Preliminary Thoughts on I Kings 2006 July 19^th for September 5^th

When I read into the stories of the post-David kings for the first time, I remember being surprised that Solomon was DavidÕs successor. Solomon is a well-known cultural icon to us and is well renown for his wisdom and wealth. He reigned over what was truly the golden age of Israel under monarchy. I had no idea, however, until I arrived at this point in the Bible for the first time, that Solomon was even Jewish, much less ruler over all Israel and Judah!

This says something about my Sunday School training.

But if I Samuel is the story of Samuel and Saul and II Samuel is the story of David, only the first few chapters of I Kings are devoted to the great Solomon, the first of a long line of kings running through the unfolding story of Israel and Judah. My impression from that first reading, over thirty years ago, is that after a while it gets duller than some of the less notable of the judges. Not long after SolomonÕs death, Israel and Judah split and then there are two monarchies that must be tracked in parallel. Each one is called out in time relative to the other so it has been pretty involved for those who have attempted a unified chronology of it all. Sometimes an interesting or sordid story breaks out of it, but many of the entries are just of a king who reigned for a few years before dying or being assassinated, and then who his successor was. It gets even worse in the two books of Chronicles.

To the extent that Christians consider this material at all, it is for object lessons about how a sinful monarch brings about GodÕs judgment on himself and his subjects. If there are positive object lessons, good kings who brought favor from God on the people, we will encounter them, but I havenÕt heard such a thing preached.

This is also the era when the prophets begin to appear. God has promised that the ruler of Israel will, forever, be a descendant of David, despite the fact that many of these descendants will be worse, much worse, than Saul himself. The mantel of GodÕs voice will then rest on another person for much of this time, a person who lives in relative poverty, has no authority or power except to be the spokesman of God, and who advises the king and the people, often with dire messages. Also, some of them recorded their ministry in writing and we will study these records when we get to the major and minor prophets.

In the current reading through the Bible, we have been surprised before. LetÕs hope to be surprised again.

I Kings 1 2006 July 19^th for September 6^th

King David was old and could not stay warm. A beautiful young virgin named Abishag was brought to attend him and to lay with him to keep him warm. He did not, perhaps could not have sex with her, however.

I am told that the culturally proper reading of this is that it was suspected that David was no longer virile and that bringing this Abishag in was a test to see if he was. When it was found that he was not, he was considered as good as dead.

DavidÕs son Adonijah (son of Haggith) was next in line after Absalom. He took the cue and set himself up as king by proclaiming a big party and inviting those loyal to his succession. This included Joab and Abiathar. He offered enormous sacrifices. Zadok, Benaiah, Nathan, Shimei, and Rei stayed with David, however, and were not invited by Adonijah. David did not know anything about what Adonijah was doing.

Neither was Solomon invited.

Nathan came to Bathsheba and alerted her to the danger. He said, ÒNow then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.Ó

Bathsheba went in to the king, where he was being attended by Abishag, was received, and bowed low. She asked the king to reaffirm that Solomon was the heir and then told him about Adonijah. She said that if Adonijah did become king, she and her son Solomon would be Òtreated as criminals.Ó While she was speaking, Nathan came in, was received, bowed low, and confirmed BathshebaÕs story, as planned.

This is a moment of high drama in the Bible. Here in DavidÕs hospice chamber are David, Bathsheba, and Nathan, all the actors in the story of DavidÕs first great sin, as well as Abishag, with whom he was not virile. The crisis was immediate. David must act or all these people would be swept away upon his death, maybe before.

David acted. He swore again to Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him and he appointed him king at that moment. He had Zadok come in and instructed him to take Solomon out, put him on the kingÕs donkey, go down to Gihon and anoint him, then bring him up and put him on the throne. Benaiah also affirmed this, ÒAs the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!Ó

So this was done and there was a huge procession in the streets with people shouting, ÒLong live King Solomon!Ó The celebration was so loud that it shook the ground.

Adonijah at his own party heard the noise and asked what was going on up in the city. Jonothan, son of Abiathar came and reported to him that Solomon had been elevated. Everybody at the party dispersed quickly and Adonijah himself went and held to the horns of the altar pleading for mercy. This was reported to Solomon who made this proclamation:

ÒIf he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.Ó

He then had Adonijah brought in from the altar and sent him to his home.

I Kings 2 2006 July 20^th for September 7^th

The time came for David to die. He spoke to Solomon: ÒI am about to go the way of all the earth, so be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ÔIf your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.ÕÓ

David also gave other specific instructions. Concerning Joab, who had killed the other army commanders, Abner and Amasa, in peacetime as if they were at war, Òdo not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.Ó

Concerning the sons of Barzillai of Gilead, be good to them, they had stood with David when he fled from Òyour brother Absalom.Ó

As for Shimei, who had cursed David on the road, David had not had him killed that day, as we remember, ÒBut now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.Ó

So we see, a little to my surprise, that although David seemed merciful in these cases when they occurred (Joab was probably too strong for David to anything but tolerate and he was quite weak when insulted by Shimei), he did not forget and he did not forgive. He had merely saved just punishment for these offenses for the next administration.

After these instructions, two of peace and two of death, David Òrested with his fathers.Ó At last, he joined SolomonÕs older brother, the child of the adultery, in death as he had said he would. He was buried in the City of David.

The remainder of the chapter describes the actions Solomon took which firmly established his rule.

First, his older brother Adonijah approached Bathsheba with a request for the king. He wanted to marry Abishag, the final, unconsummated concubine of David. Bathsheba went to the king and was received. He had a throne set up beside his for the kingÕs mother. She then made the request and Solomon denied it. ÒWhy do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him – after all, he is my older brother – yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah! May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request!Ó Solomon gave the order and Benaiah went and carried it out.

With Adonijah dead, there was no remaining serious dispute to DavidÕs order of succession. We know from II Samuel 3 that there were other sons older than Solomon, Amnon was dead, but we know nothing more of Kileab, son of Abigail. Absalom and Adonijah were dead, but we know nothing of Shephatiah and Ithream. Of course, SolomonÕs older full brother, the first son of Bathsheba, was deadÉ.

Solomon then removed Abiathar from the priesthood and banished him back to his familyÕs fields. He said that Abiathar deserved death (the standard punishment for taking the wrong side in a succession dispute), but that he had stood with David in his flight from Absalom (choosing correctly in that case) and had carried the Ark, so he would merely be exiled. Still, this fulfilled the next generation of the prophecy against the house of Eli, that none of his descendants would remain priest beyond middle age.

Joab had ÒconspiredÓ with Adonijah and knew he was in trouble. Solomon ordered him killed. He flew to the Tabernacle and took the horns of the altar. Benaiah went and told Joab to come out, but Joab shouted back that he would stay and die there. Solomon authorized this and Benaiah went and killed him on the altar. Joab was buried on his property in the desert. Solomon proclaimed that this cleared the house of David from JoabÕs wrongdoing.

Benaiah replaced Joab in command of the army and Zadok the priest replaced Abiathar.

Finally there was the matter of Shimei. Solomon called him in and lectured him. He told him to build a house in Jerusalem and stay there because if he ever left town, he would be executed. Shimei (who really had no other choice) said this was fair, agreed to it, and complied. Three years later, however, a couple of his slaves ran off and he went on his donkey to bring them back. When this transgression was reported to Solomon, he gave the order and Benaiah went out and killed him.

And so all of DavidÕs charge to Solomon was carried out, a bloody mess this regime change, really.

ÒThe kingdom was now firmly established in SolomonÕs hands.Ó

Although it was not one of the problems with monarchy listed in SamuelÕs lengthy sermon on the matter, succession is often difficult. Sometimes it leads to more than palace intrigue, it leads to international conflict. In this case, for some reason, several of DavidÕs sons thought of themselves as heirs and started the succession before he was even dead. We are not told in the text if this was normal in the region, but normal or not, it led to extended grief in DavidÕs family.

Harsh as it seems, SolomonÕs firm approach was probably all what saved him. Joab and Shimei were open and shut cases, Abiathar received mercy, and anything that Adonijah did would have been the capital offence for which Solomon was waiting. The request for Abishag was fairly blatant, however. Bathsheba is never mentioned again. Her involvement in the request might have gotten her moved out of court too.

I Kings 3 2006 July 21^st for September 8^th

This is the famous chapter in which Solomon asks for and receives great wisdom and uses it in resolving his first important case.

He made an alliance with Pharaoh in Egypt and married PharaohÕs daughter. He also built a palace in Jerusalem and a Temple to God and a wall around the city. ÒSolomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.Ó

Recall that God had ordered no worship except in the place he specified, particularly not on the Òhigh placesÓ like the heathen did. So far, this rule has not been kept since Moses.

The most important of the high places was Gibeon. Solomon went there and offered a thousand burnt offerings. That night he had a dream in which God asked him what he wanted. Solomon said that he appreciated his father David and DavidÕs devotion to God and that he had succeeded his father David, but that he was a child and didnÕt know how to do this job, being king of such a great people. He asked God for wisdom.

God was pleased with this; that he had asked for wisdom instead of riches or long life or the death of his enemies. Since God was pleased he granted SolomonÕs request for wisdom and also gave him the other things that he did not ask for, long life, riches, and the death of his enemies. During his lifetime he would not have a peer among other kings, he would be so great.

Solomon then awoke and realized that it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, offered more peace offerings, and threw a feast.

His first judicial case came before him. Two prostitutes lived together with no one else in the house. Each had become pregnant and had borne a son. One night, the second prostitute had rolled over and smothered her son. When she discovered it, she switched babies with her partner so that in the morning when she woke up, the baby with her was dead. When it got light enough to examine the baby closely, she realized that it was not hers.

The two prostitutes then entered into a Òyes she did, no she didnÕtÓ shouting match.

Solomon ordered a sword brought. He then decreed that the living child be cut in half, and that each prostitute receive one of the halves. This was fine with the second prostitute but the first broke down and begged the king not to kill the child, but to just give him to the other woman.

At this, Solomon perceived who the real mother was and awarded the living child to the first woman.

The people were in awe of SolomonÕs wisdom and discerning in this case and credited God.

It is interesting that, at least in this record, there is no notion that there was anything wrong with prostitution or with these two women living together with illegitimate children in this way. There may be facets to the story that we are not told. The important point that the Bible makes, however, is that Solomon unraveled this mess and did the right thing at the highest level.

I Kings 4 2006 July 24^th for September 11^th

SolomonÕs officials are listed, some of whom we have met and some of whom we have not. There was the priest, Azariah son of Zadok (the next generation), secretaries, a recorder, Benaiah, commander in chief, Azariah, son of Nathan (Nathan the prophet?) in charge of the Òdistrict officersÓ (discussed next), a priest and personal advisor, a man in charge of the palace, and a man in charge of forced labor.

Solomon had Israel divided into twelve districts, each of which supplied provisions for the king and his household one month out of the year each. The governors of these districts are named and their territories described and it is noted that several of them were married to SolomonÕs daughters.

ÒThe people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.Ó

SolomonÕs rule extended all the way to Egypt, and several neighboring countries brought tribute also.

The daily provisions at the palace amounted to 185 bushels of flour and about 375 bushels of meal, ten head of cattle, stall-fed, and twenty from the pasture, a hundred sheep and goats and numerous other animals such as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fowl.

ÒDuring SolomonÕs lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.Ó

This is an image of peace and contentment in the ancient world, to live under oneÕs own provisioning tree.

The writer now attempts to enumerate SolomonÕs wisdom, calling it greater than the sand of the seashore. Several people are listed, presumably people known to be wise, above whom Solomon is more wise. He was famous everywhere and gave three thousand proverbs (some of which we will study later when we come to the book of Proverbs) and a thousand and five songs. He also was a naturalist, describing all sorts of plant and animal life found throughout the region. Most of this is not recorded in the Bible.

ÒMen of all nations came to listen to SolomonÕs wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.Ó

I Kings 5 2006 July 25^th for September 12^th

Work begins on the Temple.

The neighboring king Hiram had always wanted to be on good terms with David, so he sent envoys to Solomon who received them in peace. He gave them a message to take back to Hiram, that he wanted to build a Temple. David had been surrounded by fighting but Solomon had been given peace in the entire region and since there were no natural disasters and since God had promised that DavidÕs son would build the Temple, Solomon was ready to get started.

This was probably the last time that there was peace in that entire regionÉ.

