Reflections
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 46
K I n g s .. THE DIVIDED KINGDOMs
Judah defeated by Nebuchadnezzar
Jews exiled from the land 1
About 35 years after the Assyrians expelled the 10 tribes from the northern kingdom, Israel, and caused that land to be occupied by ‘foreigners’, the faithful king of Judah, Hezekiah, died. He was replaced by his 12 year old son Manasseh. Of him it is written, “he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel”. (See Deuteronomy 18:9-12) The text of today’s ‘reflection’ continues as an expression of the anger, frustration, and sorrow of YHWH ELOHIM, in contemplation of what now had to be done to turn His beloved people back to Himself. (I am mindful of the millions of gullible people who have been so treacherously misled by a large number of shameless present day “kings” of TV evangelism, who wittingly damage the reputation of the LORD by their self enriching actions, and who are dismissive of God’s displeasure at those who plunder the “would be” faithful.) I also note, and this is a massive lesson, that in the text today, whilst the ‘bad kings’ bear primary responsibility for the misleading, the individual is just as culpable for the deliberate act of breaking the covenant they had made, and all suffer the same judgment. In this case, exile from the land. “So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, because they have done evil in My sight.” Says the LORD. (For a closer understanding of the lesson, and the principle at work here, just turn to what Paul said in his longest letter .. Romans 11:21)
Mannasseh died and was succeeded by his 22 year old son Amon. He was no better than his dad, but no worse. “He forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and did not walk in the ways of the LORD”. After just two years, his servants rebelled against him and murdered him. However, that displeased the people, so they in turn put all those servants to death and installed Amon’s 8 year old son Josiah as king. Obviously, he was well led by his mother Jedidah, Amon’s widow. After 18 years, Josiah decided to take some action regarding the repairs to the temple, which had been started during the reign of the child king Joash under the tutelage of the High Priest Jehoiada. At that time a ‘temple tax’ had been organised to pay the workmen, and it seems likely that the tax was still gathered, but there was little paid work done. Joash sought to remedy that. As that work got underway, the High Priest Hilkiah discovered the Torah Scroll (I assume it was among some rubble, but evidently not used very much). The Scroll was given to the Scribe, who first read it and then dutifully took it to the king and began to read it to him. The young king Josiah was absolutely shocked by what he heard, because it became abundantly clear that the people were ignoring the very clear instructions God had specified for their lifestyle. (Much like today!) In anguish, he tore his clothes, and commanded those officials close to him to “enquire of the LORD concerning the words of this book which has been found”. The result of his enquiry was that the LORD assured him that because of his reaction and genuine concern, he would be spared the experience of seeing “the calamity which I will bring on this place (Judah)”. And therein lies another possible lesson for us. Our lives are in His hands. He chooses when we arrive and when we depart this earth. His time is perfect. The faithful Josiah would be taken before the ‘calamity’ arrived .. and that surely was a blessing for him. (On a VERY personal note, when my wife died 5 years ago, I did not fully understand why, even though I knew the cause. More recent events have given me an appreciation of the grace of God, who has spared her, what I now know would have been an extremely stressful experience).
Then Josiah assembled all the people, elders, priests, prophets, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to the temple. There he read to them “ALL THE WORDS OF THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT”. Then “he made a covenant to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant”. Following this, he destroyed all the idolatrous paraphernalia which had been set up in both Judah and Samaria, including Bethel. A complete new start. And a few short years later, Josiah died at the hand of the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Meggido and was taken back to Jerusalem to be buried. His son Jehoahaz was made king for 3 months and was then imprisoned by the Pharaoh who had killed his father. Eliakim, another son of Josiah then became king, but he was taken to Egypt by Pharaoh Necho. He was followed by Jehoiachin, who was taken off to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar, as were several other very important officers on the realm. Finally Zedekiah became king and he, like all who succeeded Josiah, “did evil in the sight of the LORD”.
It was while Zedekiah reigned that the calamity prophesied to Josiah came about. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had seized the city of Jerusalem, carried of many prominent citizens, including Daniel and his friends, until there was very little fight left in them. The final straw was the destruction of the temple by fire, and the capture and removal of all the sacred furniture and treasures. It was a most sad day in the history of Israel. After many warnings, spanning centuries of history, God had finally said “ENOUGH”.
We are living in days when many are seeing significant signs that God is again approaching the next “ENOUGH”. The Scriptures implore us to ‘watch and pray”. SELAH !!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 45
K I n g s .. THE DIVIDED KINGDOMS
Introducing Isaiah 1
After the calamitous exile of the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, out of the land of God’s promise to them, the “king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.” Not at all what God wanted for them, and it was not without ample warning of the consequence of their failure to honour the covenant they had made. In the meantime, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, became king of Judah. He was very different to the 12 kings of Judah who preceded him in that, not only was he a “good king”, but he was the first of them to actually “remove the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it.” One can easily imagine how entrenched such practise was, since it would have been ritualistic from their very birth, having regard to the fact that the timing of the reign of Hezekiah was more than 200 years after the death of Solomon.
