Israel’s First King to Captivity in Babylon
Saul became Israel’s first king. But Jehovah rejected him, and David was chosen to be king in his place. We find out many things about David. As a youth, he fought the giant Goliath. Later he fled from jealous King Saul. Then beautiful Abigail stopped him from doing a foolish thing.
Next, we learn many things about David’s son Solomon, who took David’s place as king of Israel. The first three kings of Israel each ruled for 40 years. After Solomon’s death, Israel was divided into two kingdoms, a northern and a southern kingdom.
The northern 10-tribe kingdom lasted 257 years before it was destroyed by the Assyrians. Then 133 years later, the southern two-tribe kingdom was also destroyed. At this time the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon. So Part FOUR covers 510 years of history, during which time many exciting events pass before our view.
Story 56
Saul—Israel’s First King
SEE Samuel pouring oil on the man’s head. This is what they used to do to a person to show that he had been chosen as king. Jehovah tells Samuel to pour the oil on Saul’s head. It is a special sweet-smelling oil.
Saul did not think that he was good enough to be king. ‘I belong to the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest one in Israel,’ he tells Samuel. ‘Why do you say that I will be king?’ Jehovah likes Saul because he does not pretend to be big and important. That is why He chooses him to be king.
But Saul is not poor or a small man. He comes from a rich family, and he is a very handsome, tall man. He is about a foot taller than anyone else in Israel! Saul is also a very fast runner, and he is a very strong man. The people are glad that Jehovah has chosen Saul to be king. They all begin to shout: ‘Long live the king!’
The enemies of Israel are as strong as ever. They are still causing a lot of trouble for the Israelites. Soon after Saul is made king, the Am´mon·ites come up to fight against them. But Saul gathers a big army, and he wins the victory over the Am´mon·ites. This makes the people happy that Saul is king.
As the years go by, Saul leads the Israelites to many victories over their enemies. Saul also has a brave son named Jon´a·than. And Jon´a·than helps Israel to win many battles. The Phi·lis´tines are still the Israelites’ worst enemy. One day thousands and thousands of Phi·lis´tines come to fight against the Israelites.
Samuel tells Saul to wait until he comes and makes a sacrifice, or gift, to Jehovah. But Samuel is slow in coming. Saul is afraid that the Phi·lis´tines will start the battle, so he goes ahead and makes the sacrifice himself. When Samuel finally comes, he tells Saul that he has been disobedient. ‘Jehovah will choose another person to be king over Israel,’ Samuel says.
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Later Saul disobeys again. So Samuel tells him: ‘It is better to obey Jehovah than to make a gift to him of the best sheep. Because you have not obeyed Jehovah, Jehovah will not keep you as king of Israel.’
We can learn a good lesson from this. It shows us how important it is to obey Jehovah always. Also, it shows that a good person, as Saul had been, can change and become bad. We never want to become bad, do we?
1 Samuel chapters 9 to 11; 13:5-14; 14:47-52; 15:1-35; 2 Samuel 1:23.
Story 57
God Chooses David
CAN you see what has happened? The boy has saved this little lamb from the bear. The bear came and carried off the lamb and was going to eat it. But the boy ran after them, and saved the lamb from the bear’s mouth. And when the bear rose up, the boy grabbed the bear and struck it down dead! At another time he saved one of the sheep from a lion. Isn’t he a brave boy? Do you know who he is?
This is young David. He lives in the town of Beth´le·hem. His grandfather was O´bed, the son of Ruth and Bo´az. Do you remember them? And David’s father is Jes´se. David takes care of his father’s sheep. David was born 10 years after Jehovah chose Saul to be king.
The time comes when Jehovah says to Samuel: ‘Take some special oil and go to the house of Jes´se in Beth´le·hem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’ When Samuel sees Jes´se’s oldest son E·li´ab, he says to himself: ‘This is surely the one that Jehovah has chosen.’ But Jehovah tells him: ‘Do not look at how tall and handsome he is. I have not chosen him to be king.’
So Jes´se calls his son A·bin´a·dab and brings him to Samuel. But Samuel says: ‘No, Jehovah hasn’t chosen him either.’ Next, Jes´se brings his son Sham´mah. ‘No, Jehovah hasn’t chosen him either,’ Samuel says. Jes´se brings seven of his sons to Samuel, but Jehovah doesn’t choose any of them. ‘Are these all the boys?’ Samuel asks.
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‘There is still the youngest,’ Jes´se says. ‘But he is out taking care of the sheep.’ When David is brought in, Samuel can see that he is a good-looking boy. ‘This is the one,’ Jehovah says. ‘Pour the oil on him.’ And this is what Samuel does. The time will come when David will become king of Israel.
1 Samuel 17:34, 35; 16:1-13.
Story 58
David and Goliath
THE Phi·lis´tines again come to fight against Israel. David’s three oldest brothers are now in Saul’s army. So one day Jes´se tells David: ‘Take some grain and loaves of bread to your brothers. Find out how they are getting along.’
When David arrives at the army camp, he runs to the battle line to look for his brothers. The Phi·lis´tine giant Go·li´ath comes out to make fun of the Israelites. He has been doing this every morning and evening for 40 days. He yells: ‘Choose one of your men to fight me. If he wins and kills me, we will be your slaves. But if I win and kill him, you will be our slaves. I dare you to pick someone to fight me.’
