After the awesome Passover celebration, Hezekiah gets to work tearing down all the idols and altars of other gods. Good work, Hezekiah. But then the Assyrian army approaches! Hezekiah tells his people to stay calm, though, for the Lord is greater than any Assyrian army and will protect them. Assyrian messengers come to the gates of Jerusalem to mock the people for believing Hezekiah. For the Assyrians had conquered many nations and none of their gods protected them. Why would Judah's God be any different? However, sadly, the Chronicler's account of this omits the Curse of the Rabshakeh.*
So Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah pray to God and an angel is sent to wipe out the Assyrian army. The good king Hezekiah then oversees some building projects and eventually dies. His son Manasseh becomes king and is severely evil.
How evil is he? Well, he's so evil that he leads Judah astray and the people do more evil than the indigenous inhabitants of the land that the Lord wiped out when Israel first conquered Canaan. So the Lord allows Manasseh to be taken captive by the Assyrians and taken into exile. However, Manasseh repents** and God rescues him from his plight and returns him to Judah to be king. He does good things in the eyes of the Lord before dying.***
Manasseh dies and his son Amon becomes king. Amon was evil and was killed by conspirators. The people then killed the conspirators and made Josiah king. Josiah did good, tore down foreign idols, and restored the Temple. During the restoration, a lost book of the Law is found, prompting Josiah to follow the edicts of this lost book and hold a swanky Passover festival. Now, this is far more swanky than Hezekiah's Passover. Only Passovers held before the Monarchy begin can compare.
Then Josiah goes to fight against King Neco of Egypt. But Neco says he's on a mission from God (he must have Jake and Elwood in his posse) and that Josiah should leave him alone.**** But Josiah doesn't listen and tries to fight Neco anyway. Josiah is struck by arrows and dies.
The Chronicler wraps up the last of Judah's kings rather quickly. Joehoaz becomes king but is then deposed by the king of Egypt. His brother Eliakim is made king and renamed Jehoiakim. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon takes Jehoiakim into exile and Jehoiachin becomes king. He too is taken into exile and Zedekiah becomes king. Zedekiah leads the people into rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar which incites the wrath of the Babylonians. Jerusalem is razed, the Temple is burned and destroyed, and all the surviving people are taken into exile.
2 Chronicles ends with Cyrus the Great of Persia conquering Babylon and decreeing that the Hebrews may return to their homeland. It ends on a much more pleasant and cheery note than 2 Kings. Unlike the Christian Old Testament, some versions of the Hebrew Bible actually end with 2 Chroniclers, thereby concluding with this optimistic note.
*"But the Rabshakeh said to them, 'Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the people sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?'" - 2 Kings 18:27
**This becomes the basis of the Apocryphal book "The Prayer of Manasseh." Does this mean I'm going to have to read and review the Apocrypha now?
***This story of Manasseh's exile, repentance, and becoming a good king has no parallel in 2 Kings. Indeed, Kings points out many times that it's because of Manasseh's grievous sins that God allows the eventual Babylonian exile. So why is this story in Chronicles? Well, whatever the origin, let's examine the message. Even the most evil of evil Judean kings in exile can repent and God will return him to his home and make things all right. To the post-exilic community that the Chronicler was probably writing for, this would be quite the comforting message. CIE!
****The account in 2 Kings doesn't explain Neco's actions as being ordained by God. But here the Chronicler does, thereby justifying the death of such a good king. Why would God allow the good king Josiah to be killed? Because he was disobeying the will of God and did not listen to such prophetic words.
Showing posts with label Josiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josiah. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
2 Chronicles 26-30
And we're back with more Chronicles goodness!
With Amaziah dead, his son Uzziah becomes king. He was a rather good and prosperous king, overseeing many building projects. But then Uzziah gets too big for his britches. He enters into the temple and attempts to make an offering by himself. Only the priests are allowed to do such things. They stop the the king and some sort of skin rash instantly appears on Uzziah's head. Uzziah leaves and spends the rest of his days separated from people, due to his "unclean" condition. His son Jotham takes the throne. He continues the building projects of his father and is eventually followed by his son Ahaz.
