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AN INTRODUCTION to the OLD TESTAMENT Part 2

ABRAHAM TO THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

Booklet 19

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Introduction Booklet 3 –Part 1

The readers have already been introduced to some famous Old Testament characters from Abraham to Daniel. This book tells the history of the Hebrew people from their first beginnings, struggles and sufferings up to their realization of nationhood and the reigns of the great Kings David and Solomon.

Only the outlines of the events/stories are given. Further reading is recommended.

The Old Testament has three main uses:

1) It contains some wonderful religious and moral teaching good for its own sake

2) It shows the way in which God revealed himself progressively

to his chosen people, culminating Jesus.

3) It was the Bible of Jesus and the early Church, and so we must

know it to understand what they said.

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1. ABRAHAM LEARNS ABOUT GOD

ABRAHAM was born in the city of Ur, about 2000 years before the birth of Jesus. The city stood on a fertile plain between two great rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris. In those days, to avoid the desert land, people travelled northwards between the two rivers and then through Palestine into Egypt. Here were the main trade routes between Africa and Asia and this area is OFTEN called ‘The Fertile Crescent’.

Ur was a fine city of houses and shops and Abraham would have learned to read and write. The writing was wedge-shaped (cuneiform); each mark being made in soft clay with the end of a stick. The clay was then hardened into bricks and kept on shelves like books in a library.

The people of Ur worshipped the sun god and moon god in huge temples called ‘ziggurats’. Terah, the father of Abraham, wanted to worship in his own way and moved his family to Haran on the Plain of Aram.

Here Terah died and it was then that Abraham heard the call of

the one true God.

‘Leave your own country, your kinsmen, and your father’s house; and go to a country that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation’.

So Abraham set out as God had told him to and with his family and servants, camels, flocks and herds he turned southwards to begin his great journey.

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2. THE CHOSEN RACE AND A PROMISED LAND

From Haran, the great caravan of Abraham turned southwards towards the land of Canaan. Following the Euphrates they crossed the desert, stopping to water their flocks at a great oasis. Moving further southwards, they came to the city of Damascus where Abraham met Eliezer, who was to become his faithful friend. Abraham’s caravan was now very large. With his wife Sarah, and many servants, was Lot the nephew of Abraham with his own house- hold. Together they would number many hundreds. Abraham would have worn a long white robe tied at the waist with a sash and over this a cloak of goat or camel hair. A headcloth, bound with cord, shaded the head from the blazing sun. Southwards the caravan travelled down the narrow coastal plain to pitch their black goat hair tents at Shechem, under the oaks of Moreh. Here, God renewed His promise and Abraham built an altar to His Name. Further south they stopped at the walled city of Bethel but, as there was a famine in the land, Abraham went on into Egypt which is watered by the river Nile. On their return, with the flocks and herds even greater in size, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot quarrelled over the water in the wells. Abraham knew they must part and generously gave Lot the first choice of pasture. Surveying the land from some high hills, Lot chose the rich country of the lower Jordan and he and Abraham went their separate ways. After some years great trouble came to Lot, and Abraham had to rescue him from an invading army. He not only rescued Lot but made his own position secure in that country. And God spoke again to Abraham repeating His promise that Abraham would be the father of a great nation.

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3. ISAAC – THE SON OF ABRAHAM

As time went by, a son was born to Abraham and Sarah and they named him Isaac. Living in a land where children were offered as sacrifice, Abraham thought that God would want him to sacrifice his dearest possession—his only son, Isaac.

With a heavy heart, Abraham set out for the mountains. Isaac was carrying the wood and his father had the fire and the knife for the sacrifice. As they travelled Isaac said, ‘Father, I see the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for the offering?’

‘My son,’ said Abraham, ‘God will provide that’.

When they came to the place, Abraham built an altar and took the knife to sacrifice Isaac. But, suddenly, the voice of God stopped him and, looking round, he saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. And Abraham took the ram and offered it up as a sacrifice instead of his son.

When Isaac grew up, Abraham sent Eliezer his trusted servant back to his own people at Haran to find a wife for Isaac. Laden with gifts Eliezer set out on his long journey to the north and, when he arrived at Haran, the women were drawing water from the wells as it was in the evening.

