Old Testament Lesson 30 – “Come to the House of the Lord”

2 Chronicles 29–30. Hezekiah, king of Judah, opens the doors of the temple and instructs the priests and Levites to cleanse and sanctify it for worship (29:1–19). When the temple is cleansed, Hezekiah and his people worship together and praise the Lord (29:20–36). Hezekiah invites all Israel to come to the temple in Jerusalem (30:1–9). Some laugh at the invitation, but the faithful of Israel worship the Lord in Jerusalem (30:10–27).

2 Chronicles 32:1–23. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invades Judah and speaks against the Lord (32:1–19). Isaiah and Hezekiah pray for help, and an angel of the Lord destroys much of the Assyrian army (32:20–23).

2 Chronicles 34. After Hezekiah’s son and grandson rule in wickedness, Hezekiah’s great-grandson Josiah becomes king of Judah. Josiah destroys the idols in the kingdom and repairs the temple (34:1–13). The book of the law is found in the temple and read to Josiah, who weeps when he learns how far the people have strayed from the law (34:14–21). Huldah the prophetess tells of the forthcoming desolation of Judah but prophesies that Josiah will not have to witness it (34:22–28). Josiah and his people covenant to serve the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:29–33).

What can we learn from Hezekiah about the proper relationship between trusting in our own efforts and trusting in the Lord? (See2 Chronicles 32:7–8.)

While Josiah and his people were at the temple, what did they covenant to do? (See 2 Chronicles 34:31–33.) How can we prepare to make the sacred temple covenants? Once we have made these covenants, why is it important that we return to the temple as often as possible?

Additional reading: 2 Kings 18–19; 22–23; Isaiah 37:10–20, 33–38.

 

OT Gospel Doctrine Lesson #30 - Come to the House of the Lord
2 Chronicles 29-34

Sargon II, King of Assyria

Background:
The nations of Judah and Israel never reunite, even though they occasionally are close allies. Both struggle with wicked kings, however a righteous king occasionally appeared in Judah, as in the case of Jehoshaphat.

The order of the next few lessons is a bit odd. Today we cover about 100+ years of major history (c. 750BC- 609BC), which happens to be the same time period and historical background for Amos (760bc), Micah and Isaiah (735-700), Nahum (between 663 and 612), Jeremiah (627-??), Lehi, Urijah (Jer 26:20-23) and we’ve probably skipped Joel (uncertain), Obadiah (uncertain), Habbakuk (uncertain), and Jonah (set sometime before 612). (All dates are approximate.)

We cover this history in one lesson, then Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (Lesson 31), Job (Lesson 32), and THEN we go back in time and start doing these prophets in order.
I’d prefer to study all of these in historical context (i.e. reading Isaiah chapters AND Kings/Chronicles chapters in the same lesson, to contextualize).

So, let’s do the history. Below is a list of s. kings of Judah with the dates of their reigns

• Ahaz 742-727 (powerful but “bad”)
• Hezekiah 727/715-698 (instituted reforms which failed; “good”)
• Manasseh 698-643 (reigned 55 years,undid all the reforms; REALLY “bad”)
• Amon 643-640 (not great, but short at least)
• Josiah 640-609 (Becomes king at age 8, really really “good” king; “discovers” Book of Deuteronomy, institutes successful reforms… but then the Babylonians come.)

These last four are not in this lesson. Note the short regal length.

• Jehoahaz 609
• Jehoiakim 609-598
• Jehoiakin 598-597 (reigns three months, 2 ki 24:8)
• Mattaniah/Zedekiah 597-586

Note that for all of these, we are reading Chronicles, not Kings. Remember, Chronicles was written after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile into Babylon. It often takes a very different perspective than Kings does, and the historical data it provides is inconsistent with Kings. Chronicles is likely the source doing the historical revising.

The history in a nutshell is…

Like his father Ahaz, Hezekiah must reckon directly with the encroaching Assyrian empire as well as regulate internal religious matters. He tries to institute reforms, which do not take, largely because his son Manasseh undoes them during his 55-yr reign. Manasseh’s son Amon follows in his footsteps, and is assassinated by his courtiers after only 2-3 years. Manasseh’s 8-yr old son Josiah is crowned. Josiah is the golden boy, who does everything right, “discovers” the Book of Deuteronomy in the temple, and institutes religious reforms. During Josiah’s reign, Judah is probably under Egyptian control, with Egypt supporting Assyria. Assyria, however, is declining and Babylon rising.

Although Kings portrays Israelite history as culminating in a golden age to be ushered in by Josiah, he is devastatingly killed by the Egyptians in 609 as they march north to support Assyria against Babylon. Egypt and Assyria lose, and from 605 until 586, Babylon runs Judah and Jerusalem directly, ultimately destroying the city, temple, and people (via Exile) in 586.

That’s Judah, but first, Israel is destroyed…

Israel’s Destruction
Israel’s sins continued, as they embraced Baal and other gods rather than Jehovah. Eventually, their sins caught up to them, and Israel was ripened in iniquity. In 721 BC, King Sargon II of Assyria and his son, Sennacherib, overran the nation of Israel and carried them off. Assyria was the new major power in the area. Their major rival was Egypt, and the land of Canaan, which included Israel and Judah, lay in between. The conquest of Canaan (also known as the Levant) also provided direct access to the spice trade route and the riches it held by taxing those who journeyed through the land. Sargon’s invasion was so intense that he was able to not only take Israel, but most of the land of Judah. Only Jerusalem and the land around it were spared. Later, Josiah would regain much of the land, including part of the land of Israel, reuniting the nations for a few decades.

The fall of Israel is not directly explained in the Bible. After the stories of Elijah and Elisha, we do not hear much about Israel’s history. However, Isaiah and others foresaw Israel’s downfall. Sargon II carried them off to other areas of the Assyrian Empire, and brought others to dwell in Israel and Samaria, its capitol.
Where did the Lost Ten Tribes go?

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Israelites remained in the lands of the Assyrians and continued to his day in those lands (Antiquity of the Jews, Book 11, Chapter V, Section 2). We do not know where he may have received his information.