We all remember Ahaz, right? Evil king Ahaz? No? Well, if that's the case, you're in luck. Cause now we go over his reign again! This is a double delight for all you Ahaz enthusiasts out there. Ahaz starts off by worshiping other deities and following the rituals of these foreign gods. In response, God allows the Arameans to be victorious when they attack Judah. The Arameans take a bunch of people back to Damascus with them. The same thing happens when Israel and Edom later attack Judah. This pattern seems to foreshadow the eventual exile of all of Judah to Babylon.
Ahaz offers tribute to the king of Assyria so that he might come to Judah's aid. Instead, Assyria comes to fight and oppress Judah. Following these defeats, Ahaz abandons the Lord completely. He starts worshiping the gods of Aram thinking those gods gave Aram victory of Judah, so perhaps they'd help out Ahaz as well. They don't. Ahaz dies.
Boom. Enter Hezekiah. Remember Hezekiah, one of the greatest kings of Judah? Remember the song about him? Well, Hezekiah does good in the sight of the Lord, and immediately repents of the sins of his father Ahaz. He reverses all the evil policies of Ahaz and fixes up the temple. Then, with great haste, Hezekiah arranges for the people to celebrate the Passover festival, for the people had been rather lax in observing it*
But, since they begin the festival so soon, many don't have time to fulfill the prescribed preparations. They aren't sanctimoniously clean and shouldn't be allowed to participate. Hezekiah realizes this, but doesn't turn such people away. Instead, he prays that "the good Lord pardon all who set their hearts to seek God, the Lord the God of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary's rules of cleanness."** God heard Hezekiah's prayer and is totally cool with the unclean people coming to worship Him (30:18-20). So the people held a big old festival.
*Wait a minute. You're probably thinking, "But Smitch, didn't it say in 2 Kings that Josiah held the first Passover since the time of the judges?" And my heart warms a little as I hear you say such a thing. Ah, the thinking person, actually reading the text critically and stopping to say, "hey, this doesn't jive!"
You are absolutely correct. So how do we address this issue? What possible hypothesis do you hold? Maybe the Chronicler has a man crush on Hezekiah and wants to make him cooler? Or, maybe the author of Kings was the one with the man crush on Josiah and made him hold the Passover? Maybe it's just an innocent error?
Maybe you should just skip ahead to the Chronicler's coverage of Josiah and see what it says about it there!
Gasp! Could it be? Someone implying that we read this in light of the context of the larger book? Oh, you know how to make me feel all warm and fuzzy, don't you? All right then, let's do just that.
Over in 2 Chronicles 35 it talks about Josiah's Passover. While Hezekiah was able to get the people of Judah to observe it, Josiah got all of Judah and Israel to participate. Josiah's Passover was incredible grand in scale and accurate (the lost book of the Law he finds in he Temple may have included more details about the festival which had been forgotten), the likes of which not seen since before the monarchy. So with this info we see that both versions are correct without any real contradiction. Hezekiah held a Passover, yes, but Josiah held a mega-Passover that hadn't been seen centuries. CIE, folks. Context is everything.
**Do you think the teaching of Jesus echoes this verse at all? I think Hezekiah's little prayer pretty much sums up the teaching of Jesus. So you haven't fulfilled every requirement of your religion. So what? It's the attitude of your heart that matters. In the Gospels, it's the Pharisees and religious leaders who fulfill all the requirements of the law. But Jesus isn't impressed at all. For it's the tax collectors, prostitutes, and dregs of society that possess the heart that's willing to seek after God. And this is more important than any sacrament or ritual that may be imposed upon you.
With Amaziah dead, his son Uzziah becomes king. He was a rather good and prosperous king, overseeing many building projects. But then Uzziah gets too big for his britches. He enters into the temple and attempts to make an offering by himself. Only the priests are allowed to do such things. They stop the the king and some sort of skin rash instantly appears on Uzziah's head. Uzziah leaves and spends the rest of his days separated from people, due to his "unclean" condition. His son Jotham takes the throne. He continues the building projects of his father and is eventually followed by his son Ahaz.
We all remember Ahaz, right? Evil king Ahaz? No? Well, if that's the case, you're in luck. Cause now we go over his reign again! This is a double delight for all you Ahaz enthusiasts out there. Ahaz starts off by worshiping other deities and following the rituals of these foreign gods. In response, God allows the Arameans to be victorious when they attack Judah. The Arameans take a bunch of people back to Damascus with them. The same thing happens when Israel and Edom later attack Judah. This pattern seems to foreshadow the eventual exile of all of Judah to Babylon.
