enemies, to unify all the tribes and who succeeded in establishing a Benjamite kingdom, with Gibeah as its capital. David, after living the life of an outlaw for years, became upon the death of Saul, king, first, of the single tribe of Judah, with Hebron as his capital, and later, of all Israel with Jerusalem as his capital. He was followed by Solomon, whose chief work was the building of the Temple. The era extending from Saul through Solomon is called the Period of the United Kingdom. Before Saul, 'there was no Kingdom-the Period of the Judges (1220-1030 B.C.E.); after Solomon, there were two monarchies-the Period of the Divided Kingdom (937-721 B.C.E.). The United Kingdom therefore flourished for a trifle less than a hundred years-from 1030 to 937 B.C.E., and was ruled over by only three kings.* The Outstanding Ethical and Religious Truths. The ethical standards of the period are represented in the words and deeds of the leading actors. Thus, in Jonathan, we have an illustration of bravery inspired by religion; in David and Jonathan, of ideal friendship; in Saul, of the deadening effect of jealousy on a patriotic, courageous warrior-king; in David, of reverence for the Lord's anointed; in Abigail, of a woman as peace-maker; in David among the Philistines, of loyalty to conflicting duties; in Jonathan at Gilboa, of filial devotion; in David king of Judah, of self-restraint; in David king of all Israel, of able leadership guided by religious faith; in David and Meribaal, of loyalty to promises; in David and Bathsheba, of sincere repentance; in David and Absalom, of an overindulgent father and a faithless son; in Solomon the boyking, of consecration to a noble ideal; in Solomon the mature king, of reverence for the Temple; in Solomon the wealthy king, of the enervating effects of pomp and luxury. The significant religious truths of the period were *It is, however, not strictly accurate to include in the Period of the United Kingdom Saul's reign and the first seven and a half years of David's reign. It was not until David captured Jerusalem, about 1003 B.C.E., that the theretofore loosely organized tribes became actually welded into a united monarchy. For a tabulation of these Periods see page 135. taught by the prophets,* Samuel, Nathan and Ahijah. To the eyes of these gifted men, there was beginning to appear a new light-a light that had never been revealed to man before. More or less consciously, they were groping toward the great truth that God was forming Israel into a unique people that she might become, by example as well as by word, the religious and ethical teacher of mankind. Samuel's life typified his central belief—that man should resign himself completely to the will of God. Nathan's important doctrine was that no one, not even an unusually powerful and righteous king, could, with impunity, set God's will at nought. Ahijah taught that Israel's ideal of a great nation should not be a world-empire, famous for its wealth and splendor, but a small kingdom, founded on the principles of liberty, justice and religion. V. SUGGESTIONS. Inform the class in advance that the pupil who writes the best history called for in the Junior Bible will be asked to read his paper at the assembly or to have it published in the school journal. Invite the pupils to your home for a social gathering, or let them invite the children of an orphan asylum or other institution to such a gathering in the vestry rooms of the temple, or take your class to visit some philanthropic institution. In class or at the social gathering, the children might play such games as follows: Field Day Review. Before class, take three large sheets of colored paper; for example, a red, a green and a white sheet. Cut each sheet into as many slips as there are pupils in your class, making each slip about one by five inches. Taking half the number of slips of each color, write on the red ones difficult questions; on the green, less difficult; on the white, ordinary questions. On the remaining half of the slips, write a duplicate set of questions. Take these *It would be better to call these predecessors of Amos, whose written sermons have not been preserved, fore-runners of the prophets. The real prophets are Amos and his successors whose sermons are recorded in the books bearing their names, now incorporated in the Old Testament. two sets to class with you; appoint two captains, and let each captain select his team. Give to each captain a set of the questions, and have him distribute a red, a green and a white slip to every member of his team, together with a sheet of paper on which the answers are to be written. The side that gives the better answer to a red question wins first place in that event, to count five points; to a green question, second place, to count three points; to a white question, third place, to count one point. The side that secures the greater number of