CHAPTER XI.

HISTORY OF THE PROPHETS.

THE ancient prophets whom God in his wisdom chose from the different nations and tribes to prophesy unto the people his word, and teach them his commands. "For the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren." (Deut. xviii. 15.)

The term prophecy was regarded as under the direction of the Holy Spirit. So it is said that Judas and Silas were prophets; and in Acts xiii. 1, that there were in the church at Antioch certain prophets and teachers.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, are called the greater prophets, from the size of their books, and the extent and importance of their prophecies. The others are called the minor or lesser prophets.

The supposed chronological arrangement of the prophecies, and the order in which they may be most intelligibly read, is as follows:

THE PROPHET NOAH.-Noah, the son of Lamech, was a prophet of the antediluvian world. A knowledge of the deluge was made known to him about 120 years before the flood. He was a just man and a faithful preacher of righteousness. He warned the people of their destruction by a flood. God commanded Noah to build the ark, or great ship, and Ham, a mighty man, helped to build the ark at God's command. The posterity of Noah who inhabited the earth after the flood, were a colored people, and their language was Hebrew. [See the Historical books of the ancients.] This language was originally given to man by his Creator, and afterwards broken into a multitude of tongues at Babel. The Hebrew, it is almost certain, was the language of Adam and Eve, and it is certain their complexion was black, or dark red. Their country was called the land of Ethiopia (Gen. ii. 13.)

ABRAHAM.—The prophet Abraham, the son of Terah. The Lord God called Abraham about 1921, B. C. He was 75 years old, and the tenth lineal descendant from Shem, born in Chaldea, the land of Nimrod. He was a faithful preacher of righteousness, and a father of many nations.

Lor.-Righteous Lot, the son of Haran, Abraham's brother's son, who prayed for his brethren of Sodoin and Gomorrah, in the border of Canaan, a wicked people of a black complexion, whom the Lord threatened he would destroy, and their cities, for their wickedness, for their transgressions had come up before him. The angel made known the will of the Lord to Lot, for him and his family to escape from the city; and Lot spake unto his sons-inlaw to flee for their lives, for the Lord would destroy their city; but they mocked and obeyed him not, and perished in the flames of fire that were rained down from the clouds upon all the inhabitants except Lot, his wife, and two daughters, who fled unto the mountain. Lot's wife looked back, and became a pillar of salt, for disobeying the command of God, but Lot with his daughters entered into Zoar, and from there into the mountains of Arabia, and dwelt in a cave.

There was no man in these mountains but Lot, that his daughters might be married, and bear seed. Now the daughters of Lot made their father drink wine, and they lay with him, and he perceived it not when they lay down.

nor when they rose up. Thus were both of the daughters of Lot with child by their father. The first born bore a son, and she called his name Moab, the father of the Moabites, who inhabited the land of Moab. And the younger bore a son, and she called his name Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites, who inhabited the land of Ammon. (Gen. xix., Ruth iv., 1 Kings xi. 1.)

MOSES. The prophet Moses, the son of Amram, a Hebrew of the tribe of Levi, a prophet of Egypt, and a leader of the Israelites. He wrote five Books, viz., Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, [called the Books of Moses,] in the land of Midian and Moab. The Law of God delivered by Moses unto the tribes of Israel. And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. (Deut. xxxi. 24-26.)

And Moses led the Israelites forty years in the wilderness, and died about 1447 years B. C., on mount Hor, in the sight of Canaan. (Gen., Exod., Num. xxvi. 59.)

The prophet Oleodemus, who was also called Malchus, wrote a history of the Jews, in agreement with the history of Moses, their legislator.

JOSHUA. The prophet Joshua, the son of Nun. The Lord appointed Joshua to succeed Moses, and he should lead the people into the promised land, the land of Canaan, of wine and honey. Joshua led Israel and conquered many nations. Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, the son of Judah, of the tribe of Israel. This Ethiopian transgressed against the law of God, written by Moses, and he was stoned to death in the valley of Achor, by the Israelites. (Joshua vii., 2 Chron. xiv. 9.)