Eliezer prayed for guidance. As he prayed, a girl came out of the city gate and, when he asked, gave him water to drink and filled the troughs for his camels. Her name was Rebekah and she was the daughter of Bethuel, a nephew of Abraham.

Eliezer gave her gifts of a golden ring and a pair of heavy golden bracelets and asked for lodging at her father’s house. There it was agreed that Rebekah should marry Isaac and Abraham’s servant brought out many precious gifts for them all. And Rebekah took leave of her family and returned with Eliezer to marry Isaac.

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4. THE TWIN BROTHERS

ISAAC and Rebekah lived in the Promised Land spending most of” their time at the place of the seven wells called Beersheba. Twin sons were born to them named Esau and Jacob and, although they were twins, they were not alike. Esau, the firstborn, was a daring hunter, strong and fearless, loving the open country. Jacob was smaller with a smooth skin; he liked to live among the tents and he was his mother’s favourite.

One day, Esau returned from hunting tired and faint with hunger. Jacob was busy by the fire making a delicious stew of red lentils, and Esau said, 'I am exhausted; let me swallow some of that red broth.’

Jacob saw his chance and replied quickly, ‘Not till you sell me your rights as the first-born.’ As Esau was so hungry, he agreed to give over his birthright and Jacob gave him food in return.

The years passed and their father grew old and blind. One day he called Esau, his first born, and told him to go and hunt for venison, which is the savoury meat of the deer, and afterwards he would give Esau the birthright.

Rebekah overheard this and, when Esau had left, she planned that Jacob should deceive his father and obtain the birthright himself. First she prepared a delicious meal of venison. Then, dressing Jacob in Esau’s clothes, she covered his hands in kidskins, for Esau was a hairy man.

Going into Isaac’s tent, Jacob whispered, ‘Father.’ ‘Yes, my

son ; who are you ?’ asked the old blind man. Lying, Jacob

replied, ‘I am Esau, your elder son.’

Stretching out his hands, Isaac felt the hairy hands and clothes of Esau and gave Jacob the blessing and the birthright.

When Esau returned he was very angry at being robbed of his birth- right and Jacob had to flee for his life. Rebekah sent him north to Haran, to her brother Laban, and it was many years before Jacob could return.

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5. JACOB WINS THE NAME OF ISRAEL

So Jacob left his father’s camp hurrying for fear that Esau, the swift hunter, would track him down. His way lay through a stony valley and, as it was night, he lay down to sleep on the stones. As he slept he had a wonderful dream. He dreamed that he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven with angels of God ascending and descending. And Jacob heard the voice of God renewing the promise that He had made to Abraham.

When Jacob awoke he took the stone he had used for a pillow and set it up as an altar. And he named the place Bethel, which means ‘The House of God’.

At long last, Jacob came to the well outside Haran and many shepherds were gathered there. They told him that they knew his uncle Laban, ‘And’, they went on, ‘Here is his daughter Rachel coming with the flock.’ At once, Jacob rolled away the heavy stone that covered the well and helped Rachel to water the sheep. Then he told her who he was.

Jacob was made very welcome in Laban’s home and he offered to work for seven years as a shepherd for the hand of Rachel in marriage. This was agreed but, at the end of seven long years, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah, his elder daughter, because the bride was veiled as is the custom in the East.

Jacob had to work for another seven years for the hand of Rachel and, because of his skill as a shepherd, he became rich with many flocks and herds.

But Jacob longed for his homeland in Canaan and, one day, set off southwards along the eastern edge of the Jordan. By the brook of Jabbok, God gave him the name of Israel, which means ‘striver with God’ or ‘soldier of God’, and Jacob went bravely on to meet Esau to become friends once more.

Jacob, or Israel, is the ancestor of the Israelites and his children were the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

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6. JOSEPH THE FAVOURITE

JOSEPH was the favourite son of Jacob and when he was seventeen his father gave him a beautiful long-sleeved coat. This meant that he was not expected to do manual work. When his brothers saw how their father favoured Joseph they hated their young brother, especially when he told them of his dreams. Once, he dreamed that he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the corn-field. His sheaf stood upright while the sheaves of his brothers bowed down to it. Joseph also dreamed that the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him and his brothers hated him still more for his dream of ruling over them.