[39] And as for your seeing him gather to himself another multitude that was peaceable,
[40] these are the ten tribes which were led away from their own land into captivity in the days of King Hoshea, whom Shalmaneser the king of the Assyrians led captive; he took them across the river, and they were taken into another land.
[41] But they formed this plan for themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the nations and go to a more distant region, where mankind had never lived,
[42] that there at least they might keep their statutes which they had not kept in their own land.
[43] And they went in by the narrow passages of the Euphrates river.
[44] For at that time the Most High performed signs for them, and stopped the channels of the river until they had passed over.
[45] Through that region there was a long way to go, a journey of a year and a half; and that country is called Arzareth.
[46] "Then they dwelt there until the last times; and now, when they are about to come again,
[47] the Most High will stop the channels of the river again, so that they may be able to pass over. Therefore you saw the multitude gathered together in peace. (2 Esdras 13:39-47)

Esdras is supposed to be the same Ezra we find in the Bible, though the Apocryphal books accorded to him probably were written much later. According to the above, many of the 10 Tribes of Israel organized themselves and did an Exodus to the north country. Where that northern country is, we do not know. Some speculate it may be in the lands of Russia and Europe. However, Benjamin Franklin Johnson, a good friend of Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, wrote in his journal that Joseph taught him:

“I can now see, as President George A. Smith afterwards said, that I was then really "the bosom friend and companion of the Prophet Joseph." I was as welcome at the Mansion as at my own house, and on one occasion when at a full table of his family and chosen friends, he placed me at his right hand and introduced me as his "friend, Brother B. F. Johnson, at whose house he sat at a better table than his own." Sometimes when at my house I asked him questions relating to past, present and future; some of his answers were taken by Brother William Clayton....Other questions were asked when Brother Clayton was not present, one of which I will relate: I asked where the nine and a half tribes of Israel were. "Well," said he, "you remember the old caldron or potash kettle you used to boil maple sap in for sugar, don't you?" I said yes. "Well," said he, "they are in the north pole in a concave just the shape of that kettle. And John the Revelator is with them, preparing them for their return." (Benjamin F. Johnson, My Life’s Review, pg 93)

Others gave other responses as to where they may possibly be. One story purported to President David O. McKay occurred when asked by reporters if he knew where the Lost Tribes were, President David O. McKay answered he did. “They’re lost.” When the reporters pressed him further he told them that if he knew where they were, they wouldn’t be lost.

That the tribes will someday return is prophesied in ancient and modern revelation. In the Doctrine and Covenants 133, we read:

“26 And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.
27 And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.
28 Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,
29 And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.
30 And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.
31 And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.
32 And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.
33 And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
34 Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.
35 And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.”

Wherever they are, if this prophesy is to be literally understood, the Lost Tribes will have to cross the oceans and pass through an area of ice. They will return to the Americas first, where they will come to Ephraim (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and join with them in building Zion. Judah’s return shall occur later in Jerusalem at Jesus’ coming to them in power.

Ahaz’ Wicked Reign
2 Chronicle 28
Judah went through a period of wicked kings. Ahab and Jezebel’s son-in-law previously sat on the throne in Jerusalem and introduced Baal worship to the nation. Hezekiah’s own father, Ahaz, was wicked.

“2 For he (Ahaz) walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.
3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree” (2 Chron 28).

The worship of Baalim, or the various incarnations of Baal, included prostitution and grave sexual sin. The worship of the Ammonite god Moloch (known as “the king”) required the passing of one’s children through fire. This could possibly have been to literally cook the children alive, or as a purification ritual where they were briefly passed through and if the child survived the ordeal was blessed by Moloch.

The “high places” were actually altars on mountains and other places that were set aside for sacred worship. This is the form of worship done by Abraham, Jacob, and even Lehi in the wilderness. However, it seems that Judah’s priests would soon seek to destroy these high places in order to focus worship at the central Temple in Jerusalem, where they could maintain control of the religion of Jehovah.

“Under every green tree” denotes worship of Asherah, the consort of Jehovah (also of Baal). In Jehovah worship, she was noted as the goddess of fertility and wisdom, and given deference. However, in Baal worship, she was given greater status for direct worship, and was charged with fertility rites associated with Baal worship.
So was Ahaz and Judah’s wickedness.

The Reign of Hezekiah
2 Chronicles 29-30
Hezekiah was greatly influenced by his mother and the Temple priests. He probably served as co-regent of Judah for a time with his father, and then became king at Ahaz’ death. During his youth, he saw Sargon destroy Israel and take much of the land of Judah. Along with the priests of the temple, he believed it was due to apostasy and heresy that such destruction occurred. Once Ahaz was dead, Hezekiah and the temple priests set out to purify Judah.

The priests sanctified the temple, removing all impurities. This would have included idols set in the temple by Ahaz and other kings.

“1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel” (2 Chron 30).

This may well be the time when many from Ephraim and Manasseh, stragglers from the assault of Sargon and Sennacherib on Israel, to come to Jerusalem for a Passover, something that had not occurred in decades, if not a century or more. Those of Joseph would have brought with them their sacred records, for safekeeping. It is possible that this was the time when the Plates of Laban, the writings of the tribe of Joseph, made their way down to Jerusalem.

It is also the approximate period when many Documentary Hypothesis scholars believe the writings of “E” (the Elohist) were brought to Jerusalem, to later be combined with the sacred writings of “J” that was written in Jerusalem, and incorporated later with other writings by Ezra (the Redactor) into what is now known as the earliest portions of the Bible. In fact, it was proposed by John Sorenson that the Plates of Laban may have been the original source for “E”!

After the Passover feast, the people returned to their own areas with zeal for Jehovah and his temple, destroying the high places and altars in the wilderness.

Sennacherib lays siege to Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 32

Pool of Siloam and Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Sennacherib now sat on his father’s throne in Assyria. The recalcitrant Hezekiah refused to give tribute to Assyria, or turn itself over to them. Instead, Hezekiah made a league with the Egyptians, hoping they would come to Jerusalem’s rescue. However, the Egyptians did not come. Jerusalem would have to face the Assyrians alone.
Hezekiah was a man with great foresight. He learned that the Assyrians besieged cities, starving the people, in order to make them capitulate. It was a patient game of seeing who could out-wait the other.