Hezekiah subdued and drove the Philistines back to the coastal plain, but he managed to make a more potent enemy of the king of Assyria. In the 14th year of his reign, Judah lost its fortified cities in an attack by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Hezekiah made a “non aggression” arrangement with Sennacherib by providing him with all the silver and gold that he had. But it was not enough! Sennacherib mustered a vast army and sent the chief officers of his court to Jerusalem with a threatening message of certain defeat if the Judeans resisted their demands. The Rabshakeh (chief officer/cup bearer) of king Sennacherib addressed the people directly and in their own language in an effort to get them to abandon defence of the city and ridiculing Hezekiah for ‘trusting God for deliverance” from this mighty invading army. Certainly, Hezekiah was very concerned about the situation. In great distress Hezekiah turned the LORD in prayer. That prayer seems to me to provide a kind of model worth noting. “You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” There, front and centre, establish the One whose help is sought. Then he boldly asked the LORD to hear and see the challenge and the challenger. Then the humble request, not a demand. “Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone.” And what was God’s response? He spoke to Isaiah !
It is surprising that Isaiah, had begun his prophetic ministry in the days after king Uzziah (also called Azariah) about 40 years earlier. He was the son of Amoz, and he evidently was known to Hezekiah, and yet this is the first time Isaiah is mentioned in the books of the kings. Contemporary prophets to Isaiah were Amos (no relation), Hoshea and Micah, but there is no evidence that they actually knew each other. Additionally, rabbinic tradition has it that Isaiah was a nephew of the former king Amaziah of Judah, and if true, puts Isaiah in a quite unique position, with royal connections. But his ministry is focussed very much on the poor and needy in society. And in this situation, God spoke to Isaiah about the pressing need of the king. (Isaiah deals with this episode in some detail in the book that bears his name, chapters 36-39. There it brings to an end the “gloomy”, even condemning, part of Isaiah’s prophecy, before he is shown the glorious future of Israel and the birth of Yeshua)
Isaiah sent word from the LORD to Hezekiah saying “Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacharib, king of Assyria, I have heard.” And then he went into a long prophecy against Sennacharib and his armies because of their contempt for the LORD God about what would happen and how he would be defeated. “The virgin, the daughter of Zion” against whom Sennacharib boasted about his strength, is the one who would have the last laugh by putting their trust in the LORD God, “shaking her head behind your back.” There would be three years of hardship, but Jerusalem would not be defeated nor over-run. The LORD said “For I will defend this city , to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.” Some time later, “the angel of the LORD went out, and killed 185,000 of the Assyrian army.” So Sennacharib returned to Ninevah, his home town, defeated and in shame, only to be murdered by his own sons.
Some time during this altercation with Sennacharib, Hezekiah became very sick. Isaiah went to him to announce that he was about to die. The distraught king wept and again turned to the LORD in prayer, reminding God of his faithful service, leading the people in righteousness. The LORD heard his prayer and plea for his life and told Isaiah that he would heal Hezekiah and miraculously add 15 more years to his life. But Hezekiah was so conscious of his own sickness that he asked Isaiah for a sign that God would heal him. Thus we have that amazing story of the sun dial moving 10 deg backwards. (there have been many sceptical of this event, since it is at odds with ‘nature’. The truth is that Hezekiah was in fact healed, and did live another 15 years. Our God made the heavens, the sun, the moon the stars, He breathed the Universe into being. He can do what He likes with His creation. And if it makes you feel any better about it, having moved the shadow one way, He could also move it back again!)
We cannot leave the reign of Hezekiah without also mentioning that he was responsible for constructing that life saving tortuous tunnel from the Gihon Spring, outside the city walls, to the Pool of Siloam, inside the city walls. I know it’s there because I have walked through it.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 44
K I n g s .. THE DIVIDED KINGDOMS
the end of Israel … Northern Kingdom1
When king Solomon died, the promised land of Israel was divided. Two tribes, Judah and Benjamin formed the Southern kingdom of Judah, with Rehoboam as king. The other ten tribes, with Jeroboam as king, made up the northern kingdom of Israel. The ‘reflection’ today takes place 200 years after that division, with Ahaz king of Judah and Pekah, the 19th king of Israel nearing the end of his reign. There was not a single king in Israel that ‘walked in the ways of the LORD’. Jeroboam had commenced the idolatry by building two centres of worship, in Bethel and Dan, complete with a ‘golden calf’’ as the symbol of their god. YHWH Elohim had been gracious, patient, and merciful in His dealings with them, but steadfast in his condemnation their idolatry. Elijah and Elisha had ministered to, and challenged, them. All to no avail. The lesson for us today is to heed the voice of the LORD. The warnings of God (Genesis 6:1-3) went unheeded for 120 years before the earth was flooded and only the righteous Noah and his family saved. The kingdom of Israel, in our text today, were warned for 200 years and yet remained unrepentant. Idolatry, in its many forms, is rife today, and still the warnings are unheeded.
Judah had three kings, Joash, Azariah, and Jotham who had been “good kings”. Our ‘reflection’ today opens with king Ahaz reigning in Judah. Of him we are told “he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God …but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel.” Calamity followed. King Ahaz was besieged in Jerusalem by the joint forces of Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel. At the same time king Rezin drove the men of Judah out of Eilat, which then became occupied by the Edomites. In desperation, king Ahaz sought, and got, help from king Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, by sending him the treasures of the temple as well as his own treasury. During a meeting with the Assyrian Tiglath-Pileser in Damascus (Syria), Ahaz saw what he considered to be an attractively designed altar of sacrifice. He promptly ordered Urijah, a priest of Judah, to make such an altar, which was placed in the Jerusalem temple. Sacrilege. Take time to read a more detailed account of the exploits of king Ahaz in 2 Chronicles 28. His time reigning in Judah proved to be very costly, even disastrous. Then Ahaz died and was replaced by his son, Hezekiah, of whom we will learn a lot more in our next ‘reflection’.
