaim Ramoth-Gilead
or not?”
Micaiah replied, "Yes. Go there, and you will be victorious over
the Syrians!"
Ahab stood up and said angrily, "How many times have I told you not
to lie to me, Micaiah?"
Micaiah then answered truthfully, "This is what the Lord has told
me regarding the matter. The army of Israel will be destroyed if they
go against Syria!"
Ahab turned from him in disgust and said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I
tell you this man would prophesy evil against me?"
Micaiah again spoke and said, "In a vision, the Lord showed me that
His armies in heaven stood around His throne, and He questioned them
saying, 'Who will go and convince Ahab that he should go against Syria
and be defeated in war and die on the battlefield?'
One of God's fighting angels replied, 'I will go and put a lying
spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets.' God has done so today!"
Ahab pointed to Micaiah and shouted, "Take this fellow back to
prison and feed him moldy bread and stale water until I return
victorious!"
As he was being dragged away, Micaiah turned and said to the king,
"If you return from the battle, the Lord has not spoken by me!"
Ahab took a deep breath and sat down once more and spoke to
Jehoshaphat. "Let's have a little fun today! Let's deceive the Syrian
army by disguising ourselves! You put my robes on, and I'll wear
yours. Then they won't know who to pursue on the battlefield!"
Jehoshaphat foolishly agreed to that scheme.
When they were on the field of battle, the Syrian soldiers said,
"There's the king of Israel, Let's capture him!"
When they surrounded Jehoshaphat, he cried out to the Lord for
help, and the Syrians spared his life.
Meanwhile, one of the Syrian soldiers took a chance and aimed an
arrow at one of Israel's men, not knowing it was Ahab who was the
target. Ahab was badly wounded, but he asked his men to prop him up in
his chariot so as not to embarrass himself. He stayed there the rest
of the day, and they took him back to camp where he died.
Jehoshaphat returned, unharmed, to his home in Jerusalem, and the
Lord sent a prophet to him with a stern message saying, "Should you
help the ungodly, and love those who hate the Lord? The Lord is angry
with you because of your actions, Jehoshaphat!"
After that, Jehoshaphat encouraged the people to be obedient to the
Word of God, and he himself was humbled for a long while. However, he
again did evil by making friends with the king who ruled after Ahab,
and they made ships to gather merchandise from a far land together.
The Lord destroyed their building efforts, and Jehoshaphat died, and
his son, Jehoram ruled in his place.
Jehoram was not a good king, and only reigned for eight years
before his death. As a result of his father's friendship with Ahab,
Jehoram had met and married the beautiful daughter of Jezebel and
Ahab, and more idolatry was brought into the land of Judah through his
queen, Athaliah.
Jehoram was the next king over Judah. He followed the idolatrous
practices of his father, and he died of an incurable disease. When his
mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she ordered the death of
all of the royal sons of Jehoram, and she herself ruled over the land
of Judah for about seven years. She did not know that one of the sons
of Jehoram escaped the slaughter authorized by her, and was hidden for
six years in the home of Jehoida, the priest. The young boy's name was
Joash.
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CHAPTER 4
Certainly, a 7-year old boy cannot make adult decisions, so Jehoida,
the priest, raised him during the years when Athaliah reigned as
queen.
When Joash was seven years old, Jehoida gathered a small army of
men who were leaders in Judah, and they decided it was time to put
Joash on the throne.
He divided the men into three groups and positioned them in
strategic areas around the temple. Some were armed bodyguards and
protected Joash from any possible danger. When all the preparations
were completed, they brought Joash into the temple where they put a
crown on his head. Then all those who were present for the occasion
shouted, "God save the king!!"
Athaliah heard the noise, so she hurried into the House of the Lord
to investigate what was causing the big commotion. When she saw the
young king in the temple, she shouted, "TREASON! – TREASON!”
Jehoida gave the order, "Take that woman outside, away from the
temple area, and execute her!"
Athaliah's death was just the beginning of the removal of idolatry
from the land. The people went into the house of Baal, broke down the
altars and the images and slew the priest who ministered there. After
that, Jehoida made a covenant with the king and all of the people in
the land that they would serve the Lord God only, and once again there
was peace in Judah.