Hezekiah prepared for the upcoming siege. He created one of the greatest waterworks projects of the day. There was water (waters of Gihon/Siloam pool) available just outside the walls of the city, but to get it inside in a manner that would keep the Assyrians from stopping it up meant digging underground. Hezekiah built the 1750 foot long Siloam tunnel to provide water to the people. He had workers digging from both ends, and it is still unknown how they managed to meet in the middle at the same place. The tunnel still exists, and tourists marvel as they walk the full distance through it.

Hezekiah and his prophet, Isaiah, prayed intensely that the Lord would stop the Assyrians. An angel causes discord among the Assyrian generals, and Sennacherib is forced to withdraw. Upon returning to Assyria, he is slain by his sons.

Manasseh reigns in wickedness
2 Chronicles 33
Hezekiah and Manasseh probably reigned together as co-regents for several years. Upon his death, Manasseh became king and drastically changed the order of things. He immediately left behind worshiping Jehovah, and embraced the idols and gods of the Canaanites.

2 Chronc 33: “3 For he (Manasseh) built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.”

Manasseh placed idols in the temple of Jehovah. No longer was Jehovah the only God of Israel, but he had to share his space with other gods. The “host of heaven” would have been gods to the Sun, Moon and planets - perhaps influenced by the Phoenicians or Egyptians. We’ve mentioned above how Ahaz worshiped Moloch and had the children pass through fire. We now see Manasseh resurrecting the worship of Ahaz, his grandfather.

“9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel” (2 Kings 21).

There is a major difference between 2 Chronicles 33 and 2 Kings 21 in their treatment of Manasseh. Chronicles states that the Assyrians carried him off in chains to Assyria, where he remained a few years until he repented and turned back to God. He then returned to Jerusalem, where he destroyed all the idols and evils in the land, except for the high places built to worship Jehovah.

Meanwhile, 2 Kings does not note his repentance or change of heart. It just states that he sinned all his days, and then slept with his fathers. Jewish tradition says that Jeremiah wrote Kings, and Ezra wrote Chronicles. We get differences here on a few levels.

First, one was written before the Diaspora of the Jews (Kings), and the other written after their return from Babylon (Chronicles).

Second, Jeremiah was not beholden to the Davidic line of kings (and so didn’t “apologize” as Chronicles did), as he dealt harshly with Zedekiah and several others of the kings, while Ezra attempted to answer the questions of the remnant on why there was a destruction, but to still hang onto the concept of a royal Davidic line.

We can see an internal problem with 2 Chronicles 33. It claims that the repentant Manasseh destroyed all the images out of Judah, yet when his son, Amon, became king:

“But he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them” (2 Chron 33:22).

How could he worship the images Manasseh had made, if they were all destroyed? Obviously, Manasseh did not destroy all the images of Baal and the hosts of heaven.

Amon did not last long. His evils towards Jehovah and the people, caused the palace servants to assassinate him, opening the door for Josiah.

Josiah the Righteous
2 Chronicles 34-35

“And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father” (2 Chron 34:2-3).

Josiah is the new King David. He can do no wrong in the eyes of the Chronicler. Becoming king at the age of eight, he is handled, managed, and trained by the Temple priests to ensure no more heresy nor apostasy would occur. By the time he was 20, he had retaken much of the lands of Judah and Israel, and went through them purging them of the idols, high places, and Baalim that were found. He slew the priests of Baal and the other gods, desecrating the altars by burning their bones upon them.

His next task was to cleanse and repair the temple. In repairing it after decades of abuse and misuse, we are told that the “book of the law” was found. The book was read to Josiah, who rent his clothes, because he knew the people were not following the laws given by God. This book is now believed to be the Book of Deuteronomy by most scholars.

However, most scholars also believe that the Book of Deuteronomy delivered to Josiah was not the original book of Deuteronomy. According to the Documentary Hypothesis, the temple priests took early writings, perhaps found in the temple, and rewrote them.

They lengthened the book, amplifying many concepts and sections to support their current political stances regarding obedience, the temple and Jehovah. They created a book that seemed to suggest that Moses demanded all sacrifice be performed only at the temple. It established many of the laws we now see as part of the Mosaic Law.

These “Deuteronomists” also reformed the temple rites. According to Margaret Barker and other Biblical scholars, the rites included the Tree of Life representing the consort of God, angels, and miracles. The Deuteronomists removed such things from the temple liturgy.

What was Lost or Taken out (Heavenly Ascents detour)

We are told that Hezekiah and his great-grandson Josiah carried out reforms that changed the religious practices of the people of Judah, especially in regards to the temple(s). The sweeping “cleansing” done by Hezekiah was repeated and apparently greatly magnified by Josiah.  

Hezekiah left his mark when he “removed the high places, and brake the images (Heb. “pillars”), and cut down the groves (Heb. “asherah”), and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made” (2 Kings 18:4).  The religion of Judah was centralized — apparently all places of worship were destroyed, or at least condemned, outside of the Temple of Jerusalem.

If we take a look at what Hezekiah allegedly destroyed, we see that it was some important stuff!  The “high places” (bamot) were sanctuaries, or places of worship, where altars could be found for sacrifice.  They were generally set in high places, such as hilltops or were artificial mounds meant to represent the same idea.  

There were many traditional “high places” that apparently were originally very legitimate places of worship (e.g. Bethel, Dan, Gilgal, etc.) but were, with the reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah, condemned as idolatrous, pagan centers.  It is likely that each village had its own high place where the residents conducted their routine worship.  However, the reformers attempted to enforce the idea that the only place worthy of the performance of holy rites was Jerusalem. 

In this centralization of worship to Jerusalem, Hezekiah and Josiah are understood to be following the instructions given in Deut. 12 which prohibits the offering of sacrifice anywhere but in the holy city of Jerusalem.  We should question the reliability of this scripture, however, as we read that sacrifices were legitimately offered outside of Jerusalem both before and after the time of Moses.  We read in the Book of Mormon in several places that Lehi and his family, who lived in Jerusalem during and just after the reign of Josiah, have no qualms about offering sacrifice at many points along their great journey (obviously outside of Jerusalem).

Apparently, Hezekiah was not terribly thorough in his enforcement of this ideal, as a number of sanctuaries outside of Jerusalem, including at Lachish, Arad, and Beersheva, were built or continued to function during his reign.

In fact, some scholars argue that there is no archaeological evidence of any mass destruction of high places in the area in the 7th and 8th centuries BC. William Dever, renowned biblical archaelogist, for example, believes that all of this talk of destroying the high places was made up by the authors/editors of these histories to fit their own theological/political agendas.  