Four years before king Ahaz of Judah died, Hoshea became king of Israel. He was not as bad as those before him but still was a “bad king”, the 20th and final king of Israel. King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Israel and Hoshea became subservient to him. However, Hoshea tried to make an alliance with Egypt against Assyria. This proved to be ‘the last straw’ because the attempted alliance was discovered by Shalmaneser, who then put a siege on Samaria which lasted three years. He also had Hoshea bound and cast into prison. In the ninth, and last year of Hoshea’s reign, the ultimate culmination of Israel’s disobedience fell on them. Bit by bit, over a relatively short space of time, different tribal territories (combined under the general name ISRAEL) were overcome and exiled from the land, with the main leadership group taken to Assyria. The generally accepted date for this exile is 722 BCE. And king Shalmaneser V accredited with that conquest. And the reason for this exile is best explained from the Scripture text.
“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, for they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a moulded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone. Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight.”
A careful reading of the above admonishment of the LORD should be enough for us to re-assess our position and relationship with a Holy God. Selah!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 43
K I n g s .. The DIVIDED KINGDOMS
The death of Elisha 1
The passage for our study this week moves very quickly as ‘kings come and kings go’. Prior to this, approximately 90 years of history are covered in the preceding 19 chapters in our Bible, with much of it related to the ministry of Elijah and Elisha (which covered about 65 years). In the whole ‘reflection’ this week, the next 62 years of Israelite history is dealt with.
Last week, in our reading, the reign of both the ‘bad king’ Jehu in Israel (who was used by God to eliminate Baal worship), and the ‘good king’ Joash in Judah (who under the tutelage of the high priest Jehoida restored righteous living and repaired the temple for worship) came to an end. Fifteen years before Joash was murdered, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz, was king in Israel, but he died before Joash. Jehoahaz “did evil in the sight of the LORD” just like his father. As a result we are told that “The anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.” Mercifully, the LORD responded to the plea of Jehoahaz, and provided them with some relief, but it was a very hard life that they led. In spite of that relief ..“Never-the-less, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam … but walked in them.” Then Jehoahaz died and was succeeded by his son Jehoash. He reigned for the next 16 years, but just like every king of Israel before and after him “he did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Eventually he died and was buried in Samaria. (A caution at this point. Confusion might arise over names. There were TWO different kings called Joash, one in Israel and the other in Judah. An added confusion is that in some places they are also referred to as Jehoash. Careful reading of the text is required, taking note of other persons with whom they connect to sort out which Joash/Jehoash is the subject).
The narrative now provides some ‘breaking news’ about Elisha. (But we will return to the same Joash, who’s death is just noted, later !!!) About 45 years or more have passed since we had any mention of Elisha in the Scriptures. I cannot imagine that this mighty man of God, gifted as he was with a double portion of the spirit that was in in Elijah, suddenly ceased his calling. But God has chosen not to enlighten us about Elisha’s ministry in this intervening period. Sufficient to say that God had one more insight to share with us about Elisha before He took him from this earth. Evidently he was now advanced in years and had become terminally ill. Perhaps this provides a practical lesson for us today. People die. Everyone dies. It’s what God has determined for mankind. Even those ‘in-dwelt’ with a double portion of the spirit, having an amazing God given ministry. And the point is? When praying for healing for someone, take time to ask God that His will be done in that person, before ‘plunging in’ and possibly praying against God’s will and plan. Jehoash, king of Israel, visited Elisha during his last days. Elisha had a prophetic word for him (2 Kings 13:15-19) about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Syria. And then Elisha died and was buried. There is an amazing miraculous sequel to this too. Many years later, a certain man was being buried, and in haste was put into the tomb where Elisha was buried. Immediately the dead man’s body touched the bones of Elisha “he revived and stood on his feet.” That is the last news we have about Elisha, except to note that Jehoash went on to recapture the cities, which king Hazael had taken, three times, exactly as the prophecy of Elisha had said they would.
While Jehoash, king of Israel was alive, king Joash of Judah was murdered and was succeeded by his son Amaziah. He was a “good king” just like his father before him, but that did not prevent him from executing (pun intended) justice on those who had killed his father. “However the high places were not taken away, and the people (of Judah) still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places”. There is a more complete record of the exploits of Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25. There we read “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, “but not with a loyal heart.” And Amaziah made some BIG mistakes. He went on an attack against the Edomites with great success, even though the captives of that success were so cruelly treated. BUT, “he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up as his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them”. Emboldened by that success against Edom, he then issued a battle challenge to king Jehoash of Israel. The battle took place at Beth Shemesh (a place with an amazing history) where Amaziah was captured and taken hostage to Samaria, and the temple in Jerusalem was plundered. For that mistake, he was later killed by his own, and was buried in Jerusalem. He was replaced by his sixteen year old son Azariah. In the meantime, and some years earlier king Jehoash of Israel had died and he was replaced his son Jeroboam.