Things went well while Jehoida, the priest, was alive, but when he
died, Joash took advice from the younger men who served him, and they
went back into idolatry again.
In grace, the Lord sent prophets to warn them of discipline if they
did not obey His Word, but they refused to listen! The Lord sent a
small group of Syrians into the land, and many Jews were killed in the
battle. Joash survived the Syrian attack, but he was left with a
terrible disease. Then some of his own men killed him as he lay in his
sickbed.
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CHAPTER 5
Several more kings sat on the throne in Jerusalem after Joash died,
and a man by the name of Hezekiah appeared on the scene as king in
Judah. Hezekiah is a valuable illustration to us of how a man can be
great for many years and then fail miserably because of pride and
human viewpoint rather than Divine Viewpoint.
Hezekiah was a good ruler, and he set a wonderful example for his
people regarding their trust in the Lord. He was their king for
twenty-nine years.
In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, a very evil and
powerful man became ruler over Assyria. His name was Sennacherib. For
several years he had been forcefully acquiring some of the nations
around him, and he decided to attack Judah. He took all of the fenced
cities in the land of Judah and was attempting to capture Lachish,
which was one of Judah's main fortresses situated about thirty miles
from Jerusalem.
Hezekiah became frightened and sent a message to Sennacherib asking
him what they could give him so he wouldn't attack Jerusalem.
Sennacherib demanded much gold and silver, so Hezekiah gave him all of
the treasure that was in the temple and his own silver and gold as
well.
Instead of pacifying Sennacherib with silver and gold, he was still
bound to attack Jerusalem, and he sent three of his best men from the
battlefield in Lachish for the purpose of frightening the people so
they would surrender.
The main spokesman of the three sent by Sennacherib was a man by
the name of Rabshakeh, and when he saw the people on the wall which
surrounded Jerusalem, he shouted to them in their own language. He
called for Hezekiah to come out, but Hezekiah sent three of his best
men to hear what the enemy had to say and report back to him.
Rabshakeh said, "Go to Hezekiah and ask him in whom he is trusting.
If he says he is relying on his God to deliver the city, ask him why
he destroyed the altars! The Lord told us to destroy your land!"
Hezekiah's men answered, "Please don't speak to the people in the
Jew's language. Speak to them in the Assyrian language which only we
can understand!"
Rabshakeh ignored their request and shouted even louder to the
people saying, "Don't let Hezekiah deceive you when he tells you that
the Lord will deliver you! Instead, make friends with us, and we will
take you away to a beautiful land which is like your own country. Then
you may live and not die! None of the gods of the nations around you
have delivered them from the hand of our great king, Sennachareb."
The people didn't say a word, because the king had commanded them
to be silent.
Hezekiah's men reported the words spoken by Rabshakeh, and when
Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his robe and went into the House of
the Lord. Then he sent the men to Isaiah, the prophet, for a word from
God about their plight.
When they told Isaiah about the Assyrian army's threats, he said,
“Go and tell Hezekiah 'Thus saith the Lord: Be not afraid of the words
spoken by the men of Assyria. Sennacherib will hear a rumor which will
make him return to his own land, and there he shall fall by the
sword!'”
While fighting at Lachish, Sennacherib heard news which made him
leave his troops, and he took a few of his men with him back to
Nineveh. While he was worshipping in the house of his god, two of
Sennacherib's sons killed him with a sword, and then they fled to the
land of Armenia.
Also, the night Sennacherib left for Ninevah, the Lord struck the
Assyrian troops, and when the Jews arose to fight the next morning,
they saw 185,000 Assyrians lying dead on the battlefield! The Lord had
given them a great victory over their enemies!
Then Hezekiah became very ill and was dying. He turned his face to
the wall and asked the Lord to heal him. He wept bitterly and said,
"Lord, all my life I have walked before you, and I have done many good
things in your sight. Please let me live!"
The Lord sent a message to the king by way of Isaiah, saying, "Tell
Hezekiah I will heal him, and in three days he will be well enough to
go into the temple again. Also, I will add fifteen years to his life."
During that fifteen year period, Hezekiah accumulated an abundance
of riches and honor, and the Lord prospered him in all that he did.
News of Hezekiah's illness spread throughout the known world, and
people sent many precious gifts of silver and gold to him. The king of
Babylon wrote letters to Hezekiah and sent him a gift.
