pronounced by God against his house. 1 Sam. ii. 27-36. Shimei was prohibited under penalty of death to cross the brook Kedron, a penalty he very soon incurred. 1 Kings, ii. 12-46.

Having taken these precautions, Solomon strengthened his interest by an alliance with the king of Egypt, whose daughter he married; "And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father," and while he did so, he was divinely supported and strengthened; but he seems to have relied upon the superior judgment with which he had been endowed, instead of referring every thing to the law of obedience to his God. He however astonished the people by the wisdom he displayed in the administration of the affairs of his kingdom, an instance of which appears in his celebrated decision of the case in which two mothers disputed before him their respective claims to a live child. 1 Kings, iii.

Solomon employed three years in collecting ma(3) terials for the building of the temple, the foundation 1012 of which was laid in the fourth year of his reign. (3)

TABLE VI.

The whole structure was completed in seven years and a half, and solemnly dedicated by Solomon in the presence of all the Elders and heads of the people, and a large (4) congregation. (4) 1 Kings, v, vi, vii. 13-51; viii. 1004 1-20; 2 Chron. ii-vii. "And it came to pass when

the priests were come out of the holy place, (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course; also the Levites, which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals, and psalteries, and harps, stood ́at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets.) It came even to pass as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard, in praising and thanking the LORD,

and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals, and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God. And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel stood." 2 Chron. v. 11-14. Solomon afterwards pronounced a beautiful and emphatic prayer of supplication for his people, and having again blessed and admonished them, joined them in offering sacrifices to God. 1 Kings, viii. 22-53; 2 Chron. vi. 12-42. “ And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath, unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days. On the eighth day, (of the second Period) he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents, joyful, and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people."

Solomon next built a house for himself at Jerusalem, one for his queen, (the daughter of Pharaoh) the house of the forest of Lebanon, the house of Millo, and the walls of Jerusalem, which were not completed till the twentieth year of his reign; about which time, he in a vision received a re-assurance of Divine assistance and protection, upon condition of obedience, and a warning that a dereliction in these respects, would bring upon him and his people the severest judgments. 1 Kings, ix. 1-9. After this, Solomon rebuilt the city of Gezer, which had been taken from the Canaanites by the king of Egypt, who assigned it to Solomon as a dowry with his daughter; he also rebuilt Bethhoron, Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, (since called Palmyra) and to supply him with funds for these works, he levied a tax upon the remnant of the Canaanitish nations that still inhabited Israel. He also extended

his commerce into the east, the whole coast of Africa, and even Europe, and by this means accumulated great riches of every description. 1 Kings, ix. 10-28; 2 Chron. viii; ix. 11-28.

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove him with hard questions,”* and acknowledged at her departure, that his wisdom and prosperity exceeded all that had been reported to her concerning them. 1 Kings, x. 1-10. 2 Chron. ix. 1-9.

"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;" contrary to the command of God, which expressly forbad all connection with the heathen nations. And "it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father." Thus, therefore, was the special covenant between God and himself broken, (see 1 Kings, ix. 3-9.); and he became obnoxious to the punishment which had been threat

ened in case of his disobedience. God declared (') his purpose to deprive him of the kingdom, (') but 981 that for David's sake, one tribe should be left, and that the division should not take place during his

life time. 1 Kings, xi. 1-13.

Soon after this denunciation, God "stirred up" three adversaries as instruments of his anger against Solomon, viz. Hadad, the Edomite, (son of the king of Edom, who had been conquered by David) Rezin, king of the Syrians of Damascus, and Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. The latter, a man of great abilities, and of a bold and enterprising spirit, had been made overseer of Solomon's buildings, and principal ruler of the tribet to which he belonged; and the

* These questions, probably related to Divine subjects, with a view to her own improvement in religious knowledge; hence she is còmmended by our Saviour. Matt. xii. 42.

+That of Ephraim.

prophet Ahijah having communicated to him the appointments of God respecting the division of the kingdom, Jeroboam, in order to accelerate the period of his own aggrandisement, excited a spirit of disaffection in the tribes; B. C. (2) in resentment of which, Solomon " sought to slay (2) him," but he made his escape into Egypt, where he 978 remained three years, till the death of Solomon. 1 Kings, xi. From the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes, most authors infer, that Solomon died a sincere penitent, although the Scriptures are silent on that head. He died, after a reign of 40 years.

(3)

975

Rehoboam succeeded his father Solomon in the throne; (3) but the people feeling dissatisfied with the rigorous government of the late king, sent for Jeroboam out of Egypt, and deputed him to stipulate with Rehoboam for the redress of some grievances under which they lay. Rehoboam required three days to deliberate the matter, and having taken the respective opinions of" the old men that stood before Solomon his father," and of " the young men who had grown up with him, and which stood before him," adhered to those of the latter, and in consequence returned a haughty and irritating answer to the disaffected party, who thereupon openly revolted, and after stoning Adoram, one of Rehoboam's messengers, who had been sent (*) to treat with them, set up Jeroboam for their king. (4) · 975

Rehoboam would have resisted this rebellion by force of arms; but while he was collecting his forces, he received from the prophet Shemaiah, a prohibition to make war against the malcontents. 1 Kings, xii. 1-19.2 Chron. x. From this time the people of God were divided into two kingdoms, that of Judah consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and that of Israel, which comprised the other tribes. In order to obviate the confusion which a similarity in the names of the sovereigns of Judah and Israel might occasion in a combined view of the events of this period, a separate column will be appropriated to the affairs of each kingdom.

T

JUDAH.

B. C. Rehoboam having acqui-(56) esced in the appointment of 975 God relative to the division of the kingdom, (5) employed himself in improving the state of his dominions; building fenced cities, and fortifying the strong holds; he also encouraged the true worship, and received and protected all deserters from the idolatrous kingdom of Israel. But no sooner had he "established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself," than "he forsook the law of the LORD;" in punishment of which, God (in the fifth year of his reign) suffered Shishak, king of Egypt, to invade Judah, take several cities,

ISRAEL.

Jeroboam, () though raised up as an instrument of chastisement to the people over whom he presided, was not necessarily involved in the troubles that befel him; they were the natural fruits of his own impieties. He might have insured to himself, and his descendants, the blessings that had been granted to David and his seed. "If thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee." Such were the gracious promises and provisions of God; but instead of relying upon them, Jeroboam trusted to a worldly and impious policy for the establishment of his throne. Fearing that the people might return to their allegiance to the house of David, he judged it expedient to put a stop to all intercourse with the kingdom of Judah, and to prevent their going to worship at Jerusalem, he set up a golden calf at each extremity of his domi(7) nions; (7) and as the Levites 974 refused to conform to the idolatrous worship he had introduced," he made (in their stead) priests of the lowest of the people."

In the seventh year of his reign, while he was himself