Old Testament History

GOLDEN TEXT: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”—Psalm 33:12

THAT portion of Old Testament history assigned for consideration in this lesson pertains to the reign of King Solomon over the nation of Israel. The sentiments of our Golden Text were wonderfully true of Israel during the early part of Solomon’s reign. Jehovah was the God of Israel, and they were his people—his chosen people, selected by him through father Abraham, to be a holy nation and a channel of blessing to other nations. But the ratification of this choice awaited proof by the people that they were determined to obey God’s laws and keep his statutes; and that proof was never satisfactorily given.

No other nation on earth, either then or since, has had Jehovah as God, although many have so claimed, especially during this Gospel age, when many nations were considered to be parts of the Lord’s kingdom, calling themselves “Christendom.” Jesus identified the real ruler of the nations when he referred to Satan as the “prince of this world.”—John 12:31

The national arrangement of Israel was the first and the last with which Jehovah has claimed association. He did consider himself the ruler of that nation, and the various kings of Israel as merely his representatives. But this arrangement came to an end in 606 B.C., when through the Prophet Ezekiel the Lord said, “It shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”—Ezek. 21:27

Jesus is the foretold One whose “right it is” to rule for God. One of the titles given to him in the prophecies is that of Michael, meaning “who as God,” and the prophet declares that when he stands up to reign the first result will be a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.”—Dan: 12:1

This is prerequisite to the establishment of peace on earth, for it is essential that the warlike nations of earth be destroyed in order that the Prince of Peace may reign supreme. The “nation” through which he will rule and bless the world is that “holy nation” and “royal priesthood” mentioned by the Apostle Peter. (I Pet. 2:9) It is spiritual Israel of this age, the Gospel church.

I KINGS 4:21-29—This passage is a colorful record of the flourishings of Solomon’s kingdom. During that time God’s blessing was richly upon him and upon Israel. Jehovah was truly the God of Israel during this period. The Lord blessed both the king and his subjects. Unlike the reign of David, which was plagued by war a great deal of the time, Solomon’s reign was one of peace.

Because Solomon’s reign, under the direction of the Lord, was one of peace there was no necessity for diverting the natural resources of the earth into the sinews of war, hence the nation enjoyed prosperity. On a small scale they beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; and because this could be done, “Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree.”

In many respects the reign of King Solomon was typical of the reign of Christ, although the glory of Solomon will be as nothing in comparison with the glory of Christ’s reign. Through Christ’s reign, the Scriptures assure us, the knowledge of God’s glory will be caused to fill the whole earth as the waters cover the sea.

I KINGS 11:6, 9-11—One of the things which gives us confidence in the Bible is the candid manner in which it relates the sins of its heroes as well as their virtues. A historian interested merely in glorifying Solomon would have been glad to omit the facts concerning the closing years of his reign because they are far from complimentary. They reveal him, in fact, as an idolater and one who permitted his heathen wives to turn his heart away from worshiping the true God.

God warned Solomon concerning the danger of permitting his wives to lead him astray, but he failed to heed the warning. His heart did not prove true to the Lord as did David’s, his father. Under the social arrangements of that time, apparently the Lord did not condemn Solomon as much for acquiring so many wives as he did for the fact that he permitted them to lead him into idolatry.

God had forbidden the Israelites to intermarry with the heathen. “Ye shall not go in to them,” the Lord said. “neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” (I Kings 11:2) It worked out exactly this way with Solomon, and his disobedience cost him dearly. The glory of his kingdom faded, and following his death it was rent in twain.

But for David’s sake, who was greatly beloved by God, Solomon was spared the blow of seeing the Israelitish kingdom disintegrate. But when his son began to reign there was a rebellion of ten of the tribes, and a gradual decline of the glory of the other two until finally the nation lost its independence altogether, being made captives in Babylon.

QUESTIONS:

How many nations of earth have been able rightfully to claim that Jehovah has been their God?

Of what was the reign of Solomon a type?

What is one of the reasons we can depend upon the historical records of the Bible?

Why did God spare Solomon from suffering the full punishment for his sin of idolatry?

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