David asks some of the soldiers: ‘What will the man get who kills this Phi·lis´tine and frees Israel from this shame?’
‘Saul will give the man many riches,’ the soldier says. ‘And he will give him his own daughter to be his wife.’
But all the Israelites are afraid of Go·li´ath because he is so big. He is more than 9 feet (about 3 meters) tall, and he has another soldier carrying his shield for him.
Some soldiers go and tell King Saul that David wants to fight Go·li´ath. But Saul tells David: ‘You can’t fight this Phi·lis´tine. You are just a boy, and he has been a soldier all his life.’ David answers: ‘I killed a bear and a lion that carried off my father’s sheep. And this Phi·lis´tine will become like one of them. Jehovah will help me.’ So Saul says: ‘Go, and may Jehovah be with you.’
David goes down by a stream and gets five smooth stones, and puts them into his bag. Then he takes his sling and goes out to meet the giant. When Go·li´ath sees him, he can’t believe it. He thinks it will be so easy to kill David.
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‘Just come to me,’ Go·li´ath says, ‘and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat.’ But David says: ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah. This day Jehovah will give you into my hands and I will strike you down.’
At that David runs toward Go·li´ath. He takes a stone from his bag, puts it into his sling, and throws it with all his might. The stone flies straight into Go·li´ath’s head, and he falls down dead! When the Phi·lis´tines see that their champion has fallen, they all turn and run. The Israelites run after them and win the battle.
1 Samuel 17:1-54.
Story 59
Why David Must Run Away
AFTER David kills Go·li´ath, Israel’s army chief Ab´ner brings him to Saul. Saul is very pleased with David. He makes him a chief in his army and takes him to live at the king’s house.
Later, when the army returns from fighting the Phi·lis´tines, the women sing: ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands.’ This makes Saul jealous, because David is given more honor than Saul is. But Saul’s son Jon´a·than is not jealous. He loves David very much, and David loves Jon´a·than too. So the two make a promise to each other that they will always be friends.
David is a very good player of the harp, and Saul likes the music that he plays. But one day Saul’s jealousy causes him to do a terrible thing. While David is playing the harp, Saul takes his spear and throws it, saying: ‘I will pin David to the wall!’ But David dodges, and the spear misses. Later Saul misses David again with his spear. So David knows now that he must be very careful.
Do you remember the promise that Saul made? He said that he would give his daughter to be the wife of the man who killed Go·li´ath. Saul at last tells David that he can have his daughter Mi´chal, but first he must kill 100 of the enemy Phi·lis´tines. Think of that! Saul really hopes that the Phi·lis´tines will kill David. But they don’t, and so Saul gives his daughter to be David’s wife.
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One day Saul tells Jon´a·than and all his servants that he wants to kill David. But Jon´a·than says to his father: ‘Don’t hurt David. He has never done anything wrong to you. Rather, everything he has done has been a great help to you. He risked his life when he killed Go·li´ath, and when you saw it, you were glad.’
Saul listens to his son, and he promises not to hurt David. David is brought back, and he serves Saul in his house again just as he did before. One day, however, while David is playing music, Saul again throws his spear at David. David dodges, and the spear hits the wall. This is the third time! David knows now that he must run away!
That night David goes to his own house. But Saul sends some men to kill him. Mi´chal knows what her father plans to do. So she tells her husband: ‘If you don’t get away tonight, tomorrow you will be dead.’ That night Mi´chal helps David to escape through a window. For about seven years David must hide in one place after another so that Saul cannot find him.
1 Samuel 18:1-30; 19:1-18.
Story 60
Abigail and David
DO YOU know the pretty woman who is coming to meet David? Her name is Ab´i·gail. She has good sense, and she keeps David from doing a bad thing. But before learning about that, let’s see what has been happening to David.
After David runs away from Saul, he hides in a cave. His brothers and the rest of his family join him there. About 400 men in all come to him, and David becomes their leader. David then goes to the king of Mo´ab and says: ‘Please let my father and mother stay with you until I see what happens to me.’ Later David and his men begin hiding in the hills.
It is after this that David meets Ab´i·gail. Her husband Na´bal is a rich landowner. He has 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. Na´bal is a mean man. But his wife Ab´i·gail is very beautiful. Also, she knows how to do what is right. Once she even saves her family. Let’s see how.
David and his men have been kind to Na´bal. They have helped to protect his sheep. So one day David sends some of his men to ask Na´bal for a favor. David’s men come to Na´bal while he and his helpers are cutting the wool off the sheep. It is a feast day, and Na´bal has many good things to eat. So this is what David’s men say: ‘We have been kind to you. We have not stolen any of your sheep, but have helped to look after them. Now, please, give us some food.’
‘I won’t give my food to men like you,’ Na´bal says. He speaks in a very mean way, and says bad things about David. When the men return and tell David about it, David is very angry. ‘Put on your swords!’ he tells his men. And they start on their way to kill Na´bal and his men.
One of Na´bal’s men, who heard the mean words that Na´bal spoke, tells Ab´i·gail what happened. Right away Ab´i·gail gets some food ready. She loads it on some donkeys and starts on her way. When she meets David, she gets off her donkey, bows down and says: ‘Please, sir, pay no attention to my husband Na´bal. He is a fool, and he does foolish things. Here is a gift. Please take it, and forgive us for what happened.’