What follows is somewhat repetitious in that Jeroboam proved to be a good leader in that he captured territory from Israel’s enemies, But like all before and after him, did nothing to lead the people away from idolatry. He was replaced, after various short periods of time, by Zechariah, Shallum. Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and finally Hoshea. Not one “good king” among them. Meanwhile, in Judah, Azariah (also known as Uzziah), followed righteously in the footsteps of his father, but was regrettably in poor health (described as leprosy) all his life. He was aided as king by his son Jotham until Jotham, another “good king” of Judah succeeded him. Uzziah, mentioned above, is noted as the king who reigned over Judah at the time that Isaiah "saw the LORD" and took up his ministry calling.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 42
K I n g s .. The divided kingdoms 1
Last week we focussed on the ministry of Elisha. But at the end of that reading we learned that the domineering Jezebel, wife of king Ahab, had died a violent death at the hands Jehu, former commander of king Joram’s army. This is the same Jehu that the LORD had told Elijah to anoint as king of Israel, a task eventually performed by Elisha. But as we open this week, we find that Jehu was determined to exterminate all the potential rivals from the descendants of both Ahab, king of Israel, and Azahiah, king of Judah, the kings who preceded him, and who might challenge him for that position. There were 70 living sons of Ahab in the city of Samaria and the area of Jezreel. They were the first to go. Then, in Judah, 42 brothers of Ahaziah were next. It was brutal. “So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until left none of them remaining.”
Then comes an important lesson, concerning God’s attitude to moral fortitude, in the midst of all this carnage. Jehu is joined by a man called Jehonadab, son of Rechab. The Rechabites were descendants of Midian, related by marriage to Moses (Judges 1:16), a nomadic and high principled people who had vowed not to drink wine or to build houses. Hundreds of years later, these people are held up by God to the prophet Jeremiah as an example of consistency in keeping their word, as opposed to the Israelites, who broke their covenant promises, causing God to be angry with them (Jeremiah 35:16). Jehu was well aware of this people group as he asked Jehonadab “Is your heart right as my heart is right towards your heart ?” When the answer came “It is”, Jehu knew he had a trustworthy partner and invited up into his chariot. We must keep in mind here, that God had determined many years earlier, in Elijah’s time, that He had to put an end to the worship of the Baal’s. What began on Mount Carmel in the conflict between Ahab and Elijah, is now nearing its completion in the person of Jehu.
This was a God appointed mission, conducted by Jehu, joined now by Jehonadab and his men. They planned the event, by announcing a special festival with the words “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no-one be missing for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” That proclamation was sent throughout all Israel .. “and all the worshippers of Baal came, so there was not a man left who did not come.” The worshippers gathered in the temple of Baal. Jehu made sure “that there were no servants of the LORD present in the place.” Then the slaughter began, and the end was that “they tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump until this day.” Game, set, and match.
However, Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jerabaom. In addition to the worship of Baal, which had been introduced by Ahab, through the influence of Jezebel, there was still the vexed matter of the golden calves which were set up in Bethel and Dan. The LORD declared His approval of Jehu regarding the removal of the Baal worship, and told him his dynasty would survive for four generations (which turned out to be more that 100 years), but Jehu “took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart.” Sadly for Israel, we are then told that “In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael, (of Syria, whom the LORD had instructed Elijah to anoint king years earlier) conquered them in all the territory of Israel.” So it was that Jehu died. He had ruled over Israel for 28 years. He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.
Meanwhile, in Judah, upon the death of Ahaziah and his brothers, his mother, Athaliah (a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel) , had designs on becoming queen, so she killed off all the other possible male heirs to the throne. Except one! A small child called Joash, who, with his nurse, was hidden by his aunt, Jehosheba,, wife of the high priest Jehoida, in a room in the temple for six years. During these years, Athalia, the only female ruler in the history of Israel and Judah, and the only ruler of Judah not descended from King David, attempted to introduce Baal worship into Judah. In the seventh year of Athalia’s rule, Jehoida the high priest decided that it was time to reveal the presence of Joash. Together with loyal bodyguards, priests and captains of the army, the coup was planned, coinciding with the changing of the officers in the temple on a particular Sabbath. So it was that the child king, Joash, was crowned. In the noise and ceremony which followed, queen Athalia attempted to intervene, without success, and was summarily executed.
“Then Jehoida made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD’s people, and also between the king and the people. And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down.” “Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoida instructed him … but the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
Joash also gave attention to the repair of the temple and together with Jehoida ensured that there was money (a temple tax) available to pay the workers who made the repairs. He was one of only 8 kings of Judah out of 20 to be described as ‘good kings’. But eventually, those servants close to him, formed a conspiracy and murdered him. What a sad end.!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 41
K I n g s .. The Divided Kingdoms
Ministry of Elisha 1
Elisha requested his mentor Elijah, (2 Kings 2:9) that he receive a double portion of his spirit. Today we ‘reflect’ on Elisha’s miraculous ministry as we recognise in him, a boldness to speak, to act, and to prophecy, as he was directed by the LORD.
First, we are told of a widow of one of the prophets (location not specified) in desperate circumstances, with a creditor about to take her sons, until the next year of Jubilee (as prescribed in Torah), in payment for her debt, We know the story well. The only thing of any value she possessed was ‘a jar of olive oil’. The LORD multiplied that oil, so it could be sold to pay the debt and provide a living for the widow and her sons into the future. It also, simultaneously, raised Elisha’s profile in the eyes of the people.
Elisha evidently travelled the country in his ministry, and often passed through the town of Shunem north of Mt. Gilboa, near the Jezreel Valley. He was accompanied by his servant Gehazi. A lady of the town recognised that Elisha was a servant of God, and gratuitously provided a simple lodging for him in their home. Elisha was anxious to repay the lady for her kindness. Gehazi discovered that the lady was married to an elderly man and was childless. Thinking that it would be a blessing to the lady to have a son, Elisha prophesied that a son would be born to her within the year. And he was. Some years later, the little boy, whilst in a field watching the harvest, was afflicted with a serious sickness, and died. The distraught Shunemite lady knew where Elisha would be, and travelled without delay to Mount Carmel to see him. I find it interesting that Elisha could see great distress in the lady as she approached and then seemed puzzled that “The LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me”. The whole story is in ch 4: 8 - 37. Please read it.