Whether or not Hezekiah did try to implement this facet of the reformation, we know that the high places are back up and running by the time of Josiah!

Besides the high places, we are told that Hezekiah destroyed the “idols” (in the KJV), which were actually “standing stones” or “pillars” (massebot).  Earlier in Israel’s history, there had been no problems with setting up massebot, and they were frequently set up by the Patriarchs and others as monuments to memorialize important sacred events, especially appearances of Deity (e.g. when Jacob sets up a pillar to mark the place where he had encountered God, Gen. 28:18; Gen. 32:20; etc.).  Moses himself sets up pillars (Ex. 24:4).

Ex 24:4 ⁴ And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

They were associated with altars of sacrifice and delineated holy space.  We can probably compare these with the obelisks of Egypt and the stone circles of places like Stonehenge. Hezekiah, however, decides that they are representative of idol worship and allegedly broke them all down.

The other items that the text claims that Hezekiah ordered destroyed were the “groves” or the “sacred poles” — the asherot. These objects were wooden poles of some sort that were meant to represent sacred trees. Asherah is known to have been a mother goddess venerated throughout the region.  In some way, these stylized “trees” were meant to represent her. In the biblical narrative, these asherot are associated with the pagan worship of Baal.  They were placed standing near the altars of sacrifice in the high places.  It is claimed that these too were condemned and cut down by Hezekiah.

Also, we are told that Hezekiah destroyed the Nehushtan, the bronze serpent that Moses made!  

Number 21: ⁹ And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

This act is justified by the explanation that the people had been offering sacrifices to it for some time.  I can’t help but see this as tragic!  How do you go and destroy the bronze serpent which was made by Moses to be a savior to the people of Israel, healing them during their travels in the desert? We often take the bronze serpent to be a symbol of Jesus Christ  –  and it apparently had been given some role in the temple — until Hezekiah smashed it to smithereens.

After Hezekiah’s death, we are told that his reforms were reversed by the wickedness of kings Manasseh and Amon. It is not until the young Josiah comes to power that the standard is once against raised against the encroachment of idol worship back into Judah.

Josiah reportedly conducts a much more thorough reform, but with roughly the same ideals as the earlier one.  In 2 Chronicles 34 we get the account of the massive campaign carried out to purge the kingdom of idol worship, which including destroying the same basic elements that Hezekiah had previously condemned.  Furthermore, it appears that he killed all the priests that served in these locations, burning their bones upon their various altars (2 Chron. 34:5).  In 2 Kings 23, there is an even more detailed account of the specific items he destroyed, which includes:

• burned the vessels/instruments in the temple that were made for Baal, Asherah, and the host of heaven (sons of God/angels)
• removed the priests that burned incense in the high places to Baal, the sun, moon, planets, and host of heaven (sons of God/angels)
• took the asherah pole/tree out of its place in the temple and burned it, stamped it into powder, and scattered it on the graves near Jerusalem
• broke down the houses of the “sodomites” (Heb. q’deshim, probably “male temple prostitutes”) that were near the temple, where the women wove hangings (perhaps tents/veils/garments) for Asherah
• stopped the sacrifice of children by fire to Molech
• burned the sun chariot and horses that apparently stood at the entrance to the temple (compare to the chariot and horses that took Elijah to heaven from my last post)
• apparently desecrated a number of graves, removing the bones therefrom and burning them on the altar (I am really not sure what the significance of this was, but the text says that it had been prophesied earlier)
• did all the other things mentioned above and more…

This is a very detailed list — there were specific things going on that Josiah, or perhaps his advisors, were very much against.  Although Chronicles seems to put this event as following the great purge, 2 Kings 22-23 indicates that the massive reform movement was at least partly a result of Josiah’s high priest, Hilkiah, finding “the book of the law” in the temple while they were cleansing it (2 Kgs. 22:8).  Scholars generally agree that this book was the Book of Deuteronomy.  Margaret Barker gave a great summary of Josiah’s reform and its association with the finding of this book.

King Josiah changed the religion of Israel in 623 BC. According to the Old Testament account in 2 Kings 23 he removed all manner of idolatrous items from the temple and purified his kingdom of Canaanite practices. Temple vessels made for Baal, Asherah and the host of heaven were removed, idolatrous priests were deposed, the Asherah itself was taken from the temple and burned, and much more besides. An old law book had been discovered in the temple, and this had prompted the king to bring the religion of his kingdom into line with the requirements of that book. There could be only one temple, it stated, and so all other places of sacrificial worship had to be destroyed. The law book is easily recognizable as Deuteronomy, and so King Josiah’s purge is usually known as the Deuteronomic reform of the temple.¹

As Barker notes, Josiah’s reforms are often referred to in modern scholarship as the “Deuteronomic” reforms.  Many scholars believe that this Book of the Law, identified as the Book of Deuteronomy, was either heavily revised, or even written at the time of King Josiah. I don’t think we need to dismiss the tradition that it was originally written by Moses, but I do agree that it was at least heavily edited by later parties, beginning before or during the reign of Josiah that had a strong religious agenda.

The book may have been further revised subsequently during and/or after the Babylonian exile.  Thus, it appears that Josiah, in his reforms, was likely not taking Judah back to a more ancient tradition, the religion of Moses, but was essentially creating a new religious belief system, following the ideals of this “Deuteronomist” movement. It is this Deuteronomist theology that influences not only the book of Deuteronomy itself, but the whole so-called Deuteronomist history, from the book of Deuteronomy to the book of 2 Kings. Their theology influenced later writers such as the priestly author(s) of the Chronicles.

It is here that I would like to explain that I do not mean to throw out entirely the history we are given in the books of Kings and Chronicles. As the Sunday School curriculum rightly delineates, there are many great and important lessons to be learned from these histories. Whether or not they were written with a certain religious or political agenda in mind, they provide us with precious principles regarding obedience, purity, and standing up for what is right and holy. They teach about the supreme value of the temple and correct worship and doctrine. Taken as such and applied to our own lives, these are very valuable lessons indeed.  On the other hand, we can also learn, if we follow the theories of some biblical scholars, that there was likely more to ancient Israelite history and religion than what is provided to us through the filter of the Deuteronomistic and later redactors.  Through a study of the themes of this reform we can begin to understand why the Old Testament seems to contain such a different theology than the New Testament, and why it appears to differ, as well, from the picture of ancient religious beliefs as understood by the prophet Joseph Smith.

