We are now about to describe a turbulent period lasting some three and a half centuries. It is eerily reminiscent of the wayward era catalogued in the Book of Judges. With few exceptions, the rulers who succeeded Solomon devolved deeper into religious apostasy and political corruption. And their fortunes reflected their parting from the ways of the Lord. The land of Israel was subject first to a civil war that split the country in two (see map on page 373), then a series of invasions by foreign powers and various coup d'etats that brought even more chaos and suffering. Yet there were some shining exceptions among the rulers whose fidelity to the Lord was exemplary. Two miracle-working prophets, Elijah and Elisha, demonstrated God's power in the Bible's engaging accounts of their missions. We will observe the Temple of Solomon itself suffering periods of disrepair and desecration at the hands of heretics, while at other times being treated with love and devotion by those who adhered to the laws of Moses.
Reign of Rehoboam (928-911 bce) and the Division of Israel
Upon the death of Solomon, Rehoboam was crowned in Shechem. Jeroboam, learning of Solomon's death, came to Jerusalem. He spoke to Rehoboam about the burdens on the people caused by the taxes and levies of workers Solomon had instituted to pursue his ambitious projects. "Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee" (1 Kings 12:4).
When Rehoboam asked counsel of the elders, they told him to act with mercy. "If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever" (1 Kings 12:7). However, Rehoboam's heart was misled into seeking the opinions of the young men of his court. They advised him to boldly assert his royal power and assume an unyielding stance in answer to Jeroboam's petition. Rehoboam chose to listen to them. In Chronicles, Rehoboam's bad judgment in accepting such flawed advice is attributed to the Lord's word spoken earlier through Ahijah—Solomon's
Kingdom was to be condemned to civil war following his death.1
Rehoboam proclaimed to Jeroboam, "My father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (1 Kings 12:11). Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel immediately dissolved their allegiance to the house of David. Rehoboam reigned over those that remained in the cities of Judah. When he sent a tax collector to the outlying regions, the royal official was stoned to death. Rehoboam fled to the safety of Jerusalem.
Chronicles tells us that Rehoboam fortified the Southern Kingdom of Judah and its environs. It also mentions the arrival of the Levites from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They came to Jerusalem because Jeroboam had prevented them from serving as priests of the Lord. Instead, Jeroboam appointed his own priests for pagan worship, as will be discussed shortly.
Chronicles reports that for three years Rehoboam was strengthened by the presence of the Levites, walking in the ways of David and Solomon, and prospering. However, when he felt he had established his reign and had acquired many wives and children, he abandoned the commands of the Lord and began to worship strange gods and tolerate sodomites in the land.
In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, the Egyptian pharaoh Shishak I (r. 945-924 bce) invaded Jerusalem and carried off much treasure from the Temple of Solomon, along with gold from the Palace of Solomon. In 2 Chronicles 12, the campaign of Shishak is attributed to Rehoboam's abandoning the law. Shishak's victories on his approach to Jerusalem brought the prophet Shemaiah to address Rehoboam and his officers. Shemaiah chastised them for their apostasy. Acknowledging their errors, they humbled themselves before him and thereby 76 gained the Lord's favor. However, God chose to expose them to defeat at the hands of Shishak so they might know the difference between service to the Lord and service to the king of a foreign land. Yet Rehoboams's repentance had turned away the full wrath of the Lord and he survived to reign seventeen years. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was in a continuous state of war with the Northern Kingdom of Israel throughout those years.
The Reign of Jeroboam in Israel (928-907 bce)
When Rehoboam learned that the majority of Israelites had made Jeroboam their king, he raised an army of 180,000 men to go after them. But the Lord spoke to Rehoboam and the houses of Judah and Benjamin through the prophet Shemaiah. "Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me" (1 Kings 12:24).
Jeroboam established the capital of the Northern Kingdom in Shechem. He feared that when his subjects would go to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem for the three annual pilgrimages, they would embrace Rehoboam, and return to the house of David. He therefore instituted a rival worship in Northern Israel. He explained that because the journey to fulfill their religious duties in Jerusalem was so onerous, he had made two golden calves for them to worship locally. "Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings 12:28). He placed one in Bethel, the site of several altars erected earlier by the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, and the second in the far north in Dan, a center of heretical worship since the days of Micah (see page 123). He also defined a series of competing holidays, invented whole cloth, created his own priesthood, and ordained a spurious regimen of sacrifices.
The ancient Israelite capital of Shechem is today the modern city of Nablus.
A building in Nablus imaginatively recalls the ancient capital.
A prophet arose out of Judah and traveled to Bethel where Jeroboam stood at the altar. "And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, 'O altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee'" (1 Kings 13:2). Jeroboam was enraged.
And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, "Lay hold on him." And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. (1 Kings 13:4)
Jeroboam repented and begged the prophet to ask God to heal his hand, and it was granted. Despite this, he refused to turn away from his evil ways, and his house was cut off from the Lord and destroyed. Jeroboam's eldest child became ill. Jeroboam sent his wife to Ahijah— the prophet who had originally told him he would be king. Ahijah explained that because of Jeroboam's sins, the Lord had cursed him and his family, and the people of Israel whom he had misled. The child died. Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years, after which the kingdom of Northern Israel passed to his younger son Nadab.
Judah: The Reign of Abijam [Abijah]
(911-908 bce)
Rehoboam was succeeded in the Southern Kingdom of Judah by his son Abijam. In the account given in 1 Kings, Abijam walked in the evil ways of his father. But out of forbearance and love of David, God allowed him to reign. "Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite" (1 Kings 15:5). Abijam reigned for three years, continuing the war against Jeroboam.