He asked Hiram to send cedars from Lebanon and said that he would send Israelites to work along side his men to cut them and bring them back to Jerusalem for the construction. Also he said, ÔName your price.Õ

Hiram was pleased with SolomonÕs proposal, blessed God that he had put such a wise man over Israel, and immediately put the plan into work. His men would cut the trees and take them down the ocean and float them as rafts to a place where Solomon would specify, then separate them so they could be taken away from there. The price was that Solomon would provide food for the royal household of Hiram.

This must have brought on a fairly high taxation rate.

So, in exchange for all the cedar and pin logs that he wanted, Solomon gave 125,000 bushels of wheat and 115,000 gallons of olive oil as provision. This went on year after year and the two kings became friends and made a treaty.

Solomon drafted 30,000 laborers from Israel and put them under Adoniram, the official in charge of forced labor. They worked a three-month cycle spending one month in Lebanon on the task and two months at home. There were 3300 foremen to direct the work.

They also quarried Òlarge blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and the men of Gebal cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.Ó

I Kings 6 2006 July 26^th for September 13^th

The temple is built.

In the second month of the fourth year of SolomonÕs reign, that is, the 480^th year after they came out of Egypt, work on the Temple began. All of the outer structure was made of stone, blocks dressed at the quarry. Ò[N]o hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was head at the temple site while it was being built.Ó The building measured 90 feet long, 30 wide, and 45 high. There were small alcove-like rooms around the insides.

The inside was paneled with cedar, stone could not be seen anywhere but only the wood. The Ark would sit in an inner room that was a 30-foot cube all covered with gold. There were also gold chains at the entrances.

Over the Ark were two cherubim. These were cat-looking beings with wings. Each had a fifteen-foot wingspread and they sat side by side so their outer wing tips touched the walls and the inner wingtips touched each other.

There were three levels or floors with stairways.

The doors to the inner sanctuary were made of olivewood with Òfive sided jambs.Ó

From the description, this was a work of tremendous, perhaps unprecedented wealth.

It took seven years to build this structure. Work was complete in the eleventh year and eighth month of SolomonÕs reign.

I Kings 7 2006 July 27^th for September 14^th

It had taken seven years to build the Temple, but it took thirteen years to build SolomonÕs palace, which was larger: 150 feet long, 75 wide and 45 high. The rooms and colonnades and porticoes are described in some detail. The roof was of cedar beams. There was a living area at the back of the palace. A similar palace, the size of the living area, was built for SolomonÕs wife, the princess of Egypt.

The furnishings for the Temple are then described in even greater detail. A bronze-smith named Huram was brought up from Naphtali to do the work. There were bowls and bowl-shaped capitals on the pillars, four hundred pomegranates, ten stands and basins, a huge basin fifteen feet across called ÒThe SeaÓ and its support that looked like twelve bulls, and pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls.

Also constructed was a golden altar, a golden table, ten golden lamp stands, all sorts of golden bowls, dishes, ladles, censers, and other tools. There were even gold sockets for the doors to the innermost room.

After this, Solomon had the wealth dedicated by his father David brought and placed in the Temple treasuries. By Òdedicated,Ó I think it means the spoils of battles.

The description shows great wealth and skill in these buildings and their furnishings.

I Kings 8 2006 July 28^th for September 15^th

When the Temple was finished and furnished, it was time to bring up the Ark from the City of David and install it there. Solomon summoned, essentially, everyone in Israel to the feast, the elders and others from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt; that is from the northern border to the southern.

They sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that day that they could not be counted. The Ark was brought and put in the most holy place of the Temple, under the cherubim. Its only contents were the two stone tablets that Moses had put in it during the exodus. The carrying poles were so long that you could see them from the next room out.

Then a cloud filled the room and the priests could not go in. Solomon proclaimed that God inhabited the dark cloud as he had in the Tabernacle in the desert. He then prayed a prayer of thanksgiving, that God had kept his promises all the way from bringing them out of Egypt (that Òiron smelting furnaceÓ) through establishing the family of David on the throne forever, and having DavidÕs own son build this Temple during his reign.

Solomon then lifted his hands to the heavens and gave a prayer of dedication. In form, the prayer lists several uses for the Temple and, in each one, beseeches God for mercy in each use. It can be summarized like this:

There is one God and there is none other like him. He made promises to a people that he chose and kept them. ÒBut, will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!Ó But grant us mercy, live in this temple, listen to our prayers and supplications, and forgive.

When a man wrongs his neighbor and there is a dispute, judge and punish rightly. When the people are defeated by enemies, forgive their sins and show mercy, restoring them to their place. When there is famine or drought because of sin, forgive and save the people by sending rain again. Where there is plague, heal the people, forgive them and have mercy. People from all over the world will hear of this God and this place and when they do and come here to pray and offer supplication, hear them and grant what they ask so as to establish your name on this house.

When the people go to war, uphold their cause. When they sin, and it is inevitable because everyone sins, and they are taken captive and return to you while in exile or in a foreign land, have mercy and hear them and restore them to this place.

Listen to this prayer, ÒFor you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as you declared through our servant Moses when you, O Sovereign Lord, brought our fathers out of Egypt.Ó

Solomon then turned and blessed the people, ending with, ÒBut your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands.Ó

Then the sacrifices were offered, 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. Also, the middle courtyard of the Temple was consecrated for making such offerings and the entire area was used for the grain offerings because the bronze altar was too small.

And they held a great festival.

ÒOn the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.Ó

I Kings 9 2006 August 21^st for September 18^th

After the two buildings, the Temple and the palace, were built, God appeared to Solomon again with what has now become the standard message. He had heard the prayer of consecration of the Temple and would inhabit it forever. If Solomon would follow God as his father David had, and not break any of the laws, there would always be one of his descendants on the throne. If the king and the people strayed away from God, the country would become a wasteland and the Temple, which was now so imposing, would be an object of foreign scoffing.

Solomon paid Hiram, his neighbor and business partner, for twenty years of cooperation in these building projects by giving him twenty towns in Galilee. Hiram went to see these towns and Òwas not pleased.Ó He called them the ÒLand of Cabul.Ó In Hebrew, ÒCabulÓ sounds like Ògood for nothing.Ó But it was friendly dispute, no blood was shed, and nothing else is said about it here.

More impressive was the dowry of PharaohÕs daughter who married Solomon. Pharaoh conquered Gezer and killed every Canaanite who lived there. He gave this as a gift to his daughter and Solomon rebuilt the city. Solomon also built other towns for the Israelites.

When the indigenous peoples could not be exterminated (that is, Òtotally devoted to the Lord,Ó by annihilation), Solomon conscripted the conquered into forced labor. No Israelite did any such labor; they were the supervisors. Five hundred and fifty Israelites were SolomonÕs officers and supervised all the people who actually worked.

Solomon made sacrifices to God three times a year, fulfilling his Temple obligations. He also built ships to sail on the sea. Hiram sent sailors who knew how to run these ships to crew them, in cooperation with the Israelites. They sailed off to Ophir and brought back sixteen tons of gold for SolomonÕs treasury.

I Kings 10 2006 August 22^nd for September 19^th

ÒWhen the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.Ó

She arrived with biggest retinue ever seen and when she had audience with the king, he was able to explain to her everything she asked. No detail is given here, unfortunately.

When she was done she proclaimed that the report she had heard was too modest, that Solomon and his possessions were greater than anything anyone had ever seen. She then gave him great bounty herself, including four tons of gold, gems, and other precious objects.

ÒThe weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents.Ó That is, about 25 tons. He had hundreds of chariots and thousands of horses. He had shields made of gold. The silver in the kingdom wasnÕt even counted. In SolomonÕs day, silver was as common as construction material. He had an immense throne made with inlaid ivory and overlaid gold. More almugwood than ever before was imported and used to make supports for the palace and to make instruments for the musicians.

Solomon imported silver chariots and horses from Egypt and also exported them to his neighbors. ÒThe king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned carrying gold, silver, and ivory, and apes and baboons.Ó

ÒKing Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.Ó And they all brought expensive gifts.

What was happening in the world at this time that there was international peace at such a level that this was even possible? Where were the Philistines that had been the thorn in DavidÕs side all his life? Was this all GodÕs act? Why then and there and never else? This is surely the ÒGolden AgeÓ of Israel.

I Kings 11 2006 August 23^rd for September 20^th

Now, toward the end of SolomonÕs life, things began to turn sour. The reason given was that Solomon turned away from God, the very God who had appeared to him twice.

Solomon had many wives from nearby royal families, seven hundred in all. He also had three hundred concubines. Some of these women were from countries where God had prohibited intermarriage with Israelites, in order that they would not be attracted to the foreign, ÒdetestableÓ Gods. Solomon stuck with his wives, however, and built houses of worship for some of these foreign gods, including Ashtoreth, Molech, and Chemosh.

These sins were worse than anything David had ever done, and Solomon did not repent and was not forgiven. Word came that the kingdom would be torn out of his hands, not during his lifetime, for the sake of his father David, but from his son who would be his heir. That son would have only one tribe, the other ten would go to someone else.

Solomon did have some enemies. These were men who had been refugee boys during the slaughters of David and Joab among the neighboring countries. These boys had fled from their homes, grown up, and become enemies of Israel and Solomon. Among these was Hadad, an Edomite and a brother-in-law of Pharaoh in Egypt. PharaohÕs sister queen Tahpenes was his wife.

Also a man named Rezon, leader of a band of rebels who had escaped one of DavidÕs slaughters, was an enemy of Solomon.

One of SolomonÕs high officials was Jeroboam. He did his work so well that he was put in charge. One day when Jeroboam and the prophet Ahijah were alone out in the country, Ahijah took JeroboamÕs cloak and tore it into twelve pieces, giving ten of them back to Jeroboam. He prophesied that the kingdom would be torn from SolomonÕs line after SolomonÕs death and that Jeroboam would rule ten of the tribes. If he would follow God as David had, God would make him a dynasty like David. Because of his promise to David, SolomonÕs heir would retain one tribe and in a later generation they might be restored to favor.

Solomon died and was succeeded by his son Rehoboam. He had reigned for forty years and everything he did is recorded in the book of the annals of Solomon.

I Kings 12 2006 August 24^th for September 21^st

Now begins the long story of the split kingdom, ruled by kings none of whom were like David.

On SolomonÕs death, Rehoboam went to Shechem to be made king and Jeroboam returned from exile in Egypt. Jeroboam, speaking for the ten tribes of Israel, asked Rehoboam if he wouldnÕt take it easier on the Israelites, easier than his father had. Solomon had used foreigners as conscripts and had also laid heavy burdens on his own people, a significant factor in the brewing rebellion. Rehoboam told them to come back in three days for an answer, and went to his advisors.

The elders advised that he offer conciliation in the form of reduced labor. On this, they would be his subjects for life. The young men who had grown up with Rehoboam, hot heads, recommended making the slavery even harsher. At the announcement three days later, Rehoboam said, ÒMy little finger is thicker than my fatherÕs waistÓ and said that he would treat them even more harshly than Solomon had.

At this, Israel went off and renounced their connection to the line of David, all except the tribe of Judah. Rehoboam and his forced labor chief Adoniram, went out in a few days to supervise their works projects. Adoniram was stoned to death by the crowd and Rehoboam barely escaped in his chariot.

The Israelites made Jeroboam their king.

Rehoboam mustered the army of Judah, 180,000 fighting men, but the word of God came to a man of God, Shemaiah, who told Rehoboam not to go to war against his brothers. God had done this to fulfill the word of Ahijah. They were obedient and stood down.

Meanwhile, Jeroboam did not want the Israelites going up to Jerusalem to worship since this might cause their allegiance to shift back to Rehoboam, so he built altars with golden calves in Dan and Bethel and told the people that these were the gods who had brought them out of Egypt. He also set up a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, conflicting with a normal Mosaic festival, and he appointed priests from all the tribes, not just the Levites. All of this was sinful.

I Kings 13 2006 August 26^th for September 22^nd

Now we come to a story about Jeroboam that reminds us of things that happened in the days of the Judges.

Two prophets are featured; neither are named. One is young and the other is old.

Jeroboam was at one of the high places about to offer a pagan sacrifice one day when the young prophet appeared out of nowhere and denounced him. He said that the Word of the Lord had come to him. God had said that a man named Josiah would be born into the line of David and that this Josiah would kill the pagan priests themselves on this altar. Human bones would be burned there. The sign from God that this was true was that the altar would split apart and the ashes on it Òpoured out.Ó

Jeroboam stretched out his hand to say, ÒSeize him!Ó and his arm shriveled up so that he could not use it. He then begged the young prophet to pray to God for him to restore his arm. The young prophet did so and the arm was restored. Jeroboam then invited him over to the house to eat and receive a gift, but the young prophet refused saying that God had told him not to eat or drink there, and to return to his home a different way from the way that he had come. The altar then split apart and its ashes were poured out and the young prophet departed as he had been instructed.

