A. M. 3032. B. C. 972. Q. What was the consequence of this? Shishak,* king of Egypt, invaded Judah Jeroboam 5. with twelve hundred chariots, six thonsand horsemen, and an immense army of Lubims, Sukkiims, and Ethiopians: and, among other cities, having captured Jerusalem, he plundered the temple and palace of all the wealth left there by Solomon. Q. How was Shishak restrained from further violence? A. Rehoboam and the princes humbling themselves because of the word of the Lord by Shemaiah the prophet, the Lord restrained, the hand of Shishak. Q. What war did Rehoboam carry on? A. He and Jeroboam warred continually. Q. Of what persons was his family composed ? A. Of eighteen wives, and sixty concubines; twentyeight sons, and sixty daughters. A. M. 3045. Q. How long did he reign? B. C. 959. A. He reigned seventeen years; and Jeroboam 18. left the kingdom to Abijah his son. Q. Did Abijah serve the Lord? A. No: "he walked in all the sins of his father :and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father." Q. What war did he carry on? A. He warred against Jeroboam, whose troops he defeated with great slaughter; and captured several of his cities. Many of the learned identify this prince with Sesostris. + Probably so called from dwelling in caves. Q. Of what persons did Abijah's family consist? A. Of fourteen wives, twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters. Q. How long did he reign? A. He reigned three years; and left the kingdom to Asa his son. A. M. 3047. Q. What was the first undertaking of B. C. 957. Asa? Jeroboam 20. A. He commenced a general reformation; and during the peace he enjoyed, he fortified his kingdom. Q. By whom was this peace interrupted? A. By Zerah, the Ethiopian,* who with a million of men invaded Judah: but Asa cried unto the Lord, and he delivered them into the hands of Asa, who defeated them, and returned with immense spoil to Jerusalem. A. M. 3061. Q. What took place in the fifteenth year B. C. 943. of Asa's reign. Baasha 13. A. The Jews renewed their covenant with God; a general reformation from idolatry was effected; and Asa's mother was deposed for apostatizing from the faith. A. M. 3072. Q. What occurred in the six and twenB. C. 932. tieth year?† Baasha 24. A. Baasha invaded Judah, and began to * In the original, Zerah the Cushite. On account of their proximity to Judah, most probably the Arabian Cushites are here intended. A great portion of this army may have consisted of mercenaries. + In 2 Chron. xvi. 1. this event is placed in the thirty-sixth year of Asa, which is the tenth of Omri. Baasha's last year corresponds with the twenty-sixth of Asa.-See Chron. Tab. No. 4. build Ramah, to prevent the migration of his subjects to that kingdom. Asa, however, with the treasures of the temple hired the assistance of Benhadad the Syrian, whose troops forthwith invaded Israel and whilst Baasha was engaged in this war, Asa demolished Ramah, and with the materials, built Geba and Mizpeh. Q. What followed this? : A. The Lord sent Hanani the seer to reprove Asa, because he had sought aid of the Syrians: but Asa was wroth with the prophet, and put him in prison. And "he oppressed some of the people at the same time.” Q. What befel Asa? A. He became diseased in his feet; nevertheless "he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians :" and he died, in the forty-first year of his reign. "And they buried him in his own sepulchres,—and made a very great burning for him." A. M. 3088. Q. Who succeeded him? B. C. 916. A. His son Jehoshaphat. This prince "sought to the God of his father, and And "the fear of the Ahab 5. walked in his commandments." LORD fell upon all the kingdoms round about Judah, so that they made no war with Jehoshaphat:" and the Philistines and Arabs brought him tribute. Q. What was the amount of his army? A., One million one hundred and sixty thousand men, with which he garrisoned the castles and store cities that he built in Judah. Q. Did he attend to the religious condition of his people? A. Yes he caused the princes, the priests, and the Levites, to travel through the land, for the purpose of teaching the people from the book of the law. Q. With what family did Jehoshaphat contract an alliance? A. With the family of Ahab: Jehoram his son married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. In consequence of this alliance Jehoshaphat joined Ahab in his war with Syria; on which account the Lord rebuked him by the prophet Jehu. Q. To what did Jehoshaphat apply himself after his return from the Syrian war? A. He travelled through the land, and brought back the people from their idolatry; established judges in every city, and charged them to administer justice in the fear of God; and made his sons governors in the land. Q. Was the peace of Judah uninterrupted? : A. No the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, invaded Judah with a numerous army. Jehoshaphat therefore called a solemn assembly, and entreated the Lord, who by the mouth of Jahaziel promised them salvation from their enemies. On the morrow, therefore, the children of Judah went forth against the enemy, preceded by the Levites, who were appointed to praise the Lord before the army. And as they began to sing, their foes turned their swords upon each other; and of that great multitude none escaped. The children of Judah spent three days in collecting the spoil; and on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Berachah; and after praising the Lord for his Ahaziah 1. A. He joined Ahaziah, the idolatrous king of Israel, in building a fleet to go to Ophir; on which account the Lord was displeased with him, and frustrated his design, by the destruction of the ships at Ezion-geber. A. M. 3112. Q. How long did he reign ? B. C. 892. A. He reigned twenty-five years, and A. No: "he did evil in the sight of the Lord ;" adopted the abominable superstitions of the heathen worship; and slew all his brethren, and several of the princes of Israel, with the sword. * Q. What was the consequence of his impiety? A. The Edomites revolted from him; and the Lord' stirred up against him the Philistines, Arabians, and Ethiopians. Q. Was he warned of the displeasure of God for his sins? : A. Yes he received a letter from Elijah† the prophet, threatening him with the divine displeasure. These * 2 Chron. xxi. 11. + It is evident from 2 Kings i. 17. and 2 Chron. xxi. 12. that Elijah was living in the second year of Jehoram's reign, which, reckoned from the death of Jehoshaphat, corresponds to the fifth year from his accession. Inattention to the chronology of this period has caused many strange speculations about this letter. |