In Chronicles, Abijam is represented quite otherwise. At the scene of a great battle with Jeroboam, Abijam thundered forth his assessment that: 1) the descendants of the house of David were the legitimate rulers of Israel; 2) Jeroboam was in a state of rebellion; and 3) the young men who had counseled Rehoboam were scoundrels, and Rehoboam was so young and inexperienced he was misled. Abijam criticized Jeroboam for making the golden calves and driving the Levites from Northern Israel. He contrasted all these ills with an account of the righteous observance of the people of the Kingdom of Judah.
But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken Him. (2 Chronicles 13:10-11)
Although Jeroboam had used an intelligent set of tactics to surround Abijam's army, the Lord defeated him with a great slaughter of five hundred thousand warriors. "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied
Detail from the altar to Astarte shown on page 117.
The naked goddess stands on an unidentified feline head. Archaeological Museum, Amman, Jordan.
Photo by Vere Chappell.
Upon the Lord God of their fathers" (2 Chronicles, 13:18). After the battle, the Lord struck Jeroboam and he died, while Abijam grew strong with many wives and children.
Judah: The Reign of Asa (908-867 bce)
Abijam was succeeded by his son Asa, who did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. He reigned for forty-one years, removing the sodomites and pagan altars from the land. He even removed his mother as queen because she made an idol in a grove that he destroyed.77 Asa's religious reforms are even more extensively detailed in Chronicles, where he is said to have removed the high places, the sacred poles, and the pagan altars. He also undertook public works of reconstruction and building.
Asa was at war with Baasha, king of Northern Israel, all their days. At some point Zerah the Ethiopian came against Asa with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. Asa appealed to the Lord for help, noting that whether an army was large or strong did not matter to the Lord. His faith, and the faith of his people, was in the name of the Lord. God protected Judah, smote the Ethiopians and they fled. Asa and his army chased after them and conquered and plundered numerous cities along the way, returning to Jerusalem with many spoils.
Then Azariah, a prophet, came to meet Asa and convey the Lord's words. He stated that the Lord would stand by Asa as long as he stood by the Lord, but if Asa abandoned the Lord, he would be abandoned in return. He reminded Asa that in earlier times, Israel was without the Lord's protection and the voice of the prophets, and those were perilous times for the people.
Asa undertook even further reforms, gathering together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and the many who had fled the idolatrous ways of the Northern Kingdom. He repaired the altar in the Temple of Solomon. The people gathered in the Temple and sacrificed.
And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13)
Israel: The Reign of Nadab (907-906 bce)
In the Kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam was succeeded by his son Nadab. He was the last of Jeroboam's line as prophesied. Nadab reigned for two years before he was slain by Baasha, who continued the war against Judah and King Asa.
Israel: The Reign of Baasha (906-883 bce) away. It is the site of the tomb of Yassar Arafat, which has, ironically, become a shrine for some Palestinians.
In response to Baasha's construction of Ramah, Asa allied himself with Benhadad I, the king of Syria. Asa took all the gold and silver that was left in the treasury of the Temple of Solomon and sent it to Benhadad, seeking to persuade him to break his alliance with Baasha and formulate a new alliance with Asa.
Chronicles adds that this caused the Lord to send the seer Hanani to Asa, criticizing him for relying on the Syrian king rather than the Lord. Hanani reminded Asa of his victory over the numerically superior Ethiopians at the Lord's hand.
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. (2 Chronicles 16:9)
Baasha, under attack from the combined forces of Benhadad I and Asa, was forced to abandon his construction of Ramah. It was destroyed to its foundation and its very stones removed. Then God sent the prophet Jehu to Baasha with His curses.
Baasha, like Jeroboam and Nadab before him, did evil in the sight of the Lord. A curious story is told in 1 Kings 15:16-22 with modern significance. Baasha built the city of Ramah to prevent people from traveling to Jerusalem. Ramah is probably modern Ramallah, the selfchosen capital of the Israeli-Arabs. I was told by a Palestinian patriot that its symbolic importance as a rival capital for the Palestinians is its proximity to Jerusalem, some eight miles
Israel: The Reign of Elah (883-882 bce)
When Baasha died after a twenty-four year reign, his son Elah succeeded him. He also did ill in the sight of the Lord and after two years was slain in a revolt led by Zimri, who killed all the family of Baasha as Jehu had prophesied.
During the reign of King Omri, Samaria replaced Shechem as the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Photo by Steven Brooke.
Israel: The Reign of Zimri (882 bce)
Zimri reigned for a mere seven days before the people of the Kingdom of Northern Israel learned of his slaying of Elah. They made Omri, the commander of the army, their king. When Zimri learned of this, he went into the king's house, set it on fire, and died in the blaze.
Israel: The Reign of Omri (882-871 bce)
Northern Israel was divided for some four years between the followers of Omri and those of Tibni, son of Ginath. But Omri prevailed and Tibni died.78 Omri reigned for twelve years. He built the northern city of Samaria as his capital and was a powerful king. But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, leading the children of Israel to sin, and provoking the Lord to anger.
Israel: The Reign of Ahab (873-852 bce)
Omri was succeeded by his son Ahab, who reigned over the kingdom of Northern Israel for twenty-two years. Married to Jezebel, he worshipped Baal, to whom he built an altar and temple in Samaria. "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the
The civil war between him and Omri extended from the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa in Judah to the thirty-first. See 1 Kings 16:15 and 23.