There was an old prophet living in Bethel who went out and found the young prophet resting beside the road. He invited the young prophet over to dinner, but the young prophet said he had been instructed no to eat or drink there and that he would now move on. The old prophet said, in effect, ÔIÕm a prophet too and God told me to have you over for dinner.Õ So he went.

While they were eating the Word of the Lord came to old prophet who cried out that the young prophet would die because of this defiance. The sign that this was true would be that the young prophet would not be buried in the tomb of his fathers.

This is cited as an example of the cost of slipping outside the Òwill of GodÓ even through deference to oneÕs elders.

The young prophet left on his donkey to continue his trip and was killed by a lion. People passing by saw the body and reported this back to the old prophet. The old prophet went out and got the body, put it on the donkey, which had not been mauled by the lion, brought him back, and buried him in his own tomb. He then left instructions that he should be buried next to the young prophet when he died himself because of his true prophesy against the high places of Bethel.

None of this changed the behavior of Jeroboam who continued to appoint people from anywhere to be the pagan priests. ÒThis was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to the destruction from the face of the earth.Ó

I Kings 14 2006 August 28^th for September 25^th

Both Rehoboam of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel had sons named Abijah. Rehoboam reigned from age 41 to 58 then died and was succeeded by his son Abijah.

During the reign of Rehoboam, he was constantly at war with Jeroboam. Also, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked and raided the temple and carried off the treasures, including the gold shields from SolomonÕs reign. Rehoboam had bronze shields made in replacement. They were used whenever Rehoboam went to the Temple.

JeroboamÕs son Abijah was sick. Jeroboam told his wife to disguise herself so that she would not be recognized and to go to Ahijah (the prophet who had told him he would become king) at Shiloh to ask what would happen. Ahijah was nearly blind, but had been told by God that JeroboamÕs wife was coming, in disguise, and was told what to tell her.

The message was this. Jeroboam had been installed over the kingdom torn away from the house of David but he had done worse things than those that had resulted in his being made king. Jeroboam was not like David at all. He had built temples to other Gods. There were even male temple prostitutes in the land. This was all referred to as Òdetestable,Ó same as pork.

ÒBecause of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel – slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!Ó

He also said that the boy Abijah would die the moment she laid foot in the city on her return home but that he, unlike all the other heirs of Jeroboam, would be buried because he was the only one in the family in whom God had found anything good.

She went home and Òas soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died.Ó He was buried amidst great mourning.

Jeroboam himself reigned 22 years and died. His son Nadab succeeded him.

I Kings 15:1 – 32 2006 August 29^th for September 26^th

We are now entering into a stretch of history (at least 3-1/2 books worth) structured much like the Judges. The kings of Israel and Judah are listed, alternately, as they come and go. Those who do really bad or notable things will get two or three chapters, but most of the ÒaverageÓ ones will be listed three or four per chapter, as is the case here.

We will not try to tally the chronology and make sense of all the parallel reigns. Others have done this.

We start with the successor to Rehoboam, Abijah. Abijah was just as bad as his father, if not worse, but the result was not immediate destruction as you might expect. God had given Abijah a good son as an heir, so he made Jerusalem stronger. This implies that GodÕs reward or punishment is not always immediate, but based on a larger perspective, and goals whose timetable is difficult to perceive.

Compared to David, it says this about Abijah: Òhis heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.Ó Then it says something interesting about David, ÒFor David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the LordÕs commands all the days of his life – except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.Ó

Abijah is the great grandson of David, and this is the first time in the Bible, after the story of Uriah itself, that this exception to DavidÕs exemplary perfection is noted. Also, it does not mention the sin against the woman Bathsheba, only the sin of the murder of Uriah. Nor did Nathan when he confronted David. The woman was only a sheep in the analogy.

So Abijah passed on and his son Asa took over. He reigned 41 years and he was a lot like David. He Òexpelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole.Ó He cut the pole down and burned it.

His heart was Òfully committed to the Lord all his life,Ó although he did not remove the Òhigh places.Ó This seems to imply that Òfully committedÓ is not tightly coupled with absolute results.

By now there was a new king in Israel, who we will get to later, Baasha. There was, of course, continuous war between Judah and Israel. Baasha was fortifying certain settlements on the frontier. Asa took what was left of SolomonÕs riches from the treasuries of the Temple and his palace and sent them as gift to his neighbor Ben-Hadad in Damascus, asking him to break his treaty with Baasha and change sides. Ben-Hadad, impressed with the gift, did this, and when Baasha found out, the battle lines were redrawn, further back, and his blockade preventing anyone from entering or leaving Judah was relaxed.

When Jeroboam died, Nadab his son succeeded him, but Baasha killed him in a Philistine town during a siege there. As soon as his reign started, he killed everyone in JeroboamÕs family, fulfilling the prophecy.

I Kings 15:33 – 16:34 2006 August 30^th for September 27^th

If David is the example of a good king over GodÕs people (excepting that Uriah matter), Jeroboam has become the example of what is bad. In this section, we march through several kings of Israel during the reign of Asa over Judah. In every case, it says that the kings of Israel were bad, sinning in the ways of Jeroboam and even worse. The very worst was the last, Ahab.

Yesterday we saw that Baasha had wiped out JeroboamÕs son Nadab fulfilling the prophecy and succeeding him as king. Baasha was even worse, however, and GodÕs condemnation came to him through the prophet Jehu. Although God had raised him out of the dust, out of nothing, to be king of Israel, he had sinned worse than Jeroboam and his fate would be the exactly same. None of his family would be spared. Those who died in the city would be eaten by dogs and those who died in the country would be eaten by birds.

Yet, Baasha lived reigned for about 23 more years, died, and was succeeded by his son Elah. Apparently the promise to progeny carries some importance in this culture.

As soon as Elah became king, Zimri, one of his high officials, the one who commanded the chariots, plotted against him, killed him when he was drunk at a party, and took over. As soon as he was on the throne, he wiped out all the male members of BaashaÕs family, and all of the male friends as well.

Zimri reigned for seven days. When those in the army heard of this treachery, they proclaimed their commander, Omri, king instead. They then marched to Tizrah where the royal court was and besieged it. When Zimri saw he was in trouble, he withdrew to the royal citadel, set it on fire, and died in the fire.

There was a problem with succession. Half of Israel supported a man named Tibni and the other half supported Omri. In the ensuing battle, Tibni was killed so Omri was king. That was simple.

Omri bought a hill and built the town of Samaria on it, but his sins were worse than anyone yet to date, particularly with regard to pagan idols and so forth. Even so, he reigned for 22 years and died. He was succeeded by his son Ahab, who was even worse. ÒHe not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.Ó

Also, during this time, a man named Hiel rebuilt Jericho. When he laid the foundations, his firstborn son Abiram died and when he set up the gates (meaning that the city was finished), his youngest son Sebug died. This fulfilled the prophecy that Joshua gave when he had destroyed Jericho many generations ago.

I Kings 17 2006 September 3^rd for 28^th

During the reign of Ahab, there was a prophet named Elijah. He was from Tishbe.

By Elijah, the word of God came to Ahab, ÒAs the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.Ó

This predicted a drought.

He then instructed Elijah to go to Kerith Ravine and hide there. He would drink the water from the brook and ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening. He lived this way for some time, then the brook dried up.

God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town in Sidon. There was a widow there whom God had commanded to take care of Elijah. He went to this town and found the widow outside the walls gathering sticks. He asked her for water and for a little bread. She replied that she had no bread but only a tiny amount of wheat and oil left. She was gathering wood just now to go make this into bread for a last meal for she and her son, after which they expected to die of starvation.

Elijah told her that they would not die, that he was coming to live with them and that she was to use the grain and oil to make some bread, first for him and then for herself and her son. These supplies would not run out while he was there with them.

She went and did this and the wheat and oil did not run out.

Note that this woman was not an Israelite.

Some time later, the son grew ill and died. The widow lashed out at Elijah asking why he had brought this distress on her home. Elijah took the son upstairs and cried out to God, ÒO Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?Ó He then stretched himself out on the boy three times and Òcried to the Lord, ÔO Lord my God, let this boyÕs life return to him!ÕÓ

God heard and answered this prayer. Elijah took the son back to his mother. The woman exclaimed, ÒNow I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.Ó

This reminds us of some of the work of Jesus.

I Kings 18 2006 September 4^th for 29^th

This is the famous confrontation between God and Baal, directed by Elijah, one of those stories that would make a great movie.

King Ahab had a servant, Obadiah. In the anti-God regime of Ahab and Jezebel, Obadiah had hidden a hundred prophets of God away from the king in two caves, fifty in each, and had seen that they were provisioned with food and water. Meanwhile, the drought entered its third year.

Ahab commanded Obadiah to go out and look for any grassy or watered places so that they could save their livestock. Ahab went one direction and Obadiah went the other. God commanded Elijah to go down to Ahab and announce that it would rain but it was Obadiah who met Elijah on the road and bowed down in a show of deep respect. Elijah told him to go to Ahab and announce that he was coming.

The prospect of doing this terrified Obadiah. He told Elijah of his devotion to God from his youth, of his subterfuge in hiding the prophets while Jezebel was having all of the prophets of God killed, and how Ahab had sent emissaries to all the neighboring nations looking for Elijah but had not found him. ÒÉbut now you tell me to go to my master and say, ÔElijah is here.Õ I donÕt know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesnÕt find you, he will kill me.Ó

Elijah swore that he would be there, so Obadiah took the risk, went to Ahab, and made the announcement.

When Ahab met Elijah, his first words were, ÒIs that you, you troubler of Israel?Ó

ElijahÕs response: ÒI have not made trouble for Israel. But you and your fatherÕs family have. You have abandoned the LordÕs commands and have followed the Baals.Ó

He then told Ahab to summon all the people to a contest between God and the others, Baal and Asherah. This was not a ÒtestÓ of God but was something God had ordered Elijah to do.

When all the people were assembled, ElijahÕs sermon to them was, ÒHow long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal is God, follow him.Ó

The congregation was silent.

Elijah proclaimed that he was the only prophet of God left (not yet spilling the beans on Obadiah) but that Baal had 450 prophets present that day, all of who were supported by Jezebel. He ordered a contest.

Two bulls would be brought. The Baal prophets would prepare one and Elijah would prepare the other. Neither would light the sacrificial fire. They would call on their respective gods and whichever one lit the fire would be seen as real.

Baal went first. The bull was prepared and put on the wood on the altar. Then, from morning to noon the prophets called out, ÒO Baal, answer us!Ó Nothing happened.

Around noon, Elijah started making fun of them. ÒPerhaps he is in deep thought, or busy [on the potty], or traveling. Maybe he is sleepingÉ.Ó

Their calls became more frenzied; they Òslashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.Ó This continued until evening but nothing happened, all day.

Then it was ElijahÕs turn. He repaired the altar by taking twelve stones, one for each tribe, and setting them up. Then he dug a trench around it and prepared the bull on top. He then had the altar drenched in water three times until everything was soaked, the bull parts and the wood. Even the trench was full of water.

Elijah then prayed, ÒO Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am our servant and have done all these things at your command.Ó This is how we know that the contest was at GodÕs order. ÒAnswer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.Ó

ÒThen the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

ÒWhen all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ÒThe Lord – he is God! The Lord – he is God!Ó

Seizing the moment, Elijah commanded, ÒSeize the prophets of Baal, DonÕt let anyone get away.Ó And they were seized (it doesnÕt say who it was that did the seizing). They were all taken down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered.

ÒAnd Elijah said to Ahab, ÔGo, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.ÕÓ This was the word of God that they had waited for three years. While Ahab did this, Elijah climbed Mount Carmel and prayed. He sent his servant to look towards the sea. There was nothing. He continued praying. This was repeated seven times and the seventh report was, ÒA cloud as small as a manÕs hand is rising from the sea.Ó

So Elijah said, (and this is funny, following three years of drought), ÒGo and tell Ahab, ÔHitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.ÕÓ Very much like Noah loading up the Ark.

ÒMeanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.Ó

What a movie this would make.

But, this is far from the end of the contestÉ.

