Poem: The Israelites

Submitted by sayatan on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 18:38

The Israelites

Canaan was the name of the land

When Father Abraham was a young man

The land of the Canaanites, you will find

Was changed to Palestine

The name but not the land is gone

Today it is Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon

God changed Jacobs name to Israel in Preparation

And told him that he would father a nation

Jacob was the Father of twelve sons,

And thus was the nation of Israel begun

In Palestine, some 5,000 years ago

They settled down and began to grow

The Israelites belonged to tribes known as Hebrews

And from the tribe of Judah came the name Jews

They made Saul King because he was brave

And joined together their lands to save

When King Saul was in battle slain,

David the poet came to reign

Jerusalem was the capital's name,

And it stands in Jordan today, pretty much the same**

Solomon was next to wear the crown,

And he built the first temple on this Holy ground

When Rehoboam came to the throne,

Ten of the tribes set up a nation of their own

Assyria destroyed Israel and scattered her people far and wide

They are referred to today as the ten lost tribes

Babylon captured Judah, the remaining nation

Destroyed their temple and put many in captivation

The Persian Emperor, Cyrus, let them go home

but many remained in Babylon

They were ruled by Macedonia, Egypt, and Syria in succession

But finally under Maccabees gained liberation

For about 100 years they called their land their own

Then in 63 B.C. Pompey captured it for Rome

During this time Jesus was born and died

But from him came a religion that has survived

They tried to regain their homeland to no avail,

So many left this land to blaze new trails

Many searched for homes in vain,

Millions were persecuted and slain

The Jews didn't have an independent state

Until the State of Israel was established in 1948

The Jews no longer have to roam,

The Israelites, Hebrews, and Judeans have a home

By Juanita and Jeannie Peters

**Israel claimed old Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 six-day war.

Reference:
And he built the first temple on this Holy ground

They are referred to today as the ten lost tribes

Books

A Biblical History of
Israel (Paperback)

Paperback: 416 pages

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1 edition (August 2003)

Language: English

Reviewer:

The actual text of the book is just over 300 pp, with the rest devoted
to notes and indexes. Provan wrote 6 chaps, Long 3, and Longman 2. I originally
purchased this book because I was somewhat familiar with the work of Long
and Longman. I was unsure of Provan's writing. This is no longer the case.
Provan has amazed me with his depth and thoroughness. His name is now
on my list of favorites.

The first 100 pp, mostly by Provan, address methodology. In it, he makes
a compelling case for the value of testimony. He points out the inconsistency
of modern historians who wish to give greater credibility to extra-biblical
texts and archaeology, while exercising maximal skepticism towards the
biblical accounts. His arguments are clear and well-reasoned.

The next 200 pp are a history of Old Testament Israel. The authors leave
open the question of the date of the exodus. A discussion on the archaeology
of the conquest occupies 20 pp.

There are no maps, charts, or images; and only 6 tables. The type size
is about 9 point, allowing the authors to pack a lot of material between
the covers of the book. The pages have decent margins for the reader who
likes to make notes. There are 83 pp of notes, along with a Scripture
index, Scholars Cited index, and an Index of Select Topics.

Israel, My Beloved (Paperback)

Reviewer:

This book is one of the best books I have ever read. It is historic and
classic in content and relative since it is about an ongoing biblical
story that everything - absolutely everything - hinges on. While reading
this book I was blessed to visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond,
VA and it added a dimension of reality to that era of persecution that
the Jewish people suffered. This is a beautiful portrayal of God's love
for the Jewish people ~ an everlasting love that has and will endure forever.
Kay Arthur should win an award for the sheer brilliance of this work.

Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (March 15, 2001)

Language: English