King Josiah’s reform largely involved the temple and items that were in the temple. Also, it involved a consolidation of Israelite worship to Jerusalem and its temple–other Israelite temples/sanctuaries were torn down.

The historical narrative we read in the Old Testament presents this as a good and necessary reform. It was aimed at “idolatrous” practices. However, as I have alluded to, many of the features/items condemned were considered perfectly legitimate in earlier times, especially from what we know of the Patriarchal period.

While the picture painted is of Josiah bringing Judah back to the most ancient and correct beliefs, what it seemed to accomplish, in reality, was banish many of Israel’s most ancient practices.  Josiah changed the Israelite religion and the practices of the First Temple.  Some Jews would later claim that it was Josiah’s reform that, instead of delaying disaster, brought the wrath of God upon them. As Barker notes:

Twenty five years after the work of Josiah, Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar, and eleven years after the first attack, they returned to destroy the city and the temple. Refugees fled south to Egypt, and we read in the book of Jeremiah how they would not accept the prophet’s interpretation of the disaster. He insisted that Jerusalem had fallen because of the sins of her people, but the refugees said it had fallen because of Josiah. The king is not mentioned by name, but there can be no doubt what the refugees had in mind. Until very recently, they said, they and their ancestors in Judah and Jerusalem had worshipped differently and had prospered, but when they changed their manner of worship, disaster had followed.

The refugees who fled to Egypt were not the only ones who thought that Josiah’s purge had been a disaster. By surveying the texts that still survive, we can begin to piece together what Josiah destroyed. Many of those texts imply that Josiah’s purge was a disaster.

Expounding on the above scriptural list, some of the things that Barker believes were removed include:

• The Asherah, a stylized tree, that had been placed beside the temple altar (cf. Rev 22:1-3), had represented the Queen of Heaven, the Mother Goddess, and also the Tree of Life and Wisdom–Barker believes that the Asherah was the true Menorah, and it was removed by Josiah
• Many of the holiest items of the Temple, especially the Holy of Holies–The Babylonian Talmud records that Josiah had hidden away the ark, the holy anointing oil, the jar of manna and Aaron’s rod (b.Horayoth 12a).
• The vision of God–while earlier traditions present Yahweh as appearing to mortals, the Deuteronomic account denies that any vision of God was seen when the Law was given: ‘You saw no form; only a voice was heard’ (Deut 4:12)
• The Hosts of Heaven–Deuteronomy condemns regard for the host of heaven (Deut 4:19), the angels, even though an ancient title for the Lord was the Lord of Hosts. The heavenly host of angels must have been part of the older faith.
• The Spirit Creation–Barker notes that alternative accounts of the Creation (such as the one found in the Book of Jubilees) remember that the angels/sons of God were created before anything material was made–the Deuteronomic account never mentions angels
• The sacred knowledge of the Holy of Holies–The Deuteronomists didn’t deny that such knowledge existed, but warn against mortals having access to them: ‘The secret things belong to the Lord our God’ (Deut 29:29). They emphasized that all that was necessary for mortals was to obey the Law and keep the revealed commandments.

There were many other beliefs that Josiah supposedly purged that pertained the older religion of Israel. For Barker,these were the traditions of the First Temple. These traditions are so ancient that it is hard to know what exactly they entailed and what happened to them. We must go by scarce evidence and much inference. Barker explains:

We can never know for certain what it was that Josiah purged or why he did it. No actual texts or records survive from that period, but even the stories as they have come down to us in various sources show that this was a time of major upheaval which was not forgotten. A thousand years after the events themselves, even mainstream Jewish texts remembered that the temple had been drastically changed, that large numbers of people had left the land, and that the true temple would be only be restored in the time of the Messiah.

Again, my desire is not to dismiss these biblical histories out of hand, nor diminish your trust in the Scriptures as a whole, but to indicate that there is likely more to these stories than we can get from a superficial reading of the received text. If Hezekiah and Josiah did change the religion of Judah, I believe it is important for us to know what the religion was like previously, what it was changed to, and what that means for our understanding of ancient Judaism, Christianity, and religious beliefs today.

 

If you want to know more about the reforms of the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah, kings of Judah, check out some of the following resources.

Some of the previous posts on the topic at Heavenly Ascents:

• The Suppression of Ancient Truths
• The Priestly Suppression of Ancient Truths — covers the priestly reforms that occurred after the exile which were allegedly similar to Josiah’s reforms
• The Tree of Life as Nurturing Mother — this post doesn’t focus specifically on the reforms, but emphasizes the important of the Tree of Life in ancient religion, which Barker believes was represented by the asherah tree that Josiah removed from the temple

Articles by Margaret Barker (who, FYI, is not LDS) on the topic (a very small sample of a topic that she treats in most of her writings):

• What Did King Josiah Reform? – forum address given at BYU on 6 May 2003
• Joseph Smith and Pre-exilic Israelite Religion – speech given at The Worlds of Joseph Smith conference held at the Library of Congress, 6 May 2005 — besides treating the topic of the Deuteronomic reforms, she relates what these meant for the religion of Jerusalem at the time of Lehi and for Joseph Smith’s contributions

(end Heavenly Ascents)

The end for Josiah…

One thing we do find is that Josiah was very managed by the temple priests. However, given the circumstances, he sought to diligently follow Jehovah and serve him to the best of his ability. Josiah called for a Passover, and commanded Jews everywhere to attend. It is described as the biggest event in Jewish history to that point. Jeremiah was the chief prophet at the time, and was pleased with the good works that Josiah sought to do.

Interestingly, when the Egyptians finally did show up to fight the Assyrian/Babylonian Empire, Josiah went out to fight the Egyptians! Yet, Pharaoh Necho warned Josiah:

2 Chron 35: 20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish (the capitol of the Assyrians) by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

Necho had permission from God, Jehovah, to fight the Assyrian/Babylonian armies, but Josiah would not believe him. Josiah died, and Jeremiah mourned him, knowing that there would not be another righteous king of Judah, nor a king who would listen to Jeremiah’s counsel.

