But an energetic monarch, Adad-Nirari III (812-783 B.C.) once more ascended the throne of Assyria. One of his first steps was the restoration of Assyria's power in the west, and a series of campaigns against Damascus reduced her to submission and enabled Israel under Joash to free herself from that domination. Then set in a period of almost unexampled prosperity for Israel. Left free to develop her own resources, she rapidly attained a position of power and influence unknown since the days of David and Solomon. Her territory is said to have extended from the upper end of the Dead Sea in the south to the Pass of Hamath in the north. Wealth accumulated rapidly in the hands of the nobles, as may be learned by reference to the speeches of the prophet Amos, whose activity falls in the days of Jeroboam II, and whose prophecies we shall study in the next chapter. But the luxury and materialism accompanying increasing prosperity blinded the eyes of the rich to the rights of the poor. The long wars with Damascus, with the heavy financial burdens which they had entailed, had as always fallen heaviest upon the shoulders of the poorer classes. The distress of that period had left them largely at the mercy of those who had wealth, and the latter were not hesitating to grind the faces of the poor, or, as Amos phrases it, "to trample the head of the poor to the dust of the earth."

With the passing of Jeroboam II northern Israel hastened rapidly toward its doom. Murder and anarchy displaced law and order. King followed king upon the throne in quick succession. Zechariah after reigning six months was murdered by Shallum, who in turn after a month gave place to his murderer Menahem. The latter held the throne for ten years, but was obliged to pay an enormous tribute to Assyria in order to save his throne and country. For under one of the greatest of its kings, Tiglath-pileser III (745727 B.C.), Assyria was again pushing her way southward toward Egypt. These two aspirants for world power were preparing to match forces one against the other. The possession of Syria and Palestine, as the bridge connecting Assyria and Egypt, was of immense strategic importance to the contestants. Tiglath-pileser was the first of the two to set foot upon the bridge.

to the Assyrian King

Meantime the smaller states of the west were becoming restive under the heavy yoke of Assyria. As in the days of Ahab, so once again they strove to form a coalition against her. Damascus under Remaliah, and Samaria under Pekah sought the cooperation of Judah, which was refused. Hence they attacked Jerusalem and strove to force her into compliance with their plans. Ahaz, her king, sent to Tiglath-pileser for succor, thereby professing himself a vassal of Assyria. Tiglath-pileser was not slow to avail himself of this opportunity and hastened to the west. Damascus was subdued and destroyed. Northern Israel was invaded and deprived of all her territory east of the Jordan, and although she paid a heavy tribute to Assyria, a large share of her population was deported to Assyria (734 B.C.). In connection with these events Pekah, whose actions had brought on the Assyrian invasion, was slain by Hoshea, who thereupon seized the throne for himself. He held it, however, as a vassal of Assyria, paying a heavy annual tribute. This was irksome to the freedom-loving Israelites, and they lent a ready ear to So, king of Egypt, who encouraged them to revolt. Relying upon the support of this inveterate and powerful enemy of Assyria they withheld their annual tribute, thus announcing the fact of their revolt against their overlord. The challenge was at once accepted by the Assyrians and an army was sent to reduce Samaria to submission. In this time of need Egypt proved herself unreliable. She furnished no aid, notwithstanding that she had instigated Israel to revolt, and that it was in reality her battle that was being fought by Israel. Hence after a desperate siege, extending through three long years, Samaria fell (722 B.C.), and the kingdom of Israel came to an end, being incorporated as a province in the great empire of Assyria.

The internal condition of Israel during the troubled years from the death of Jeroboam II to the deportation under Tiglath-pileser in 734 B.C. is reflected for us in the writings of Hosea, a prophet of this period. He like Amos saw that the sins of Israel were exceedingly great and merited punishment from Jehovah. Both Amos and Hosea saw the shadow of Assyria looming larger and larger upon the horizon and were not slow to interpret the coming disaster

as an expression of Jehovah's wrath against his wicked people. At a time when their fellow-countrymen were losing faith in Jehovah and were ready to transfer their allegiance to the victorious gods of Assyria, Amos and Hosea insisted that the national disasters were but further proofs of the righteousness, justice, and power of Jehovah, from whose care and protection the nation was separating itself by its own misdeeds. But we must not too greatly anticipate the story of the work of these two men.