Hezekiah was so pleased and grateful that he invited the king of
Babylon to Jerusalem and showed him all of the riches he had
accumulated.
Immediately after the Babylonian king's visit, Isaiah came to
Hezekiah and asked him, "Who were those men who came to see you, and
why did they come here?"
Hezekiah answered happily, "0, those men came from Babylon, a far
away country. They came to see me, and I have shown them all of the
treasures in my house!"
Then Isaiah rebuked him and said, "You have acted foolishly! The
day will come when all these things shall be carried away into
Babylon. Furthermore, your sons will be taken there in chains and will
serve the king of Babylon!"
Proudly, Hezekiah replied, "The Word from God is good in my ears.
At least there will be peace and truth during my lifetime!"
Then Hezekiah became very proud and boasted about his riches and
his victories.
The Lord was very angry with him because of his pride.
When Hezekiah realized that he had displeased the Lord, he
confessed his sin of pride, and things went well with him and with the
people in the land of Judah.
The Lord extended the life of Hezekiah in order that he might
understand his sinful nature.
(II Chronicles 32:31b)
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CHAPTER 6
Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, was born during the fifteen extended
years that the Lord granted to Hezekiah. Because of Hezekiah's
wrong-thinking and pride, perhaps he didn't give his son the proper
training and discipline, because when the young man came to the throne
at the age of twelve, he did much evil in the sight of the Lord. He
set up the heathen altars which his father had torn down, and he
placed an idol in the House of God. He also practiced witchcraft, and
caused the people in Judah to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord
had cast out before the Children of Israel.
The Lord sent prophets to speak to Manasseh and to his people, but
they refused to listen! Therefore, the Lord sent the captain of the
armies of Assyria to bind Manasseh with chains, and they took him to
Babylon. Finally, when he was in great affliction, Manasseh prayed to
the Lord his God and humbled himself before Him.
The Lord answered Manasseh's prayer for deliverance and returned
him to Jerusalem and restored his kingdom to him.
After that, Manasseh knew that the Lord God was the only true God,
and he took away the idols from the land of Judah, and things went
well for him and the people as well. He reigned in Jerusalem for
fifty-five years and then he died.
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CHAPTER 7
Manasseh's grandson, Josiah, became king when he was eight years
old, and he ruled for thirty one years over the nation of Judah. He
pleased the Lord and walked in the ways of David and Solomon all of
his life. When he reached the age of twenty-four, Josiah ordered the
removal of all of the altars and images of idols in the land and
ground them to powder. He personally went throughout the land and
observed that destruction.
Do you remember in our study of Jeroboam how God sent a prophet
from Judah to Bethel where Jeroboam was offering a sacrifice to his
god? The prophet disobeyed the Lord, and a lion killed him. Then an
old prophet who lived in Samaria buried the man's body in his own tomb
and asked his sons to bury him beside the disobedient prophet. Well,
it is interesting to take note that when Jeroboam's altar in Bethel
was found and destroyed, they also saw a tomb nearby with an engraving
on it. Josiah asked whose bones were in the tomb. The men of the city
told him the story of the two prophets, and Josiah did not burn their
bones like he had done with all the others.
After cleansing the land of idols, Josiah decided to repair the
temple, because it had been neglected for many years. He called a
scribe, a recorder and the governor of the city and asked them to find
some skilled workmen to do the repairs.
The three men went to Hilkiah, the priest, who ministered in the
House of God. They asked him to use any money he could find in the
temple which had been given by the people, and use it to pay for the
repairs.
When Hilkiah looked for the money, he also found a copy of a book
of the law and gave it to Shaphan, the scribe, who was able to read
it. (a "book of the law" would be one of the first five books of the
Bible ... possibly it was the book of Deuteronomy because of what was
said in the book as it was read to the king)
When the king heard the words which the scribe read, he tore his
robe and said, "Great is the wrath of the Lord that is going to be
poured out upon us because our fathers have not kept the Word of the
Lord to do all that is written in this book!"
Then the king asked a prophet to ask the Lord what He intended to
do with the nation.
The Lord replied that He would bring all the curses listed in the
book upon the people of Judah, but He would not do it until the next
generation, because Josiah had been faithful in obeying Him.