Bibliography
Hezekiah - Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezekiah
Isaiah’s prophesy of Israel’s downfall and events leading to it:http://www.ldshorizonpublishersprophecybooks.com/understanding_isaiah_in_the_bo.html
2 Esdras (from the Apocrypha):http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/apocrypha_ot/2esdr.htm
Moloch in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch
Hezekiah’s Tunnel: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=31&Issue=05&ArticleID=02&ParentArticleID=4
David Larsen’s Heavenly Ascents on Josiah’s Reformations:http://www.heavenlyascents.com/2010/08/06/ancient-israelite-religious-reformation-ot-lesson-30/
Margaret Barker on the Josian Reforms:http://www.thinlyveiled.com/barker/josiahsreform.htm

Benjamin the Scribe: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/benjaminthescribe/2014/08/gospel-doctrine-lesson-30-2-chronicles-29-30-32-34/

Old Testament Lesson 29 – “He Took Up … the Mantle of Elijah”

2 Kings 2:1–18. Elijah prepares Elisha to become the new prophet (2:1–10). Elijah is taken up into heaven. Elisha takes up Elijah’s mantle and becomes the prophet (2:11–15). Fifty men search for Elijah for three days despite Elisha’s counsel (2:16–18).

2 Kings 5. Elisha heals Naaman of leprosy (5:1–14). Naaman praises God and offers Elisha a reward, which Elisha declines (5:15–19).

2 Kings 6:8–18. Elisha guides the king of Israel in a war with Syria (6:8–10). The king of Syria commands his men to capture Elisha, and the army surrounds the city of Dothan (6:11–14). Unafraid, Elisha prays, and the Lord reveals a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire, then smites the Syrian army with blindness (6:15–18).

What can the story of Naaman teach us about following the counsel of the prophet—even when we may not like or understand it or when it may be about small or simple matters? What are some of the small, simple things we have been asked to do by the prophet or other Church leaders? Why are these things sometimes hard to do? How can we increase our willingness to follow the counsel of Church leaders?

What did Elisha mean when he told his servant, “They that be with us are more than they that be with them”? (2 Kings 6:16). How have you seen that Elisha’s statement is still true today?

 

OT Gospel Doctrine Lesson #29 - He took up the mantle of Elijah
2 Kings 2; 5-6
Background:
Elijah has been chief prophet of Jehovah in the nation of Israel. He caused a famine for three years in order to humble the people to return to Jehovah, after they turned to worshiping Baal with Jezebel. Upon defeating the priests of Baal, Elijah had them slain - Jehovah’s vengeance for Jezebel slaying the real prophets of Israel. Worn out after years of jealously serving God and hiding from Ahab and Jezebel’s storm troops, Elijah asks the Lord for rest. Jehovah tells him to anoint Jehu as future king of Israel and Elisha to replace him as chief prophet in Israel (1 Kings 19:15-17). Where Elijah made great strides in returning Israel back from apostasy, Elisha and Jehu will continue the trend.

Elijah’s Translation
2 Kings 2
We find a poetic parallelism or chiasm in the story of Elisha following Elijah from place to place. In each place, sons of the prophets warn Elisha of the pending event with Elijah. Elisha acknowledges it, and then insists on following Elijah to the end. Starting in Gilgal, Elijah and Elisha go to Beth-el, Jericho, and then to the Jordan River.

a 2:2 Elijah and Elisha go from Gilgal to Bethel (SE – NW)
    b 2:4 Elijah and Elisha go from Bethel to Jericho.
        c 2:4 Elijah and Elisha came to Jericho (and then to Jordan River v6).
            d 2:7 Sons of the prophets stood facing Elijah and Elisha (afar off).
                e 2:8 Elijah took his mantle and struck the water (parts like red sea)
                    f 2:10 …if you see me when I am taken from you…
                        g 2:11 …a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire.
                            x 2:11 …and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
                        g 2:12…Elisha sees the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!
                    f 2:12 Elisha saw him no more...
                e 2:14 Elisha took the mantle and struck the water (part like red sea).
            d 2:15 Sons of the prophets came to meet Elisha.
        c 2:18 Elisha stayed in Jericho
    b 2:23 Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel.
a 2:25 Elisha goes from Bethel to Mount Carmel (SE-NW)

Jericho is just north of the Dead Sea. Gilgal is just north of Jericho.

What was the Lord’s purpose in sending Elijah and Elisha to each of these places? Their starting place, Gilgal, is just north of Jericho and north of the Dead Sea. From here, they traveled west to Beth-el, and then back east to Jericho. Surely, the shortest route would have been to go north to the Jordan River.

It is very probable that Elijah was sent to Beth-el, because it was one of the major worship centers to God in the land of Israel. Elijah went to ensure all things were set in order before his ascension.

It may also be that the Lord desired all the sons of the prophets in the land to see Elisha with Elijah, in anticipation of the prophetic mantle being transferred to him. This would have left little doubt as to the proper authority, ensuring the plan to return Israel to Jehovah came about without any delays.

Crossing the Jordan River, Elijah gathered up his mantle (a cloak which symbolized his prophetic power and office), and smote the waters. Just as with Moses as the Red Sea, and Joshua at the Jordan River before him, the waters divided and the two men crossed on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

9 ¶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.

Elisha asks for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit to be with him. Elijah notes this to be a difficult thing to promise, but states that if Elisha actually sees him ascend, God has granted the request. What was Elijah’s spirit? It was the prophetic mantle of power given to Elijah. It allowed Elijah to seal up the heavens from raining, to cause fire to come down upon his enemies, and to be transported by the Spirit to whichever place the Lord would send him.

A “double portion” goes back to the concept of inheritance. All of the sons of the prophets sought to inherit the spirit of Elijah, the gift of prophesy and the power of miracles. Yet, in ancient times, the oldest son received two portions of the inheritance from his father, while the others received a single portion for their inheritance. Elisha knows he is to be the anointed prophet, and wants to ensure he does not have difficulties with any of the sons of the prophets. He wants to be able to perform the miracles that Elijah was able to do, in order to reclaim Israel for Jehovah. In seeing Elijah ascend, and in retrieving the physical mantle of Elijah, Elisha also obtained a vision into heaven, and the spiritual mantle of prophet.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2 Kings 2:12 ¶And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 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.