I Kings 19 2006 September 4^th for October 2^nd

When Queen Jezebel found out what Elijah had done to the prophets of Baal, she swore that she would do the same to him by tomorrow. Elijah fled in fear. He left his servant behind and went a dayÕs travel into the desert where he fell asleep under a broom tree.

An angel appeared to him and told him to eat. There was bread and water provided, so he ate. The angel appeared and told him to eat again, there was more food and water, so he ate again. This was to prepare him for a very long journey ahead.

Elijah then traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached the Mountain of God, Horeb, where slept in a cave.

A voice asked him what he was doing there and Elijah replied, ÒI have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.Ó Back under the broom tree, he had said all this, and at that point had asked God to just let him die.

God told him to go out and stand on the mountain while he passed by. A great wind came, but God was not in the wind. An earthquake occurred, but God was not in it. Then there was a fire, but God was not in the fire. God came as a gentle whisper, asking again, ÒWhat are you doing here, Elijah?Ó

God told him to go back the way he had come, to anoint Hazael king over Aram and Jehu king over Israel and to anoint Elisha as his own successor. These three would defend against the heathen. As for being the only one left, there were still seven thousand in Israel who had not worshipped Baal.

Elijah found Elisha plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, driving the last one himself. He went to Elisha and put his cloak on him. Elisha ran after Elijah and asked to say goodbye to his parents. Elijah granted this, in a nearly mystical way, ÒGo back, what have I donÕt to you?Ó (Jesus, in a similar situation, did not grant such a return. ÒHe who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven,Ó he said.)

Elisha sacrificed the oxen using the yokes as fuel for the sacrificial fires, and gave out all the meat to the people. After this, he followed Elijah as an attendant.

I Kings 20 2006 September 5^th for October 3^rd

Ben-Hadad, king of Aram brought his army to Samaria and sent in a message to king Ahab, ÒYou silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.Ó

Ahab acquiesced to this.

Ben-Hadad sent in another message, ÒAbout this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.Ó

This, by comparison, was too much for the king and his advisors. They refused.

Ben-Hadad then said this, ÒMay the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.Ó He sent out this message while his officers were getting drunk.

Ahab answered, ÒOne who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.Ó

We see two things here. First, this Òever so severelyÓ oath that we see being taken all the time, in GodÕs name or in godsÕ names, seems to be common in the region. Second, kings posture.

God sent an unnamed prophet to Ahab with a message that he would win the battle. Ahab, amazed, asked details. The Òyoung officers and provincial commandersÓ would do the execution, and AhabÕs forces would start the battle.

Scouts reported to Ben-Hadad that there was an advance out of Samaria. His orders were, ÒIf they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.Ó Each of the Samarian officers struck down his opponents and the Arameans fled, suffering heavy losses. Ben-Hadad escaped on a chariot.

His advisors told him that they had lost because the God of Samaria (Israel) was a god of the hills. If they fought on the plains, they would win. Ben-Hadad believed this, made preparations, and went out for another try the next year.

After seven days of camping opposite each other, glaring, the battle was joined. The forces of Ben-Hadad suffered severe losses, a hundred thousand foot soldiers. Twenty seven thousand were lost when they fled into a city and the walls collapsed on them. Ben-Hadad himself had fled to an inner room, vanquished but alive.

This is meant to demonstrate that God is God everywhere, hills and plains.

Wearing sackcloth on their bodies and ropes on their heads, Ben-Hadad and his officials came to beg mercy from Ahab. Ahab said, ÒIs he still alive? He is my brother.Ó The emissaries picked up on this and said, ÒYes, your brother Ben-Hadad.Ó

He was brought to Ahab who not only spared his life but gave him the following additional terms and set him free: ÒI will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.Ó

God was not pleased with this. One of his prophets ordered one of his servants to strike him so the prophet would be wounded. The servant refused so the prophet condemned him, ÒBecause you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.Ó The servant left and a lion found him and killed him.

The prophet tried again with another man, and the other man followed orders and struck him, wounding him. This was the effect the prophet wanted. He covered up and went to stand by the road and wait for Ahab.

When Ahab passed by, the prophet told this story, ÒYour servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, Ôguard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.Õ While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.Ó

The king proclaimed that the prophet had pronounced his own sentence.

At this, the prophet took off his covering and was recognized as a prophet of God. He said, ÒThis is what the Lord says: ÔYou have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.ÕÓ

ÒSullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.Ó

When the same thing happened to David, he confessed his sin and repented.

After the first Gulf War, in which the first President Bush spared Sadam Hussein, I heard Pat Robertson quote this story against the President. I was not convinced, then or now, that the situation was a direct parallel.

I Kings 21 2006 September 6^th for October 4^th

This is the incident of NabothÕs vineyard.

A man named Naboth had a vineyard near AhabÕs palace. Ahab wanted it for a vegetable garden and offered to buy it or trade for a better vineyard elsewhere. Naboth refused on the grounds that he would not sell the inheritance from his ancestors. We saw how important this was back under Joshua when the allocations were made. Or maybe Ahab and Naboth were from different political parties and Naboth just wouldnÕt deal with him.

In any case, Ahab went home and sulked.

Jezebel saw this and chastised him for ruling in this weak way. She said she would get the vineyard for him.

Reminiscent of Uriah matter, she wrote letters under the kingÕs seal to the leaders in NabothÕs community instructing them to proclaim a fast (not a feast, a fast), then have two scoundrels come out and testify against Naboth that he had cursed God and the king. Such cursing was a death sentence, violation of the second or third commandment. After the false testimony, they were to take him out and stone him. (Recall also that two witnesses were needed to make a case.)

These leaders did as instructed, reporting back to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned and was dead.

Jezebel then went to the king and told him to go take possession of the vineyard he wanted, seeing that the owner was dead. Ahab went down to do this.

At the vineyard, he met Elijah who pronounced judgment on him.

This sin had angered God. Ahab and his family would become just like the families of Jeroboam and Baasha. ÒDogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country.Ó This sin of Ahab was a sin of all Israel, since he was their leader.

Ahab, urged on by Jezebel his wife, was credited as being the most sinful king of Israel ever. ÒHe behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.Ó

Also, ÒDogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.Ó

Ahab responded to this, not by repentance, but by fasting, sackcloth, and torn clothes. He Òwent around meekly.Ó

Because of this, God relented slightly and sent word through Elijah that the disaster would not come during the life of Ahab, but during the reign of his son.

I Kings 22:1 – 28 2006 September 8^th for October 5^th

After three years of peace with Aram, the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, came to Israel for a visit with Ahab. Ahab was a little upset that they had lost control of Ramoth Gilead and asked Jehoshaphat if he would come along and join the battle to win it back.

Jehoshaphat said that they were all the same people, that is, ÔfamilyÕ, and he would surely go, but that they should inquire of God first. Four hundred prophets of God came in and told the kings that God was with them and that they would be victorious when they went down to retake this city. One of their leaders, a charismatic prophet called Zedekiah, made iron horns and said that Israel and Judah would gore the Arameans, as with these horns.

Even though the two kings were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor watching all these prophets tell them what they wanted to hear, they werenÕt convinced. Jehoshaphat asked if there wasnÕt another prophet of God somewhere. Ahab said there was, a guy named Micaiah, but that he hated hearing from him because he never said anything good about Ahab.

Nonetheless, he was brought. The people who brought him tipped him off that the other four hundred had prophesied favorably and that he should go along with them.

ÒBut Micaiah said, ÒAs surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.Ó

ÒBut, when he was first presented, he said (we think sarcastically), ÔAttack and be victorious, for the Lord will give it into the kingÕs hand.ÕÓ

Ahab knew better than this. It wasnÕt the usual dour, confrontational Micaiah, so he ordered him to tell the truth.

ÒI saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ÔThese people have no master. Let each one go to his own home in peace.ÕÓ

Ahab said, in effect, ÔSee, I told you so, nothing but gloom and doom.Õ

Micaiah then told a story about what had happened in heaven. The angels were standing around with God trying to figure out how to lure Ahab into attacking the Arameans. Finally, one of them said he would go put a lying spirit on all those prophets. They thought that would be convincing. God told him to do it, since he wanted a way to lead Ahab to his own destruction.

At this, Zedekiah struck Micaiah and asked where the spirit had gone when passing from Zedekiah to Micaiah. MicaiahÕs reply was, ÒYou will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.Ó

The king, incensed by all this, sent Micaiah home with instructions that his city leaders should put him in prison until they returned safely from the proposed battle.

MicaiahÕs parting words were, ÒIf you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me. Mark my words, all you people!Ó

Being an honest prophet is a tough gig.

I Kings 22:29 – 53 2006 September 9^th for October 6^th

This is how Ahab died. After he had had the prophet Micaiah jailed, he and Jehoshaphat went out to the battle of Ramoth Gilead. Ahab, a scoundrel, told Jehosphaphat to wear his kingly robes while he, Ahab, would dress up as a normal soldier and go into the battle that way.

The strategy on the Aramean side was to go straight for the king, not to fool with anyone else, so, they went straight for Jehoshaphat, because he was dressed like, and acting like a king. When they got close, however, Jehoshaphat cried out and they realized it wasnÕt Ahab and broke off the attack. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the battleground, an archer drew his bow, took a random shot into the fighters, and struck Ahab with a mortal wound. Ahab was taken out of the battle in his chariot and stood and watched for the rest of the day. His blood pooled up in the floor and at sunset he was dead.

The cry went out, ÒEvery man to his town, everyone to his land!Ó

Ahab was buried in Samaria and his chariot was washed out in the pool where the prostitutes bathed. The dogs licked up his blood there, as prophesied.

As we have already seen, Jehoshaphat succeeded his father Asa as king of Judah. He was a good king like his father, was at peace with Israel, and although he did not remove the Òhigh placesÓ as his father had not, he did finish up removing the male shrine prostitutes that were left over.

He built a fleet of ships to go to Ophir for gold but they were wrecked before they ever set sail. Also, Ahaziah, the successor to Ahab, asked if his men could go along on the ships with JehoshaphatÕs, but was refused.

When Jehoshaphat died, his son Jehoram was the successor.

When Ahab died, his son Ahaziah was successor. During his two-year rule, he was as bad as his father, provoking God by worshipping Baal as his mother and father and ancestor Jeroboam had done.

During this time, there was no king of Edom. ÒA deputy ruled.Ó

Concluding Thoughts on I Kings 2006 September 11^th for October 9^th

I Kings ends in the middle of a thought, nearly in the middle of a sentence. It must be hard to pick a breaking point when two parallel kingdoms are changing rulers all the time out of synch with each other.

It begins with the reign of Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, the greatest, wisest, most wealthy king of Israel ever. This despite the fact that he was not true to the God of Israel as his father had been. He had one foot on GodÕs side, building the great Temple, and another on the side of the gods of some of his wives, for whom he also built temples.

This infidelity is hard to understand in the context of GodÕs promise to David, that he would have an heir on the throne forever, as long as they behaved themselves, particularly with respect to GodÕs most important rules of fidelity to himself. But, Solomon did receive a punishment, just not in his lifetime. He was hardly cold in the grave when the kingdom split and stayed split. His son Rehoboam ruled Judah, but clumsily lost the other ten tribes, now known as Israel, to an old rival of his fatherÕs, Jeroboam.

Going down the line of kings on both sides, some were bad, principally because they worshipped idols and encouraged the nation to do the same, and some were good, principally because they did not. The status and propriety of each of the kings is measured against this standard, yet, the punishments and judgments from God do not always come immediately, not always even in the offenderÕs lifetime. Not even in the case of the worst of the kings, Ahab, who we get the idea was bad mostly due to his weakness under the influence of his idol worshipping wife, Jezebel, did the punishment come in his own lifetime. In fact, we are now on the threshold of II Kings and havenÕt seen that punishment yet.

It brings up a heretical thought that there might be other interpretations of the sources of blessing and punishment. After all, some people are good and some are bad. Some prosper and some are crushed. There is correlation, but not a hundred percent. I do not pretend to know or speculate further.

Also mentioned here are Elijah and Elisha. When Elijah was not confronting kings he apparently spent a great deal of his time writing parts of the Bible. We will get to these later. In our era Elijah is considered the chief prophet of the Old Testament. Moses is the Law and Elijah is the Prophets. These are the people with whom Jesus conferred at the transfiguration.

In the case of his confrontations with Ahab, mostly over the policies of Jezebel, we see that great evil spawned, at least in that case, the need for great confrontational demonstrations. We also see a seed of modern psychology in that Elijah physically and emotionally collapsed after his peak experience, standing for God against the evils of hundreds of Baal prophets.

