84. Isaiah and Jeremiah.—Nor did the kings and people sin thus grievously because they had no prophets to warn them. Just as God sent Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea to warn and woo the Northern Kingdom, so he sent the great Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn the men of the Southern Kingdom. Plainer warnings, grander promises, better counsels than these prophets gave, have never been uttered by human lips. For about sixty years, beginning in the reign of Uzziah, Isaiah pleaded with the nation. He lived and prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and all through these days he was faithful to his mission. Sometimes he was heeded, and sometimes he was scoffed at, but ever and always he was faithful. So too was Jeremiah, whom nothing could turn from the integrity of his course. For the most part mocked at, traduced and ridiculed by the leaders, these men were helpless, for the minds and hearts of rulers and people were set on mischief. But though hand joined in hand, evil was sure not to go unpunished, and so the end came.
85. Captivity.—What a contrast between Israel marching triumphantly into the land, and Israel (and later on, Judah) marching out of the land in chains and humiliation! Through faith they conquered Jericho, and through lack of faith they themselves were at last conquered, and taken off into a land of shame and sorrow.
Test Questions
How long did the Kingdom of Judah last?
How much longer did it last than the Kingdom of Israel?
What reason may we assign for this?
Under what king did Judah reach the maximum of her power?
Name the next king who ruled the nation in the fear of God.
How did Ahaz provoke the Lord to anger especially?
Who was probably the best of all the kings of Judah?