After Josiah died, the kings and the people went back into idolatry
again.
The Lord had compassion upon them for awhile, and He sent prophets
to them.
They laughed at the messengers of God and they despised the words
they spoke to them until there was no longer any remedy for God's
wrath.
The Lord delivered the people into the hands of the Babylonians,
and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem, burned the palaces there,
and killed many people. Those who escaped the sword were carried away
to Babylon where they served King Nebuchadnezzar and his sons for
seventy years.
What happened to the Jews after that seventy-year captivity? Well,
that's another interesting adventure which introduces us to great men
like Daniel. We'll learn about him in another episode of BIBLE
ADVENTURES.
The End of Kings of Israel & Judah
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DANIEL and King
Nebuchadnezzar
CHAPTER 1
Imagine that you are a teenage prince suddenly finding yourself
forcefully taken from your home and placed in the distant palace of a
powerful king who wanted to prepare you to serve him.
All your life you had been well-trained in the Word of God by your
parents and others with whom you grew up, and you were confident that
God had a purpose for your life. With all your heart you believed the
promises of God and trusted Him as King David did when he said, "It is
better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."
The prophet Daniel found himself in that kind of situation, and
because of his faith in the Lord God, he lived a long, happy life.
After many testings, Daniel was placed in positions of high authority
by several great kings whom he served, beginning with King
Nebuchadnezzar.
When Nebuchadnezzar took his armies and attacked Jerusalem, he took
the king of Judah and thousands of people to Babylon. Also, he removed
all of the silver and gold from Jerusalem and placed it in the house
of his own god in Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar knew that some of the prisoners were of royal blood,
so he ordered one of his high officials to select some of the princes
and prepare them to serve in the palace. They were to be isolated from
their own people and taught the language and the ways of the Chaldeans.
(by doing that, Nebuchadnezzar would isolate them from the Word of God
and from other Jewish believers) The young men who were selected were
given a special diet of the same food that the king ate and the wine
which he drank, and that was to be done for three years. After that,
they were to be presented to the king.
Daniel and three of his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
were among those chosen for that special privilege, and they were
given into the custody of Melzar, who was the prince of the eunuchs in
the king's personal service. Their names were changed to Chaldean
names such as, Daniel was changed to Belteshazzar; Hananiah was called
Shadrack; and Azariah's name became Abednego.
God brought Daniel into special favor with Melzar, and when Daniel
asked that he and his three friends be given a diet of cereal and
water rather than the food and wine specified by the king.
Melzar listened to his request and then said, "I'm afraid to
disobey the king's order! If he sees the four of you looking worse
than the other young men, I'll be in danger of losing my head!"
To that, Daniel replied, "Please let us try it for ten days, and
then compare our appearance with those who have eaten the king's
food."
Melzar agreed, and at the end of ten days he observed that Daniel
and his friends looked so much better than the others did, he allowed
them to continue their diet of cereal and water for the remainder of
the three-year period.
Nebuchadnezzar called for all the young men who had been in the
training period with Melzar, and as he spoke with Daniel and his three
companions, he found that they pleased him more than all of the
others. In fact, in matters that called for wisdom and understanding,
the king found them to be ten times superior to all of the wise men in
his realm, so they were chosen to serve him.
CHAPTER 2
In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's rule, he had dreams which
troubled him greatly, and he commanded all the wise men, the magicians
and the sorcerers to be brought before him. He made a decree and said,
"I insist that you give me the interpretation of my dream!
Furthermore, I have sent for you to tell me what I dreamed as well as
the meaning of it!"
The men looked at each other in amazement and answered, "0 King,
live forever! Please tell us your dream and we will give you the
interpretation of it!"
Impatiently, the king spoke again, "If you don't tell me what the
dream is and what it means, you will be cut in pieces and everything
you own will be destroyed! On the other hand, if your answer pleases
me, you will be rewarded handsomely! That is my decree!"
Then they said again, "How can we tell you what your dream is?
The king replied, "I know you are just stalling for time! You are
preparing lies and corrupt words to speak before me until the decree
will no longer be in effect!"
The Chaldeans tried to reason with the king by saying, "There isn't
a man on this earth who can answer you. Only the gods can do that,
your majesty!"