‘You are a wise woman,’ David answers. ‘You have kept me from killing Na´bal to pay him back for his meanness. Go home now in peace.’ Later, when Na´bal dies, Ab´i·gail becomes one of David’s wives.
1 Samuel 22:1-4; 25:1-43.
Story 61
David Is Made King
SAUL again tries to capture David. He takes 3,000 of his best soldiers and goes looking for him. When David learns about this, he sends spies out to learn where Saul and his men have camped for the night. Then David asks two of his men: ‘Which of you will go to Saul’s camp with me?’
‘I will,’ A·bish´ai answers. A·bish´ai is the son of David’s sister Ze·ru´iah. While Saul and his men are sleeping, David and A·bish´ai creep silently into the camp. They pick up Saul’s spear and his water jug, which is lying right beside Saul’s head. No one sees or hears them because they are all fast asleep.
See David and A·bish´ai now. They have gotten away, and are safely on top of a hill. David shouts down to Israel’s army chief: ‘Ab´ner, why aren’t you protecting your master, the king? Look! Where are his spear and his water jug?’
Saul wakes up. He recognizes David’s voice, and asks: ‘Is that you, David?’ Can you see Saul and Ab´ner down there?
‘Yes, my lord the king,’ David replies to Saul. And David asks: ‘Why are you trying to capture me? What bad thing have I done? Here is your spear, O king. Let one of your men come and get it.’
‘I have done wrong,’ Saul admits. ‘I have acted foolishly.’ At that David goes his way, and Saul returns home. But David says to himself: ‘One of these days Saul will kill me. I should escape to the land of the Phi·lis´tines.’ And that is what he does. David is able to fool the Phi·lis´tines and make them believe that he is now on their side.
Some time later the Phi·lis´tines go up to fight against Israel. In the battle, both Saul and Jon´a·than are killed. This makes David very sad, and he writes a beautiful song, in which he sings: ‘I feel sad for you, my brother Jon´a·than. How dear you were to me!’
After this David returns to Israel to the city of He´bron. There is a war between the men who choose Saul’s son Ish-bo´sheth to be king and the other men who want David to be king. But finally David’s men win. David is 30 years old when he is made king. For seven and a half years he rules in He´bron. Some of the sons born to him there are named Am´non, Ab´sa·lom and Ad·o·ni´jah.
The time comes when David and his men go up to capture a beautiful city called Jerusalem. Jo´ab, another son of David’s sister Ze·ru´iah, takes the lead in the fight. So David rewards Jo´ab by making him the chief of his army. Now David begins ruling in the city of Jerusalem.
1 Samuel 26:1-25; 27:1-7; 31:1-6; 2 Samuel 1:26; 3:1-21; 5:1-10; 1 Chronicles 11:1-9.
Story 62
Trouble in David’s House
AFTER David begins ruling in Jerusalem, Jehovah gives his army many victories over their enemies. Jehovah had promised to give the land of Ca´naan to the Israelites. And now, with Jehovah’s help, all the land that was promised to them finally becomes theirs.
David is a good ruler. He loves Jehovah. So one of the first things that he does after capturing Jerusalem is to bring Jehovah’s ark of the covenant there. And he wants to build a temple in which to put it.
When David grows older, he makes a bad mistake. David knows that it is wrong to take something that belongs to someone else. But one evening, when he is on the roof of his palace, he looks down and sees a very beautiful woman. Her name is Bath-she´ba, and her husband is one of his soldiers named U·ri´ah.
David wants Bath-she´ba so much that he has her brought to his palace. Her husband is away fighting. Well, David makes love to her and later she finds she is going to have a baby. David is very worried and sends word to his army chief Jo´ab to have U·ri´ah put in the front of the battle where he will be killed. When U·ri´ah is dead, David marries Bath-she´ba.
Jehovah is very angry with David. So he sends his servant Nathan to tell him about his sins. You can see Nathan there talking to David. David is very sorry for what he has done, and so Jehovah does not put him to death. But Jehovah says: ‘Because you have done these bad things, you will have a lot of trouble in your house.’ And what trouble David has!
First, Bath-she´ba’s son dies. Then David’s firstborn son Am´non gets his sister Ta´mar alone and forces his love on her. David’s son Ab´sa·lom is so angry about this that he kills Am´non. Later, Ab´sa·lom wins the favor of many of the people, and he has himself made king. Finally, David wins the war against Ab´sa·lom, who is killed. Yes, David has a lot of trouble.
In between all of this, Bath-she´ba gives birth to a son named Solomon. When David is old and sick, his son Ad·o·ni´jah tries to make himself king. At that David has a priest named Za´dok pour oil on Solomon’s head to show that Solomon will be king. Soon afterward David dies at 70 years of age. He ruled for 40 years, but now Solomon is the king of Israel.
2 Samuel 11:1-27; 12:1-18; 1 Kings 1:1-48.
Story 63
Wise King Solomon
SOLOMON is a teen-ager when he becomes king. He loves Jehovah, and he follows the good advice that his father David gave him. Jehovah is pleased with Solomon, and so one night he says to him in a dream: ‘Solomon, what would you like me to give you?’
At this Solomon answers: ‘Jehovah my God, I am very young and I don’t know how to rule. So give me the wisdom to rule your people in a right way.’