One day, when the brothers were away feeding the flocks, Jacob sent Joseph to see how they were. Joseph hurried north to Shechem and not finding them there went on another twenty miles to Dothan. The brothers saw him coming from afar.

‘Here comes that dreamer,’ they sneered. ‘Let us kill him, throw him into one of these pits and say that a wild beast has devoured him.’

‘Let us have no bloodshed, said Reuben the eldest. ‘Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do him no bodily harm.’ In this way, Reuben hoped to rescue Joseph later.

When Joseph reached them the brothers fell upon him, stripped him of his fine coat and threw him into a dry well. Then they sat down to eat. By chance, as they were eating, a caravan of merchants passed by on their way to Egypt.

Judah had an idea. ‘What shall we gain by killing our brother and concealing his death?’ he said. ‘Why not sell him to the merchants?’

Quickly, Joseph was hauled from the pit and sold to the merchants for twenty pieces of silver and they took him away. When Reuben returned he was very upset, but the brothers dipped Joseph’s coat into the blood of a goat to make their father believe that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.

Far away in Egypt, Joseph was sold as a slave to Potiphar who was captain of the guard to Pharaoh, as the king of Egypt was called.

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7. JOSEPH IN EGYPT

IN Egypt, life was very different for Joseph. Potiphar was a high official of the royal court and, instead of living in a tent, Joseph lived in a fine house with beautiful furniture. He saw the gaily painted boats on the river Nile and the water-birds; the tall reeds or papyrus from which the Egyptians made paper. There were the pyramids and buildings and, sometimes, Joseph would see the Pharaoh, or king, riding by in his chariot. Potiphar was a good master and Joseph became the chief servant of the household. But then Potiphar’s wife made trouble for Joseph and he was thrown into prison.

Now it happened that the chief butler and the chief baker of the Pharaoh were also put into prison, and one night they each had a strange dream. Joseph told them the true meaning of their dreams and, as Joseph had foretold, the butler was set free and once again served in the palace of the Pharaoh.

Two years later Pharaoh, himself, had two strange dreams. In the first he dreamed that he saw seven lean cows eat up seven fat cows by the riverside. In the second, seven good ears of corn were eaten by seven poor ears of corn. No one in Egypt could tell Pharaoh what these dreams meant, until the butler remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream in prison.

At once, Joseph was sent for. ‘The two dreams are one,’ he said. ‘They mean that Egypt will have seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine’, and then Joseph suggested that a great store of corn should be made in the years of plenty for the time to come.

Pharaoh was well pleased with this answer. He made Joseph ruler over the land of Egypt and in the seven years of plenty Joseph had the corn stored in huge granaries. Then began the seven years of famine.

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8. CORN IN EGYPT

DURING the seven years of famine, other countries suffered as well, and all came to Joseph because there was corn in Egypt. In the land of Canaan the famine was very bad and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, the youngest, did not go with them. ‘For’, said Jacob, ‘harm might come to him.’

When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them but they did not know him. He decided to test them. ‘You are spies!’ he shouted.

‘We are twelve brothers from Canaan,’ they protested. ‘The youngest is still with our father, and one has disappeared.’

‘You shall not go out of here’, said Joseph, ‘unless your youngest brother comes to this place.’ Keeping Simeon as hostage, he ordered that each man’s sack be filled with grain and he sent the brothers back to Canaan to fetch Benjamin as proof of their honesty.

Back in Canaan, Jacob refused to let Benjamin go but, as the famine grew worse, he agreed that his sons should return to Egypt taking Benjamin with them. Once more they stood before Joseph who pre- pared a feast for them and filled their sacks with corn. But, secretly, he ordered that his own silver cup was to be put into Benjamin’s sack.

The brothers were not far outside the city gates when Joseph’s soldiers overtook them and accused them of stealing the cup. When they searched, of course, it was found in the sack of Benjamin. Terrified, the brothers returned to Joseph and Judah offered to stay as a slave in place of Benjamin saying, ‘If we return without the lad, our father will die’.