I enter the realms of speculation as I continue with the ‘reflection’ on this event, as I seek to find a lesson in this miracle of God. The little boy’s birth was prophesied by Elisha, but there does not appear to be “God involvement” leading up to that prophecy. However, God honoured Elisha in the birth of that “gift child” to the Shunemite lady. There’s no obviously unusual circumstance surrounding the death of that little boy. He became sick and he died. Must have happened many times before and since. The child had unexpectedly come into the lady’s life, and we can only guess that she was overjoyed by that, but now the child was dead. In her overwhelming grief, she chastised Elisha because the contentment she knew before the child came, she was unable to envisage ever again, now that the child was dead. Distraught is the word that comes to mind. Elisha shared her grief. He despatched Gehazi to Shunem with instructions to lay his staff on the face of the child, expecting that God would use that connection to raise the child to life again. It didn’t. What happened next provides a lesson for us. When God is involved, the healing occurred. Some may dispute this, but I have only found three occasions in the Scriptures where the words "prayed for” are used in the process of healing. This is one of them. In other healing miracles, and there are many of them, it is the ‘gift of healing’ which is exercised. (Just as Yeshua commanded his disciples in Matthew 10:8) In any event, when he and the dead lad were in that closed room, Elisha prayed. In fact, he did what Elijah had done years earlier (1 Kings 17:17-24), and then he was able to present the living child to his grieving mother.
Elisha went from there to Gilgal, east of the Jordan River. There was famine in the land. The prophets (we’ve come across them several times in this place) had little to eat, so Elisha ordered that some stew be made from herbs and ‘wild mushrooms’. It turned out to be a poisonous brew ! But the LORD turned Elisha’s faith into a sumptuous feast.
The story of Namaan, commander of the army of Syria, is very well known. His healing from leprosy was almost missed because of his pride. But the story has a ‘sting in its tail’. In anticipation of Namaan’s healing, the king of Syria had generously included substantial payment. When Namaan’s hand was healed of the leprosy, Elisha steadfastly refused to take it. Neither Elisha nor Almighty God could be ‘bought’ with money. That extends today to the greatest gift ever given to mankind. It IS a gift, it CANNOT be bought .. and that is the gift of salvation. Elisha’s servant Gehazi did not understand this, and ended up with the very curse that Namaan was healed of .. leprosy. There is a lesson here too. In our day there are people, very prominent and well known people, who seek to enrich themselves by ‘peddling’ the free gift which God offers. They are people who contemptuously ignore the warnings of God, and one which has been quoted in these ‘reflections’ many times. (Heb 10:31)
Elisha, gained great acclaim among the people as a “man of God”. He once made an iron axehead float because it had been borrowed by one of his followers. Elisha gained the confidence of the king of Israel by miraculously revealing to him the plans of his enemy the king of Syria. And there are many other accounts of the way God used Elisha to draw people to himself, which are recorded in the passage of scripture on which we ‘reflect’ today.
Ask the LORD to bless you as you read of the blessings which Elisha was able to bring to the people as he faithfully followed the LORD’s command. And what was his ‘secret’? He was faithful AND obedient.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 40
K I n g s .. The Divided Kingdoms
Elijah is rewarded 1
“Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to enquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?”. What an interesting question to begin our ‘reflection’ today. And, as a timely lesson, it offers us a chance to check our own reaction when faced with important issues of life. To whom, or to what, do we turn for guidance when we are troubled, or uncertain? King Ahaziah of Israel had an accident, so he wanted to know if he would recover. It is indeed an interesting story (ch.1) in which God powerfully demonstrated His own authority in the person of Elijah, albeit resulting in the death of over one hundred men who had been sent by the king Ahaziah to summon Elijah to appear before him. It also ended with the king not recovering from his injuries. So he died, and Jehoram became the ninth king of Israel in his place. It seems strange, but factual, that at the same time that Jehoram became king of Israel (replacing Ahaziah), another Jehoram ascended to the throne of Judah, replacing his father Jehoshaphat, a good king who ‘fell short’ by entering into an alliance with Ahaziah of Israel. It is also the case that the Jehoram of Judah had been closely trained for the position by Jehoshaphat in anticipation of trouble with other sons after his days. So it was that both northern and southern kingdoms were ruled by men of the same name, and both were described in the scriptures as ‘bad kings’ because they led their people in the ways of idolatrous worship.
Elijah had received foreknowledge, from God, that he was about to leave this earth. Because we have the privilege of historical knowledge, and know the story, it amazes me that there are still many things about Elijah which we do not really know, and much has been studied and speculated by experts up until this very day. We know where he lived, but we do not know where or when he was born (or even if he was naturally born !). We know what he did, and where he ministered. And we know that he was fiercely opposed to idolatrous worship of the Baal’s. We also know is that he received a great reward from God at the end of his ministry, the like of which was only given to one other before him. Both he and Enoch are exceptions to the truth of Hebrews 9:27. From all that, there are some who postulate that Elijah was an earthly embodiment of an angel of God sent here for a specific task. And finally, the very last verses of the Hebrew Scriptures in our Bible today prophesy that Elijah will return to this earth “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5,6) It certainly strikes me as significant that that is precisely the mission Elijah was assigned by God in relation to the northern kingdom of Israel, whose hearts had turned to the idolatrous worship of ‘other gods’, which their forefathers had covenanted to not do. A final observation, still very much alive today, but unknown to an overwhelming majority of christian believers. At Passover each year, every Jewish family seder includes a special cup of wine on their table, set there in faithful expectation of the appearance of the prophet Elijah who will announce the coming of the Messiah. And a tradition is that after the drinking of the third cup of wine, the cup of salvation, a child is sent to open the front door of the house to welcome Elijah, should he appear.
