Evening star., 1922-03-18

Our lesson gives us meager story
Of the closing scenes OF Israers MIS-
tory. We are indebted to the scholars
searching among the ruins OF LIT
Sargon, near the site OF OLD NlneVeh'
for the confirmation and corrooora-
tion Of the scripturaI statements con-
cerning lsrael's last days as ma
tion. Emile Botta. che French con-
sui, uncovered with his spade num-
ber' of inscriptions that tell about
Sargon, who captured Samaria'
whose downfall is narrated In, the
opening portion of this weeks study:
Hosnea. whom the Scriptures record
as the conspirator. murderer and sue
cessor. Of: Pekah. was the last king
Of the northern kingdom. He was
placed upon the throne at SamarlA
through the influence OF Pui, or
Tiglath. Pileser, whose conauests in
ISRAEL enabled him to dictate their
ruler. for his records tell that "Pekah
their king. ! put to death. ana ! ap-
pointed Hoshea to the sovereignty
over 'them.''
The important reign of Hoshea Is
dismissed in three verses. He came
to 'fhe. throne at a period of darkness.
despair and doom. The system which
placed him in power prevented the
Complete exercise of his gifts, that
in another period might have made
him what his name significd, the
savior of his people. He was Virtu-
ally the governor OF Israel for Tiglath-
Pileser. so that he did not possess the
fun power of king. Not only was
he handicapped by the powerful in
fluence Of the great eastern monarch.
who dictated his political program
and policy. but the people. through
the chaos and changes of leaders. had
lost their national unity and faith in
Jehovah. God had warned them re-
peatedly by the prophets. whom He
haHs sent to plead with them to re-
petiY. Hezekiah summoned all Israel
to ttttend great passover and to re
tupfs;tu-,.N1he worship Of Jehovah.
/ Fe& sheeded the cali. although ap-
! paHSntlN Hosliea sympathized with
tlrn Hngssnenu. for We read that "he
| did that (which was evil in the sight
| offtbe Lord. hut not as the kings OF
ssarl that were before him
Although religiously superior to his
predecessors. II Is evident that Hoshea
lacked faith to trust Jehovah only as
| thesprotector of his people. Instead
of f.putting his confidence in God he
| Tiglath- Pieser during the latter's
| lifetime. For short period after the
death of. his friend he acknowledged
! the supremacy of Shalmaneser. rul-
| ing Israel as his viceroy and making
iIual presents as an evidence OF
| loyalty The death OF Tiglath-Piieser
started revolutions in various prov
| inces, especially in those some dis
| tance from Nineveh. The conditions
under the new ruler were not salts
| faftory to Hoshea He saw the rise
of the new political power in Egypt,
| which threatened the peace OF Israel
| Tire plain of Esdraelon had been one
of the worlds great battle fields. The
possibility of war between Egypt and
T; ASsyria appeared to be near. The
! new ruler Of Egypt. So (Shabaka).
am:Ethiopian. was filled with ambi-
III and Rameses, Hoshea believed
j that this meant war between Egypt
and Assyria- He entered into an al
| lance with. the Egyptian monarch
j andrefused to pay further tribute to
| the -Shalmaneser. This brought the
Hoshea. who was made prisoner, be-
| cause Egypt failed Israel in the hour
! of NEED. The land was devastated
and Samaria suffered the perils. pri-
vations and pestilences Of a three
! year siege.
The Isra elites put up a magnificent
. defense against the powerful Assyrian
army. But at last the city fell in the
! first year of the reign of Sargon II
who succeeded Shalmaneser during the
| period of the siege. With the capitu-
! lation Of Samaria came the downfall
| gon did his work with the usual bru-
! tall thoroughness Of an oriental con-
: queror He describes his victory
/ thus: ."Samaria, I besieged. captured;
| 2T.2sE >her Inhabitants I carried
i away: fifty .charfots ! collected from
over. them and imposed the tribute
of the former king upon them" The
! tribes were scattered and their iden-
tity completely lost, because they re-
! fused to. heed the prophets call to
| repentance. "Ie that being often re-
proved hardeneth his neck shall sud
denly be destroyed. and that without
: REMEDY" Sargon was used of God to
destroy the nation that would not
j obey his law.
Most of our lesson deals with what
we wobtd call today the philosophy
Of history: The political and dip1o-
matte: blunders' that brought on Is
| raeis.downfali were the fruits Of the
moral degeneration of the people
Their failure started in their efforts
! to do:"secretly, those things that were
i not; rfkfft: The root Of their down
| fall!was due to their shining secretly
They.t evidently. believed that they
ceuid,,do in the darkness what they
| pleased, so: they started by secretly
| departing from God. They forgot
| His love Tor Inenl, HIS ldoor on lueLi
! behalf and the liberty wherewith He
had freed them from the bondage OF
Egypt.--They selected heather mod.
| els for their guidance in place OF
! Gods will. They lived a double life
! pretending to worship Jehovah while
! secretly they bowed before pagan
| deities. Israers checkered history
was due to their being an idolatrous
nation.
prophets when God sent them to ap.
peal to them to repent. The center
Of worship of Jehovah was In Judah
Israel yielded to surrounding inf1u.
ences, although the, most aggressive
religious movements of the prophets
| of Jeaaavah tried In vain to turn the
peop3e of the northern kingdom away
| from3alt forms, of heather and idola.
troux, worship. The people resisted
their petitions. refused to heed theil
predictions OF warning, yet, Israel's
immortality. is due to the n1essages
of tho prophets who sought to save
| the ration. Their words Of con-
demrtAtscns fspBoved Israel. yet the
people refused to listen to Gods oneI
Of pardon. peace and power. ,,1.h,s Thes
| N( antaRO.