Ahaz offers tribute to the king of Assyria so that he might come to Judah's aid. Instead, Assyria comes to fight and oppress Judah. Following these defeats, Ahaz abandons the Lord completely. He starts worshiping the gods of Aram thinking those gods gave Aram victory of Judah, so perhaps they'd help out Ahaz as well. They don't. Ahaz dies.
Boom. Enter Hezekiah. Remember Hezekiah, one of the greatest kings of Judah? Remember the song about him? Well, Hezekiah does good in the sight of the Lord, and immediately repents of the sins of his father Ahaz. He reverses all the evil policies of Ahaz and fixes up the temple. Then, with great haste, Hezekiah arranges for the people to celebrate the Passover festival, for the people had been rather lax in observing it*
But, since they begin the festival so soon, many don't have time to fulfill the prescribed preparations. They aren't sanctimoniously clean and shouldn't be allowed to participate. Hezekiah realizes this, but doesn't turn such people away. Instead, he prays that "the good Lord pardon all who set their hearts to seek God, the Lord the God of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary's rules of cleanness."** God heard Hezekiah's prayer and is totally cool with the unclean people coming to worship Him (30:18-20). So the people held a big old festival.
*Wait a minute. You're probably thinking, "But Smitch, didn't it say in 2 Kings that Josiah held the first Passover since the time of the judges?" And my heart warms a little as I hear you say such a thing. Ah, the thinking person, actually reading the text critically and stopping to say, "hey, this doesn't jive!"
You are absolutely correct. So how do we address this issue? What possible hypothesis do you hold? Maybe the Chronicler has a man crush on Hezekiah and wants to make him cooler? Or, maybe the author of Kings was the one with the man crush on Josiah and made him hold the Passover? Maybe it's just an innocent error?
Maybe you should just skip ahead to the Chronicler's coverage of Josiah and see what it says about it there!
Gasp! Could it be? Someone implying that we read this in light of the context of the larger book? Oh, you know how to make me feel all warm and fuzzy, don't you? All right then, let's do just that.
Over in 2 Chronicles 35 it talks about Josiah's Passover. While Hezekiah was able to get the people of Judah to observe it, Josiah got all of Judah and Israel to participate. Josiah's Passover was incredible grand in scale and accurate (the lost book of the Law he finds in he Temple may have included more details about the festival which had been forgotten), the likes of which not seen since before the monarchy. So with this info we see that both versions are correct without any real contradiction. Hezekiah held a Passover, yes, but Josiah held a mega-Passover that hadn't been seen centuries. CIE, folks. Context is everything.
**Do you think the teaching of Jesus echoes this verse at all? I think Hezekiah's little prayer pretty much sums up the teaching of Jesus. So you haven't fulfilled every requirement of your religion. So what? It's the attitude of your heart that matters. In the Gospels, it's the Pharisees and religious leaders who fulfill all the requirements of the law. But Jesus isn't impressed at all. For it's the tax collectors, prostitutes, and dregs of society that possess the heart that's willing to seek after God. And this is more important than any sacrament or ritual that may be imposed upon you.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Hezekiah and Josiah in Song
I don't know about you, but I rather like Apologetix, that infamous Christian parody band. Ok, I know some you, in fact, loathe them. I'm looking at you, Matt.
But I came across this fan made music video and it was just so topical! It talks about Kings Hezekiah and Josiah, who we previously discussed in 2 Kings. Plus, it contains clips from both and Star Wars and Jingle All the Way, two of life's greatest cinematic pleasures!
But I came across this fan made music video and it was just so topical! It talks about Kings Hezekiah and Josiah, who we previously discussed in 2 Kings. Plus, it contains clips from both and Star Wars and Jingle All the Way, two of life's greatest cinematic pleasures!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
2 Kings 21-25
Let's start with a brief note on the structure of Kings, shall we? The histories of these kings recorded within are mostly brief, usually detailing only any wars or other specific events they were involved in. Instead of the broader history, Kings seems intent on relating whether each king followed the Lord or strayed and worshiped idols and other gods (the majority of them did not follow the Lord). This is reiterated by the frequent advice to the reader to look in the (now lost) Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah for more detailed accounts of the actions of these kings. Kings is not an objective history, but a theological narrative with a specific agenda and message. We'll discuss this more as we reach the endgame of 2 Kings.