Jehovah is pleased with what Solomon asks. So He says: ‘Because you have asked for wisdom and not for long life or riches, I will give you more wisdom than anyone who has ever lived. But I will also give you what you did not ask for, both riches and glory.’
A short time later two women come to Solomon with a hard problem. ‘This woman and I live in the same house,’ explains one of them. ‘I gave birth to a boy, and two days later she also gave birth to a baby boy. Then one night her baby died. But while I was asleep, she put her dead child next to me and took my baby. When I woke up and looked at the dead child, I saw that it was not mine.’
At this the other woman says: ‘No! The living child is mine, and the dead one is hers!’ The first woman answers: ‘No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine!’ This is the way the women argue. What will Solomon do?
He sends for a sword, and, when it is brought, he says: ‘Cut the living baby in two, and give each woman half of it.’
‘No!’ cries the real mother. ‘Please don’t kill the baby. Give it to her!’ But the other woman says: ‘Don’t give it to either of us; go on and cut it in two.’
Finally Solomon speaks: ‘Don’t kill the child! Give him to the first woman. She is the real mother.’ Solomon knows this because the real mother loves the baby so much that she is willing to give him to the other woman so he won’t be killed. When the people hear how Solomon solved the problem, they are glad to have such a wise king.
During the rule of Solomon, God blesses the people by making the soil grow plenty of wheat and barley, grapes and figs and other foods. The people wear fine clothes and live in good houses. There is more than enough of everything good for everybody.
1 Kings 3:3-28; 4:29-34.
Story 64
Solomon Builds the Temple
BEFORE David died, he gave Solomon the plans from God for building Jehovah’s temple. In the fourth year of his rule, Solomon begins building the temple, and it takes seven and a half years to finish it. Tens of thousands of men work on the temple, and the building costs lots and lots of money. This is because so much gold and silver are used in it.
The temple has two main rooms, just as the tabernacle had. But these rooms are twice the size of those in the tabernacle. Solomon has the ark of the covenant put in the inside room of the temple, and the other things that were kept in the tabernacle are put in the other room.
When the temple is finished, there is a big celebration. Solomon kneels in front of the temple and prays, as you can see in the picture. ‘Not even all of heaven is large enough to hold you,’ Solomon says to Jehovah, ‘how much less, then, can this temple hold you. But, O my God, please listen to your people when they pray toward this place.’
When Solomon finishes his prayer, fire comes down from heaven. It burns up the animal sacrifices that have been made. And a bright light from Jehovah fills the temple. This shows that Jehovah is listening, and that he is pleased with the temple and Solomon’s prayer. The temple, rather than the tabernacle, now becomes the place where the people come to worship.
For a long time Solomon rules in a wise way, and the people are happy. But Solomon marries many women from other countries who do not worship Jehovah. Can you see one of them worshiping before the idol? Finally his wives get Solomon to worship other gods too. Do you know what happens when Solomon does this? He no longer treats the people kindly. He becomes cruel, and the people are not happy anymore.
This makes Jehovah angry with Solomon, and he tells him: ‘I will take the kingdom away from you and give it to another man. I will not do this in your lifetime, but during the rule of your son. But I won’t take all the people of the kingdom away from your son.’ Let’s see how this happens.
1 Chronicles 28:9-21; 29:1-9; 1 Kings 5:1-18; 2 Chronicles 6:12-42; 7:1-5; 1 Kings 11:9-13.
Story 65
The Kingdom Is Divided
DO YOU know why this man is ripping his robe to pieces? Jehovah told him to do it. This man is God’s prophet A·hi´jah. Do you know what a prophet is? He is a person that God tells ahead of time what is going to happen.
A·hi´jah is here speaking to Jer·o·bo´am. Jer·o·bo´am is a man that Solomon put in charge of doing some of his building work. When A·hi´jah meets Jer·o·bo´am here on the road, A·hi´jah does a strange thing. He takes off the new robe that he is wearing and tears it into 12 pieces. He tells Jer·o·bo´am: ‘Take 10 pieces for yourself.’ Do you know why A·hi´jah gives Jer·o·bo´am 10 pieces?
A·hi´jah explains that Jehovah is going to take the kingdom away from Solomon. He says that Jehovah is going to give 10 tribes to Jer·o·bo´am. This means that only two tribes will be left for Solomon’s son Re·ho·bo´am to rule over.
When Solomon hears what A·hi´jah told Jer·o·bo´am, he becomes very angry. He tries to kill Jer·o·bo´am. But Jer·o·bo´am runs away to Egypt. After a while Solomon dies. He was king for 40 years, but now his son Re·ho·bo´am is made king. Down in Egypt Jer·o·bo´am hears that Solomon is dead, so he comes back to Israel.
Re·ho·bo´am is not a good king. He is even meaner to the people than his father Solomon had been. Jer·o·bo´am and some other important men go to King Re·ho·bo´am and ask him to be nicer to the people. But Re·ho·bo´am does not listen. In fact, he becomes even meaner than before. So the people make Jer·o·bo´am king over 10 tribes, but the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah keep Re·ho·bo´am as their king.
Jer·o·bo´am does not want his people to go to Jerusalem to worship at Jehovah’s temple. So he makes two golden calves and gets the people of the 10-tribe kingdom to worship them. Soon the land becomes filled with crime and violence.