Then Nebuchadnezzar became furious, and when he commanded that all
of the wise men in Babylon were to be slain, a search was made for
Daniel and his three friends.
CHAPTER 3
When Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, came to take him,
Daniel asked, "Why is the king's order so urgent that you have come to
arrest me?"
After Arioch explained what had taken place regarding the king's
dream, Daniel requested that he be allowed to consider the situation
so he would have an answer for the king.
Arioch agreed not to arrest Daniel until the next morning.
Immediately after that, Daniel searched for his three friends, and
they earnestly prayed that the Lord would reveal the king's dream to
them and also give them the interpretation of it.
The Lord answered their prayers, and in a night vision the answer
was revealed to Daniel, and he praised the Lord saying, "Blessed be
the name of God forever and ever! Wisdom and strength are His! He
alone changes the times and the seasons! He sets up and removes kings!
He gives wisdom to the wise and adds knowledge to those who have
understanding! He reveals the deep and secret things! I thank thee, 0
God of my fathers, for giving me wisdom and strength and for revealing
the matter of the king's dream to us."
The next morning when Arioch came to Daniel, Daniel said, "Do not
destroy the wise men of Babylon, Arioch, because I have the answer for
the king."
Arioch took Daniel into the king's presence and said, "Your
majesty, I have brought one of the Jewish captives to you, and he will
interpret your dream!"
Nebuchadnezzar looked directly at Daniel and questioned, “Can you
truly tell me what my dream was and interpret it as well?"
Daniel replied, "Your majesty, it is not because your wise men or I
have any unusual wisdom, but there is a God in heaven who is able to
reveal all hidden things, and He has done this so that you may know
what future events are going to occur during your lifetime and
beyond."
By this time, the king and those who stood near him were absolutely
speechless, and they were listening intently to Daniel's words as he
continued, "0 king, in your dream you saw a gigantic and brilliant
statue which greatly frightened you. The head of the statue was pure
gold, and the breast and arms were silver. The thighs and belly were
brass, and the legs were iron. The feet and toes were a mixture of
iron and clay."
Then Daniel continued and said, "As you observed this image, a
large stone suddenly appeared and rolled against the feet of the
image, breaking it into so many pieces that it became powder which the
wind blew away. After that, the stone which destroyed the image became
a great mountain which filled the whole earth!"
Nebuchadnessar was listening intently as he waited for the
interpretation of the dream.
Daniel said, "Here's the interpretation of your dream, your
majesty. You are the head of gold. The God of heaven has given you a
magnificent kingdom along with power and strength and glory. You rule
over many nations, but after you will come another kingdom which will
not be as glorious as yours. That is represented by the silver section
of the image. Then, the iron legs of the image show the strength of
the fourth kingdom. It will be powerful and cruel to those whom it
controls. The two legs and feet tell us that this fourth empire will
be divided. The ten toes represent ten nations which will be a part of
that empire. Those ten nations will not always be in total agreement
with each other, and they will be easily destroyed when the God of
heaven replaces all the kingdoms of men and sets up His own kingdom
over which He will personally reign.
Nebuchadnezzar interrupted and said, "Why would the Most High God
tell us these things?"
Daniel replied, "God has made these events known to you,
Nebuchadnezzar, so that you may know His plans which will surely come
to pass!"
Daniel's answers so pleased the king that he gave him many gifts.
He promoted Daniel to be ruler over the entire province of Babylon and
made him chief of the governors in charge of all of the wise men in
Babylon.
Daniel accepted the honors bestowed upon him by the king, and asked
that favor also be shown to his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednigo.
Nebuchadnezzar set each of those three men over the internal
affairs of the province.
CHAPTER 4
Nebuchadnezzar began thinking about the image and his kingdom being
the head of gold, and he became very proud.
He ordered the construction of a solid gold image which was to be
ninety feet high and nine feet wide. It was built in the plain of Dura
where it could be seen for miles in all directions.
When the image was completed, Nebuchadnezzar sent for all of the
rulers in the provinces to come to the dedication of his idol. He also
ordered musicians to bring as many musical instruments as could be
found.
Hundreds of people arrived for the ceremony, and at the proper
time, a herald shouted loudly, "To you it is commanded, 0 people of
all nations and languages assembled here, that you are to fall down
and worship the idol when you hear the sound of the music. If you
refuse to do so, you will be cast into a fiery furnace where
lawbreakers are executed!"