This portion of our story starts off with the reign of Manasseh, Hezekiah's son (who's now, obviously, deceased). Manasseh was the opposite of his papa and did all that was evil in the sight of the Lord, including dealing with wizards (and I bet they weren't good wizards, like Gandalf, but more the evil wizard type, like Saruman. Actually, I think as far as God is concerned, all wizards are evil. Tough luck, Gandalf). Because of Manasseh's rampant idolatry, God becomes completely fed up and vows to wipe out Judah. From this vow, we now know how God washes his dishes (wiping them and turning them upside down).
Evil Manasseh dies and his son Amon replaces him. Amon was also evil (typical), so a group of conspirators killed him. But then the rest of the folk killed the conspirators and made Amon's son Josiah king. Now, Josiah was one of those rare, godly kings and oversaw repairs on the Temple. During these repairs, the high priest Hilkiah discovered a long lost book of the law hidden away in the Temple. After reading the book, Josiah tore his clothes (a sign of great grief) because of how much they had apparently been doing wrong all these years.
This book was likely a portion of Deuteronomy which had apparently been lost and forgotten. This portion contained, among other things, the instructions for the Passover festival, which had not been observed since the time of the judges!* Josiah gathered the people, read the lost book to them, went on a rampage destroying and desecrating all foreign idols and altars, and held the Passover.
However, all this returning to the ways of the Lord did not dissuade God from his previous wrath incited by Manasseh. Josiah later met up with Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, who killed Josiah. His son Jehoahaz became king, but Neco imprisoned him and places Josiah's other son, Eliakim, as king. Of course, to make things more fun and confusing, Eliakim's name is changed to Jehoiakim.
Enter the CHALDEANS!**
King Nebuchadnezzar (yes, this is where the namesake of Morpheus' ship in the Matrix comes from) descends upon Judah and raises havoc. Jehoiakim dies and his son Jehoiachin takes his place. Nebuchadnezzar instigates a siege against Jerusalem, causing Jehoiachin to surrender. He's exiled to Babylon and his uncle, Mattaniah (renamed Zedekiah) is appointed the new ruler by Nebuchadnezzar.
But Zedekiah rebels and another siege of Jerusalem takes place. Zedekiah tries to flee, but is captured and forced to watch the slaughter of all his children. His eyes are then gouged out and he's taken away to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar's captain, Nebuzaradan, proceeds to utterly destroy Jerusalem, burning down all the houses, palaces, and the Temple. Another guy, Gedaliah was appointed governor of all those who remained in Judah. But then he was killed and all the people who were left fled to Egypt for they were utterly afraid of the Chaldeans.
The book of 2 Kings ends with a short footnote that the later king of Babylon, Evil-merodach, releases Jehoiachin (the king that initially surrendered at Jerusalem) from prison, befriends him, and has him dine with the king every day.
So, what about that rambling paragraph I started this post with? The author of 2 Kings makes it bluntly clear, several times, that it was because of Manasseh's sins that God sent the Chaldeans to wipe out Judah and remove all the people to Babylon. So? What's the big deal about that? Well, the big deal is that it was during this exile that these texts were probably compiled and composed, meaning we should probably try to understand what those Hebrews in exile would take to heart from this. The main thrust of it being, because they sinned and disobeyed God, God took them from their homeland. Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans at large aren't in control. They are mere tools of the Lord. God is in control and orchestrated this to happen.
Again, so what? Well, if the Chaldeans were in control, then all hope would have been lost. But if the Lord is in control, then there's still hope. If Judah's sin caused this calamity, then maybe if the people repent of their sin, change their ways, and follow God once again, then the Lord's favor will return and he'll free his people (as is the trend of the Deuteronomistic History, which may also have been part of the book that Josiah found). So while it may at first seem that 2 Kings ends with the dismal horror of exile, it actually ends with a message of hope, particularly for those still in exile who would have read or heard this narrative.
A rather impressive literary device, is it not?
*The judges ruled over the tribes of Israel before the institution of the monarchy began with King Saul. Saul ruled about 400 years before Josiah, so the last time the Passover was observed was well over 400 years prior!