points wins the field day. You will probably find it more convenient to take the papers home with you for correction, and announce the result next week. Character Review. Write on the board-or have the children do so-brief divided-word-character sketches of either some biblical hero, or some member of the class, and let the pupils identify the subjects, thus: AM ANWH OSINN EDA NDR EPE NTE D. (A man who sinned and repented-David AGI RLGENE RA LLYL ATE TOC LASS. (A girl generally late to classthe pupil to whom this applies.) Other Reviews. For additional suggestions, see The Jewish Teacher, Series One, pp. 76-77 and 146. Lesson 48. A FOOLISH KING WHO LOST HALF OF HIS KINGDOM. The Division of the Hebrew Kingdom (Taken from I Ki, ch. 12.) I. THE TEACHER'S PREPARATION. The Method of Teaching. In Edward P. St. John,* Stories and Story Telling, study pp. 1-7 and write answers to letters a, b, c, d, f, in the "Outline for Study of the Topic." The Material for Teaching. Do all the work assigned in Lesson XLVIII of the Junior Bible. Consult Montefiore, *Compare Pool, How to Tell Stories to Jewish Children. Bible for Home Reading, Part I, pp. 295-306; Graetz, History of the Jews, Vol. I, pp. 179-184; Ginsberg, Legends of the Jews, Vol. IV, pp. 179-182; Shepard, Young Folks' Josephus, pp. 177-181; Kent, Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah, pp. 1-7; article "Jeroboam" in the Jewish Encyclopedia. The Religion of Israel. In Addis, Hebrew Religion, study pp. 268-285, and write answers to the following questions: 1. Discuss the Priestly Code under the following headings: (a) its historical framework, (b) the place of sacrifice, (c) the priests and Levites. II. THE AIM. We now begin to trace the development of the two independent kingdoms into which Solomon's empire was divided-Israel or Ephraim in the north, and Judah in the south. In taking up the study of this new period, it might be well first of all to give the class a brief "preview" of the history of each kingdom up to the time of its fall; that is, a glance ahead over the work that is to be covered during the remainder of the year. Then, with special references to today's lesson, point out that Rehoboam, by following the advice of evil companions, disrupted the vast empire built up by his father and grandfather. Let your teaching, therefore, center itself about the wisdom and necessity of choosing good companions. III. POINT OF CONTACT. How does America select a man for the presidency? Yes, each State sends delegates to various political conventions, and these conventions nominate the candidates who are then voted on, indirectly but really, by the people. How does England choose a king? As soon as the old ruler dies, his eldest son ascends the throne, and all the people shout, "The king is dead; long live the king." How did our forefathers in Palestine select the man who was to reign over them? They did not follow exactly either the American or the English plan. Like America, they sometimes held a convention to nominate a candidate; but like England, they preferred to choose the eldest son of the old king. After Solomon's death, they held a rather stormy convention at Shechem for the purpose of electing his successor. Some of the minutes of that meeting have been preserved to us, and I shall tell you what happened there. IV. EXPLANATORY NOTES. Ethical Topic-Good Companions. Date. The Period of the United Kingdom ends, and the Period of the Divided Kingdom begins, about 937 B.C.E. Sheshonk I was ruling in Egypt, Rezon I in Damascus, Jeroboam I in Israel and Rehoboam I in Judah. Rehoboam was a young man, perhaps under thirty years of age. Place. Shechem (She'-kem), the first capital of Israel, about thirty miles north of Jerusalem. This city was already rich in historical associations, having been connected with incidents in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and Joshua. U. & U. Stereograph—10952-"Shechem, where the Hebrew empire was divided, E. past Mt. Ebal, Pal." A GLANCE FORWARD OVER LESSONS FIVE PERIODS OF BIBLICAL HISTORY.-The Period of the Divided Monarchy (937-721 B.C.E). We have just concluded the study of the fourth great period, and are about to begin the fifth great period of biblical history. These periods may be tabulated as follows: 1. The Period of the Patriarchs (2100-1600 B.C.E.). 2. The Period of the Egyptian Bondage and the Exodus (1600-1220 B.C.E.). 3. The Period of the Judges (1220-1030 B.C.E.). 4. The Period of the United Monarchy (1030-937 B.C.E.). 5. The Period of the Divided Monarchy (937-721 B.C.E.). A "PREVIEW." 1. ISRAEL.-It is the Period of the Divided Monarchy that will concern us during the remainder of the year; and we shall now cast a glance ahead over the road we are about to travel, while studying the history of the two kingdoms into which Solomon's empire divided itself. Each kingdom had its points of strength and points |