Lesson 2: The Kingdom of Israel The Ancient Hebrews Lesson 2: The Kingdom of Israel

The Israelites Get a King After Exodus, Israelites settle in Canaan Enemies surround them, often attacked Lived as 12 independent tribes – each had own leader In times of war, an Israelites (called a judge) was given temporary leadership power. The Israelites Get a King

Stop and Think What usually happens when you have a group of separate leaders and groups in one area?

The Israelites Get a King Without a leader, hard to fend off attackers Decided they needed a king Asked Samuel – a tribal judge – to appoint a king Samuel told people, God was only leader Reluctantly S. chose Saul – about 1000BC The Israelites Get a King

Saul and David King Saul defeated most enemies (except Philistines) Expanded kingdom Saul died in war David (from tribe of Judah) became king David defeated Philistines and expanded kingdom from Egypt to Mesopotamia Saul and David

Saul and David David named Jerusalem capital of kingdom of Israel Jerusalem was between David’s kingdom, Judah and lands of other tribes ( did not belong to any tribe) J. became center of government and religious life in Israel David’s descendants ruled for another 400 years Saul and David

Kingdom of Solomon Solomon (David’s son) became king when D. died S. planned a temple in Jerusalem to worship God and keep Ark of Covenant (box that held stone tablets on which 10 Commandments were carved) Called “the Temple” S. had many projects, so people heavily taxed to pay for them and drafted(required) people to work on them Kingdom of Solomon

Kingdom of Solomon S. organized kingdom into 12 tax districts Each district had governor Torah law of land Good economy – trade with Phoenicia and Egypt I. traded food for wood with Phoenicia Kingdom of Solomon

Model of the Temple of Solomon

Life in Ancient Israel Kingdom of Solomon To protect trade routes, large army created and alliances (agreements to help, not harm) with neighbors Time of peace Peaceful times led to religious growth Many different jobs (farmers, metalworkers, carpenters, etc.) Women ran households or worked for others in homes Kingdom of Solomon Life in Ancient Israel

A few women had positions of power – Deborah was a judge and advisor King S. known for wisdom, so others rulers sought his advice King S. known for proverbs (short sayings that express a truth about life) King S. thought to be author of Proverbs and Song of Songs in Bible Problems arose because some were unhappy about high taxes and forced labor S. died in 928BC -kingdom falling apart Life in Ancient Israel

Big Idea For a kingdom to be successful, you need strong leaders. (Saul, David, Solomon) Often a military is needed to protect kingdom. Trade is important as well for a successful economy.