Elisha had become a constant companion, and assistant, to Elijah. However, having been forewarned about his imminent departure from this earth, Elijah sought to distance himself from Elisha, who would have none of it ! So it was that Elijah asked Elisha “What may I do for you, before. I am taken away from you?” It seems that Elisha was prepared for that question because he immediately answered “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me”. It was not in Elijah’s power to grant such a thing, but in faith Elijah said the if Elisha witnessed his departure from him, it might, or might not be given to him. Suddenly, as they were talking, “a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, And Elisha saw it …”. Elisha picked up the mantle which had fallen from Elijah and returned to the River Jordan, for they were on the eastern side of it. “Then he took the mantle of Elijah … and struck the water with it (as he had seen Elijah do) and said ‘Where is the God of Elijah?’. And when he had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.” Thus it was, that Elisha, and all the prophets, knew that ‘the spirit of Elijah now rested on Elisha”.
The prophets persuaded Elisha that they should search for the body of Elijah in case the whirlwind had deposited his body somewhere, so they could bury him. His body was not found. Then the LORD blessed Elisha with miraculous power to turn ‘a spring of bad water into good water.’ Then he journeyed on through Judah to Bethel and on to Samaria. At this time, due to the ‘co-regency’ of Jehoshaphat and Jehoram in Judah, there may be confusion about the alliance between Judah and Israel and the king of Moab (who seemingly reneged on his promises) when Elisha was called upon to make a prophecy regarding that conflict. Elisha famously advised that the valley be filled with ditches, miraculously the ditches filled with water, and when viewed from the east at dawn the next day, caused the king of Moab to see what he perceived to be pools of blood of his enemies. The end of that was the defeat of the Moabites and further enhancement of the status of Elisha as the one chosen by God to take His message to the people of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 39
K I n g s .. the divided Kingdom
Elijah ministry continues 1
“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all (450) prophets (of Baal) with the sword”. The domineering Jezebel was not pleased! She sent a message to Elijah threatening his life. It may surprise some to know that in spite of his confidence in God, Elijah took this threat very seriously and ‘ran for his life’ to Beersheba, in Judea (about 200 Km south of Mt Carmel). He then journeyed for a further day south into the Negev desert. While he slept, an angel woke him twice, miraculously providing food and water each time. He survived on the strength of that food for a further 40 days as he journeyed to a safe haven in a cave on Mt. Horeb, in the Sinai desert (about 600 Km south of Mt Carmel). As he rested there, exhausted, the LORD questioned him, (Elijah, thought he was the only one left who truely worshipped the LORD). He was told to go out onto the mountain and there the LORD spoke to him in that "still, small voice”, telling him to return to the north, with instructions about who he should meet and what he should do.
Three tasks lay before him. 1. He was to anoint Hazael king of Syria. 2. He was to anoint Jehu king of Israel (bear in mind that Ahab was still in power, and very much in control). 3. He was to anoint Elisha as prophet to eventually replace himself. It is probably true that Elijah, that faithful servant of the LORD, would have little knowledge of WHY he was given these tasks, but each one had a place in God’s plan to bring about the destruction of Baal worship by the Israelites. A destruction which was begun by Elijah on Mt Carmel. Interestingly, Elisha was the first one Elijah met, he was plowing a field at the time. A farmer. Elijah threw his coat onto Elisha as he was plowing, and from that moment Elisha took up the role as Elijah’s assistant. Only God Almighty could orchestrate such an encounter. This illustrates an important lesson for those willing to learn. When God speaks, and He does in various ways to those He has called to Himself, be diligent and obedient to that call. If one is unsure, do not proceed until God confirms, maybe through a trusted friend and believer, or directly through His word, the task you believe He has assigned to you. Elijah was given a ‘long apprenticeship’ in trusting the call of God.
The first task the LORD assigned to Elijah, anointing Hazael as king of Syria (2 Kings 8:13) would be accomplished much later, by Elisha when he had replaced Elijah as the LORD’s messenger. In the same manner, the task of anointing Jehu king of Israel (2 Kings 9:3) was also left for Elisha to perform.
There is are some important observations to be made here. As we continue with this ‘reflection’ some might think that God changed His mind about the tasks assigned to Elijah. However, we must remember that God’s timing is never wrong, but it does not always accord with man’s timing. Also, as we will discover later, when God spectacularly took Elijah from this earth, a double portion of the spirit with which God had anointed Elijah, was passed on to his assistant, Elisha. But it required faithful obedience on Elijah’s part to bring it all to fruition.