Kings of Israel that were before him" (1 Kings 16:33).
The Prophet Elijah in the Northern Kingdom during the Reign of Ahab
In 1 Kings 17, we are introduced to the prophet Elijah, one of the more colorful characters of the Bible. He played a critical role in several episodes that are important to this history.
Elijah was sent to Ahab to announce that neither dew nor rain would fall for a period of years, unless by his word. Then the Lord ordered Elijah to hide himself by a brook near the river Jordan. God informed him that he could drink from the stream and that the ravens would bring him his food. Elijah obeyed and the ravens brought him bread and meat, morning and evening.
Eventually the stream ran dry because of a drought and the Lord sent him to the town of Zarephath. Here he met a widow whom the Lord had appointed to care for him. He asked her for food and drink, but she informed him that her provisions were gone, and that she and her son were preparing to die. But he promised her that her food supply would not fail if she fed him; and indeed it replenished itself daily as he had promised. Then the child fell ill and the woman reprimanded Elijah for coming to her and saving her so that she could watch her son die. Elijah took the child and carried him to a private place and prayed over him with great fervor. "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah ..." (1 Kings 17:22) and the child was resuscitated and returned to his joyous mother.
Three years had passed. Elijah was commanded to revisit Ahab, in the midst of the drought and famine, and proclaim that the Lord would send rain. Elijah first went to Obadiah who was in charge of the house of the king. Obadiah was a righteous man who had saved the lives of a hundred prophets by hiding them from the murderous fury of Jezebel and her campaign against the Lord's chosen spokesmen. Elijah told Obadiah to announce to Ahab that he had come to speak with him again. Ahab accused Elijah of being responsible for the woes of Israel, to which Elijah replied that instead it was the fault of the faithlessness of Ahab and his father.
Elijah demanded that Ahab assemble all the people of Israel at Mt. Carmel along with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred priests of Asherah—all of whom were associated with Jezebel. Elijah proposed a contest between the Lord and Baal that the Israelites might judge who was the true deity. He suggested two bullocks be prepared for sacrifice: that one be offered to Baal and the other to the Lord. Whichever deity answered by consuming the offering by divine fire would be considered the true god.
The four hundred fifty prophets of Baal prepared their sacrifice and made their invocations, calling forth their god to come and consume the sacrifice. They prayed from morning till noon to no avail. At noon, Elijah mocked them in front of the Israelites. They then began to cut themselves, as was their custom, and blood flowed. They prayed continuously until the evening sacrifice, but again the offering went unconsumed.
Then Elijah summoned the people to watch him rebuild the altar of the Lord that had fallen into disrepair through their negligence. He took twelve stones for the twelve tribes. He made a trench around the altar, and laid the wood, and cut the bullock into pieces. He made the people pour four barrels of water over the wood and the pieces of sacrifice. They did this three times until the trench was filled with water and everything completely soaked. Elijah prayed to the Lord.
Baal was the Canaanite rival of the Jewish God mentioned throughout the Bible. This ancient personification of Baal wears an Egyptian-style crown.
It dates to the second to first century bce.
Elijah is fed and nourished by the Angel in this engraving by Gustave Bore, 1865.
Tel Beer-sheba in southern Israel is an archaeological site in which the ruins of the ancient biblical city are carefully preserved and studied.
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "The Lord,
He is the God; the Lord, He is the God."
(1 Kings 18:38-39)
Elijah ordered them to slay the prophets and priests of Baal. Next, he fulfilled the prophecy made three years earlier by telling Ahab he heard the sound of an abundance of rain coming. He warned Ahab to get up and into his chariot that he be not delayed by the downpour. As the sky darkened and Ahab sped to his court, Elijah ran on foot in front of the speeding horses of the chariot.
When Ahab reached his palace in the city of Jezreel, he informed Jezebel of what had happened. Ever undaunted, she sent a messenger to Elijah. She pledged that if she had not killed Elijah by the next day, she would gladly die as had the priests and prophets of Baal.
Elijah fled to Beer-sheba in Judah and traveled a day's journey further into the wilderness. He begged God that he be allowed to die; but an angel touched him, and fed him, and he rested. The angel came again and he ate and gained strength for the forty-day journey to Mount Horeb.79 Elijah communed with the Lord on Mount Horeb. God instructed him to return north: to travel to Damascus and anoint Hazael
Another view of Samaria. Photo by Steven Brooke.
King of Syria; then to anoint Jehu king of Israel; and finally to anoint Elisha as his successor as prophet.80 These three were to be established as ferocious bulwarks against apostasy. "Whoever escapes from Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill" (1 Kings 19:17 NRSV). The Lord further explained to Elijah that there remained seven thousand people of Northern Israel who had not bent the knee to Baal.
The Battle of Aphek
Benhadad II had succeeded his father Ben-hadad I as king of Syria (the region was also known as Aram). He made war against Ahab and the kingdom of Israel. A prophet came to
Ahab and promised him victory, and indeed the Israelites were triumphant. However, the prophet warned that the Syrians would return in the spring. The Syrian king's counselors were meanwhile casting about for a strategy to renew their invasion. They decided that the God of the Israelites was a god of mountains and ascribed their defeat to His power in high elevations. They believed they would be stronger in the plain, so they must choose a low-lying area near the city of Aphek as the site of the next battle. Then they filled the country with their numerically superior troops.