No longer could Joseph keep silent. ‘I am your brother Joseph’, he said, ‘whom you sold into Egypt’, and he embraced them and they were amazed and delighted. Joseph forgave his brothers and he told them to bring Jacob, their father, and all their families to Egypt. So Jacob (or Israel) and his sons came to Egypt with their families and they settled in the green fields of Goshen to the east of the Nile delta.

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9. ISRAEL IN EGYPT: MOSES

FOR about 200 years the Israelites or Hebrews lived happily in the land of Goshen, but then a new Pharaoh came to the throne. This ‘Pharaoh knew not Joseph’ and he was afraid. That the increased number of Israelites might be a danger to Egypt, so he tried to crush them by making them slaves. The Israelites had to work for Pharaoh by making bricks, drawing water and digging canals ; and they were treated with great cruelty. In spite of this, their numbers increased, so Pharaoh ordered that every Hebrew baby boy was to be drowned in the river Nile.

Now there was one Hebrew mother who had a baby son. When she could no longer hide him she made for him a basket of reeds and covered it with clay and tar to keep out the water. Placing the baby in the basket, she floated it among the reeds of the river and told her daughter Miriam to watch from a distance.

Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river and, seeing the basket, sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it the baby began to cry and Miriam came quickly to ask if she should go and fetch a nurse.

‘Go,’ said Pharaoh’s daughter, who had pity for the baby. Miriam wisely fetched her mother who gladly cared for him and, when the child was bigger, she gave him to Pharaoh’s daughter as her own son. The princess named Moses from a Hebrew word meaning ‘drawn out’ because she said, ‘I drew him out of the water’.

Moses was brought up as an Egyptian boy in the palace of Pharaoh and he was taught to read and write and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. But he knew he was Hebrew and he could see the suffering of his own people. One day, he killed an Egyptian who was cruelly beating a Hebrew slave. Knowing that his life was in danger, Moses fled to the wilderness of Sinai and into the land of Midian.

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10. THE CALL OF MOSES

FLEEING for his life through the land of Midian. Moses sat down to rest by a well. As he was resting, some girls came up to draw water and to fill the troughs for their father’s flock,but the other shepherds drove the girls away. At once Moses stood up and took their part and watered the animals for them.

When the girls got home Jethro, their father, said, ‘How is it that you are back so quickly today ?’

‘An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds, they replied, ‘and watered the sheep for us.’

‘Where is he then ?’ said Jethro. ‘Why did you leave him behind ?’ Go and invite him to eat with his.’ So Moses stayed with Jethro and, among the descendants of Abraham, lived the life of a shepherd.

While Moses was in Midian the king of Egypt who had tried to kill him died, but the Hebrews were still suffering and cried to God for help.

One day, as Moses was leading his sheep in the wilderness near Mount Sinai, he saw a strange sight. Before him was a thorn bush which was on fire and yet was not burning. As he came nearer a Voice spoke to him and said, ‘Take off your sandals for where you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of Abraham and I am send ing you to Pharaoh so that you will lead my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt’.

Moses was afraid and began to make excuses. ‘But who am I,’ he said, ’that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’

Then came the great promise. ‘I am with you.’

So Moses, with his brother Aaron as spokesman, returned to Egypt. Gathering the Hebrew leaders together, he told them of God’s promise. They believed and worshipped the God of their fathers.

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11. THE FIRST PASSOVER

WITH great courage, Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and demanded the release of the Israelites in the name of God.

‘Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go ?’ asked Pharaoh. ‘I care nothing for the Lord; and I tell you I will not let Israel go.’ And he ordered that the Hebrews should work harder than ever. In their distress, the Israelites blamed Moses who turned to God for help.

Then terrible plagues began to overtake the Egyptians. The river Nile, swollen with flood-water, became undrinkable from the red mud which swept down the river and all the fish died. This caused a plague of frogs. Then mosquitoes, flies, and maggots swarmed in the stagnant pools bringing disease to men and cattle, which was followed by a hailstorm destroying the crops of flax and barley. Soon there came great storms of thunder and lightning followed by a plague of locusts which ate up all the remaining wheat and rye. But Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go.

Then came the last night of slavery for the Israelites in Egypt. Directed by God, Moses told them that each man was to sacrifice a lamb and to sprinkle the blood upon the doorposts and lintel of every house. Then they must eat, standing up with staff in hand, ready for their journey. This meal they called The Passover for, on that night, death came to the eldest son of every Egyptian but passed over the houses of the Israelites marked with the blood of a lamb.