When the music was played, everyone present fell on their knees to
worship the image as ordered except three officials: Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednigo.
Certain Chaldeans who were jealous of those three because they had
been promoted above them, went to report their act of disobedience to
the king.
They went into the king's presence and bowed before him and said,
"Your majesty, there are certain Jews whom you have placed over the
affairs of the province of Babylon who have refused to worship the
golden idol which you have set up"
Nebuchadnezzar became very angry when he heard that, and he sent
for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo to question them.
The king said, "Is it true that you are refusing to bow down and
worship the golden image which I have set up?"
Then without waiting for their answer, he continued, "I'll give you
another chance! When you hear the sound of the music, you will fall
down and worship the idol! If you refuse to do so, you shall surely be
cast into the middle of the burning, fiery furnace! There is no god
who can deliver you out of my hands!"
The three were not afraid, and they replied, "0, king, our God whom
we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace if He chooses to
do so. But, even if He does not protect us, we will not serve your
gods nor will we worship the idol you have set up!"
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious, and his attitude was changed
toward them. He commanded that his servants should heat the furnace
seven times more hot than usual. He called for the strongest men in
his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo and had them cast the
three prisoners into the fire.
The furnace was enormous, and it had an opening at the top where
certain prisoners were taken and then dropped into the fire below.
There was a stairway leading up to the opening, and there was a window
at the bottom of the furnace where observation could be made.
Then, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace was
extremely hot, the flames killed the soldiers as they deposited the
three men into the opening.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo fell down bound into the middle of
the fire.
Nebechadnezzar was observing all of this activity very carefully
and then said to his counsellors, "Didn't we cast three men who were
securely bound into the fire?"
They answered, "That's true, your majesty!"
The king said, "If that's true, why is it that I see four men who
are not tied walking in the middle of the fire? The fourth one must be
an angel sent by their God!"
After saying that, Nebuchadnezzar walked near the mouth of the
furnace and spoke to those inside saying, "Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednigo, you servants of the most high God, come out here at once!"
The three men came out of the furnace, and all the king's officials
standing by saw with their own eyes that the fire had not even singed
one hair on their head! Their clothing was not damaged in any way. and
not even the smell of fire could be detected on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke to all those who were assembled and said,
"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, who has
protected them because they trusted in Him. He also has changed the
king's word! These men offered their bodies to be burned rather than
to worship any other god than their own God!"
After that exclamation by the king, he made a decree which stated
that all of the people of the nations in his kingdom who would speak
against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo should be cut into
pieces and their property would be made a garbage dump.
Then the king promoted the three men to higher positions than they
had held before.
CHAPTER 5
Some time passed, and Nebuchadnezzar had another dream which
troubled him. Again, he sent for all his wise men of Babylon and asked
them to interpret his dream. After he described the dream, his men
were not able to tell him what it meant.
Finally, Daniel was sent for and brought before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar said, "0, Daniel, I know there is no secret hidden from
you, so here is my dream: I beheld a gigantic tree in the midst of the
earth. As I looked at it, the tree grew so tall that it reached up
into heaven! The leaves were healthy, and the branches were so broad
that all of the birds and beasts of the earth found shelter in and
under its branches. The fruit which the tree bore was so plentiful
that the whole earth was fed from its production!"
Nebuchadnezzar watched Daniel's expression for a moment and then
continued, "Suddenly, an angel came down from heaven and shouted
loudly for all to hear, 'Cut the tree down and destroy the branches
and the fruit, but leave the stump with its roots in the earth! Let
the stump be wet with the dew from heaven, and let him live as an
animal and eat the grass of the earth. Then let him think as a beast
does for seven years! This is the decree of God! His purpose is to
show all mankind that He alone rules in the kingdoms of men, and He
gives ruling power to whomever He wishes. Also, let it be known that
He chooses the basest of men to rule on the earth!'"
After that, the king said to Daniel, "The wise men of my kingdom
were not able to interpret this dream, but I know you are able to do
it, Daniel, because your God has given you the ability to do it."
Daniel was so upset by Nebuchadnezzar's dream that he didn't speak
to anyone for an hour!
