Abraham, Hyksos, Moses, Judges, David, Solomon, Rehoboam

Egypt vs. Sumer Sumer (Mesopotamia) – cradle of western civilization

Egypt – first empire

Watch History of Empires Video

First Monotheist? Abraham – Akhen-aten (Ahmenhotep IV)

History of Religions approach

Polytheism, Henotheism, Monotheism

Genesis 14:17ff

Remember what Chesterton said about the “Missing Link”?

Is Frank Turk a John Piper sycophant and therefore a heretic?

Egyptian History• Manetho (3rd century BC)• Aegyptiaca - history of Egypt

– Predynastic Period (Prior to 3100 BC)– Protodynastic Period (Approximately 3100 - 3000 BC)– Early Dynastic Period (1st–2nd Dynasties)– Old Kingdom (3rd–6th Dynasties)– First Intermediate Period (7th–11th Dynasties)– Middle Kingdom (12th–13th Dynasties)– Second Intermediate Period (14th–17th Dynasties)– New Kingdom (18th–20th Dynasties)– Third Intermediate Period (21st–25th Dynasties) (also known as the Libyan Period)– Late Period (26th–31st Dynasties)

Problems with dynasties Page 234 of Bauer

Look at … Page 233 – Moses and Sargon

Page 236 – No mention of the Hebrews? Date for the Exodus?

The Exodus? Exodus Options

No Exodus (where are the records? Exodus 12:12)

Series (commerce and migration)

Event

When? Exodus 1:8

Option 1 The Hebrews were the Hyksos? (1570-1546)

Option 2• Approximately 1300 B.C.• Supporting Evidence

– Exodus 1:11– There were a people known as the Apiru laboring under Ramses– Exodus 12:40 (about the amount of time between the founding of Raamses and founding

of city in 1720 BC)– Numbers 13:22 Zoan =Avaris-Tanis – Numbers 20-21 Archaelological evidence indicates few people until the later date.– Some Archaeologists believe Jericho didn’t fall until about 1250 BC

Option #3 1445,1446, 1441 BC –

Amenhotep II, son of Thutmose III

Difficulty in outlining reigns of Thutmose II, Thutmose III, and Hatshepsut

Thutmose III destroy all references to Hatshepsut

Supporting 1 Kings 6:1

A major fall of Jericho about 1400 BC

Judges 11:26 (Jepthah dates to about 1100 BC)

Art from time of Thutmose III with slaves building bricks from mud and straw

Amarna tablets the governor of Jerusalem requests help from Egpyt because of the invading Habiru (c. 1400-1360)

Which is the right one? You are going to have to work through this in order to put it into your

timeline project.

Watch student video

Conquest and Time of Judges

● Joshua, Judges, Ruth● Why Jericho? Why not the Pentapolis

● Gaza Strip● Philistines or Canaanites?

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

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?

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

Samuel: A Reagan Republican

● 1 Samuel 8: 11-18● Government is not the answer, it is the

problem

Saul & David

● Goliath – Battle by Champion● Alienation / Rejection● David's Posse● David among the Philistines● The wisdom of Jerusalem as capital

– Jebusite stronghold

Psalm 78

● United people– Recognized God's work– Trusted God– Obedient

...and led the people to do likewise.

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 . . .

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."

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.

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

IdolatryRab 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, …

(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)

Babylonians, Medes, and Persians

History of Empires in Mesopotamia

●Sumerians●Akkadians●Old Assyrian Empire●Old Babylonian Empire●Assyrian●Babylonian●Medes and Persians

Today's Reading

●New Assyrian Empire has taken control of all of Mesopotamia

●Under Sargon II Conquer and deport the northern 10 tribes in 721 BC (or 722)

●Sennacherib brings his armies down and destroys Babylon

●In a strange twist of events, his son rebuilds Babylon

●Eventually, a Chaldean Nabopollasar is sent down to be Viceroy – he rebels declaring himself king and eventually conquers the Assyrian Empire

What do you think . . .

… Hezekiah's unilateral disarmament (when chastised by Isaiah for showing the Chaldean embassadors his strength he responded “Oh well, we will have peace in my lifetime.”)

… about Bauer's description of Sennacherib's besieging of Jerusalem (page 386)

Ninevah

●After reading this material, do you better understand Jonah's reluctance to go to Ninevah?