I do not intend to sound tongue in cheek here about the evils of idol worship. Certainly, throwing live babies into fires or dashing their brains out as acts of sacrifices to these inert works of stone and metal is among the greatest evils ever conceived by the mind of man. Certainly, grotesque promiscuous art forms in the name of divine worship is at the very least a misuse of human energy. Certain, temple prostitution, male or female, perhaps involuntary, is a gross human and spiritual injustice. In our protected lives, we have little idea what else was involved with these religious observances but the contemporaries about whom we are reading, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel, and the others, certainly knew. They certainly made their choices and lived with them. Perhaps the egregious nature of these Òalternative religionsÓ brought about all this zeal, on both sides.

But it is a puzzle that God seemed to act so slowly, giving peace to the evil as well as the good, punishing the sons and grandsons for the sins of the fathers. And, of course, I am always on the lookout for alternative interpretations or ways of looking at things, so I canÕt help but wonder if the current king being Òlike DavidÓ or Ònot like DavidÓ (except, of course, in the case of the Uriah incident) was the only factor influencing the goings and comings of the kingdom during these reigns.

As we get further down the list of the kings on both sides, maybe we will get more insight into these and other such matters.

Preliminary Thoughts on II Kings 2006 September 12^th for October 10^th

The book of Kings may well be in two parts due to technological limitations. It could be that one scroll could only hold about half of this chronology that weÕre now in the midst of.

Actually, one quarter. There are two books of Chronicles following this, containing similar material.

My expectation is that we will continue to march through the significant spiritual events surrounding the succession of the various kings of Judah and Israel and that the material will get a little dryer as we go on.

This is my expectation, but Elijah and Jezebel and Elisha are still alive, so it wonÕt all be just lists of reigns and dates.

II Kings 1 2006 September 13^th for October 11^th

AhabÕs successor Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper room and was injured. He sent messengers to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron to determine his fate.

The messengers set out but Elijah, as directed by God, met them on the way with this message, ÒÕIs it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?Õ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ÔYou will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!ÕÓ

This interception caused the messengers to return early. The king asked why and they told him what had happened, repeating the message from God. Ahaziah asked what kind of man it was.

ÒHe was a man with a garment of hair and a leather belt around his waist.Ó The king recognized that he had heard from Elijah.

He sent a captain with fifty men off to summon Elijah back from the hilltop where he was sitting. ElijahÕs response to their demand was, ÒIf I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!Ó Fire then came down from heaven and consumed them.

The king sent a second cohort of a captain and fifty men with the same demand. They met with the same fate.

The king sent a third cohort but this time the captain fell on his knees before Elijah and begged for the lives of his men. God instructed Elijah to go with them, which he did.

When he got to the king, he repeated the message, ÒIs it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!Ó

And Ahaziah did die.

Ahaziah had no son and so was succeeded by Joram. We are not told what relation Joram was.

II Kings 2 2006 September 14^th for October 12^th

Elijah and Elisha were together, traveling from Gilgal. Elijah told Elisha to stay where he was while he went on to Bethel. Elisha said that he would not leave Elijah so they went on together. When they got to Bethel, the prophets there asked Elisha if he knew that God was going to take Elijah away from him today. Elisha said he did, but not to mention it.

Elijah then said that he was sent by God on to Jericho and that Elisha should stay there. The exact scene was repeated. From Jericho, Elijah then said he was going to the Jordan and the same scene was repeated a third time. Elisha insisted on continuing with Elijah and the local prophets each place asked him if he knew about ElijahÕs imminent departure.

When they came to the Jordan, fifty local prophets witnessed as Elijah took his cloak, struck the water, and caused it to part to the right and left so that he and Elisha crossed over on dry ground.

On the other side, Elijah asked what Elisha wanted. ElishaÕs response was that he wanted a double portion of ElijahÕs spirit. Elijah said that this was difficult but that if Elisha witnessed his exit, it would be granted. Otherwise, not.

ÒAs they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, ÔMy father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!Õ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.Ó

ElijahÕs cloak fell to the ground and Elisha picked it up. He used it to cross back over the Jordan in the same way that they had crossed earlier in the day. The prophets waiting there asked if they should send out a search party to see if the chariot had dropped Elijah off on a nearby mountain or something. Elisha told them not to bother, but they insisted so he finally relented and they set out.

After three days, they had found nothing and reported this back to Elisha at Jericho. He reminded them that they had not needed to go.

The men of the city came to Elisha with a problem. Their water was bad and the land was unproductive. Elisha asked for a bowl of salt. When he received it he took it out and threw the salt out into the spring pronouncing that the water would henceforth be good, not causing death or un-productivity.

He then returned to Bethel where some kids came out and jeered him saying, ÒGo on up, you baldhead!Ó He turned and cursed them and Òtwo bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.Ó Not a good youth meeting that day.

He then went on to Mt. Carmel and Samaria. In this way, the ministry of Elisha begins.

II Kings 3 2006 September 16^th for October 13^th

So, as we learned earlier, Joram succeeded his father Ahab as king of Israel. Joram was not as bad as Ahab but he was still bad in leading Israel away from God, as Jeroboam had been.

Apparently there had been some deal under Ahab that the king of Moab (Mesha) supplied Israel with a hundred thousand lambs and wool from as many rams. After AhabÕs death, Moab rebelled against this. This called for a fight. Joram asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, if he would come help. ÒÕI will go with you,Õ he replied, ÔI am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.ÕÓ This answer was the same as he had given to JoramÕs father Ahab in the Ramoth Gilead incident.

They decided to attack by way of the desert of Edom and the king of Edom joined with them as well. After a long seven-day march through the desert the armies were out of water, both for their men and their animals. In the face of this bad planning, Joram exclaimed, ÒWhat! Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?Ó

Jehoshaphat inquired if there was a prophet of God they could inquire of. The answer was that Elisha, former servant of Elijah, was nearby. They went to see him.

ElishaÕs first response was, ÒWhat do we have to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.Ó He was referring to prophets of Baal. Jehoshaphat replied that God himself had called them together, so they wondered what they were supposed to do.

Elijah said, ÒAs surely as the Lord Alimighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or even notice you. But now bring me a harpist.Ó

The harpist played and, at length, Elisha gave the word. The word was that they should all dig ditches everywhere because, without sending rain or wind, the valley would be full of water the next day so the men and animals could drink. They would overthrow Moab and they were to ruin the whole land. They were to cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and foul the fields by putting stones in them.

ÒThe next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was – water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.Ó

Meanwhile over in Moab, they knew that the three kings had come to attack them so every man of Moab capable of carrying arms had been mustered. When they looked out that morning they saw the sunrise reflected off all the ditches of water. It looked red and they said to each other that it was blood and that the three kings had all wiped each other out. They ran out to collect the spoils.

But, when they got to the camp of the Israelites, no such battle had occurred. The Israelites fought them and they ran away and were defeated. In the defeat, Israel did as instructed. Every man put a stone in a good field so that it was fouled. They stopped up the wells and cut down every good tree.

Then it got ugly. At Kir Hareseth, the stone wall was left in place, but it was also attacked by men with slings. The king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him. First he tried breaking through the lines to Edom with seven hundred men. When this failed, he brought out his firstborn son, his heir, and offered him as a sacrifice on the wall.

ÒThe fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.Ó

I donÕt know what this last sentence means. Did Israel lose and retreat, or did they win and withdraw?

II Kings 4:1 - 37 2006 September 18^th for October 16^th

Elisha is credited with some miracles.

One of the prophets, someone whom Elisha knew and who was well regarded among the prophets, had died. His wife cried out to Elisha that they were in distress. Creditors were about to come take her sons into slavery to pay their debts. Elisha told her to go borrow as many pots as she could from her neighbors. ÒDonÕt ask for just a few,Ó he said. Then he instructed her to fill the pots from her supply of oil. She did this until she had run out of pots. Elisha then told her to sell the oil and pay her debts.

This foreshadows miracles like JesusÕ feeding of thousands of people from nearly no supplies, and having leftovers. The main point of a sermon on this text is: DonÕt ask for just a few pots!

In Shuman, another place, there was a family that Elisha always stayed with when he was in town. At the wifeÕs suggestion, they built a room for Elisha on the roof and furnished it so that he would be welcome during his visits. Astonished at this, Elisha asked what could be done for them. Did they want him to speak to the king or the commander of the army on their behalf?

They were childless.

Although the Shumanite woman protested that the prophet should not cruelly deceive her, he told her that in about a year when he came back through, she would have a son. And, like Sarah and Abraham, she did have a son in her old age, just as he said. One day when the boy was old enough to help work in the fields, he had symptoms like heat stroke and died. The woman had his body put on the prophetÕs bed in the upstairs room and didnÕt tell anyone about it, but saddled up and went to find him immediately. When she arrived, and this is interesting, being apparently unusual, God had not revealed to Elisha the reason for her visit. She told him about the boy and would not leave Elisha. Elisha sent a servant to run ahead with his staff to lay on the boy and he did so, but it made no difference. When Elisha himself arrived, he went up and he and his servant prayed for the boy, then he lay on him, Òmouth to mouth, eyes, to eyes, hands to hands.Ó The body started to get warm. Elisha stretched out on him again. At that, ÒThe boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.Ó Elisha gave the boy back to his mother and left.

This miracle also foreshadows similar resuscitations by Jesus. (By use of the word Òresuscitation,Ó I do not diminish the miracle. ÒResuscitationÓ is the revival of a body that will eventually die again. ÒResurrectionÓ is permanent.)

II Kings 4:38 – 5:27 2006 September 19^th for October 17^th

Here are some more wild stories from the ministry of Elisha.

In one a community was cooking some stew but one of the men cut a Òwild vine,Ó hid it in his clothes, and put it in the pot. No one knew until they started eating that they were being poisoned, then they started yelling, ÒThere is death in the pot!Ó

Elisha had some flour brought, put it in the pot, and had the people served. No one died.

In another case, a man brought Elisha twenty loaves of barley, a first-fruits offering. Elisha told him to give it to the people, but the man protested that it wouldnÕt feed a hundred, which is what Elisha was proposing. Elisha told him to do it anyway and they all ate, and had leftovers.

A man named Naaman was commander of the army in Aram. Aram, as we have seen, was a neighboring country that was often an enemy to Israel. Naaman had leprosy. As it happens, however, he had a household servant, an Israelite girl who had been captured in a raid. This girl said that there was a prophet in Israel who could certainly heal him if he only asked.

Naaman went to the king of Aram and was given permission, and bounteous gifts, to take to the king of Israel in this quest for a cure from his leprosy. The king of Israel was shocked. He couldnÕt heal anyone himself, had no control over Elisha, and thought that the king of Aram was trying to pick a fight. He tore his robes.

When Elisha heard of this he said, ÒWhy have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.Ó

So, with great pomp in his chariot with horses and all, Naaman went to Elisha. Elisha sent a messenger out to him with the message, ÒGo wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.Ó

Naaman was furious. He was expecting Elisha to come out in person and put on a big show and call on the name of God while looking to the heavens and do some elaborate ritual. Naaman was used to being treated as important. He was also angry about the Jordan. WerenÕt there nice rivers in his own country in which to bathe? His servants, however, respectfully urged him to follow the directions of the prophet. What did he have to lose? So he went to the Jordan, bathed seven times, and came out clean.

On this he became a believer and went back to Elisha exclaiming that there was no other God in the world but the God of Israel and that he would never sacrifice to any other god again. Just pardon him if he stood beside his king in some pagan temple and bowed when the king bowed. Elisha told him to go in peace, meaning, we think, that this was all fine.

Naaman then offered Elisha an enormous reward, which he refused. He asked if he could just take some dirt from here back to his home, as much as he could carry on his donkeys. That was fine too.

After Naaman was gone, a servant of ElishaÕs named Gehazi couldnÕt believe that all that wealth had escaped them. He ran after Naaman. When he caught up with him, Naaman got down from his chariot and asked if everything was allright. Yes it was, Gehazi replied, but a visitor had come from the country and could Naaman spare some silver and clothing for them? Naaman was more than glad to give these gifts.

When Gehazi got back, Elisha asked where he had been. Gehazi said nowhere. Elisha said that he had been with him in spirit when he had spoken with Naaman. This was no time to be accepting money or clothes or olive groves, flocks, or herds, or vineyards, menservants and maidservants, he said. For this sin, ÒNaamanÕs leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.Ó

Gehazi left Elisha leprous, Òas white as snow.Ó

II Kings 6:1 - 23 2006 September 20^th for October 18^th

The group of prophets that lived with Elisha decided that their dwelling was too small, so they suggested moving toward the Jordan and building another place there. Elisha told them to go ahead, and went with them.