We have noted that king Ahab of Israel, aided and abetted by his domineering wife Jezebal, had encouraged the people into gross idolatry. At the same time, due to Israel’s proximity to Syria, there was much animosity between them. King Ben-Hadad raided Israel, but was captured. Instead of taking his life Ahab chose to make a peace treaty with Ben-Hadad, For that compromise, God sent a man to Ahab to prophecy that he would lose his life in place of the Syrian. But that would come later. Ahab resumed his treachery, strongly led by his wife Jezebel, when he coveted, and took possession of the land of his neighbour Naboth. It was at this point that Elijah again confronted Ahab with the words “You have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold I will bring calamity on you.” This brought about a temporary period of change in Ahab, which in turn caused the LORD to delay His judgement on him. Then followed three years of peace between Israel and Syria.
During this time of peace, Ahab’s thoughts turned to recovery of the Levitical city of Ramoth in Gilead, that had been part of Israel, on the east of the Jordan River. He sought the help of king Jehoshaphat of Judah. Jehoshaphat agreed to assist him, subject to going the approval of the LORD via His prophet. The prophets of the north immediately concurred that the land would be returned in battle. Jehoshaphat was unconvinced, and a prophet of the LORD, Micaiah by name, was called. Now Ahab didn’t regard him very highly because “he would not prophecy good things about me, but evil.” In the event, Micaiah at first, sarcastically, went along with the false prophets, knowing that the LORD had allowed a lying spirit to enter the false prophets as they spoke of a resounding victory for Ahab. Then Micaiah spoke up and exposed the fact that a lying spirit had entered these false prophets, and far from victory, they would be defeated. Thus it was that Ahab was killed in that battle, and Ahaziah, his son reigned in his place, and he too “did evil in the sight of the LORD”.
Jehoshaphat continued, like his father Asa before him, leading the people of Judah righteously for a further 5 or so years after Ahab died. “Never-the-less the high places were not taken away, for the people (continued to) offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places”.
Then he died and his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 38
K i n g s .. the divided Kingdom
Elijah sent by God 1
Asa was king in Judah, doing good things to return the nation to righteous living and honouring God. At the same time he was faced with a number of leadership changes which took place in Israel (northern kingdom). At no time was there harmony between these divided kingdoms. In a relatively short period of time, when Asa was king in Judah, Israel was led by eight different kings. Typical of the comment about these kings of Israel is that made about Omri, the seventh king. “Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him”. It is worthy of comment that it is NOT what is “right in our own eyes” that matters. Moses chastised the Israelites for that in Deuteronomy 12:8. And in the days of the Judges, when there was no king, we are told the same thing about the lifestyle of the Israelites (Judges 17:6 and 21:25). The lesson here is that God has laid down His standard for living righteously. And it is against that standard that we will all one day be judged (Hebrews 9:27 ‘the first’ and Rev 20:12 ‘the second’ and final death). And what I read in my Bible says that the people on whom we are ‘reflecting’ today will face judgement by a righteous God in the same way as those of us living today. Selah.
After Omri, his son Ahab became king for the next 21 years. I speculate of course, but it seems to me that when Ahab took leadership of Israel, God said “enough”. Ahab was a bad, bad, man. “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who went before him”. His father, Omri, held the previous record, but Ahab exceeded him in leading the people into idolatry and unrighteousness. Just as king Solomon, and later king Abijah of Judah had done, Ahab too married a Phoenician princess. Her name was Jezebel. Of the Sidonians of Phoenecia it is written “In character they were careless, idolatrous, superstitious, wicked and unpenitent.” It is also true that Jezebel was a dominant, if not domineering, woman. It is from this trait that we have the depiction of a “Jezebel spirit”, applied today as an unflattering description of some women. But it was the combination of Ahab and Jezebel that caused God to bring the prophet Elijah from his home in Gilead, east of the Jordan River, in what is today the southern end of the Golan Heights, to the Brook Cherith, where the LORD cared for him miraculously during a long drought in that land. See map for location details of the area of our ‘reflection’. This was obviously a time of training for Elijah for the onerous task the LORD had for him to accomplish regarding the unpenitent, cruel, idolatrous king Ahab and his domineering wife Jezebel. Elijah was placed in a situation in which he was totally dependant on the LORD for his survival. It is very difficult to think of a modern day parallel situation, but perhaps the cruelty of the holocaust might provide some, where God used human agency rather than birds to keep people alive.
The LORD then directed Elijah to go the town of Zarephath, in northern Phoenicia. The story is well known. Again, with miraculous power, the Lord preserved Elijah, as well as a poor widow and her son, during the balance of the debilitating drought in that land. Not only that, but the LORD also demonstrated His mighty power by showing Elijah that whenever he called upon the LORD, He listened to him, and granted the desire of his heart. In the case in point, restoring the life of the widow’s son. Elijah was now ready to face his biggest challenge. In the third year of the drought, God arranged for Elijah to meet with Obadiah, a faithful servant of God who worked in the household of Ahab. “Go tell your master that ‘Elijah is here’.” was Elijah’s command. Poor Obadiah was terrified for his life at the prospect. However, the message was conveyed to Ahab and he met with Elijah that very same day.
Ahab charged Elijah with ‘troublemaking’. Elijah’s unambiguous response was direct. “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your fathers house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.” Then Elijah boldly directed Ahab to gather the people and the prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel. The events which followed are described in detail (ch 18:20-40). Please read it and be amazed at the confidence and boldness of the challenge that Elijah placed before the people that day. He preceded that challenge with a demand, which the people judged to be fair. “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” Then Elijah told the people that a simple test was to be applied. Two altars of sacrifice were to be built, and each side would call on their God to consume that sacrifice with fire. The true God would so do. So all the people answered and said “It is well spoken”. Most people who ever attended a Sunday school would be familiar with the details and the result. BUT, there is an important lesson here for us today.