Nebuchadnezzar tried to comfort him and said, "Daniel, don't let
the dream or the interpretation of it upset you so!"
Daniel replied sadly, "My lord, let the dream be for those who hate
you and the interpretation of it be for your enemies!"
Then Daniel told the king what the dream meant as he said, "The
huge tree which you saw that reached unto heaven and which protected
and fed all creatures on the earth is you, your majesty! The greatness
of your kingdom has extended throughout the earth! When you saw an
angel from heaven and heard him say, 'Cut the tree down and leave the
stump banded with iron and brass on the earth; let it be wet with the
dew from heaven; and let his portion be with the beasts of the field
for seven years', that was a decree from the Lord God of heaven."
Daniel continued, "These things will happen to you, 0 king! You
will be driven from men and live with the beasts of the field. You
will eat grass like the ox, and the dew from heaven will cover your
body. All of this will come to pass and will continue for seven years.
After that, you will know that the Lord rules over the kingdoms of men
and gives power to whomever He pleases!"
Daniel observed that Nebuchadnezzar was listening intently, so he
went on to say, "The command which was given to leave the stump and
the roots of the tree was for you to know that your kingdom will be
taken from you, but it will be returned to you after you humble
yourself before the Lord! I now implore you to accept my counsel and
change your ways, your majesty. If you show mercy to your people, the
Lord may extend the peace you now enjoy!"
CHAPTER 6
Twelve months later, Nebuchadnezzar walked through his palace and
his beautiful gardens and boasted, "Isn't this great Babylon which I
have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and
for the honor of my majesty?" (The beautiful hanging gardens outside
the palace were one of the seven wonders of the world at that time.
Nebuchadnezzar had planted them for his wife, according to historians)
While those proud words were still in his mouth, the king heard a
voice from heaven saying, "0 King Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom is taken
from you. Now you will be driven out from men and sent into the field
to live like an animal for seven years. After that time has passed,
you will know that the God of heaven rules over the kingdoms of men
and gives power to rule to whoever He pleases!"
That very hour, the king was driven from men to eat grass like an
ox. Also, his body was wet with the dew of heaven for seven years. His
hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails looked like birds'
claws.
When the seven years ended, Nebuchadnezzar's sanity returned to
him. He looked up and praised and honored the Lord, and his position
as king, along with his honor and glory, were restored to him.
Then Nebuchadnezzar wrote a declaration to all the people and
nations in his kingdom which stated: "There is one God which lives and
abides forever! His kingdom is an everlasting one which reigns from
generation to generation! No man can question His wisdom or His
purpose! His works are absolute truth, and His ways are just, and
those who walk in pride, He is able to bring low!”
CONCLUSION
Because Daniel went into captivity and was taken to Babylon in the
first deportation of the Jews in Judah in 604 BC and in the first year
of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he held important positions during the
reign of three ancient kings. Those kings were Nebuchadnezzar,
Belshazzar and Darius. Their reigns covered a period of approximately
seventy years.
In 555 BC, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson Belshazzar became ruler and
ruled for nine years. He was the last ruler over the Babylonian
Empire.
When Babylon fell in 539 BC, Darius, the Mede, was made king over
the province of Babylon by the conqueror Cyrus, the Persian.
The Medes and Persians ruled together for two-hundred years, with
Persia being the stronger of the two.
In 330 BC, Alexander the Great of Greece conquered the Persian
Empire.
The Roman Empire followed the reign of Alexander the Great, and
still controlled most of the known world at the time when Jesus Christ
came into the world.
To our readers: There are more interesting adventures involving
Daniel when Belshazzar and Darius were kings, and we will cover them
in another of our exciting BIBLE ADVENTURES.
The End of DANIEL and King Nebuchadnezzar
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DANIEL
and King Belshazzar (the hand writing on the wall and its
significance)
“DANIEL! DANIEL! HURRY! The king is calling for you and wants you
to come immediately!”
Daniel was sleeping soundly in his private quarters in the palace,
but he was jolted out of sleep by the shouting and pounding on the
door of his apartment.
He reached for his robe and sandals and opened the door. Seeing
several of the king's servants standing there, Daniel asked, "For what
purpose have you come to me in the middle of the night?”