While they were chopping wood to build their new place, the head came off of one of the axes, flew into the water, and was lost. The wielder was distressed because the axe was borrowed. Shown where this happened, Elisha cut a stick and threw it in the water. This caused the axe head to float and they were able to recover it.

The king of Aram decided to attack Israel. This is the same king of Aram who we were talking about yesterday, whose army commander, Naaman, had just been healed of leprosy. Elisha was fully aware of the Aramian troop movements and, time and again, warned the king of Israel where not to go. After a while this became very frustrating to the Arameans and the following humorous conversation occurred in the command tents: The king of Aram demanded of his officers, ÒWill you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?Ó One replied, ÒNone of us, my lord the king, but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.Ó

The king ordered a detachment to go find Elisha and kill him. The next morning, one of ElishaÕs servants was out early and saw Òan army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.Ó He was distressed.

Elisha prayed that his servantÕs eyes be opened, and ÒThe Lord opened the servantÕs eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots and fire all around Elisha.Ó GodÕs troops vastly outnumbered those of Aram. Elisha prayed that the enemy be blinded and they were. He then went out and told them they were in the wrong place but that he would lead them where they wanted to go. (ÒThese are not the Ôdroids you are looking forÉ.Ó) He then led them right up to Samaria the capital where the king asked if he should kill them. Elisha instructed rather to feed them and show hospitality.

After a big feast, they all went home and the raids from Aram stopped.

II Kings 6:25 – 7:20 2006 September 21^st for October 19^th

Samaria was besieged by the Arameans and the siege lasted so long that all food ran out. Things you wouldnÕt want to eat, like donkeyÕs heads, were selling for very steep prices.

The king was walking down the street during this disaster and a woman called out to him. His reply to her was that if God wasnÕt helping them, what could he do? But he asked what the problem was anyway.

Her story: ÒThis woman said to me, ÔGive up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow weÕll eat my son.Õ So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ÔGive up your son so we may eat him.Õ But she had hidden him.Ó

The king was, understandably, furious at this. He tore his clothes and walked around on the wall in his underwear announcing, ÒMay God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!Ó

If all else fails, blame God and his prophet.

Elisha knew of the plot and told his brethren to hold the door shut against the messenger from the king. When he arrived, Elisha gave this prophecy: ÒThis is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.Ó I donÕt know what these units of measure are, but the point is that the prices would suddenly be quite nominal.

The officer of the king was incredulous and said, ÒLook, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?Ó Elisha told him that he would see it with his own eyes, but would not eat any of the food.

Meanwhile down in Samaria, four men who were lepers were huddled outside the gate. Their despair was worse than that of those inside and so they made a plan. If they went into the city they would be as bad off as the other inhabitants and would die. If they stayed where they were they would die. They decided to go down to the camp of the besieging Arameans and surrender. If the opposing army accepted them they could at least eat. If they killed them they would have died anyway.

So they went down the camp and found it totally deserted. God had made sounds in the desert that made the Arameans believe that the Samarians had hired Egyptians and other neighboring nations to attack them. In their fear, they fled up the road leaving everything behind.

The four lepers plundered a couple of tents, then their consciences got to them and they decided to report this to the king in Samaria. They went back to town and shouted up to the walls with their report. The king suspected a trick, but his advisors told him to just send out five horses, if they still had that many, and see what was out there. The inspection troop found it just as reported. All of the tents and possessions and wealth and animals were there but not a soul present in the camp. They proceeded up the road as far as the Jordan and Òfound the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight.Ó

So, messengers came back with this report and all the people of Samaria went out to plunder the camp. Flour and barley sold for reasonable prices that day and the officer of the king who had been incredulous was trampled at the gate as the people rushed out to the plunder. É just as Elisha had said.

II Kings 8 2006 September 23^rd for October 20^th

There was going to be a famine in the land where the Shumanite woman lived. (You remember the Shumanite woman, whose son had been brought back to life through Elisha.)

Elisha told her to leave the area because of the famine so she moved to the land of the Philistines for seven years. When she returned, there was the problem of reclaiming her house and property.

As it happened, ElishaÕs servant Gehazi (the one who was leprous from the Naaman incident) was in audience with the king, telling the king all the wonders of ElishaÕs ministry when the woman arrived. In fact, Gehazi was telling the king about the very incident with the Shumanite woman and her son at that moment. The king inquired with her about the story and she confirmed it. He then sent one of his officials off with her to reclaim her house and property and all of the income from it for the seven years of her absence.

Ben-Hadad, king of Aram was ill. Elisha was in the area, so Ben-Hadad sent a huge gift, Òforty camel-loads of all the finest wares of DamascusÓ to Elisha, inquiring of him whether he would recover from the illness. Ben-HadadÕs official Hazael was in charge of this mission.

Elisha said that Ben-Hadad would indeed recover from the illness, but there was more to the story. Elisha stared at Hazael for a long time, until Hazael became embarrassed and asked what it was all about. Elisha said, ÒBecause I know the harm you will do to the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.Ó

Hazael wondered how this could happen. It could happen because he himself would become king of Aram.

Hazael returned to Ben-Hadad and reported the good news that he would recover from his illness. The next day Hazael murdered Ben-Hadad by smothering him in his bed then succeeded him as king.

A new king Jehoram arose in Judah on the passing of Jehoshaphat. He acted like a king of Israel, however, and married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil, but Òfor the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah.Ó

During the reign of Jehoram, Edom rebelled and set up their own king. Jehoram went off to battle to rectify this but one night in the war, he was surrounded by the chariots and officers of Edom. Although he managed to break through and escape, his army fled anyway. Edom stayed in rebellion, as did Libnah.

When Jehoram died, his son Ahaziah became king. He too was related to Ahab by marriage and did evil like Ahab. Ahaziah and his counterpart in Israel, Joram son of Ahab, went to war against Hazael (the murderer of Ben-Hadad). Joram was wounded in the battle so he withdrew to Jezreel. Ahaziah went to visit Jehoram there during his convalescence.

II Kings 9 2006 September 25^th for October 23^rd

Elisha sent one of his followers with a flask of oil to Jehu, JehoshaphatÕs son to anoint him king. As instructed, the prophet took Jehu into a private room, anointed him, proclaimed this as the word of God, opened the door, and ran away as fast as he could.

JehuÕs men, still outside sitting around the campfire, were startled by the running man and asked what it was all about. ÔOh, you know the kind of crazy things that guy says,Õ Jehu answered in effect, but they pressed him, so he told them about the anointing. They spread out their cloaks on the ground and proclaimed him king.

As king, his instructions from the prophet were to carry out the prophecies against the house of Ahab, to rid the land of all of his male descendants, and Jezebel.

Meanwhile, Joram and Ahaziah were back in Jezreel where Joram was recovering from his wounds from the previous battle.

Jehu rode direct to Jezreel. The watchman saw him coming and the kings ordered a messenger to go out and meet him inquiring as to whether he was coming in peace or not. JehuÕs answer to the rider was ÒWhat do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.Ó

A commander for sure.

This was reported by the lookout, the messenger was not returning.

A second messenger was sent out and received the same response.

The watchman reported this too and also said, ÒThe driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi – he drives like a madman.Ó

Joram had his chariot hitched up and went out to meet Jehu himself. When he arrived, he asked, ÒHave you come in peace, Jehu?Ó

ÒÕHow can there be peace,Õ Jehu replied, Ôas long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?ÕÓ

Joram turned to run away, yelling out, ÒTreachery!Ó but Jehu shot him with an arrow and hit him between the shoulders. Joram died slumped over in his chariot. Jehu, recalling that he had been in the army under Ahab and had heard the prophecies against the house of Ahab, ordered that the body be dumped on the field that had belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. And they did.

Ahaziah got in his chariot to flee but was wounded by JehuÕs men. He didnÕt die immediately but made it to Megiddo and died there. He was taken to the City of David for burial.

Next was Jezebel. She dressed herself up and when Jehu arrived under her window, she called out, ÒHave you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?Ó Jehu yelled up to the window, ÒWho is on my side? Who?Ó Some eunuchs were up there and said they were. He ordered them to throw Jezebel down, which they did. Her blood spattered on the walls as they ran over her body with chariots.

Jehu then went in the palace and dined but after a while ordered that Jezebel be buried, as she was the daughter of a king. When they went out, however, there was nothing left of the body but the skull, hands, and feet. Dogs had eaten the rest.

This fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah: ÒOn the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour JezebelÕs flesh. JezebelÕs body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ÔThis is Jezebel.ÕÓ

II Kings 10 2006 September 26^th for October 24^th

Seventy of AhabÕs sons were still living in Samaria. Jehu sent word that the leaders there should put one of them on the throne then prepare their chariots and weapons for battle. The leaders were frightened and wrote back to Jehu telling him that they would do whatever he said. They had heard that the two other kings had not withstood JehuÕs zeal for the Lord.

Jehu wrote a second letter and told them, ÒIf you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your masterÕs sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.Ó When they received the letter, they executed all seventy of the sons, put their heads in baskets, and took them to Jehu as ordered.

After a proclamation that this act had fulfilled the word of God and that the people of the city were innocent, Jehu went off looking for other family or officials of Ahab. He met some people on the road and when he found out that they were friends of Ahaziah going to see him, he killed all forty-two of them.

He then encountered Jehonadab who was on the road to meet him. When he determined, friend or foe, that Jehonadab was friend, he had him come up and ride in his chariot while they kept searching for descendants of Ahab. When they arrived in Samaria, they killed all of AhabÕs relatives. In all of these cases, no one was left alive.

Jehu then turned his attention to Baal. In a move reminiscent of Machiavelli (maybe this is where Machiavelli got the idea) he proclaimed a big sacrifice to Baal, a mandatory one that all priests of Baal were required to attend on pain of death. When all were there he had them all brought in the temple of Baal and gave them each special robes. He and Jehonadab checked to make sure that no priests of God were present.

JehuÕs men were waiting outside with instructions to kill everyone in the building. If any escaped, it was his life for theirs! After the sacrifices, they marched in and hacked up all the priests bodies, throwing them out of the temple. Then they brought the sacred stone out and burned it. After that, the people used the area as a latrine.

Jehu did as God had wanted by cleaning out all the descendants of Ahab and all the followers of Baal, but he did not turn away from worshipping the golden calves at Bethel and Dan that Jeroboam had set up.

God started reducing the size of Israel. Jehu died and was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.

II Kings 11 2006 September 28^th for October 25^th

ÒWhen Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.Ó A sister of Ahaziah, Jehosheba, hid one of the royal princes, Joash, son of Ahaziah, away in a bedroom with a nurse during the murders. He was moved to the Temple and hidden there for six years while Athaliah herself ruled.

At the end of this time a priest named Jehoiada sent for all the commanders of the army and put them under oath. He gave them guard duties, particularly to guard the king as he was brought out. They publicly proclaimed Joash to be the king and anointed him to great cheers. Athaliah heard the ruckus and started shouting ÒTreason!Ó Jehoiada ordered her killed, but not on the Temple grounds.

The priest then made a covenant between the new king and the people. The first thing they did was to go to the temple of Baal and tear it down. They smashed everything to pieces and killed Mattan the priest at his altar.

They then used most of the army to bring Joash up to the palace and install him on the throne. There was rejoicing and Òthe city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.Ó

This all happened when the new king Joash was only seven years old.

II Kings 12 – 13 2006 September 29^th for October 26^th

Young king Joash reigned for forty years. He told the priests to take any money that was brought to the Temple, that money associated with personal vows and voluntary offerings, to make repairs to the Temple, anything that needed to be fixed. By his twenty-third year, nothing had been done. Joash chewed them out and the priests agreed not to take this money anymore since nothing was happening with it. Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in it and money that was brought into the Temple was put there. Whenever it got full, the high priest and royal secretary would empty it into bags and count it. They then gave money to the men supervising the repairs. In this way the Temple got repaired although they required no accounting from the supervisors. They were trusted as totally honest, although this does not seem to have been the case with the priests.

The issue of accurate and fair accounting (which is independent from honesty) is not mentioned.

Joash was a good king, he spent much of his reign under the supervision of the priest Jehoiada but, and this is a common refrain, the high places were not removed. Folks out of town kept offering sacrifices in unapproved places.