We live in times, almost 3,000 years later, when we are faced with an almost identical challenge. “How long will you falter between two opinions?”. Our Bible has been faithfully preserved with demonstrations of God’s awesome power and might, as demonstrated in our ‘reflection’. He has consistently maintained the covenant He made with the Israelites. Gentiles are welcomed to participate (Romans 11). 2,000 years ago, He sent our Saviour Yeshua. He posed a simple question to His followers. “Who do YOU say that I am? (Matt 16:15). What is your answer? There is no ‘sitting on the fence’ option.
Shabbat Shalom
RS.
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REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 37
K I n g s .. The divided Kingdom 1
Jeroboam, had set up TWO places of worship, one in Bethel and one in Dan, (complete with altar of sacrifice and an idolatrous golden calf). He also set up a pseudo priesthood to conduct the rituals of worship, but they were not of the tribe of Levi. The purpose was so that the people of those northern tribes would not have to make the long trip to Jerusalem in Judea (the place where God had chosen, 1 Kings 9:3). Jeroboam was really concerned that if the people did travel to Jerusalem, they would not return. Our ‘reflection’ this week opens with Rehoboam standing by the altar of sacrifice in Bethel ready to burn incense. God was not pleased! He had spoken to a prophet from Judea with a message for Rehoboam … (vv 2,3). It is of great interest that the word spoken by that prophet of God, mentioned Josiah (a king who did not rule Judah until 300 years later, which is after the northern kingdom had been expelled from that land) specifying what was going to happen to that idolatrous shrine and the people who worshipped there.
When the prophet spoke, Rehoboam stretched out his arm and ordered the arrest of the prophet. Immediately, his whole hand withered!! At that point the altar split apart and the ashes spilled out as the prophet had said they would. What a mighty demonstration of the power of God. (It is often said ‘be careful what you wish for’ but I am often moved to think that such a mighty demonstration of the awesome power of God is needed today. And then I think .. God sent Yeshua. He died and rose again. The evidence and consequence of that is all around us, and STILL men refuse to listen. As we surely live in the last days, the question is, when will God say ‘enough”? Just as He said those words to Rehoboam.) The prophecy involving king Josiah, who, in his day restored right worship in Judea, is recorded in 2 Kings 23; 15-25. And all this provides warning for those wise enough to listen. Take time to read the outcome of this event in verses 6 to 32. Is there a lesson there for us today? Selah!
Alas, in spite of all that had happened, the Scripture tells us that Jeroboam “did not turn from his evil way”. It became business as usual … “And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.” … for him and for the people of the ten northern tribes, Israel. We know from history, that less than 200 years later , in 722 BCE, those northern tribes were ‘dispersed’ and are now generally referred to as “the ten lost tribes”. It truely is “a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31). But as we return to the ‘reflection’ on this story, we find that there appears to be no end to the deviousness which had gripped Jeroboam. His son became sick, and remembering the prophet Ahijah who had accurately prophesied his own ascent to the throne, he decided to sent his wife, in disguise, to Ahijah in Shiloh (the original place where the tabernacle was set up in Joshua’s day) to find out if the prophet could tell him what would happen to his sick son. But God had forewarned the prophet of this encounter, and told him not only that the boy would not survive, but neither would the kingdom of Israel (the northern tribes). Our bible provides many warnings of the consequences flowing from neglect and outright disobedience to honour the covenantal agreement made with God.
The chart shows the names of the various kings and the prophets God used to warn and guide them. What the chart does not show is that of the 19 kings of Israel, there was not one ‘good’ king who followed the LORD. And of the 20 kings of Judah, only 8 are described in the scriptures as ‘good’ kings. By reference to the chart, one may have a clearer view of the identity of both king and region as we proceed. The division of the kingdoms resulted in continuous animosity way beyond the original kings, Jeroboam (north) and Rehoboam (south). A reading of 2 Chronicles 11 - 13 provides more detail of the relationship each had with the people and with each other. Neither of them ‘followed’ the Lord in the manner of David and Solomon (not withstanding their well documented failures) and both Jeroboam and Rehoboam were guilty of promoting idol worship. Never-the-less, the bottom row of the chart shows that even though both nations were eventually expelled from the land, Judah, where the temple was located, and where God had chosen to be worshipped, survived the longer in the land.
The rest of the text of our ‘reflection’ provides much detail about dates and times, and moves between the kings of both northern and southern kingdoms. Five years into Rehoboam’s reign in Judah, he lost all the treasures which his father Solomon has accumulated to Shishak, king of Egypt. And thirteen years later he died and was succeeded by his son Abijam (also called Abijah in 1 Chron 3:10). He reigned for three years and the testimony of his life is .. “He walked in all the sins of his father … his heart was not loyalty the LORD his God”. After his death, Asa became king, (by which time Jeroboam had been king of Israel for twenty years) and reigned for forty-one years. Asa was the first ‘good’ king. Read the detail provided in vv 9-24. He banished many ‘perverted’ persons (sacred prostitutes) from the land. He rid the land of idols. He removed the corrupt queen mother and her obscene idol. He restored the ‘holy things’ to the temple. BUT, although he never engaged in idol worship, he tolerated the ‘high places’. So they remained, and were an obstacle for the future. And therein is another good lesson for us.
Shabbat Shalom
RS