**Or Babylonians, if you prefer.
This portion of our story starts off with the reign of Manasseh, Hezekiah's son (who's now, obviously, deceased). Manasseh was the opposite of his papa and did all that was evil in the sight of the Lord, including dealing with wizards (and I bet they weren't good wizards, like Gandalf, but more the evil wizard type, like Saruman. Actually, I think as far as God is concerned, all wizards are evil. Tough luck, Gandalf). Because of Manasseh's rampant idolatry, God becomes completely fed up and vows to wipe out Judah. From this vow, we now know how God washes his dishes (wiping them and turning them upside down).
Evil Manasseh dies and his son Amon replaces him. Amon was also evil (typical), so a group of conspirators killed him. But then the rest of the folk killed the conspirators and made Amon's son Josiah king. Now, Josiah was one of those rare, godly kings and oversaw repairs on the Temple. During these repairs, the high priest Hilkiah discovered a long lost book of the law hidden away in the Temple. After reading the book, Josiah tore his clothes (a sign of great grief) because of how much they had apparently been doing wrong all these years.
This book was likely a portion of Deuteronomy which had apparently been lost and forgotten. This portion contained, among other things, the instructions for the Passover festival, which had not been observed since the time of the judges!* Josiah gathered the people, read the lost book to them, went on a rampage destroying and desecrating all foreign idols and altars, and held the Passover.
However, all this returning to the ways of the Lord did not dissuade God from his previous wrath incited by Manasseh. Josiah later met up with Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, who killed Josiah. His son Jehoahaz became king, but Neco imprisoned him and places Josiah's other son, Eliakim, as king. Of course, to make things more fun and confusing, Eliakim's name is changed to Jehoiakim.
Enter the CHALDEANS!**
King Nebuchadnezzar (yes, this is where the namesake of Morpheus' ship in the Matrix comes from) descends upon Judah and raises havoc. Jehoiakim dies and his son Jehoiachin takes his place. Nebuchadnezzar instigates a siege against Jerusalem, causing Jehoiachin to surrender. He's exiled to Babylon and his uncle, Mattaniah (renamed Zedekiah) is appointed the new ruler by Nebuchadnezzar.
But Zedekiah rebels and another siege of Jerusalem takes place. Zedekiah tries to flee, but is captured and forced to watch the slaughter of all his children. His eyes are then gouged out and he's taken away to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar's captain, Nebuzaradan, proceeds to utterly destroy Jerusalem, burning down all the houses, palaces, and the Temple. Another guy, Gedaliah was appointed governor of all those who remained in Judah. But then he was killed and all the people who were left fled to Egypt for they were utterly afraid of the Chaldeans.
The book of 2 Kings ends with a short footnote that the later king of Babylon, Evil-merodach, releases Jehoiachin (the king that initially surrendered at Jerusalem) from prison, befriends him, and has him dine with the king every day.
So, what about that rambling paragraph I started this post with? The author of 2 Kings makes it bluntly clear, several times, that it was because of Manasseh's sins that God sent the Chaldeans to wipe out Judah and remove all the people to Babylon. So? What's the big deal about that? Well, the big deal is that it was during this exile that these texts were probably compiled and composed, meaning we should probably try to understand what those Hebrews in exile would take to heart from this. The main thrust of it being, because they sinned and disobeyed God, God took them from their homeland. Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans at large aren't in control. They are mere tools of the Lord. God is in control and orchestrated this to happen.
Again, so what? Well, if the Chaldeans were in control, then all hope would have been lost. But if the Lord is in control, then there's still hope. If Judah's sin caused this calamity, then maybe if the people repent of their sin, change their ways, and follow God once again, then the Lord's favor will return and he'll free his people (as is the trend of the Deuteronomistic History, which may also have been part of the book that Josiah found). So while it may at first seem that 2 Kings ends with the dismal horror of exile, it actually ends with a message of hope, particularly for those still in exile who would have read or heard this narrative.
A rather impressive literary device, is it not?
*The judges ruled over the tribes of Israel before the institution of the monarchy began with King Saul. Saul ruled about 400 years before Josiah, so the last time the Passover was observed was well over 400 years prior!
**Or Babylonians, if you prefer.
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