When Hazael, king of Aram, attacked, Joash bought peace by giving him everything of value in the Temple treasury. His reign ended in assassination. His officials Jozabad and Jehozabad murdered him and he was succeeded by his son Amaziah.

Meanwhile over in Israel, Jehoahaz became king. He was bad like Jeroboam and God was mad and kept him under Hazael (Aram) then Ben-Hadad, HazaelÕs son, for a long time. They prayed for deliverance and were given a deliverer and were able to resume living in their own homes, but they still did evil things. By the end Aram had reduced his forces to ten chariots, fifty horsemen, and ten thousand foot soldiers. The Òking of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like the dust at threshing time.Ó

Not much prospect for young military-age men in this era.

Jehoahaz was succeeded by his son Jehoash. He was also evil, like Jeroboam.

Elisha was ill and was going to die when Jehoash came to him. Jehoash seemed to recognize Elisha as GodÕs man in the country and was in despair. Elisha engaged in some kinesthetic teaching. He had Jehoash open the window and shoot an arrow out it. When he did, Elisha proclaimed that this meant victory over the Arameans at Aphek. He then instructed the king to take arrows and strike the ground with them. Jehoash did this three times, which made Elisha mad. This meant three defeats of the Arameans, good news, but not enough to wipe them out. He should have struck the ground five or six times.

We seem always to be getting set up like this. By striking the ground with arrows, Jehoash was determining the number of times he would defeat the Arameans. Of course he did not know this before or while he was doing it and of course he sinned by not doing the right thing, even though he didnÕt know what that right thing was or was supposed to symbolize. I wonder who he would have made mad and in what way if heÕd struck the ground thirteen times?

Elisha died and was buried.

Sometime later some men were burying a friend when they saw raiders coming. They threw their friend into ElishaÕs tomb and when he touched ElishaÕs body he came back to life and walked away.

After HazaelÕs death Ben-Hadad became king and Jehoash did indeed defeat him three times and took back some Israelite towns. Elisha had known that three wouldnÕt be enough to subdue the enemy.

II Kings 14 2006 September 30^th for October 27^th

On JoashÕs death, Amaziah became king of Judah. His reign was from age 25 to age 54. He was a good king, but not as good as David. The high places were not removedÉ.

As soon as he was established, he executed his fatherÕs assassins, but not their sons because the law of Moses told that people were to die for their own sins, not their parentÕs. Until now we havenÕt seen much attention paid to this law.

He then defeated some Edomites in a battle, and sent word to Jehoash, king of Israel, that he wanted to fight him too. Jehoash declined, with an insult. Amaziah went out to fight him anyway and was defeated. Jehoash captured Amaziah personally then went to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards of the wall and took away everything of value in the Temple and some hostages to Samaria.

OK, you are curious, here is the insult: ÒA thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon. ÔGive your daughter to my son in marriage.Õ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?Ó

In case you missed it, Jehoash is comparing Judah to a great, strong cedar tree, and Israel to a scrub thistle which any animal might just crush without even noticing.

Despite this loss, Amaziah outlived Jehoash by fifteen years. Men conspired against him and he fled to Lachish but they followed him and killed him there. He was brought back to Jerusalem for burial. His son Azariah succeeded him at age 16.

Back in Israel, when Jehoash died, he was succeeded by his son Jeroboam, known as Jeroboam II. Like his namesake, he was a bad king with respect to worship habits and objects. God had said, however that he would not blot Israel out from the face of the earth and was sympathetic in the face of their suffering, so they were preserved. GodÕs prophet Jonah had also prophesied that this king would restore the boundaries of Israel through military conquests, which he did.

It does not say if this is the same Jonah as the prophet in the book of Jonah. This Jonah was from Gath Hepher, son of Amittai.

When Jeroboam died he was succeeded by his son Zechariah.

II Kings 15 2006 October 2^nd for 30^th

Several more kings of Judah and Israel are listed, each with dates (in the old Òrelative to the other kingÓ style) and about one piece of biographical information.

In Judah, Amaziah was succeeded by his son Azariah who ruled from age 16 to 68. He was a good king like his father, but É the high places were not removed. Azariah was afflicted with leprosy, it says from God, and he lived most of his life in a house separate from the palace while his son Jotham was in charge.

The next mention of Judah is of a King Jotham ruling from age 25 to 41, but this Jotham is listed as the son of Uzziah and his relative youth does not seem to agree with the long trusteeship performed by Jotham son of Azariah. This Jotham was also a good king, although É the high places were not removed.

One wonders what is the problem with the Òhigh places.Ó Since this is the refrain from every kingÕs reign, good or bad, could it be the authorÕs axe to grind, something we will learn about later? Could it be that the high places were hard to deal with, or that the king didnÕt care much about affairs outside of Jerusalem? It just seems like if this was a major agenda item for God for all this time, somebody could eventually have done something.

Over in Israel, Jeroboam II was succeeded by his son Zechariah. He too was evil and reigned for six months. He was assassinated by Shallum, son of Jabesh, who became king in his place. Shallum reigned for one month and was assassinated by Menahem from Tirzah. Menahem also attacked Tiphsah and Òripped open all the pregnant women.Ó

Is this evil mentioned because it is ungodly, unthinkable, unusual, or É usual in the region?

Menahem, though evil, managed to reign for ten years and buy off an attack by king Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria. The price was steep, 37 tons of silver, 1-1/4 pounds from each rich man in Israel. (This calculates out to about 60,000 rich men which seems plausible, given past censuses.)

Menahem was succeeded by his son Pekahiah who was also evil. He reigned for two years and was assassinated with several of his officials by one of them, Pekah. Pekah was evil and reigned for twenty years. Much of the territory of Israel was captured by Tiglath-Pileser during his reign. Hoshea, son of Elah, assassinated Pekah and succeeded him as king.

Note that when the text says the king was evil, it means that his religious observance was like that of Jeroboam as opposed to the righteousness of David. The pronouncement of evil has nothing to do with becoming king through assassination or of ripping open pregnant women of enemies.

Nonetheless, these were consistently bad times in Israel. Nearly all successions were by assassination and nearly all kings were evil, both by GodÕs standards and humanist standards. The sweeping conquests of a king who knows what he is doing, Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, will soon be the end of Israel.

II Kings 16 2006 October 3^rd for 31^st

The next king of Judah was Ahaz, son of Jotham. He was not like David and in this instance, more details are given than usual. For instance, ÒHe walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.Ó

We have seen so far in the Old Testament that God is jealous and does not want his people to even acknowledge, much less worship any of the fake Gods in the neighborhood. Now we see directly one of the great humanistic evils in these religions that were taboo, child sacrifice and human sacrifice. It is unthinkable to me that the king of Judah would do such a thing, but it doesnÕt seem that Ahaz was even the only one.

When the kings of Aram and Israel (Pekah) besieged Jerusalem, Ahaz sold out to Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, saying that he would be AssyriaÕs vassal for protection. In payment they took all the gold and treasures out of the Temple. This is about the third time this has happened. SolomonÕs treasures were long gone but supposedly there was some wealth built up from the normal offerings over many years.

Then Ahaz went to Damascus and visited Tiglath-Pileser. While he was there he saw a pagan temple that he liked and sent directions back home to the priest Uriah to build one just like it in Jerusalem. Construction was finished before Ahaz returned home and they moved all of the normal sacrifices, including the kingÕs sacrifices, and most of the trappings and utensils, including ÒThe SeaÓ (the big basin) from GodÕs Temple over to this new one.

Ahaz ruled from age 20 to age 36 then died.

II Kings 17 2006 October 4^th for November 1^st

Hoshea became he last king of Israel. He was evil, but not as evil as some before him had been. For a while he paid tribute to Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, but later he switched to paying So, king of Egypt. When Shalmaneser found out about this, he came and conquered all of Israel and took the people into exile in Assyrian cities. He put Hoshea in prison as a traitor.

The author then spends four paragraphs describing why God did this (not allowed, but did). It was because of their corruption in worship, beginning all the way back at Jeroboam. They set up altars everywhere and used them to worship pagan gods. They worshipped the stars and Baal and images of calves and did divination and sorcery. After afflicting them for generations he Òthrust them from his presence.Ó They were still in exile at the time of this writing.

Shalmaneser resettled Samaria and the surrounding area with people from other places. This mixing was intended to squelch potential rebellion. Soon as they were there, lions came out and ate some of them. They believed that this was because they didnÕt know the local god or how to appease him so one of the priests in exile was sent back to teach the new residents about God and how to worship him.

They did as he instructed, but also continued their other worship practices including child sacrifice. They also appointed anyone they wanted as priests, not just Levites. They did not keep to God alone, one of his primary rules.

This was the end of Israel as a nation, except for the one remaining tribe of Judah. The people were dispersed throughout Palestine and Palestinians were placed in Samaria, which had once been the Promised Land.

II Kings 18 2006 October 5^th for November 2^nd

Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, became king of Judah. He was a good king just like David. Following chapter after chapter of good kings and bad kings, but even the good ones not removing the high places, it is worth quoting exactly what good king Hezekiah did:

ÒHe removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.Ó

He even destroyed MosesÕ snake because it had become an idol!

God gave him success in whatever he did. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and he fought back the Philistines all the way to Gaza. On the other hand, the Israelites based in Samaria did not obey God and were destroyed and relocated by the Assyrians, as we saw yesterday.

But, in HezekiahÕs fourteenth year, Assyria attacked and took several fortified cities of Judah. Hezekiah acquiesced and asked for the price of tribute. It ended up being ten tons of silver and one ton of gold. They took everything out of the temple and even stripped the gold off the walls and doors and doorposts of the Temple.

Later, the king of Assyria sent his chief commander with a large army up to Jerusalem. They stopped just outside of town at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool and the commander asked for officials to come out for terms. The commander told the officials that HezekiahÕs deal with the Egyptians was worthless. ÒLook now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a manÕs hand and wounds him if he leans on it!Ó

And, about that God you are depending on, didnÕt you smash all his high places and demand that everyone worship at one altar in Jerusalem? So, heÕs not going to do you any good.

This commander did not understand the command of God; he projected on God the qualities of the other gods of the region. We do this today too.

He offered them horses if they had riders, but also warned that God had told him to attack this city and destroy it.

HezekiahÕs officials told the commander not to speak in Hebrew. Everyone on the walls could understand Hebrew, but not Aramaic, which only they, the educated, understood.

His response, ÒWas it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall – who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?Ó

We know what word was translated ÒfilthÓ hereÉ This refers to the coming siege. So much for the morale battle.

He continued to taunt them. He told them not to trust their king when he said that God would deliver them. That would be unprecedented. He named the gods of neighboring territories as examples of who had not prevailed against the super power, Assyria. None of them had. He offered them peace and prosperity until he came to relocate them to a place just as good.

The people on the walls did not answer. They had been instructed not to. The officials went inside with torn clothes to consult with Hezekiah.

II Kings 19 2006 October 11^th for November 3^rd

On hearing of the siege from the Assyrians, king Hezekiah tore his robes and went to the Temple to pray in anguish. He knew well that God might side with the opposing commanders. He also knew that God might hear their taunts, be insulted, and destroy them.

At this point we meet the prophet Isaiah. He sends word to the king not to worry. The enemy would receive some report, return to his own country, and be killed there.

This did in fact happen. The field commander heard that his king was in battle at Lachish and withdrew to go to his aid. As he departed, he sent a letter to Hezekiah reiterating what he had said earlier, that he shouldnÕt depend on his gods to save him; local gods hadnÕt worked anywhere else.

When Hezekiah received the letter he took it up to the Temple and spread it out before God and prayed some more. Isaiah wrote a long piece of poetry in reply. Its essence is that God can and does do anything. He can turn fortified cities into rubble, he can dry up the deserts, he can stomp on great nations like tender grass. Long ago he had planned for this day. The Assyrians would be defeated without even a battle.

The sign of this deliverance would be that for the next two years, Judah would eat what came up volunteer in the fields, and in the third year they would plant and harvest. For DavidÕs sake, God would save the city. No weapons would be used in the city by the enemy.

That night 185,000 men died in the Assyrian camp, due to the ÒAngel of the Lord.Ó ÒWhen the people got up the next morning – there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.Ó

Later, when he was worshiping his god Nisroch, he was assassinated by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer. They escaped to Ararat. Another son, Esarhaddon, became king.

So much for their gods!