When midnight came there was great sorrow in the land of Egypt for not a house was without its dead. At once Pharaoh sent for Moses and said, ‘Up with you! Be off, and leave my people, you and your Israelites’.

And the Israelites gathered up everything upon their shoulders and set out on their journey and they have kept the Feast of the Passover ever since that night.

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12. INTO THE WILDERNESS

NOW began the great ‘Exodus’ of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. The shortest route was along the coast, but this was too dangerous, so they headed south-east towards Succoth and into the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds. Pharaoh, recovering from his fear, realized that he had lost his valuable slaves and taking an army of chariots he set off in pursuit. Hearing the thunder of wheels, the Israelites were terrified. ‘See what you have done to us!’ they shouted at their leader. ‘Have no fear,’ answered Moses, ‘The Lord will fight for you,’ and as he stretched out his hand the waters parted and the Israelites crossed the Sea of Reeds in safety. But, as Pharaoh’s army followed, the waves rolled back again and not one Egyptian was left alive. Free at last, the Israelites set out on their long march across the wilderness guided by pillars of cloud and fire. After three days with- out finding water they came to the oasis of Marah, but here the water was bitter. Guided by God, Moses threw a log into the water and at once it became drinkable. He then led them on to Elim with its springs of good water and many palm trees and here they camped. From Elim they journeyed on to Mount Sinai, but the Israelites began to grumble about the lack of food. So God sent them honey- sweet manna from the trees and flocks of birds called quails and they ate their fill. At Sinai Moses went up into the mountain where he received the Ten Commandments from God and wrote them on tablets of stone. The Ten Commandments were placed in a chest called the Ark of the Covenant and kept in a special tent called theTabernacle. After staying at Sinai, the Israelites moved northwards to an oasis forty miles south of the Promised Land and for many years they stayed there. Then Moses led them through Moab, east of the Dead Sea, to the borders of Canaan and from here the Israelites could see the fertile valley of the Jordan and the Promised Land. It was at Mount Nebo that Moses died and Joshua was left to lead the Israelites into Canaan.

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13. ISRAEL ENTERS THE PROMISED LAND

AFTER forty years in the wilderness, Israel had a new generation and a new leader, Joshua. Before them were two obstacles barring the way into the Promised Land—the river Jordan and, on the other side, the fortress of Jericho.

So Joshua sent two men into the fortress of Jericho to spy out the Land. By night, the two men crept into the city and lodged with a woman named Rahab, whose house was on the city wall. But the king of Jericho heard that there were spies about and soldiers came to the house saying, ‘Bring out the men’. Rahab, who had hidden the men in stalks of flax on the roof, told the soldiers that they had left by the city gate and they hurried off in pursuit. Then Rahab helped the spies to escape by a scarlet cord let down from the window and, for that, they promised to spare her life when the city was taken. The two spies reported that Jericho could be captured and Joshua led the Israelites down to the river Jordan with the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant before them. As they set foot in the Jordan, the river dried up at that point and they all crossed over on dry ground. Joshua then caused twelve stones, one for each tribe, to be taken from the middle of the Jordan and set up as a memorial to the Lord at this place of the crossing.

Now began the siege of Jericho. From their camp at Gilgal, the army of 40,000 set out for the walls of the city which were bolted and barred against them. Joshua then commanded his people to march round the city once every day for the next six days. Ahead of them, and in front of the Ark of the Covenant, went seven priests carrying trumpets made of rams’ horns. On the seventh day they marched seven times round the city, the trumpets were blown and the whole army raised a mighty shout. At this, the double walls of Jericho collapsed and the city was captured and destroyed. The gateway into the Promised Land was now open.

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14. CONQUEST OF CANAAN

AFTER Jericho was destroyed, Joshua sent a small army to attack the fortress of Ai but his men were defeated. For this misfortune they blamed an Israelite named Achan because he had disobeyed God’s law and hidden, in his tent, gold and silver taken from Jericho.

Joshua then captured Ai by a clever trick. By night he sent half of his men to hide in a valley behind the city and in the morning, with the rest of his warriors, he approached the city openly. When the army of Ai came out to meet them their fortress was left undefended and those waiting in the valley moved in and destroyed the city.