Assyria's Demise

●Ninevah falls in 612 BC●At the Battle of Charchemish the Babylonians defeat the Egyptians and the Assyrians

And now for Judah

●Disorder everywhere – Elamites, Scythians, Judeans, Egypt.... when●Nebuchadnezzar comes to the throne in Babylon●Conquests begin in Western Semitic lands surrounding Judea●Jeremiah warns that Nebuchadnezzar's takeover is inevitable and divinely ordained.●“My servant Nebuchadnezzar...”

Why Nebuchadnezzar?

The Talmud gives the following account;

“When Beladon, king of Babylon, heard that King Hezekiah of Judaea had recovered his health after being near death, he commanded his secretary to write an epistle of congratulation to Hezekiah. He wrote: ‘Peace unto King Hezekiah; greetings unto the city of Jerusalem, and respect unto the great God that dwelleth therein…’

(cont.)

“When Nebuchadnezzer, Beladon’s grand-vizier, heard of this, he said: ‘You called him the great God, yet you mention him last.’

“The king gave him permission to intercept the message, and another epistle was written mentioning God first, then Jerusalem, then Hezekiah. When Judaeans sinned, it was decided in Heaven to designate Nebuchadnezzar, who had shown respect unto God, to punish those who had shown disrespect unto Him.” (Sanhedrin, 96)

Pretty Smooth Takeover

● Jehoiachin turns it over to the Babylonians (597)

● Judah makes the mistake of allying with Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar takes out his wrath on Judah (586)

● Resettlement of the people into Babylon

Daniel

A History of EmpireThrough The Eyes of a Prophet

Daniel

Prophecy is history Written in advance.

“IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM, KING OF JUDAH, CAME NEBUCHADNEZZAR KING OF BABYLON UNTO JERUSALEM AND BESEIGED IT.

Daniel 1:1

How did we get to daniel 1:1

Genesis 10:10 -- Nimrod builds city of Babel on the Plain of Shinar

Old Babylonian Empire includes many great and famous kings including the Amorite lawgiver, Hammurabi

After Hammurabi, the city and nation not so impressive and Assyrians rule Mesopotamia Valley from Nineveh

A thousand years later the Neo-Babylonian kingdom rises to world dominion under a Semitic king, Nebuchanezzar, after his father Nabopolassar joins with Medes and Scythians against Assyria (the Battle of Charchemish).

Battle of carchemish

Pharoah-Necho of Egypt sees what Babylon is doing to Assyria and thinks “opportunity”

Necho enters Palestine, slays king Josiah at Armageddon

Marches armies North to Carchemish to join Assyrians armies and destroy Babylon – Egypt will control Western Asia …

Nabopolassar, aging and ailing, sends son Nebuchadnezzar to confront Egyptians and he crushes them.

Egypt is never a world power again.

How did we get to Daniel 1:1

ISAIAH 39:5-8 : SETTING – CHALDEAN KING MERODOCH-BALADAN REQUESTS JUDAH JOIN IN CONSPIRACY AGAINST ASSYRIA – HEZEKIAH IS FLATTERED AND SHOWS OFF THE TEMPLE TREASURES

JEREMIAH 25:9; 27:6; 43:10 – NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS GOD’S SERVANT

JEREMIAH 27:2-11 : RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

A Chronology of the Kings of the Neo-babylonian Empire

562 b.c. - Nebuchadnezzar dies after reigning 40 years

560 b.c. – Evil-Merodach (Nebucadnezzar’s son) is assassinated by his brother-in-law Neriglissar after reigning two years.

556 b.c. Neriglissar dies after reigning four years and leaves kingdom to his infant son Labashi-Marduk

556 b.c. – Labashi-Marduk deposed after nine months by a priestly revolution. Nabonidus made king.

(Cont.)

539 b.c. – Nabonidus, the last Babylonian king, rules for 17 years before being taken captive by Cyrus as the Persians conquer the Empire.

Nabonidus the last king????!!!!

What about Belshazzar????!!!!

Belshazzar was nabonidus son and served as a co-ruler with

Nabonidus

Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ eldest son (and Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson)

Nabonidus was an academic, a religionist, archeaologist, and builder – he wasn’t that interested in affairs of state and was happier letting Belshazzar take care of them.

Daniel 5:16,29 – “third ruler”

(continued)

The Annalistic Tablet of Cyrus indicates that the night Babylon fell “the king’s son died.”

Nabonidus captured four months later.

The Sweep of human history

Daniel 2:31-33

The golden empire of Babylon (70 years)

The two-armed silver kingdom of the Medes and Persians (200 years)

The brass kingdom of Greece (130 years)

The iron legs of Rome (500 years in undivided state – lasted until 1453 in its divided state when the Turks overwhelmed Constantinople)

Stone cut without hands?