II Kings 20 2006 October 11^th for November 6^th

King Hezekiah became very ill with a boil and was at the point of death. Isaiah came and told him to put his affairs in order; he was about to die. Hezekiah turned over and cried bitterly, reminding God that he had been a good king and follower. Isaiah was on the way out of the palace when the word of God came to him again and he went back. Hezekiah would recover and would live fifteen more years. There would be a sign of HezekiahÕs choosing. Should the shadow on the stairway of Ahaz move forward ten steps or backwards? Hezekiah knew and said that it was nothing for the shadow to advance as usual, but to move backwards; that would be something. The shadow moved backwards ten steps. God said, ÒI will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.Ó At IsaiahÕs direction, a poultice of figs was made and applied to the boil and Hezekiah recovered.

A son of the king of Babylon heard of the kingÕs illness and sent letters and gifts. Later this king visited and Hezekiah, in friendly nature, showed him all around the palace and the Temple, including all the treasures that were in these places, everything. After they were gone, Isaiah, disturbed, came and asked about this. On hearing the truth of the matter, he prophesied that all of these treasures would one day be carried off to Babylon and that his own sons would serve there as eunuchs.

ÒÕThe word of the Lord you have spoken is good,Õ Hezekiah replied. For he thought, ÔWill there not be peace and security in my lifetime?ÕÓ

At the appointed time, Hezekiah died and was succeeded by his twelve-year-old son Manasseh.

Much is made of this chapter. I have heard it preached that it was sinful for Hezekiah to want to live longer in that it resulted in the rule of Manasseh who, we will see tomorrow, was an evil king. The preacher did not discuss what the succession would have been had Hezekiah died childless. Hezekiah is made to seem kind of selfish in this statement that, ÔOh well, things will be OK in my lifetime anywayÕ but what else can anyone consider? It was a clear tactical mistake to show foreigners all of the wealth of the land, even if they seemed friendly at the time. This seems to be a lesson that no one ever learns, not even today.

As to the apparent sun moving backwards in the sky for some period of time, there is no explanation from physics. The momentum of the earth is immense. A reversal of rotation would have effects far beyond the change in shadows. Such a spectacle could perhaps be done with mirrors, aerial vehicles, or other optical tricks, by God, or others with more advanced technology.

Just sayingÉ.

II Kings 21 2006 October 12^th for November 7^th

King Manasseh is the worst thing we have seen yet, worse even than Ahab. He rebuilt all the high places that he father had destroyed and reinstituted worship on them. He put up altars Òto all the starry hostsÓ and an Asherah pole right in GodÕs Temple. He sacrificed his own son in fire and Òpracticed sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger.Ó

This made Manasseh and the people who followed him, that is, all of Israel, more evil than the nations who had been driven out to put Israel in this land to start with. IsraelÕs privilege in this respect was apparently behavioral, not racial, a distinction missed by preachers both then and now.

As a result, a prophecy came down against Israel. God would use the standards on them that he had used on their enemies. They would be banished from the land, cleaned out like a washed dish. In addition to all this, Manasseh shed innocent blood in Israel, so that it filled Jerusalem from end to end.

Even the standard refrain on each kingÕs reign is amended:

ÒAs for the other events of ManassehÕs reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?Ó (My emphasis.)

He died and was succeeded by his 22-year-old son Amon. Amon carried on the policies of his father. There was a conspiracy and he was assassinated in the palace. His eight-year-old son Josiah succeeded him. (Yes, Amon had a son when he was 16.)

II Kings 22 2006 October 12^th for November 8^th

Josiah was a good king in the tradition of his ancestor David. He did not turn from the law in any direction.

In his 18^th year of rule, when he was 26, he sent to the Temple orders that it be repaired from the treasury and that the workers not be held accountable because they would act in good faith. (I observe that there is good faith and there is dishonesty, but a more important reason for accounting than either of these is to prevent error.)

While they were doing this, a book of the law was found, presumably some of the material that we have covered so far in the Old Testament. This book was brought and read in the presence of Josiah. Before long he tore his robes in anguish that the book said that the nation would be punished for their sins that he knew they had committed.

I observe that we donÕt see kings of Israel or Judah reading the laws of God much. We see them doing, it would seem, pretty much what they pleased.

In any case, Josiah sent off for a prophet. He was answered by a prophetess, a woman who lived in the Second District named Huldah.

She said that it was indeed true that God would bring disaster here but that since Josiah was upright and had despaired on behalf of the people when he heard this word and God had noticed, the devastation would not occur during his lifetime.

This response from God (through a woman, no less) matches our modern ideas of fairness more than many that we have seen previously.

II Kings 23:1 - 30 2006 October 13^th for November 9^th

Josiah had the law found in the Temple brought out and read in public. The people renewed their vows to God as a result. He then told the priests in charge of the Temple to remove all of the pagan articles of worship that had been set up there such as Asherah poles and altars to the starry hosts. This was done and they were carried to a valley and burned.

Josiah then went on a tour of the kingdom and had all of the worship centers for other gods destroyed including all their horses and chariots used for worship. What he didnÕt burn he turned into rubble, then he had peopleÕs graves dug up and burned their bones on the ruins as a further desecration. He ÒslaughteredÓ all the priests of these high places.

The description of this destruction is much more complete than anywhere else we have encountered and we learn some of the names of these other gods: ÒThe king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption – the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon.Ó Also, He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.Ó And, ÒHe also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of the Lord where women did weaving for Asherah.Ó

In one case, there was a tombstone on one of the graves and when Josiah inquired about it he was told that this was the grave of the prophet who had prophesied that all of this would happen. Josiah ordered that this particular prophetÕs grave be left alone.

ÒFuthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem.Ó

Finally, he ordered that the Passover be celebrated as instructed in the book of the Law and there was a resulting celebration unlike any since the days of the Judges. This was like bringing back Christmas.

Despite all this, God was still very angry with Judah over the actions of Mannaseh. ÒI will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ÔThere shall my Name be.ÕÓ

Egypt and Assyria joined forces at the Euphrates River and Josiah went out to fight them. Pharaoh Neco of Egypt faced Josiah at Meggido and killed him. He was brought back by chariot for burial in Jerusalem and his son Jehoahaz was made king.

II Kings 23:31 – 24:20 2006 October 13^th for November 10^th

King Jehoahaz succeeded his father Josiah, but did not reign for long. Pharaoh Neco took him into custody and put him in chains then appointed another son of Josiah, Eliakim, king, changing his name to Jehoiakim. Meanwhile, he took Jehoahaz off to Egypt where he died.

Jehoiakim levied heavy taxes of silver and gold on Judah in order to pay the tribute demanded by Pharaoh Neco.

Then, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and invaded. Jehoiakim was a vassal for a while but then rebelled. Raiders from Aramea, Moab, and Ammon came and destroyed Jerusalem.

It was anarchy.

Jeohiakim was succeeded by Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the land and conquered it. ÒAs the Lord had declared back under Hezekiah, Nebuchadnezzar removed all the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and took away all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. He carried into exile all Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men, and all the craftsmen and artisans – a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.Ó

Nebuchadnezzar also took king Jehoiachin and his household, (mother, wives, officials, leading men) into captivity in Babylon. He left JehoiachinÕs uncle, Mattaniah, in charge of Jerusalem, changing his name to Zedekiah.

All four of these kings, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, were evil. God had finished thrusting Judah from his presence. But, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon.

So, even though Josiah, and Hezekiah before him, were good, even zealous kings, God still punished Judah. This tends to argue against the doctrine that you can always straighten up and prevent GodÕs wrath. Maybe ÒdelayÓ is more accurate. Or maybe ZedekiahÕs rebellion was the last straw.

II Kings 25 2006 October 16^th for November 13^th

Due to ZedekiahÕs rebellion against Babylon, the king brought his entire army and put Jerusalem under siege. The siege lasted for about 14 months then the people in the city ran out of food. Then the Babylonians broke through the city wall and the entire Israelite army tried to flee at night, though they were surrounded. The Babylonians chased them out onto the plains and captured the king. King Zedekiah was brought to the king of Babylon who pronounced sentence and had it carried out: ÒThey killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.Ó

Eight years later commander Nebuzaradan of Babylon brought the army back to Jerusalem and destroyed everything in town. They looted and burned down all the major buildings. In particular, they destroyed, broke down, or otherwise removed every important or valuable item from the Temple. The chief priest Seraiah, his second-in-command Zephaniah, three doorkeepers, the officers of the fighting men, five advisers, and the secretary who was in charge of conscription along with sixty of his men were taken to the king of Babylon who had them executed.

Gedaliah was appointed governor of the poor people who remained in Jerusalem. A few were left to work the vineyards and fields. Gedeliah told them to go along and get along and everything would be fine, they would not have to fear the Babylonians. Soon, however, some royal conspirators assassinated Gedeliah then fled to Egypt along with several other officials.

After 37 years of exile, a new king, Evil-Merodach (also called Armel-Marduk) came to power in Babylon. He released Jehoiachin from prison and treated him with honor, placing him above the other conquered kings, giving him a seat at the kingÕs table and a regular allowance as long as he lived.

Looking at yesterdayÕs text, it is not clear what the timeline is with Jehoiachin.

This was the exile of Judah to Babylon. The nation of Israel is gone and the parallel nation of Judah is under subjugation. This is the end of the history of the kings.

Concluding Thoughts on II Kings 2006 October 17^th for November 14^th

We have seen something interesting develop here.

Under Moses, God set up considerable regulations for the Israelites. It was all to center on the hereditary High Priest with a lesser civil ruler. Lesser, that is, compared to Moses.

This is all gone. We rarely hear of the High Priest at all anymore and when we do he is at best a mere political player, at worst a corrupt charlatan.

Now we have a hereditary king system, similar to the neighboring pagans that God abhors. It started out poorly, then had a couple of good ones, and now it's settled into mediocrity at best, outright opposition to, or ignorance of God at its common worst. Sometimes a good priest get the ear of the king, as in the case of Josiah, a youth hidden in the Temple, and get reforms. Most times not.

The problem with hereditary monarchy is, of course, that some people in a family would be good rulers and some would not, yet, you get who you get by hereditary right. Indeed, five hundred years ago, it was unchristian not to believe in divine right hereditary monarchy, doubtless based in part on all of this historical material about Israel. As Americans living in a democracy we donÕt believe this anymore and downplay the examples of scripture, although we do like to see people under the ÒLordship of ChristÓ, in some form, Jesus being a fit and perfect ruler, unlike his human peers.

The key spiritual figures of this time are the prophets, typically led by a central figure with unusual God-given powers such as Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, or Isaiah. The kings have seers and the nation has seers. The lives of these prophets seem monastic and mystical. In a sense, they rank socially above the king, but with none of the trappings, wealth, or distractions. The tension that used to be between the people and each other or between the people and the Judges is now between the king and the prophet.

Nowhere in the Mosaic Law do we see either a king or a prophet specified as God's way to govern man but this is what has evolved. The Law in this regard has become de-facto obsolete, even in the period only a few hundred years after the exodus. Few "took the Bible seriously" then either, apparently. Fewer still among the leadership.

The attempt in the narrative to correlate events interpreted as GodÕs judgment with the goodness or badness of kings is quite loose. Most kings are bad by the Davidic standard, though a few are good, excepting that only one removed the Òhigh places.Ó You would think that this zeal for God would have resulted in a grand renewal of the Davidic covenant but it didnÕt. That kingÕs father (Manasseh) was so evil that GodÕs judgment, to thrust Israel away from himself, was eventually carried out in spite of what the unusually good king Josiah had done. In other lesser times along the way, there would be good kings who would prosper and good kings who would be punished. There would be bad kings who would prosper and bad ones who would be punished, or whose descendants would be punished. Yet, the writer attempts to connect the personality and behavior of the king with GodÕs provision or judgment on the people during an era, even when it rarely seems to have any actual connection in Òreal time.Ó Put another way, you can prophesy anything or claim that any cause and effect are connected if you have infinite patience and donÕt require that the connections be anything near immediate.

There are those who would see my own critical reading of these sacred texts as rebellious. I donÕt doubt that this is true to some extent; all humans are rebellious after all. But the attempt here is to read the plain text for what it says, to try not to overlay too much religions teaching or tradition onto it (after all, such teaching is not Scripture itself, only commentary), and to simply apply real-world sense, as I know it. It is all very readable and very believable but without the Victorian lens of our own age or the ÒGod must prevailÓ lens of the age and community contemporary to the author, this line of history becomes much less demonstrative of God making a chosen people different from others through his infinitely good presence and much more an indication that Ònothing is new under the sun,Ó that the chosen people are merely that, ÒchosenÓ and blessed but otherwise not much different, and not superior.

© Courtney B. Duncan, 2006