Aaron is called the prophet of Moses, (Ex. vii. 1,) because he declared the communications of Moses to the people.

The Book of Judges forms an important part in the history of Israel; and independently of the ample proofs of its authenticity, found in its style, and in its being quoted by both Old and New Testament writers, the transactions it

records are confirmed by traditions current among the heathen. Thus we find the memorial of Gideon's transactions preserved by Sanchoniatho.

The Book of Ruth is thought to have been written by Samuel, and forms a sort of appendix to the book of Judges. The principal scope of the book is to record the genealogy of Christ in David's line. Compare Ruth iv. 18–22, with Matt. i. 5, 6. The adoption of Ruth, a heathen, converted to Judaism.

SAMUEL. The prophet Samuel, the son of Elkanah, an Ephrathite, the descendant of Egypt. He was dedicated to the Lord from his birth, and brought up in the temple, under the care of Eli, the high priest. Samuel was commanded by the Lord to take a vial of oil and pour it upon the head of Saul, and anoint him king over Israel; and he did so. But Saul was rejected from reigning over Israel for his wickedness; and the Lord said unto Samuel, fill thine horns with oil, and anoint David, the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-judah, whose name was Jesse, king of Israel; and he did so. (1st and 2d Samuel.) Samuel anointed Saul, 1117 B. C.

ESTHER THE QUEEN.-Hadassah, or Esther, the daugh ter of Abihail, and cousin of Mordecai, the Jew. A hasuerus, the king, who reigned from India (or Abyssinia) into Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces in Africa. He loved Esther above all the women in his kingdom, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he married her, set the royal crown upon her head, and made her Queen about 467 years B. C.

HAMAN.—Haman, an Agagite, of the race of the Amalekites, the descendants of Ham, a great favorite of king Ahasuerus, offended at Mordecai because he falls not down and adores him, as others do, resolves to be revenged of the whole nation of the Jews. Haman obtains an edict from the king that all Jews, without respect to sex or age, upon the 13th day of the month Adar, be put to death in all the provinces of the king's domains. Hereupon, Mordecai, Esther, and all the Jews, humble themselves before the Lord, by fasting and prayer; three days and nights did they neither eat nor drink. Esther entertaining the king and Haman at banquet, maketh suit for her own life and her

people's and accuseth Haman. The king understanding it, she obtained favor of him; then the king's decree was reversed, and the enemies of the Jews were destroyed by an edict from the king, throughout the provinces of Abyssinia, ancient Ethiopia. (Map of Africa. Book of Esther.)

JOB.-Job, a perfect, blameless and holy man, who lived about 1500 years B. C. The words of Job to his friends, "My skin is black upon me." (Job xxx. 30.) Thus he speaks of himself, for he was an Arabian shepherd, who dwelt in the land of Uz,* with seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she asses, and a very great household. There were born He was a per-,

unto him seven sons and three daughters. fect and upright man, and there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and behold there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon them, and they died. The Sabeans, the descendants of Cush, fell upon Job's servants with the edge, of the sword and slew them, and drove away his oxen and asses with them. The Chaldeans [Ethiopians] made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and carried them away and slew his servants. There were four messengers who came unto Job and told him, saying they only escaped alone to tell him; great was the affliction of Job, but he complained not against God, so the Lord blessed the latter end of Job, more than his beginning, for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand. yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters.

DAVID. The Psalm of David constitute the nineteenth in the order of the books of the Old Testament, and their right to a place in the canon has never been disputed. They consist of inspired hymns and songs, meditations and prayers, chiefly of David. It is supposed they were collected into one book by Ezra, though without any regard to chronological order. They are a complete and perfect manual of devotional exercises; and there is scarcely a grief or disease of the soul, for which there is not in this divine

*The Book of Job. Calmet and others make Uz, his country, to have, been Arabia Deserta.