Rise and fall of Jewish Nation – Old Testament history

The Old Testament chronicles the history of the Jewish people. It begins with the story of creation, the saga of Adam and Eve, the destruction of the world by a flood, and repopulation of the earth from Noah’s three sons. A direct descendant of Noah’s son, Shem, was called Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Abraham departed Mesopotamia and settled in the land of Canaan, which became the land of the Jews. Abraham begot Isaac and Ishmael (progenitor of Arab nations). In God’s preferred lineage was Isaac’s son, Jacob, who became the father of a dozen sons that became the 12 tribes of Israel.

Jacob’s youngest son, Joseph, sold into slavery by his older brothers, became second in command to the Egyptian Pharaoh. Because of famine in Canaan, Joseph requested Jacob and his family to relocate to Egypt. In response, Jacob’s family, numbering 70 people, traveled to Egypt. The Hebrews multiplied, becoming more and mightier than the Egyptians. A new pharaoh, who did not know Joseph and feared the Hebrews, put them into slavery building Egyptian cities.

Four hundred years later, God sent Moses to lead the Hebrew nation out of bondage to the land of Canaan—a land God had promised Abraham and his descendants. Joshua conquered this territory and divided it among the tribes of Israel. For governance, the Hebrews chose a series of 15 Judges to lead them until the people called for a king. After three kings (Saul: 1112-1072 B.C., David: 1072-1032 B.C., and Solomon: 1032-992 B.C.), the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom, called Israel, was ruled by 19 consecutive kings, while the southern kingdom of Judah was ruled by 20 successive kings. The northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. In 586 B.C., the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar invaded the southern kingdom, destroyed Jerusalem, razed the Temple and carried the Hebrew captives into Babylonian slavery.

The northern kingdom, comprising the 10 tribes of Israel, was deported into Assyria, but the exiles never returned to their homeland. The southern kingdom, representing the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was deported into Babylon, but 50 years later, its people were allowed to return. King Cyrus of Persia, who conquered Babylon, ended Jewish exile in 537 B.C.—allowing them to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple (completed 516 B.C.). Then, the Scripture grew silent for 400 years until Jesus was born. Had Jesus not arisen from the dead, the New Testament would never have been written.

Since becoming a nation in 1948, Israel possesses a dominant military force with nuclear weapons, never to be subjugated again. The burning question is: will our “Constitutional Republic” stand the test of time with its rioting, looting, burning and killing in the streets further compounded by a hopelessly divided Congress? Since the Scripture establishes that “God rules the affairs of men,” we must turn to God … Now!

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