This next section sets the stage for why the Jew are awaiting the return of Elijah…

¹⁵ And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

¹⁶ And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.

¹⁷ And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

¹⁸ And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

 

John the Baptist as Elijah

Christ with Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration (Transfiguration by Raphael)

In the New Testament, Jews sought the return of Elijah as prophesied by Malachi (Mal 4:5-6)

⁵ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

⁶ And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

They wondered if John the Baptist was Elijah. While John denied it, Jesus did establish that John was Elias (another form of Elijah - Luke 1:16-17; Matthew 17:10-13).

 

We understand that he was not literally the same Elijah, but that the name Elias/Elijah is also a title. Just as Elisha received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah and took upon himself Elijah’s mantle, so John the Baptist also was an Elias, preparing the way for the coming of the Lord.

Elijah’s and John’s lives were similar in many ways.

Both lived in the desert/wilderness for years.

Both called Israel to repentance from their apostasy.

Both opposed the evil king and queen.

While Elijah was translated, and John beheaded…

Both returned in the last days to give priesthood authority and keys to Joseph Smith - preparing the way for the final coming of Jesus Christ.

Traditions concerning Elijah
There is a Jewish tradition that Elijah’s mantle was later laid in the golden altar of the temple as a national treasure. Some Christians believe that John’s father later removed it and gave it to John the Baptist to wear as part of his mantle of authority, literally making him an Elias. (I’ve yet to read anything authoritative on it)

Of Elijah, Jewish folklore does suggest different things, including he was the long surviving grandson of Aaron, Phinehas. Others believed him to be an angel in human form, perhaps the archangel Sandalphon.

Elisha the Prophet
Elisha’s return parallels much of his journey with Elijah. First, he takes the mantle from the ground and smites the Jordan’s waters, crossing again on dry ground. From there, he returned to Jericho for a time, and then passing going back to Beth-el.

He immediately used the power of his mantle to perform miracles. He healed the waters at Jericho, so they again could be used for drinking.

2 Kings 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.

22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

As he left the area, teenagers mocked him, and his curse caused them to be mauled by bears who came out of the woods and attacked them. Clearly, Elisha would be no more merciful than Elijah was. Why curse the youth? They mocked the Lord’s anointed prophet, suggesting they were followers of Baal (Jezebel still lived and ruled the land with her son), and Jehovah was out to purify the land. According to the Law of Moses, those who followed after other gods and rejected the Prophet of God merited death. Even in Moses’ accounts, many were killed for rejecting Jehovah and his prophet.

2 Kings 2²³ And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

²⁴ And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

²⁵ And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

 

From Elisha and the Children, BYU Studies by Fred Woods.

Most scholars who have analyzed the problematic passage in which elisha is called baldy or “baldheaded” (qereah) by a group of youths agree that this word should be translated literally.  But the issue does not end here. Philological and contextual evidence suggests that the word qereah is being used figuratively to denote a person who is a usurper of authority.  In this light the question of how qereah is to be interpreted on a figurative level should be approached systematically beginning with an analysis of the hebrew text that underlies translations of 2 kings 2:23-24

^{Authors translation 2 Kings 2:23} And he (Elisha) went up from there unto Bethel: and as he was going up on the road, some young men went out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, qereah! Go up qereah!”

²⁴ And he (Elisha) turned around and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. And then tow female bears went out form the forest and tore open forty-two of the youths. 

It is assumed by translator that qereah refers to Elisha’s baldness, but that creates a problem: Why would a prophet of God pronounce a fatal curse simply for being called baldheaded by a group of youths? Further why would God comply with it?  There is more to this passage than is immediately apparent. 

First the Young Men.  The translation is almost always done literally, however the wording that is used for “young boys” is used in other places with no hint of the intended age.  Joseph is called a similar word (na’ar)  at age 17 and twice at age 19 (Gen 41:12)  The word is also is pluralized in such a way that it can be translated as “an advisor to the king”.  The takeaway is that the term is very imprecise and is likely NOT a young child, but an older teenager to early 20s. 

There is a part of the Babylonian Talmud that indicates that these young men were Water Carriers for the city and were upset that Elisha had “healed” the water and put them out of a job.  There is evidence that they were laborers of some type. These would not be very young boys but laborers. 

Baldy or “Baldhead”: The Hebrew root q-r-h often refers to baldness, but occasionally with ice or frost.  Something in their taunt provoked Elisha’s curse.  Natural baldness is not viewed in the OT as a condition of uncleanness (Lev 13:40). 

Now follow this Chiasm in 2 Kings, (different verses than 2-25 from before, with a different focus)

A severe test of authority destruction of men (Elijah calls down fire) 1:9-15
  B request for diseased item to be healed 1:1-8, 16-18
    C the sons of the prophets admit departure of elijah 2:2-6
      D the sons of the prophets are witnesses 2:7
        E dividing of river jordan with mantle/coat 2:8
          F symbol of succession spirit/mantle 2:9
            G witnessing of the event by elisha 2:10
              H the ascension of elijah 2:11
            G witnessing of the event by elisha 2:12
          F symbol of succession spirit/mantle 2:13
        E dividing of river jordan with mantle/coat 2:14
      D the sons of the prophets are witnesses 2:15
    C the sons of the prophets admit departure of elijah 2:16-18
  B request for diseased item to be healed 2:19-22
A severe test of authority destruction of men (Elisha and bears) 2:23-24

2 Kings 1:8 give the only physical description of a prophet in the OT.  Elijah “…was an hairy man”. 

2 Kings 2:23 Elisha is a qereah .  TR Hobbs (a biblical scholar) interprets these scriptures to mean Elijah was a hairy man and Elisha was a bald man and leaves it at that .

Montgomery, another scholar, explains that the word used for Elijah, Ba’al se’ar has two definitions.  One is a “hairy man”, one is “a man with a hairy garment”. 

“Man with a hairy garment” makes more sense in light of the mantle. 

1 Kings 19:16 has Elijah anoint Elisha to replace him. 

1 Kings 19:19 Elijah finds Elisha plowing (with 12 yoke of oxen) and casts his mantle upon him as he passes by as a symbolic gesture that Elisha would soon succeed Elijah as prophet. 