There is also trouble in the two-tribe kingdom. Less than five years after Re·ho·bo´am becomes king, the king of Egypt comes to fight against Jerusalem. He takes away many treasures from Jehovah’s temple. So it is for only a short time that the temple remains the same as when it was built.
1 Kings 11:26-43; 12:1-33; 14:21-31.
Story 66
Jezebel—A Wicked Queen
AFTER King Jer·o·bo´am dies, each king who rules the northern 10-tribe kingdom of Israel is bad. King A´hab is the worst king of all. Do you know why? One big reason is his wife, wicked Queen Jez´e·bel.
Jez´e·bel is not an Israelite woman. She is the daughter of the king of Si´don. She worships the false god Ba´al, and she gets A´hab and many Israelites to worship Ba´al too. Jez´e·bel hates Jehovah and kills many of his prophets. Others have to hide in caves so that they won’t be killed. If Jez´e·bel wants something, she will even kill a person to get it.
One day King A´hab is very sad. So Jez´e·bel asks him: ‘Why are you sad today?’
‘Because of what Na´both said to me,’ A´hab answers. ‘I wanted to buy his vineyard. But he told me I couldn’t have it.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Jez´e·bel says. ‘I will get it for you.’
So Jez´e·bel writes letters to some chief men in the city where this man Na´both lives. ‘Get some good-for-nothing men to say that Na´both has cursed God and the king,’ she tells them. ‘Then take Na´both out of the city and stone him to death.’
As soon as Jez´e·bel learns that Na´both is dead, she says to A´hab: ‘Now go and take his vineyard.’ Don’t you agree that Jez´e·bel should be punished for doing such a terrible thing?
So, in time, Jehovah sends the man Je´hu to punish her. When Jez´e·bel hears that Je´hu is coming, she paints her eyes and tries to fix herself up to look pretty. But when Je´hu comes and sees Jez´e·bel in the window, he calls to the men in the palace: ‘Throw her down!’ The men obey, as you can see in the picture. They throw her down, and she dies. This is the end of wicked Queen Jez´e·bel.
1 Kings 16:29-33; 18:1-4; 21:1-16; 2 Kings 9:30-37.
Story 67
Jehoshaphat Trusts Jehovah
DO YOU know who these men are and what they are doing? They are going out to battle, and the men there in front are singing. But you may ask: ‘Why don’t the singers have swords and spears to fight with?’ Let us see.
Je·hosh´a·phat is king of the two-tribe kingdom of Israel. He lives at the same time as King A´hab and Jez´e·bel of the northern 10-tribe kingdom. But Je·hosh´a·phat is a good king, and his father A´sa was a fine king too. So for many years the people of the southern two-tribe kingdom enjoy a good life.
But now something happens to make the people afraid. Messengers report to Je·hosh´a·phat: ‘A large army from the countries of Mo´ab, Am´mon and Mount Se´ir are coming to attack you.’ Many Israelites gather at Jerusalem to seek Jehovah’s help. They go to the temple, and there Je·hosh´a·phat prays: ‘O Jehovah our God, we do not know what to do. We are helpless against this large army. We look to you for help.’
Jehovah listens, and he has one of his servants tell the people: ‘The battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not have to fight. Just watch, and see how Jehovah will save you.’
So the next morning Je·hosh´a·phat tells the people: ‘Have trust in Jehovah!’ He then puts singers out in front of his soldiers, and as they march along they sing praises to Jehovah. Do you know what happens when they get near the battle? Jehovah causes the enemy soldiers to fight among themselves. And when the Israelites arrive, every enemy soldier is dead!
Wasn’t Je·hosh´a·phat wise to trust in Jehovah? We will be wise if we trust in Him too.
1 Kings 22:41-53; 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.
Story 68
Two Boys Who Live Again
IF YOU died, how would your mother feel if you were brought back to life? She would be very happy! But can a person who has died live again? Has it happened before?
Look at the man here, and the woman and the little boy. The man is the prophet E·li´jah. The woman is a widow of the city of Zar´e·phath, and the boy is her son. Well, one day the boy gets sick. He gets worse and worse until he finally dies. E·li´jah then tells the woman: ‘Give the boy to me.’
E·li´jah takes the dead child upstairs and lays him on the bed. Then he prays: ‘O Jehovah, make the boy live again.’ And the boy starts to breathe! At that E·li´jah takes him back downstairs and says to the woman: ‘Look, your son is alive!’ This is why the mother is so happy.
Another important prophet of Jehovah is named E·li´sha. He serves as E·li´jah’s helper. But in time Jehovah also uses E·li´sha to do miracles. One day E·li´sha goes to the city of Shu´nem, where a woman is very kind to him. Later this woman has a baby boy.
One morning, after the child has grown older, he goes out to join his father who is working in the field. Suddenly the boy cries out: ‘My head hurts!’ After he is taken home, the boy dies. How sad his mother is! Right away she goes and gets E·li´sha.
When E·li´sha arrives, he goes into the room with the dead child. He prays to Jehovah, and lies down over the body. Soon the boy’s body becomes warm, and he sneezes seven times. How happy his mother is when she comes in and finds her boy alive!
Many, many people have died. This has made their families and friends very sad. We don’t have the power to raise the dead. But Jehovah does. Later we will learn how he will bring many millions of people back to life.