And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, "Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, 'The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,' therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into
Thine hand, and ye shall know that I am
The Lord." (1 Kings 20:28)
The Syrians were soundly defeated by the smaller Israelite force. One hundred thousand of the enemy were slain in the battle. When the retreating Syrian troops came to the wall of Aphek, it collapsed upon them, and another 27,000 perished. Benhadad II and his army took counsel together. They decided to ask for mercy, as the Israelites were known to be a merciful people. He came to Ahab and prayed for peace and for his life, and Ahab granted these to him. But Ahab was visited by another prophet and chastened. He was told he had disobeyed the intentions of the Lord. God had appointed that the Syrian king and his remaining court be utterly destroyed. Therefore Ahab would forfeit his own life. Ahab returned to Samaria distraught.
Not to be turned from his wickedness, however, merely by prophecies of his own death, Ahab continued to accumulate sins. He coveted a property bordering his palace that was owned by one of his subjects named Naboth. Ahab asked Naboth to sell the field to him. But Naboth refused, saying he would not sell his patrimony. Jezebel saw her husband's discomfort and asked him the reason. She plotted to murder Naboth in such a manner that his blood would be on the community—arranging for him to be falsely accused of blasphemy by two of her agents, then seeing to it that the Israelites stoned him to death.
The Lord sent Elijah to Ahab to inform him of the doom that would be visited upon him in return for this murder and his other acts of evil, and for causing Israel to sin. Elijah told him the dogs would lick his blood from the ground in the field of Naboth; the blood of Jezebel would be licked by dogs at the walls of Jezreel; and his descendants would be cut off. Ahab tore his garments and donned sackcloth and ashes and fasted in despair. The Lord then informed Elijah that because of these acts of apparent contrition, He would delay Ahab's promised punishment.
Judah: The Reign of Jehosophat (870-846 bce)
In the Kingdom of Judah, Asa had died and was succeeded by his son Jehosophat. He strengthened Judah against the Northern Kingdom, outfitting his army as a mighty and well-equipped fighting force. He carried on with his father's religious reforms, continuing to tear down the pagan altars and groves. Further, in the third year of his reign, he sent a series of traveling teachers and missionaries throughout the region to teach the message of the Book of the Law. Neighboring kingdoms feared and respected Jehosophat and he grew wealthy with their tribute.
Jehosphat and Ahab Make an Alliance
One Kings 22 recounts that there was peace between Israel and Syria for three years after the battle of Aphek. Then Jehosophat paid a visit to Ahab and made a marriage alliance— presumably that of his son Jehoram with Ahab's daughter Athaliah. Jehosophat and Ahab also agreed to fight against Syria and retake Ramoth-gilead, east of the Jordan River.
Jehosophat requested they first inquire of the Lord before going to battle. Ahab gathered some four hundred prophets together to inquire of the outcome of the plan. They advised him that victory would be forthcoming. But Jehos-ophat was uneasy and asked if there was not another prophet in the land. They consulted Micaiah, whom Ahab hated because he so often prophesied evil coming to him. Micaiah indeed prophesied Ahab's death in contrast to the four hundred others. He explained that God had
Along the plains of the Jordan River looking east to Jordan
Sent a lying spirit to them so that Ahab could finally be killed. Ahab caused Micaiah to be imprisoned awaiting the successful conclusion of the battle. But Ahab was indeed killed. When his chariot was returned to the field of Naboth to be washed, the dogs licked his blood.81
Jehosophat Returns to Jerusalem-
Two Chronicles 18:31 adds to the account of the battle above that the Lord helped preserve Jehosophat's life. After the death of Ahab, he returned to Jerusalem. Jehu, the son of the seer Hanani, approached Jehosophat and commented on his ill-fated alliance with Ahab:
Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. (2 Chronicles 19:2-3)
Thus, despite his flawed alliance with Ahab, Jehosophat reigned over the kingdom of Judah for twenty-five years. He continued to walk in the ways of the Lord, although the high places remained where people offered sacrifices and burned incense, "for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 20:33). Jehosophat did remove the remaining male temple prostitutes who had survived from the days of Asa. He also worked on a series of judicial reforms that included appointing various Levites and priests as judges to mediate in disputed cases that reached Jerusalem for resolution.
A massive invasion was launched against Judah by an alliance of neighboring Syrian tribes, including the Moabites and Ammonites. Jehosophat proclaimed a fast throughout the country to seek help from the Lord. The people assembled at the Temple of Solomon and Jehos-ophat prayed for their deliverance. He specifically invoked the covenant of the centrality of the Temple.
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence (for thy name is in this house), and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. (2 Chronicles 20:9)
The spirit of the Lord fell upon one of the Lev-ites who comforted the people by explaining that the battle was in the hands of the Lord and He would save them. Then Jehosophat bowed down with his face to the ground and everyone joined him in praising God. The next morning the people assembled and sang hymns of praise to Him and watched their enemies fight against one another in a fury of madness. The people of Judah spent three days collecting the booty and livestock from their fallen opponents. They returned with musical instruments and joy to Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon.
The Kingdom of Judah entered a period of peace. However, Jehosophat made another mistaken alliance with the Northern Kingdom, this time with King Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahaziah and Jehosophat built a fleet of ships together, which was wrecked upon sailing as prophesied by Eliezer. Later, after Ahazi-ah's death, Jehosophat formed an alliance with Ahaziah's brother and successor Jehoram. This was a more successful partnership, resulting in the defeat of Moab and giving Jehosophat the opportunity to meet with the prophet Elijah.
