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               reaped the curses they had been warned about. But in mercy YEHOVAH
               sent judges to Israel to rescue them from oppressors.


               7. Yet as soon as the judge died, what did the people do? Verses 18-19.


               COMMENT: They returned to idolatry! This happened repeatedly.


               8. In the days of Samuel did Israel committed an even greater sin? I Sam-
               uel 8:4-8.

               COMMENT:  They  rejected  YEHOVAH  God  as their king  --  demanding  a
               human king, to which YEHOVAH consented. Still, YEHOVAH dealt with Is-
               rael. Under the later reigns of David and his son Solomon YEHOVAH God
               prospered the nation greatly.


               9. What did Solomon do that divided the nation in two? I Kings 11:1-8.


               COMMENT:  Because Solomon committed idolatry, after his death
               YEHOVAH divided the nation in two -- the House of Israel in the north and
               the House of Judah in the south (verses 29-38).


               Throughout the reigns of many kings, YEHOVAH pleaded with His people
               Israel and Judah through His prophets -- admonishing them to return to His
               way. But for hundreds of years they refused to learn the lesson that experi-
               ence should have taught them.  Finally, just as He  warned He would,
               YEHOVAH sent the House of Israel into Assyrian captivity, with Judah go-
               ing into Babylonian captivity a century and a quarter later.

               Why They Broke Their Promise


               Why did Israel fail to keep the covenant they made with YEHOVAH God,
               even though  YEHOVAH  revealed to them His laws, established His gov-
               ernment over them and they agreed to obey Him? To answer this we need
               to understand YEHOVAH’s purpose in choosing Israel to be His people.


               1.  What was the  reason  YEHOVAH  God made  Israel His chosen peo-
               ple? Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 10:15.


               COMMENT: YEHOVAH God chose Israel above all other nations on earth
               to be His own nation because of His love for and promises to their forefa-
               thers -- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As YEHOVAH’s chosen nation, Israel
               was to set an example of obedience to YEHOVAH God for all the other na-
               tions to follow (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).



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