The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-06-30
SENNACHERIB'S
INVASION
Sunday School Lesson Tor July 2, 1870
Specially Prepared for This Paper


/ PLACE.-Jerusalcm Seunacherlb wa
besieging Lachlsh and Lihnah
| PERSONS -Hezeklah was king Of N
southern kingdom The northern kingdoi
had ceased TO exist. ScLuachtrlb ruled
Assyria. and Iirhakah. afterwards king q
Egypt. was probably governor 0f Lowe
Egypt. Isaiah and Micah were prophets a
this period.
Introductory.
In the study of the Old Testament
which we take up with the present le,
son, we shall In the next six month
trace the downfall OF Judah, the captiy
ity and the return, and will also revie'
the writing Of the major and mino
prophets.
The History Of Israel the norther
kingdom. we carried to a close In IN
lessons of last year Established b.
Jeroboam IN 037 h. c. (revlsed chronoi
ogy). II became extinct IN 722 b. G
after a troubled existence of a littl
more than two centuries. II saw /
kings and nine dynasties, the longest o
which, that Of Jehu. endured through
only five generations. II changed 10
capital three times-Shechem, Tirzah
Samaria Seven OF It's kings reigned hSI
two years or less. Its principal mon
archs. JerOboam, Omri. Ahab. Jehu
and Jeroboam H. had been men whom
God could not bless Ahab's marriag
to Jezebel. the unspoakable Tyrian prin
cess, brought countless evils In It's train
Periods Of outward prosperity under tn
stronger rulers were marked by deepen
! ing idolatry and closed ever In blOOdl
civil wars, devastating the land. TIT
great prophets that uttered their bOlC
warnings, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah. Amos
and Hosea were little needed Syrian
oppression was succeeded by the As
/ syrian conquest. and the sad history
ends with the fall Of Samaria. a larg'
part of the people being carried into ex
lie This story OF Israel Is one Of th'
most conspicuous examples In the
worlds annals of the folly Of turning
from Jehovah 10 other gods
The History of Judah. the southern
kingdom. through these two centuries
was in strong contrast 10 that Of Israel
There had been 10 kings. and only 8
single dynasty Moreover, the great
Kings, Asa. Jehosaphat, Joash Uzzial
and Hezekiah. under whom Judah en-
joyed much prosperity, were all good
kings and God-fsarlng men. and reigned
collectively 1877 years ldolatry -four
ished al times. especially after the fool
ish marriage Of Joram to Athaliah
daughter Of Jezebel. but a succession
OF masterful reformation kept the king.
dom measurably true TO Jehovah. There
was less need Of prophets than in Israel,
and only one Of first rank arose-Isaiah,
in the time Of Uzziah Micah prophe-
sled toward the close Of this period and
possibly Joel Early In this history the
Levltes and other plous citizens left Is
rael for Judah, and greatly strength
ened the southern kingdom. Until the
fall Of Israel that nation was buffer be-
tween Judah and Syria and Assyria
while TO the south Egypt was repulsed
and Philistia conquered or held at bay.
Contrasted. therefore. with Israel. tha
story Of Judah through its first two cen-
turtles illustrates the Psalmist's words
BLESSED is the nation whose God is the
Lord" Alas that the nature Of the his
tory was so soon 10 change
The Lesson Setting.
At the time Of our lesson Sennascher.
ib has had marvelously victorious
campaign. Sidon has surrendered, and
the allies Of Egypt have been defeated,
Forty-six OF the fortified cities Of Judah
then fell before his swift advance, and
Jerusalem Is threatened. Signs OF the
Assyrian advance were given in the sky.
and night after night the watchers on
Mount Zion. seeing the glare In the west,
must have speculated which of the cities
Of Judah was being burned.
sennacherlbs own account Of this
invasion was inscribed upon what is
known as the Taylor cylinder, now In
the British museum. After an account
Of his triumphs over Syria. Egypt and
Phillstla, sennacherib wrote: And
Hezekiah, the Judaite who had not sub
mitted 10 my yoke-46 Of his fenced cit
les, and fortresses. and small towns In
their vicinity without number
besieged and took: 200 $50 persons
small and great, male and female
horses, mules. asses camels. large cat
tie. small cattle, without number, ]
brought forth from the midst Of them,
and allotted as spoil AS for himself
like a Gagged bird In Jerusalem, his cap
ital city, I shut him up. Forts against
him constructed and any who would
90 out Of the city gate caused 70 turn
back. Fear Of the luster of my
sovereignty overwhelmed him.
Thirty talents Of gold and 500 talents OF
silver. great stores Of lapis-
lazuli couches Of ivory. &C.,. a.
immense treasure, 10 Nineveh.
my capital. made him bring;
and for the rendering OF the trib-
ute and making homage (he sent his
"-McCurdy.
Historical Illustrations.
Perhaps the only parallel OF which
details are known must be sought In the
flight Of Napoleon from Russia In 1912.
In which 1000 horses perlshed In a few
days, and only q. 900 men, without arms,
remained alive. out Of the 100000"
Geikle.
1T is not without reason. that. in the
churches Of Moscow. the exultation over
the fall Of Sennacherib is still read on
the anniversary OF the retreat Of the
French from Russia. Stanley
Judas Maccabaeus recalled the story
10 his soldiers on the eve OF his great
battle with NicanOr.