Israel: The Reign of Ahaziah (852-851 bce) and More on the Prophet Elijah
The Northern Kingdom was faced with a revolt by the land of Moab upon Ahab's death. Aha-ziah succeeded his father and reigned for two years. He followed in the wickedness of his parents, Ahab and Jezebel, serving Baal, causing Israel to sin, and provoking the Lord to anger.
Ahaziah took a fall in his palace one day and was badly injured. He sent after the priests of Baalzebub to learn whether he would recover. But the Lord gave word to Elijah, who intercepted Ahaziah's messengers, asking why Ahaziah would consult with a deity other than the Lord. He then informed them that the king would die. The messengers returned to Ahaziah and described Elijah as a hairy man dressed in leather. Ahaziah sent fifty soldiers after Elijah as he sat upon a hilltop. When they ordered him to come down, he replied that if he were in fact a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume the troops. The fire came down and consumed the troops. Ahaziah sent another fifty soldiers, and the fire again came down. When a third group of soldiers arrived, their captain fell on his knees and begged Elijah to come down and spare him and his soldiers the wrath of the divine fire. An angel counseled Elijah to go with the captain in peace.
When Elijah saw Ahaziah in person, he repeated his message: because of the king's insolence in inquiring after Baalzebub, rather than the God of Israel, he would die. And he died. His brother Jehoram succeeded him as Ahaziah had no son.
Modern Jericho looking west
Elisha Receives the Mantle of Elijah
The Lord had decided to take Elijah into heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah tried repeatedly to slip away from his companion and successor Elisha, who would not leave his master's side. They traveled from Gilgal to Bethel, then back to Jericho and to the Jordan River. At each stop, they were met by a group of prophets who asked Elisha if he were aware that Elijah would be taken up in a whirlwind that day. Each time Elisha answered in the affirmative. Elijah laid his mantle on the Jordan River and the two of them crossed over. "And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.' And Elisha said, 'I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me'" (2 Kings 2:9). And the chariot of the Lord came with His horsemen and Elijah was taken up to heaven and Elisha saw him no more. And he tore his clothes in mourning by the shore of the Jordan. "And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, 'Where is the Lord God of Elijah?' and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over" (2 Kings 2:14).
Elisha returned to Jericho where he was acknowledged as Elijah's successor and performed two miracles: a blessing, whereby he healed the water and fructified the barren land; and a curse, whereby a group of children who mocked his baldness were killed by two she-bears. He then traveled to Mount Carmel and on to Samaria. Several stories are recounted in 2 Kings in which the wisdom and uprightness of Elisha are highlighted. The man of God was directed to people in various forms of difficulty, and he rescued and healed them through his own faith and personal surrender to the will of the Lord. On one of these occasions, Elisha performed a miracle such as that later attributed to Jesus. He traveled to Gilgal where a famine was afflicting the land. A man approached him with a plate of scarce food. Elisha commanded that it be given to the hungry. The plate of food multiplied to feed a hundred people.
Israel: The Reign of Jehoram, also called Joram (son of Ahab) (851-842 bce) and More on the Prophet Elisha
Ahaziah's brother Jehoram now reigned in Israel. While he was a sinner, he had at least put away the images of Baal that his father Ahab had made. He negotiated an alliance with Jehos-ophat of Judah against the king of Moab, who was gearing up for a battle against Edom. The three kings of Judah, Israel, and Edom allied together to fight Moab. They found themselves encamped in a valley with no water. Jehoram despaired, but Jehosophat sought the counsel of a prophet.
The three kings visited Elisha, whose immediate response was disdain for Jehoram. "What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother" (2 Kings 3:13). However, the presence of Jehosophat inclined Elisha to help. He called for a minstrel to play music and entered a prophetic state of consciousness, during which he told them to dig ditches in the valley. The Lord would fill the ditches with water without sending rain to alert the enemy, and the allies would be victorious. After the morning offering, the valley filled with water. When the Moabites saw the water, it looked red to them. They assumed the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom had fought amongst themselves and shed much blood. They rode in to reap the spoils and were met by the hidden armies. The allies prevailed and pursued the Moabites to their homeland. There the king of Moab sacrificed his eldest son as a burnt offering on the walls of the city of Kirharaseth (modern Kerak), magically averting complete devastation.
Elisha helped Jehoram once again in the healing of a Syrian captain named Naaman. Described as a great and honorable man of valor, Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. He had been stricken with leprosy. A Samaritan woman who had been taken captive and served Naaman's wife told them of the presence of a man of God in Israel who could cure Naaman's affliction. She was referring to Elisha. When word of this came to the Syrian king (not named, but it should be Benhadad II), he sent Naaman with a train of many gifts to the court of Jehoram to seek a cure.
Jehoram misinterpreted this as a taunt. He viewed it as an impossible task. He assumed that when he failed to cure Naaman, the Syrians would use it as the pretext for an invasion. He rent his clothes in anguish. Then Elisha sent word to the court to send Naaman to him. Elisha directed Naaman, through a messenger, to bathe in the Jordan. This angered Naaman as he expected something quite different, however he was persuaded by his servants to do as he was told. He bathed in the Jordan, "and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (2 Kings 5:14). Naaman came to Elisha, having experienced a religious conversion. He offered Elisha many gifts in gratitude for his blessing, which Elisha refused. Naaman asked that he be allowed to take earth from the land of Israel that he might build an altar to the Lord when he returned home. Naa-man departed with Elisha's good wishes.