One of the men quickly replied, "Oh Daniel, nothing like this has
ever happened before, and the king and his lords are frightened out of
their wits!"
Then Daniel said, "Come in and tell me what has happened while I
make myself presentable to report to the king."
They all began to speak at once, and Daniel interrupted saying,
"Just a moment! Let me hear one of you at a time!”
He selected the man who was the least excited and said to him, "I'd
like to hear you tell me about the events from the beginning."
The king's servant took a deep breath and then answered Daniel
saying, "Your excellency, you must surely be aware that our king,
Belshazzar, enjoys a good feast. Well, early last evening the king
held a banquet and invited a thousand of his lords to attend."
Daniel said, "I was sleeping so soundly that I heard none of the
activities that took place."
The servant continued and said, "The best wine had been brought in,
and when the king tasted it, he ordered the waiters to bring in the
golden and silver cups which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken
out of the temple in Jerusalem."
"The king, his princes, his wives and his concubines drank wine
from those gold and silver cups, and as they were doing that, they
praised their gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone."
"That very hour, the fingers of a man's hand mysteriously appeared
where all could see, and the fingers began to write words on the wall.
"The king's eyes were glued upon those fingers, and as he looked at
them, he became extremely pale! Of course, he was not able to
understand the strange phenomena, and he became so frightened that his
knees began to knock against each other."
"Belshazzar shouted loudly and called for all of his wise men to be
brought in before him. When they stood at his feet, the king said to
them, "Whoever is able to read this writing and interpret it for me
shall be clothed with scarlet and be given a chain of gold to wear
about his neck. Also, I will appoint him to be the third highest ruler
in my kingdom!"
"While the wise men discussed the writing on the wall among
themselves, the king's lords were astonished to see that the king was
so greatly troubled that his face became distorted."
"Then the king's mother, who was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar,
came to king Belshazzar and said to him, "Don't look so worried and
frightened my son! There is a man by the name of Daniel in the palace,
whom your grandfather made governor over the wise men in the empire.
Call for him, and he will interpret this writing on the wall for you!"
“After hearing his mother's words, the king sent us to you, your
excellency! Will you come with us now?"
Daniel was ready and agreed to accompany the men, and they
presented Daniel to the king.
Belshazzar said to Daniel, "Are you the very same Daniel who was
brought from Judah by my grandfather Nebuchadnezzar? I have heard
about you from people who have told me that you have understanding and
wisdom above that which my wise men and astrologers do not possess.
Now, tell me the meaning of this handwriting on the wall, and I will
give you scarlet robes, a gold chain to wear about your neck, and I
will make you the third highest ruler in my kingdom!"
To that, Daniel replied, "Keep your gifts for yourself, your
majesty, and give the rewards to another. I will read the writing and
give you the interpretation of those words."
Daniel continued, "The most high God gave your grandfather,
Nebuchadnezzar, this kingdom along with much glory and honor. He ruled
over all people, nations of every language and did according to his
own will regarding them. However, when he became proud of all this
power given to him, the most high God removed him from his throne and
he was made to live like an animal for seven years until he recognized
that God rules in the kingdoms of men, and that He sets up over them
whoever He desires!"
While the king considered Daniel's words, Daniel went on to say,
"You, Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself before God, although you
have known these things! Instead, you have set yourself up above the
Lord God of heaven! You have brought the vessels of the Lord's house
to use in your drunken banquet! You have also praised the gods of
silver, gold, brass, iron and wood which cannot see nor hear nor
reason, and you have refused to give glory to the God who has given
you your very life!"
"Because of all your disregard for the Lord, He has sent this
message in writing to you. The words which you see on the wall are
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of those
words: (1) your kingdom has come to an end! (2) your life has come to
an end! (3) you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting!
(4) your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians!"
When Belshazzar heard the interpretation of the handwriting on the
wall, he commanded his servants to clothe Daniel with scarlet and put
a gold chain about his neck. Then the king proclaimed to those who
were present that Daniel was promoted to being the third highest ruler
in the kingdom.
Belshazzar was a very proud and immoral man who apparently had not
profited from the lesson his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had learned
regarding the results of pride and how it can destroy both a man and a
nation.
That very night, Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain, and
Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom of the Chaldeans.
The End of DANIEL and King
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