1 Kings 17:8-24; 2 Kings 4:8-37.
Story 69
A Girl Helps a Mighty Man
DO YOU know what this little girl is saying? She is telling the lady about Jehovah’s prophet E·li´sha, and the wonderful things that Jehovah helps him to do. The lady does not know about Jehovah because she is not an Israelite. Let’s see, then, why the girl is in the lady’s home.
The lady is a Syrian. Her husband is Na´a·man, the chief of the Syrian army. The Syrians had captured this little Israelite girl, and she was brought to Na´a·man’s wife to be her servant.
Na´a·man has a bad sickness called leprosy. This sickness can even cause some of a person’s flesh to fall off. So this is what the girl is telling Na´a·man’s wife: ‘I wish my master could go to Jehovah’s prophet in Israel. He would heal him of his leprosy.’ Later this is told to the lady’s husband.
Na´a·man wants very much to be healed; so he decides to go to Israel. When he gets there, he goes to E·li´sha’s house. E·li´sha has his servant go out and tell Na´a·man to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. This makes Na´a·man very angry, and he says: ‘The rivers back home are better than any river in Israel!’ After saying this, Na´a·man leaves.
But one of his servants tells him: ‘Sir, if E·li´sha told you to do something hard, you would do it. Now why can’t you just wash yourself, as he said?’ Na´a·man listens to his servant and goes and dips himself in the Jordan River seven times. When he does, his flesh becomes firm and healthy!
Na´a·man is very happy. He returns to E·li´sha and tells him: ‘Now I know for sure that the God in Israel is the only true God in all the earth. So, please, take this gift from me.’ But E·li´sha answers: ‘No, I will not take it.’ E·li´sha knows that it would be wrong for him to take the gift, because it was Jehovah who had healed Na´a·man. But E·li´sha’s servant Ge·ha´zi wants the gift for himself.
So this is what Ge·ha´zi does. After Na´a·man leaves, Ge·ha´zi runs to catch up with him. ‘E·li´sha sent me to tell you that he would like some of your gift for friends who just came to visit,’ Ge·ha´zi says. This, of course, is a lie. But Na´a·man doesn’t know that it is a lie; so he gives Ge·ha´zi some of the things.
When Ge·ha´zi returns home, E·li´sha knows what he has done. Jehovah has told him. So he says: ‘Because you did this bad thing, Na´a·man’s leprosy will come upon you.’ And it does, right away!
What can we learn from all of this? First, that we should be like the little girl and talk about Jehovah. It can do much good. Secondly, we should not be proud as Na´a·man was at first, but we should obey God’s servants. And thirdly, we should not lie as Ge·ha´zi did. Can’t we learn a lot from reading the Bible?
2 Kings 5:1-27.
Story 70
Jonah and the Big Fish
LOOK at the man in the water. He is in a lot of trouble, isn’t he? That fish is about to swallow him! Do you know who this man is? His name is Jo´nah. Let’s see how he got into so much trouble.
Jo´nah is a prophet of Jehovah. It is not long after the death of the prophet E·li´sha that Jehovah tells Jo´nah: ‘Go to the great city of Nin´e·veh. The badness of the people there is very great, and I want you to speak to them about it.’
But Jo´nah does not want to go. So he gets on a boat that is going in the opposite direction from Nin´e·veh. Jehovah is not pleased with Jo´nah for running away. So He causes a big storm. It is so bad that the boat is in danger of sinking. The sailors are very much afraid, and they cry out to their gods for help.
Finally Jo´nah tells them: ‘I worship Jehovah, the God who made the heaven and the earth. And I am running away from doing what Jehovah told me to do.’ So the sailors ask: ‘What should we do to you to stop the storm?’
‘Throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm again,’ Jo´nah says. The sailors don’t want to do it, but as the storm gets worse they finally throw Jo´nah overboard. Right away the storm stops, and the sea is calm again.
As Jo´nah sinks down into the water, the big fish swallows him. But he doesn’t die. For three days and three nights he is in the belly of that fish. Jo´nah is very sorry that he did not obey Jehovah and go to Nin´e·veh. So do you know what he does?
Jo´nah prays to Jehovah for help. Then Jehovah makes the fish vomit Jo´nah out onto dry land. After that Jo´nah goes to Nin´e·veh. Doesn’t this teach us how important it is that we do whatever Jehovah says?
Bible book of Jonah.
Story 71
God Promises a Paradise
THIS is a picture of a paradise such as God may have shown to his prophet Isaiah. Isaiah lived shortly after Jo´nah did.
Paradise means “garden” or “park.” Does it remind you of something we have already seen in this book? It looks much like the beautiful garden that Jehovah God made for Adam and Eve, doesn’t it? But will the whole earth ever be a paradise?
Jehovah told his prophet Isaiah to write about the coming new paradise for God’s people. He said: ‘Wolves and sheep will live together in peace. Young calves and baby lions will feed together, and little children will take care of them. Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake.’
‘This can never happen,’ many will say. ‘There has always been trouble on earth, and there always will be.’ But think about it: What kind of home did God give Adam and Eve?
God put Adam and Eve in a paradise. It is only because they disobeyed God that they lost their beautiful home, grew old and died. God promises that he will give people who love him the very things that Adam and Eve lost.