In time, the Israelites and Syrians were at war again. Benhadad II made plans to encamp his army in a specific location of which Elisha warned King Jehoram. Such an intelligence leak happened more than once. The king of Syria suspected a spy in his midst. But he was informed
Looking up at the Crusader castle of Kerak in Jordan. Photo by Vere Chappell.
By one of his court that Elisha the prophet was aware of his private conversations. Benhadad sent a great host to Dothan to capture Elisha. Elisha's servant anxiously warned his master of the approaching army. But Elisha told him to remain calm for he had a far greater army at his side than that of Syria. He prayed that the young man's eyes would be opened. "And, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17). Elisha prayed that the Syrians would be blinded and he led them to Samaria. Then he prayed their sight would return and they perceived that they had been captured. Elisha directed Jehoram to prepare a feast for them and then send them on their way. They returned to Benhadad and the Syrians feared the land of Israel.
But more time passed and Syria mounted yet another invasion. A great famine raged in Israel. Its consequences were so horrible that cannibalism broke out among the populace.
Jehoram was reduced to despair. He blamed Elisha and swore vengeance against him for the horrors that were visiting Israel. He sent a messenger to slay Elisha (who was, of course, aware of Jehoram's intentions). Elisha explained to the assassins that the crisis would be averted the next day. One of Jehoram's captains heard this and scoffed at the promise. Elisha told him that although he would see the Lord's rescue of Israel, his disbelief would bar him from participation in the good fortune of the community.
Then four lepers decided to go down to the camp of the Syrian army and found it empty. The Lord had caused the Syrians to hear a great noise of chariots and horses, and they fled in fear of such a mighty host. The lepers informed the authorities of the city who told Jehoram. After conducting a reconnaissance mission, the Israelites took the vast stores of food and bounty left behind by the fleeing invaders. The scornful captain was trampled in the excitement as he watched the people take their fill of the provisions.
Elisha next traveled to Damascus where King Benhadad II lay ill. The king asked an assistant named Hazael to enquire of Elisha of his prospects for recovery. Elisha stated that the king would die; and then looking deeply at Hazael began to weep, prophesying that Hazael would become king of Syria and bring great evil and cruelty to Israel. Hazael returned to Benha-dad and slew him while he slept, usurping the throne of Syria.
Judah: The Reign of Jehoram, also called Joram (son of Jehosophat) (851-843 bce)
Returning to the Kingdom of Judah, Jehoram, son of Jehosophat, succeeded his father and would reign for eight years. (The kings of Israel and Judah were now both named Jehoram or Joram.) Jehoram of Judah was married to Athaliah, a daughter of Ahab, late king of Israel.
Jehoram not only intermarried with the Israeli monarchy, he followed its evil ways. His first acts included slaying his brothers who had been given administrative posts in various cities. He then rebuilt the high places in the hill country and led the people in unfaithfulness.
Two Chronicles 21:12-15 discusses a letter sent to Jehoram of Judah by the Prophet Elijah.7 Elijah's letter spoke of the many sins of Jehoram and his betrayal of his responsibilities as king. Elijah prophesied a plague on the land and a great sickness against Jehoram. Then the Lord aroused the enmity of surrounding tribes who attacked and pillaged the land of Judah. They took the king's possessions and carried away
7 Neither Elijah nor Elisha are elsewhere mentioned in Chronicles despite the extensive attention given to both prophets in Kings. The history of the Divided Monarchy as told in Chronicles focuses exclusively on events in the Kingdom of Judah.
The members of his family. The land of Edom revolted against Judah and established its own king. Jehoram attacked but was repulsed, and Edom remained in rebellion along with Libnah. Jehoram became ill for two years and died in great agony. He remained unmourned by his people.
Judah: The Reign of Ahaziah (son of Jehoram) (843-842 bce)
Ahaziah was Jehoram's sole surviving son and became his successor. (He had the same name as Ahab's son, the late king of Northern Israel who had died from injuries sustained in his fall at the palace.) Ahaziah of Judah reigned but one year. Taking the flawed counsel of his mother Athaliah, Ahab's daughter, he walked in the ways of wickedness. Ahaziah of Judah allied himself with Jehoram of Israel and fought against Hazael, king of Syria. During a battle at Ramoth-gilead, Jehoram was wounded. Ahaziah visited him in Jezreel where he was recovering.
The Anointing of Jehu
Elisha sent one of his assistant prophets to Ramoth-gilead to secretly anoint Jehu, a captain of the army, as king of Israel.82 The young seer commanded Jehu to strike at Jehoram and the house of Ahab in revenge for Jezebel slaying the prophets of the Lord as recounted earlier.83 He repeated Elijah's augury that the corpse of Jezebel would be eaten by dogs. He foretold the death of all the male line of Ahab.
Jehu went to Jezreel to the field of Naboth. He came upon the armies of Jehoram of Israel and the visiting Ahaziah of Judah. Jehu slew
The murder of Jezebel at the command of Jehu. Detail from an engraving by Gustave Dore, 1865.
Jehoram and had his body cast into the field of Naboth.10 Ahaziah fled, but Jehu pursued and killed him too.
Thus both the kings of Israel and Judah perished by the hand of Jehu. The Davidic dynasty in Judah had come to a temporary close for the first time since David's anointing by Samuel over one hundred sixty years earlier. It would await the restoration of Joash.