Seeing the victories of Joshua, the people of Gibeon made an offer of peace. They knew that the Israelites were forbidden to make peace with the Canaanites so they pretended to come from a far-off country by dressing in rags and worn-out sandals.

‘We have come from a distant country to ask you now to grant us a treaty,’ they said. ‘Look at our clothes and sandals worn out by the long journey.’

Joshua was completely deceived and promised to spare their city. When it was discovered that Gibeon was only three days journey, Joshua was very angry. He kept his promise but he made them slaves to chop wood and draw water.

Moving southwest, Joshua took the cities of Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir and then turned northwards to meet the combined armies of the northern princes. By the waters of Merom the Canaanite armies were defeated and their capital city, Hazor, was destroyed.

The Israelites now began to settle down in Canaan and the land was divided between the tribes. Before his death, Joshua commanded the Israelites to serve the Lord faithfully and he caused a great stone to be set up under a tree at Shechem to remind them always of their promise to God.

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15. THE JUDGES LEAD THE ISRAELITES

AFTER the death of Joshua, the Israelites served God faith-fully for many years. They no longer lived in tents but began to build houses and live in towns. During this time they were led by ‘Judges’ or local leaders. As the years went by, the Israelites began to forget God and His Commandments and they began to copy the Canaanites in their worship of idols.

Then began a time of trouble. The Canaanites, led by their captain Sisera, attacked with archers and chariots of iron. A warrior woman named Deborah persuaded Barak to lead an Israelite army against them and, as they marched into battle, a violent thunderstorm flooded the valley of Kishon. The enemy’s archers were blinded with rain and their iron chariots stuck in the mud at the foot of Mount Tabor and, once again, the Israelites were victorious.

Then came attacks from desert tribes called Midianites. Mounted on swift camels they raided the villages, destroyed the crops and laid waste the land of Israel. One day, as he was threshing wheat secretly, a man named Gideon heard the call of God to save the Israelites.

First, Gideon destroyed the wooden idol of Baal that his people had been worshipping and called upon them to worship the one true God. Gathering a great army, Gideon chose 10,000 of the bravest and then selected 300 of the most alert by watching how they drank at a stream ; he chose those who kept watch for the enemy as they were drinking. He divided the 300 into three companies and gave every man a flaming torch hidden in a jar‘.

That night the Israelites crept near to the Midianite camp and, at a signal from Gideon, they blew their trumpets and smashed their jars. Waving the flaming torches they shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon’.

The Midianites thought that a great army had come upon them and they fled in terror, fighting each other in their panic.

After this victory, the Israelites wanted Gideon to be king and to rule over them but he refused, saying, ‘The Lord will rule over you’.

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16. THE CHALLENGE OF THE PHILISTINES

THE desert tribes that attacked the Israelites were as nothing compared with a new enemy called the Philistines. "The Philistines were known as the ‘Sea Peoples’ because they came from the island of Crete in the Mediterranean and from them the land of Palestine got its name.

They were stronger than the Israelites because they knew the use of iron and could make better weapons ; and they settled on the coast of Canaan in the five cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and Gath. Their warriors wore head-dresses of feathers and were armed with swords and round shields of iron and, about 1100 B.C., they began to push inland and threaten the Israelites in the hill country.

Samson was a young Israelite who came from a village near Ekron. Although he was called a Judge, he never led the Israelites into battle but was famous for his deeds of strength as he fought single-handed against the Philistines.

Many stories are told of his great strength. He killed a lion with his bare hands and slew many Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. When they tried to imprison him in Gath he tore down the huge city gates and carried them away on his back.

In the end he was betrayed by his wife Delilah, who was herself a Philistine. She persuaded Samson to tell her the secret of his great strength. It was that, at his birth, his mother devoted him to God as a Nazirite, which meant that his hair had never been cut. So while he slept, Delilah cut his hair and then called the Philistine soldiers and they seized him and put out his eyes. He was then made to grind corn as a punishment.

The Philistines held a feast in the temple of their god, Dagon, and brought out Samson to mock him. He asked to be placed between the two central pillars which supported the roof and, praying to God for strength, he moved them so that the roof collapsed and Samson died with many Philistines in the temple ruins.