In the coming new paradise nothing will hurt or destroy. There will be perfect peace. All people will be healthy and happy. It will be just as God wanted it to be at the beginning. But we will learn later how God will bring this about.
Isaiah 11:6-9; Revelation 21:3, 4.
Story 72
God Helps King Hezekiah
DO YOU know why this man is praying to Jehovah? Why has he laid these letters in front of Jehovah’s altar? The man is Hez·e·ki´ah. He is king of the southern two tribes of Israel. And he is in a lot of trouble. Why?
Because the As·syr´i·an armies have already destroyed the northern 10 tribes. Jehovah let this happen because those people were so bad. And now the As·syr´i·an armies have come to fight against the two-tribe kingdom.
The king of As·syr´i·a has just sent letters to King Hez·e·ki´ah. These are the letters that Hez·e·ki´ah has put here before God. The letters make fun of Jehovah, and tell Hez·e·ki´ah to give up. So this is why Hez·e·ki´ah prays: ‘O Jehovah, save us from the king of As·syr´i·a. Then all the nations will know that you alone are God.’ Will Jehovah listen to Hez·e·ki´ah?
Hez·e·ki´ah is a good king. He is not like the bad kings of the 10-tribe kingdom of Israel, or like his bad father King A´haz. Hez·e·ki´ah has been careful to obey all of Jehovah’s laws. So, after Hez·e·ki´ah finishes praying, the prophet Isaiah sends him this message from Jehovah: ‘The king of As·syr´i·a will not come into Jerusalem. None of his soldiers will even come close to it. They will not shoot a single arrow at the city.’
Look at the picture on this page. Do you know who all these dead soldiers are? They are the As·syr´i·ans. Jehovah sent his angel, and in one night the angel killed 185,000 As·syr´i·an soldiers. So the king of As·syr´i·a gives up and goes back home.
The two-tribe kingdom is saved, and the people have peace for a while. But after Hez·e·ki´ah dies his son Ma·nas´seh becomes king. Ma·nas´seh and his son A´mon after him are both very bad kings. So again the land is filled with crime and violence. When King A´mon is murdered by his own servants, his son Jo·si´ah is made king of the two-tribe kingdom.
2 Kings 18:1-36; 19:1-37; 21:1-25.
Story 73
Israel’s Last Good King
JOSIAH is only eight years old when he becomes king of the southern two tribes of Israel. This is very young for one to be king. So at first some older persons help him to rule the nation.
When Jo·si´ah has been king for seven years he starts to seek Jehovah. He follows the example of good kings like David, Je·hosh´a·phat and Hez·e·ki´ah. Then, when he is still just a teenager, Jo·si´ah does a brave thing.
For a long time most of the Israelites have been very bad. They worship false gods. They bow down to idols. So Jo·si´ah goes out with his men and begins to remove false worship from the land. This is a big job because so many people worship false gods. You can see Jo·si´ah and his men here breaking up the idols.
Afterward, Jo·si´ah puts three men in charge of repairing Jehovah’s temple. Money is collected from the people and given to these men to pay for the work that is to be done. While they are working on the temple, the high priest Hil·ki´ah finds something very important there. It is the very book of the law that Jehovah had Moses write a long, long time ago. It was lost for many years.
The book is taken to Jo·si´ah, and he asks that it be read to him. As he listens, Jo·si’ah can see that the people have not been keeping Jehovah’s law. He feels very sad about this, and so he tears his clothes apart, as you can see here. He says: ‘Jehovah is angry with us, because our fathers did not keep the laws written in this book.’
Jo·si´ah commands high priest Hil·ki´ah to find out what Jehovah is going to do to them. Hil·ki´ah goes to the woman Hul´dah, who is a prophetess, and asks her. She gives him this message from Jehovah to take back to Jo·si´ah: ‘Jerusalem and all the people will be punished because they have worshiped false gods and the land has been filled with badness. But because you, Jo·si´ah, have done what is good, this punishment will not come until after your death.’
2 Chronicles 34:1-28.
Story 74
A Man Who Is Not Afraid
SEE the people making fun of this young man. Do you know who he is? This is Jeremiah. He is a very important prophet of God.
Soon after King Jo·si´ah starts destroying the idols out of the land, Jehovah tells Jeremiah to be His prophet. However, Jeremiah thinks he is too young to be a prophet. But Jehovah says that He will help him.
Jeremiah tells the Israelites to stop doing bad things. ‘The gods that the people of the nations worship are false,’ he says. But many Israelites would rather worship idols than worship the true God Jehovah. When Jeremiah tells the people that God will punish them for their badness, they just laugh at him.
Years pass. Jo·si´ah dies, and three months later his son Je·hoi´a·kim becomes king. Jeremiah keeps telling the people: ‘Jerusalem will be destroyed if you don’t change your bad ways.’ The priests grab Jeremiah and shout: ‘You should be killed for saying these things.’ Then they tell the princes of Israel: ‘Jeremiah should be put to death, because he has spoken against our city.’
What will Jeremiah do now? He is not afraid! He tells all of them: ‘Jehovah sent me to speak these things to you. If you don’t change your bad ways of living, Jehovah will destroy Jerusalem. But be sure of this: If you kill me, you will be killing a man who has done no wrong.’