Israel: The Reign of Jehu (842-814 bce)
When Jezebel, learned of the death of her son Jehoram and her son-in-law Ahaziah, she attired herself as a harlot and taunted Jehu when he rode into the capital city of Jezreel. He ordered that she be cast out of the palace window and she plunged to her death. Jehu trampled her underfoot. After he ate and drank, he commanded that she be buried as befitted the daughter of a king. But her body had been consumed by dogs while Jehu dined, and there was little left to bury, as had been prophesied by Elijah.11
Jehu wrote letters and challenged the elders of the cities where Ahab's seventy sons lived, demanding they prepare for battle. But the elders demurred and swore allegiance to Jehu. He wrote again, commanding them to bring the severed heads of all Ahab's male heirs to him in Jezreel by the next day, which they did.
Then Jehu addressed the people. He pointed out that while some might accuse him of sedition, he was actually fulfilling the command of the Lord and bringing to completion the prophesies of Elijah against the evil of the house of
Jehu destroying the altar of Baal in his campaign with the Recabites is shown on this medallion by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, sixteenth century.
Ahab. After slaying the remaining loyal courtiers of Ahab's dynasty, Jehu went on to Samaria where he met relatives of Ahaziah. They were traveling to Jerusalem to greet Ahaziah and his queen. Jehu ordered them taken and slain.
Soon after, Jehu met Jehonadab son of Recab, the founder of a sect of religious purists called Recabites (later encountered by the Prophet Jeremiah). They became allies. Jehu planned a ruse to bring together all the worshippers of Baal throughout Israel. He announced a great feast in Baal's honor. When the worshippers assembled in the great house of Baal, Jehu had them slain. The image of Baal was destroyed, and the Temple razed to the ground. Thus did Jehu remove Baal's worship from Israel. However, he did not purge the altars of the golden calves from Bethel and Dan erected earlier by Jeroboam. But the Lord looked favorably upon Jehu and promised his descendants would reign unto the fourth generation.
Yet Jehu's heart turned to wickedness and he mislead the children of Israel into worshiping the golden calves. Hazael, king of Syria, invaded Israel and caused much suffering. After a reign of twenty-eight years, Jehu died and was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz, of whom more will be said.
Judah: The Reign of Athaliah (842-836 bce)
After Ahaziah was killed by Jehu, his wicked mother Athaliah learned of her son's death. She killed his royal offspring, her grandchildren, the remaining bloodline of David, and took control as queen of Judah. She reigned for six years.
The Restoration of David's Line by Jehosheba and Jehoiada
However, unbeknownst to Athaliah, Jehosheba, Ahaziah's sister, had saved her nephew Joash, Ahaziah's baby son. She arranged for the infant to be hidden in the Temple of Solomon with his nurse, where they remained for six years. Two Chronicles 22:11 points out that Jehosheba (there called Jehoshabeath) was the wife of the high priest Jehoiada.
After six years had passed, Jehoiada summoned the administrators, governors, military officers, and guards to the Temple. He swore them all to an oath. Then he revealed Joash, the late king's son, his rightful successor, the last living male heir of the royal bloodline of David. Jehoiada crowned and anointed the young prince. Athaliah was alarmed by the noise in the Temple and ran in to see the coronation of her grandson. When she realized what had happened, she rent her clothes, and cried, "Treason." She was removed to the king's house and executed, that she might not be slain in the Temple.
And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people. And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord. (2 Kings 11:17-18)
Judah: The Reign of Joash (Jehoash)
(836-798 bce)
Joash (now called Jehoash) was seven years old when he took the throne, and ruled for forty years. "And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him" (2 Kings 12:2). But the high places were not taken away and many continued to make sacrifice and burn incense there.
Jehoash Restores the Temple of Solomon
The Temple of Solomon had fallen into disrepair because the people had neglected it when they followed after Baal. Jehoash commanded that all monies that came to the Temple be collected by the priests and used for making repairs. But even by the twenty-third year of his reign, this had not been done. Then Jehoash commanded the priests to no longer take any money. Instead, he himself assumed the responsibility for collecting the funds and supervising the repairs to the Temple.84
The high priest Jehoiada set up a collection box at the entrance of the Temple. The money was paid directly to the carpenters and builders for repairs. Although the Temple was cleaned and repaired under the force of Jehoash's decree, 2 Kings 12:13 laments that the gold and silver ritual objects that had been lost were not replaced and the Temple of Solomon had not its former glory. However, 2 Chronicles 24:14 reports that the excess money collected for the repairs was used to fashion replacement ritual utensils of silver and gold. "And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada" (2 Chronicles 24:14).
Men but were able to triumph over the larger Judean army because the Kingdom of Judah had been abandoned by the Lord. Jehoash was wounded in the battle. Later, he was murdered by his servants for having shed the blood of Jehoiada's son Zechariah. Jehoash was succeeded by his son Amaziah, of whom more will be said.
Israel: The Reign of Jehoahaz (817-800 bce)
Jehoash Strays from Obedience to the Lord
Upon the death of Jehoiada, Jehoash began to move away from the path of righteousness. The officials of the land of Judah came to the king and together they abandoned the proper worship of the Lord in the Temple of Solomon— renewing instead the pagan worship in groves where they served idols. The Lord sent prophets to Jerusalem to lead the people back to fidelity, but their message was ignored.
Zechariah, the son of the high priest Jehoiada, rose up and conveyed the words of the Lord, "Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, He hath also forsaken you" (2 Chronicles 24:20). Instead of contemplating his words and correcting their behavior, they rose up and killed him at the command of the king. With his dying breath, Zecharia cursed Jehoash, "May the Lord see and avenge" (2 Chronicles 24:22 NRSV)!