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17. THE CALL OF SAMUEL

DURING the years that followed (1050-1029 B.C) there was constant fighting between the Israelites and the Philistines. There was no peace in Israel. But, growing up in Shiloh, there was a boy named Samuel who was to hear the call of God and to save the Israelites from their enemy. As a boy Samuel served in the Temple, trimming the lamps, guarding the Ark and helping the old priest Eli. One night, as he lay down to sleep, Samuel heard a voice calling to him. Thinking that it was Eli, he ran to him saying, ‘You called me’.

‘No, I did not call you,’ said Eli, ‘lie down again.’

So Samuel went and lay down, but again the voice called and he ran to Eli. Once more, the priest told him to lie down but when it happened the third time Eli knew that God Himself was calling the boy and he told Samuel how to answer. It was then that Eli knew that Samuel was to be the prophet and leader of the Israelites.

Later, during a battle with the Philistines, the Israelites foolishly brought the Ark of God into their camp hoping that it would save them from the enemy, but they were heavily defeated. Thirty thousand of them were killed and the Ark of God was captured.

But then plagues came to the Philistines and they blamed the Ark of the God of Israel for their troubles. Seven months later they sent the Ark back to the Israelites in a wagon drawn by unguided oxen.

Many years later, Samuel rallied the people of Israel and they defeated the Philistines and drove them out of the hill country. Samuel set up a stone calling it the Stone of Help, ‘For’, he said, ‘to this point the Lord has helped us’.

When Samuel became old, the Israelites pleaded with him to form them into a kingdom and to give them a king. At first Samuel refused, but then he met Saul at the gates of Ramah and he anointed him with oil as king of Israel and made a written record on a scroll. About a month later Saul defeated the Ammonites and, at Gilgal, he was proclaimed ruler of the kingdom—the first king of Israel.

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18. SAUL — FIRST KING OF ISRAEL

SAUL the new king tried, at first, to drive the Philistines from the central mountain range and his son, Jonathan, struck the first blow at Gibeah. The Philistines then attacked in force and marched on Michmash, close to Gibeah, where Saul was encamped. The Israelites fled, some to the Jordan valley, hiding among the rocks in holes and caves.

Saul, with only 600 warriors, hesitated at Gibeah. Only he and Jonathan had weapons for there was no blacksmith in the whole of Israel to make swords and spears.

Jonathan looked across the valley to the Philistines’ camp and said to his armour-bearer, ‘Come, let us go over. The Lord can bring us safe through whether we are few or many’. So they showed themselves to the Philistine guards and challenged them.

‘Come up to us !’ shouted the guards. ‘We have something to show you!’ Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet and threw down guard after guard and his armour-bearer slew them behind him. Terror spread through the army ; a sudden earthquake added to their panic and they began to fight among themselves. Then Saul gathered the Israelites together out of their hiding-places and pursued the Philistines as far as Aijalon. There was that day a great victory.

Some years later, Saul defeated the Amalekites (a desert tribe to the south) but, by this time, Saul had become proud and disobeyed God’s command. Samuel looked for another king. Guided to the town of Bethlehem, Samuel saw the seven sons of a man called Jesse. ‘Are these all?’ he asked.

‘There is still the youngest, but he is looking after the sheep,’ Jesse replied.

‘Send and fetch him,’ said Samuel. So David, the youngest, was brought and Samuel anointed him as the new king of Israel, for the Lord had said, ‘This is he’. David first became the armour-bearer to Saul and soothed him by playing the harp for, by this time, Saul was in despair and suffered from fits of madness.

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19. THE YOUNG DAVID NOW the Philistines gathered for battle and their army was lined up on a hill facing the Israelites on another hill across the valley. The champion of the Philistines was a giant named Goliath, who was nine feet tall, and he roared out a challenge to Saul and his army. ‘Give me a man and we will fight it out!’

While visiting his brothers one day at the camp of Saul, David heard the boastful challenge of Goliath and offered to fight him. At first he was laughed at but then Saul agreed and David went forth to fight armed only with his shepherd’s sling and five stones from a brook. With one stone he stunned Goliath with his first shot and, running forward, slew him with the giant’s own sword and the Philistines fled in terror.