The princes let Jeremiah live, but the Israelites do not change their bad ways. Later Neb·u·chad·nez´zar, the king of Babylon, comes and fights against Jerusalem. Finally Neb·u·chad·nez´zar makes the Israelites his servants. He takes many thousands away to Babylon. Just think what it would be like to have strange people carry you off from your home to a strange land!
Jeremiah 1:1-8; 10:1-5; 26:1-16; 2 Kings 24:1-17.
Story 75
Four Boys in Babylon
KING Neb·u·chad·nez´zar takes all the best educated Israelites away to Babylon. Afterward the king chooses from among them the most handsome and smartest young men. Four of these are the boys you see here. One is Daniel, and the other three the Babylonians call Sha´drach, Me´shach and A·bed´ne·go.
Neb·u·chad·nez´zar plans to train the young men to serve in his palace. After three years of training he will choose only the smartest ones to help him to solve problems. The king wants the boys to be strong and healthy while they are being trained. So he gives orders that his servants should give all of them the same rich food and wine that he and his family receive.
Look at young Daniel. Do you know what he is saying to Neb·u·chad·nez´zar’s chief servant Ash´pe·naz? Daniel is telling him that he does not want to eat the rich things from the king’s table. But Ash´pe·naz is worried. ‘The king has decided what you are to eat and drink,’ he says. ‘And if you don’t look as healthy as the other young men, he may kill me.’
So Daniel goes to the guardian that Ash´pe·naz has put in charge of him and his three friends. ‘Please put us to the test for 10 days,’ he says. ‘Give us some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare us with the other young men who are eating the king’s food, and see who looks better.’
The guardian agrees to do this. And when the 10 days are up, Daniel and his three friends look healthier than all the other young men. So the guardian lets them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provides.
At the end of three years all the young men are taken to Neb·u·chad·nez´zar. After talking to them all, the king finds Daniel and his three friends to be the smartest ones. So he keeps them to help him in the palace. And whenever the king asks Daniel, Sha´drach, Me´shach and A·bed´ne·go questions or gives them hard problems, they know 10 times as much as any of his priests or wise men.
Daniel 1:1-21.
Story 76
Jerusalem Is Destroyed
IT IS over 10 years since King Neb·u·chad·nez´zar took all the best educated Israelites away to Babylon. And now look at what is happening! Jerusalem is being burned down. And the Israelites who weren’t killed are being taken as prisoners to Babylon.
Remember, this is what Jehovah’s prophets warned would happen if the people didn’t change their bad ways. But the Israelites did not listen to the prophets. They kept right on worshiping false gods instead of Jehovah. So the people deserve to be punished. We know this because God’s prophet Ezekiel tells us about the bad things that the Israelites were doing.
Do you know who Ezekiel is? He is one of the young men King Neb·u·chad·nez´zar took to Babylon over 10 years before this great destruction of Jerusalem took place. Daniel and his three friends, Sha´drach, Me´shach and A·bed´ne·go, were also taken to Babylon at the same time.
While Ezekiel is still in Babylon, Jehovah shows him the bad things happening back in Jerusalem at the temple. Jehovah does this by a miracle. Ezekiel is really still in Babylon, but Jehovah lets him see everything that is going on at the temple. And what Ezekiel sees is shocking!
‘Look at the disgusting things that the people are doing here at the temple,’ Jehovah tells Ezekiel. ‘Look at the walls covered with pictures of snakes and other animals. And look at the Israelites worshiping them!’ Ezekiel can see these things, and he writes down what is happening.
‘Do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret?’ Jehovah asks Ezekiel. Yes, he can see this too. There are 70 men, and they are all worshiping false gods. They are saying: ‘Jehovah is not seeing us. He has left the land.’
Then Jehovah shows Ezekiel some women at the north gate of the temple. They are sitting there worshiping the false god Tam´muz. And look at those men at the entrance of Jehovah’s temple! There are about 25 of them. Ezekiel sees them. They are bowing to the east and worshiping the sun!
‘These people have no respect for me,’ Jehovah says. ‘They not only do bad things but come right to my temple and do them!’ So Jehovah promises: ‘They will feel the force of my anger. And I will not be sorry for them when they are destroyed.’
It is only about three years after Jehovah shows Ezekiel these things that the Israelites rebel against King Neb·u·chad·nez´zar. So he goes to fight against them. After a year and a half the Babylonians break through the walls of Jerusalem and burn the city to the ground. Most of the people are killed or taken away as prisoners to Babylon.
Why has Jehovah let this terrible destruction happen to the Israelites? Yes, because they have not listened to Jehovah and they have not obeyed his laws. This shows how important it is for us always to do what God says.
At first a few people are allowed to stay in the land of Israel. King Neb·u·chad·nez´zar puts a Jew named Ged·a·li´ah in charge of these people. But then some Israelites murder Ged·a·li´ah. Now the people are afraid that the Babylonians will come and destroy them all because this bad thing has happened. So they force Jeremiah to come with them, and they run away to Egypt.
This leaves the land of Israel without any people at all. For 70 years no one lives in the land. It is completely empty. But Jehovah promises that he will bring his people back to the land after 70 years. In the meantime, what is happening to God’s people in the land of Babylon where they have been taken? Let’s see.
2 Kings 25:1-26; Jeremiah 29:10; Ezekiel 1:1-3; 8:1-18.
Part 5
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