1. David, Solomon & Rehoboam The United and Divided Kingdoms

2. Are we reading about David, Solomon and Rehoboam because this is a Christian college?

3. 3 Streams of Western Civ Hebrew Greek Roman

4. Why those three? Why not Egypt, or Babylon, or.... ● Reason works

5. Nation of Israel Father Abraham From Ur to Egypt Genesis 11-50 Moses From Egypt to Canaan Exodus - Deut

6. Conquest and Time of Judges ● Joshua, Judges, Ruth ● Why Jericho? Why not the Pentapolis ● Gaza Strip ● Philistines or Canaanites?

7. Who were the Philistines? ● Sea Peoples ● Experienced Warriors ● About 2000 Aegean Islands ● Didn't write ● Cultural copycats ● Example: Egyptian hieroglyphs

8. Hebrew Jihad? From Bauer, page 316: “The Hebrews poured over the ruined walls [of Jericho] and destroyed every living thing; men and women and children, cows and sheep and donkeys.” Is this any different than the terrorism of Al- Queda?

9. Time of the Judges ● Don't romanticize this time period just because of Samuel's explanation of why they did not need a king. ● Everyone did what was right in their own eyes ● Fought with other tribes as much as with the Philistines and Canaanites ● Philistines seemed to have the upper hand – Judges 15:11 – Didn't allow Blacksmiths

10. Samuel: A Reagan Republican ● 1 Samuel 8: 11-18 ● Government is not the answer, it is the problem

11. Saul & David ● Goliath – Battle by Champion ● Alienation / Rejection ● David's Posse ● David among the Philistines ● The wisdom of Jerusalem as capital – Jebusite stronghold

12. Psalm 78 ● United people – Recognized God's work – Trusted God – Obedient...and led the people to do likewise.

13. Watch History of Empires video

14. Solomon ● Intriguing transition from David to Solomon ● Solomon rules as a tax and spend liberal – Worked half the year to meet obligations to the king and half the year to support self ● Difference in leadership style between Solomon and David ● Wisest man in the world, until...

15. Woe Man ● Marriage alliances – 700 wives and 300 concubines – 1 Kings 11:1-7 – Egyptian, Moabite, Ammonite, Sidonian, Edomite, Hittite.... ● "You must not go in among them, and they themselves should not come in among you; truly they will incline your heart to follow their gods."

16. Solomon's Slide ● Tolerated worship of foreign gods ● Supported financially the worship of foreign gods ● Participated in the worship of foreign gods And, that was the smartest man who ever lived – GUARD YOURSELF.

17. Rehoboam & Jeroboam ● Who were they? ● The confrontation ● One-liner wins over wisdom ● The splitting of the kingdom – Jeroboam cant have people returning to Jerusalem for religious purposes – Creates a perverted worship of Yahweh

18. Idolatry Rab Judah said: “It is written (1 Kings 12:28): ‘Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold.’ What did Jeroboam do? He placed a righteous man beside a wicked one, and said: ‘Will you be loyal and obedient subjects to me?’ Both replied in the affirmative. ‘Even if I ask you to worship idols?’ ‘Of course not,’ answered the good man.’ When the king departed, …

19. (cont.) …the wicked man said: ‘Do you really expect that such a great sage seriously contemplates adopting idolatry? It is only a test. Let us both promise to obey him in all things.’ The righteous man would be persuaded and sign a pledge. Thus Jeroboam introduced idolatry, and protests were unavailing, since everyone had promised submission to his will. Even the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, was misled into signing.” (from the Talmud, Sanhedrin, 101)