As if in answer to Zecharia's curse, King Hazael of Syria set his sights on Jerusalem. But Jehoash of Judah, collected all the remaining gold and silver treasure from the House of the Lord and gave it to Hazael to avoid war. Within the year, the armies of Syria attacked Judah and Jerusalem anyway. The Syrian army murdered officials and seized the wealth of the kingdom. It is observed that the invaders came with few
In the Kingdom of Israel, Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, began his reign in Samaria. He would rule for seventeen years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and incurred His wrath. Israel was conquered by the Syrian armies of Hazael and remained under the control of Hazael's son and successor Benhadad III.13 The army of Israel had been severely reduced by Hazael's forces. Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord for His mercy and Israel was freed from the Syrian yoke. Yet the people continued in their pagan worship.
Israel: The Reign of Jehoash (son of Jehoahaz) (800-784 bce)
Jehoahaz was succeeded by his son, another king named Jehoash, who reigned over Israel sixteen years. Jehoash followed in the ways of wickedness and made war against Amaziah, king of Judah.
The prophet Elisha had fallen ill and Jehoash came to his bed and wept over him. Elisha told him to take up a bow and arrows and placed his own hands around the king's. Elisha told him to open the window and shoot, and he did so. Elisha told him he would thereby smite the Syrians. Then he told him to take the arrows and smite the ground with them. Jehoash did this three times. Elisha was angry and said Jehoash should have continued at least five or six more times. Now he would not fully conquer the Syrians, but achieve only three victories.
Then Elisha died and was buried. During this period, marauding bands of Moabites periodically invaded Israel. One day, while in the process of conducting a funeral in the cemetery where Elisha had been buried, a group of Israelites spotted a hostile force of Moabites. They hastily threw the dead body into Elisha's tomb. As soon as the corpse touched the bones of the Prophet, the dead man came to life and stood up.14
As predicted by Elisha, Jehoash was able to wage three successful victories against Benha-dad III. Jehoash also reclaimed several cities lost by his father to Hazael. Before he died, Jehoash would be confronted by the hapless Amaziah, whose story we will now contemplate.
Judah: The Reign of Amaziah (798-769 bce)
Amaziah, the son of the king of Judah Jehoash (son of Ahaziah), succeeded his father and reigned for twenty-nine years. He was a good king at first, described in 2 Kings as not as upright as David, but one who walked in the ways of the Lord. Chronicles adds the caveat, "He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a true heart" (2 Chronicles 25:2 NRSV). Amaziah slew the two servants who had murdered his father, but he did not slay their families, in deference to the teachings of Moses in Deuteronomy 24:16, which prevents vengeance against the children of criminals. The high places of pagan worship remained.
Amaziah made war against Edom. He assembled an army and hired a group of mercenaries from the Northern Kingdom to aid him, paying them a substantial sum for their services. A prophet approached and counseled him to avoid using the mercenaries, even to take a loss of the money he had paid—for the Lord would provide what he needed. Reluctantly, Amaziah obeyed. He sent the angry mercenaries home with their pay. And he was successful in his campaign against the Edomites.
However, after the victory, he took the Edomite idols and began to worship them. The Lord sent another prophet to ask the rather obvious question. "Why have you resorted to a people's gods who could not deliver their own people from your hand" (2 Chronicles 25:15 NRSV)? The king rejected the words of the prophet and threatened him, upon which the prophet announced the Lord's intention to destroy Amaziah.
Amaziah's ego was swelled up by his victory over Edom. He challenged the king of Israel (Jehoash), to do battle. Jehoash congratulated him on the results of his military campaign against Edom and counseled him to enjoy it. Why risk a reversal of fortune by fighting an unnecessary war against Israel? But Amaziah insisted and was sorely defeated at Beth-shemesh. Jehoash broke through the walls of Jerusalem and took whatever gold and silver he could find in the Temple of Solomon before returning to Samaria and dying soon after.
Israel: The Reign of Jeroboam II (788-747 bce)
Jehoash of Israel was succeeded by his son Jeroboam, who reigned for forty-one years. He too did evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet God gave him victory and restored the coastal plains to Israel, as the prophet Jonah foretold.85 The Lord would not blot out Israel at this time in
Looking out on the Sorek Valley from the ruins of Beth-shemesh. Photo by Steven Brooke.
Spite of its sins. Jeroboam II was succeeded by his son Zachariah of whom more will be said.
Judah: The Reign of Azariah (Uzziah)
(785-733 bce)
Though Amaziah lived for fifteen years after the death of his enemy Jehoash of Israel, he was forced to flee Jerusalem after his defeat at Beth-shemesh. The members of the conspiracy ultimately killed him. His son Azariah reigned in his stead in Judah for fifty-two years.86 Aza-riah built the port of Elath (modern Eilat) and further consolidated his father's gains in Edom. "He did that which was right in the sight of the
Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done" (2 Kings 15:3). But again, the high places were not removed, and the people burnt incense and made sacrifices.
Azariah is known as Uzziah in 2 Chronicles. He became king at age sixteen. He applied himself to the teachings of Zechariah (a prophet of the same name as the son of the high priest Jehoiada). The young king prospered under the guidance of his mentor. He battled the Philistines and conquered territory within their borders. He fought and defeated other tribes, fortified Jerusalem, and conducted construction projects throughout the land. He loved agriculture. He commanded a mighty army and developed sophisticated military weapons for the day.
But Azariah (Uzziah) grew proud as he grew stronger. He went so far as to enter the Temple of Solomon and burn incense on the altar, a task reserved for the priesthood. The high priest of the Temple gathered eighty brave priests and pro
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