are unmarked by any event of importance. He continued in the course of idolatry he had begun, and died in the second year of Asa, king of Judah, after a reign of twenty-two years.

CHAPTER VII.

NADAB'S SHORT AND WICKED REIGN.

BAASHA'S RE

OMRI.

ELIJAH

VOLT AND REIGN. ELAH. ZIMRI'S REVOLT.

AHAB AND HIS WIFE JEZEBEL IDOLATROUS.
FED BY RAVENS.

B. C.

RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON.

I. Kings xv.-xvii.

JEROBOAM was succeeded on the throne 954. of Israel by his son Nadab, of whom nothing is recorded but that "he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin:" he continued the worship of the golden calves, and the family of Jeroboam being hopelessly given up to idolatry, was removed, according to the prediction of the prophet. While at the siege of Gibbethon, a city of the Philistines, Baasha conspired against Nadab, and slew him. Baasha then mounted the throne, and put to death all the sons of Jeroboam; and thus were fulfilled the words of the prophet, for according to the barbarous practice of that age, their bodies were left exposed, and Josephus relates that some of Jeroboam's kindred that

died in the city were torn to pieces and devoured by dogs, and others of them that died in the fields were torn and devoured by the fowls.

Baasha reigned twenty-four years: but following the evil courses of Jeroboam and his son, he experienced the same fate; yet not before he had received a solemn warning from the prophet Jehu, who was sent to bring him to repentance. He made war upon Asa, king of Judah, and besieged and took Ramah, a town. on the frontiers, to the north of the tribe of Benjamin; but before he had fortified it, he was forced to withdraw his troops and defend his kingdom from the attacks of the king of Damascus. He died soon after, and was succeeded by his son Elah.

Elah was slain in the second year of his reign by Zimri, the captain of his chariots, as he was feasting in his palace at Tirzah. His death was followed by the extirpation of all his family, Zimri quickly reaped the reward of his treachery. The troops which were encamped before a city of the Philistines, refused to acknowledge him for their king, and placing Omri at their head, marched to Tirzah, and took it. When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire. He died, having nominally reigned seven days.

After a short struggle, Omri was acknowledged king by all the ten tribes: he reigned eleven years, six in Tirzah, and nearly six in

Samaria, unmarked by any event worthy of record, except that he built the city of Samaria, and made it the seat of government. He was succeeded at his death by his son Ahab.

B. C.

Ahab reigned twenty-two years; he was 918. at once the weakest and most wicked of the kings of Israel: he continued the worship of the golden calves, and "as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him."

The worship of Baal was thus established by royal authority; Jezebel caused great numbers of the priests and prophets of the LORD to be slain, and chose others either of her own people or apostate Israelites, to serve in the temple which she erected to Baal in Samaria, where his worship was rendered as attractive and gorgeous as possible. Ahab made no opposition to this flagrant violation of the national law; on the contrary, he readily followed all the suggestions of his queen, and had it not been for the bold remonstrances of the prophets, and the visible interposition of God by the miracles which they wrought, Israel must have sunk for ever into the lowest state of heathenism. But in proportion to the wickedness of the kings, was the boldness and authority of the prophets. Elijah arose in Israel; he sternly rebuked the daring impiety of Ahab and Jezebel, he reproved the

people for being led by their princes into rebellion against Jehovah, and he gave support to those few righteous servants of the LORD who remained faithful amidst the general idolatry; when these efforts were ineffectual, the punishments foretold by Moses were denounced.

"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."

Having delivered this message, Elijah was commanded to retire from the wrath of Ahab, and hide himself by the brook Cherith, a small mountain torrent that runs into the Jordan a few miles below Bethsan. Here he was miraculously fed by ravens, who brought him food morning and evening, and he drank of the clear water of the brook. Meanwhile the drought which Elijah had predicted consumed the land: the early and the latter rain was staid, and the night dews fell not, and there was a dreadful dearth.

"And it came to pass after awhile, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land."

"And the word of the LORD came unto Elijah, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath*, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sus

* Called Sarepta in Luke iv. 26.

tain thee. So Elijah arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold the widow woman was there gathering of sticks; and he called to her and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."

"And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, as the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

"And Elijah said unto her, Fear not: go, and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal

shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.”

"And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat bread many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.”

Thus was the faith of the widow of Zarephath rewarded by the support of herself and family during the famine: but this was not all: her only son fell sick, and died. Overpowered with