Now David was famous and Jonathan became his great friend. The women from the cities of Israel met him singing, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands’.

This made Saul very jealous and while David was playing the harp he hurled his spear at him, but David swerved aside. Later, David won the hand of Michal, Saul’s daughter, by killing 200 Philistines, but Saul still sought to kill him.

‘Be on your guard,’ warned Jonathan, and that night Sau1 sent soldiers to surround David’s house intending to kill him in the morning. Helped by Michal, David escaped by a rope let down from a window and he went to Samuel at Ramah.

After some time, David met Jonathan secretly to find out if it was safe to come back. Jonathan agreed to send him a message by shooting arrows into a field towards a mound where David was hiding. Saul, however, was still mad with anger and Jonathan’s arrows warned David to escape.

David fled for his life. He became an outlaw with a band of about 400 men and set up his headquarters in the cave of Adullam in the hilly country of Judah.

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20. DAVID BECOMES KING

While David was hiding in the wilderness, Saul searched for him day by day. Once, Saul went to sleep in the very cave where David and his men were hiding and, although his men urged him to kill Saul, David spared his life. Quietly he cut off a piece of the King’s robe and showed it to Saul as he left the cave and Saul said, “I know now for certain that you will become king”. On another occasion, David took the King’s spear and water jar from his side but never harmed him. However, David knew that Saul would kill him if he could so for a while he joined forces with the Philistines. Samuel had died and Saul, fearing the Philistines, went to a witch at Endor. She recognized Saul and prophesized that he would die and his Kingdom pass to David. Meanwhile the Philistine princes mistrusted David, for they feared he would turn them against them for Saul’s sake, and the King had to send David away. While David was attacking the desert tribes, the Philistines marched against Saul and his army and defeated them at Mount Gilboa. Jonathon was killed and Saul died by his own hand. With the death of Saul, David became the kind of Judah (about 1000BC) and later the Northern tribes of Israel joined him at Hebron. Now David ruled over a united people. Jerusalem, a stronghold of the Jebusites, lay midway between the north and the south of the kingdom and David determined to make it his capital. It was a fortress on a hill and very strong but David knew of a water tunnel that led right up into the city. Jerusalem was taken and ever since it has been called the City of David. The Philistines became alarmed at David’s great power and they attacked in force. They were defeated and David took the city of Gath. David conquered Syria and Moab, Amon and Edon and built up a great Kingdom. As king, David completed the conquest of Caanan begun by Joshua two centuries before and, when he was old David chose his son Solomon to be King after him.

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21. THE KINGDOM IS DIVIDED

When Solomon became king (about 970 B.C) the country was united and at peace. Because of his youth, Solomon prayed for wisdom and God answered his prayer. Once, two women came before him with a baby, each claiming it as her own and asking him to decide whose baby it was. The wise king said, ‘Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other’. Immediately, the real mother, not wishing to see her baby harmed, offered the child to the other woman. At once Solomon knew whose baby it really was and restored the child to its true mother. By marrying an Egyptian princess, Solomon strengthened his hold on the trade routes and he made many treaties with nations around him. With the help of the seafaring Phoenicians he built his own merchant fleet and his ships traded with many countries. Caravans and camels brought copper from his mines and Solomon built great stables at Megiddo for his thousands of chariots and horses. At Jerusalem, Solomon built a magnificent temple to God. The King of Tyre agreed to send fine timber from the forests of Lebanon and Solomon paid for this with wheat and oil. Great stones were cut from the quarries and precious metals came from distant lands. The Temple had three main parts – the Entrance Porch, the Holy Place And the Holy of Holies where the Ark was placed. The walls were lined with cedar wood and covered with gold and the temple took seven years to build. All this magnificence meant heavy taxes and towards the end of Solomons reign, there was a revolt against him led by Jeroboam. Solomon sought to kill him and Jeroboam had to flee to Egypt. The kingdoms of Syria and Edom also rebelled. When Solomon died in 930 BC his son Rehoboam became king, but Jeroboam returned to Egypt to lead revolt against him. Jeroboam was crowned king over the ten tribes of Israel in the north while, in the south, Rehoboam ruled over Judah. The whole nation was divided in two, never to be united again.