Zechariah 13:4 gives more detail:⁴ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

Mathew 3:4 has John the Baptist with his mantle ⁴ And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

The mantle is crucial to the succession story.  Elijah parts the Jordan with his ‘adderet (mantle).  After seeing Elijah ascend Elisha rends his own garments and puts on the ‘adderet (mantle) of Elijah.  He parts the river with it on his return. 

The Sons of the Prophets witness the transition of power.

There is another part of this that should be noted. Qereah, with the vowels dropped becomes q-r-h.  This root is also the basis for the name of a levite rebel name Qora (Korah) who was the cousin of Moses and Aaron.  Korah’s reputation for trying to usurp priestly authority was infamous among the israelites. 

Numbers 16:40 ⁴⁰ To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.

and in the New Testament…

Jude 1:11 ¹¹ Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core (Korah)

The citation of Korah’s antics in the New Testament underscores the prominence of this narrative as an illustration of rebellion again divine authority. 

Now we ask the question: Were the youths simply calling Elisha baldy because he had no hair on his head? 

Or were they insinuating that he was without legitimate right to the prophetic mantle and was thus spiritually bald or unclothed? 

Could they also have been alluding to Korah, the Levite rebel, suggesting that Elisha was a usurper or authority, as Korah had sought to be? 

Further suggestive parallels support this.  The youth are saying the word “up” or “leh” twice when they say “leh qereah, leh qereah” or “go up baldhead, go up baldhead”.  This taunt points back to 2 Kings 2:11 in which Elijah went up into heaven. The mocking youths may be saying “Go ahead, try to ascend to heaven as Elijah did, you usurper of authority”.

Remember, Elijah went to great lengths to take Elisha around and have him seen, noted to be his successor. 

Furthermore, Korah and his rebels esteemed themselves to be as holy as Moses and Aaron and believed themselves to be on the same level of authority as their leaders. (Number 16:3)

Number 16³ And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?

They accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the congregation, just as the youths here in 2 Kings 2:23 seem to be accusing Elisha of like motives when in fact they are the guilty ones. 

Compare the punishments of the two groups:

Korah: Number 16 ³¹ And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder (root “tore open”) that was under them:³² And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.

as well as vs 35…to other followers of Korah…

³⁵ And there came out (root “came forth”) a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

These two punishments add significance to the narrative of the punishment of the 42 mocking youths in 2 Kings 2:24

2 Kings 2:24 …And there came forth (foot “came forth”) two she bears out of the wood, and tare (root “tore open) forty and two children of them.

The “came out” in Numbers 16:35 and “came forth” in 2 Kings 2:24 uses the same hebrew root. 

The hebrew verb “tear open” also appears in both scriptures.  In 2 Kings 2:24 the bears “tear open the youths”.  Number 16:31 the earth “tore open” under their feet.

In summary of the Woods article:

“The thematic and terminological evidence suggests that the mocking youths in the elisha story were not simply calling him a baldheaded man when they called him qereah rather they were speaking to elisha figuratively.  Whether they were refusing specifically to acknowledge the transmitted authority of the prophetic hairy mantle that he had received from elijah or whether they were intimating that he was like korah the rebel in the wilderness or both is not entirely clear. 

Certainly they were not simply teasing Elisha by calling him baldy as some interpreters have suggested.  Instead they were accusing him of being a usurper of authority an act that warranted serious consequences for speaking evil against the Lords prophet As a result they incurred the vengeance of god who had previously warned…(lev 26:21-22) “

Leviticus 26

²¹ And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.

²² I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

(end detour into Elisha and the bear…)

 

Elisha supports the Kings
2 Kings 3
King Joram (Jehoram) of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah become allies. The land of Moab paid tribute to Israel under Ahab. With Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled and Israel was forced to subject them anew. The two kings devised a strategy. They would travel from the south, up through Edom (Esau) with its king and attack from the south. However, a drought occurred and the armies of the kings found themselves in a precarious position.

“10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!“

Not a friend of Jehovah, the King of Israel was convinced that the Lord had prepared for their demise. Fortunately for him, Jehoshaphat was a devoted follower of God.

“11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him?“

They went to Elisha, who was just as disgusted with Joram as Elijah had been with Ahab.

“13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
14 And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.”

Had it not been for the righteous Jehoshaphat, Elisha would have performed no miracle. The armies of Israel and Edom would have died in the desert. Instead, they were to dig ditches, into which water bubbled up from the ground. As the armies drank and revived themselves, the thirsty armies of Moab arrived to the valley. The reflection of the water looked like blood to them, and they were convinced the three kings’ armies had fought amongst themselves.

2 Kings 3²² And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:

²³ And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

The Moabites expected an easy conquest among those already dead. Instead, they found the armies of Judah and Israel prepared to receive them. The Moabites were slaughtered, and their cities burned.

You would think that Joram (Israel) would have realized that Jehovah was not the bad guy, but the God who promised to protect and support them if they were obedient. Still, he will continue expecting bad things from God. In Joram (Jehoram) and his father, Ahab, we get an interesting contrast with Jehoshaphat. Two kings of the chosen tribes of God, yet only one follows Jehovah in the proper way. Only one demonstrates faith, and sought out the prophet of God when things were going wrong. Jehoshaphat’s righteousness brought Elisha’s and Jehovah’s favor and saved the armies.

The King of Moab, however, was not about to have the three kings wipe his country off the map. He made a desperate attempt to save Moab:

“25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.”

While some worshiped Molech, a god who was worshiped by having one’s children pass through fire (sometimes a deadly event), the Moabites generally worshiped Baal. Human sacrifice was such an extreme event, even for those of Judah and Edom, that they realized the destruction had gone far enough and left the battle, returning to their own lands.

Elisha’s miracles continue
2 Kings 4
Elisha’s miracles often paralleled those of Elijah.  Again tragedy hits a widow. This time she is the wife of a prophet who died. Creditors are beating at her door, and her sons would be sold into slavery.

4 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

² And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

³ Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

⁴ And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

And naturally the containers are all full of oil…

⁶ And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Elisha was able to purify a poisoned stew, and on another occasion fed over 100 people with a little food one of his followers had. Each of these miracles is given as evidence of the power of God to affect individual lives. We’ve seen how God can assist kings and armies by providing water and victory in battle. Now the Lord shows that he has compassion and power to assist the widow, the child, and others who seek after God’s blessing.

Naaman the Leper
2 Kings 5
Leprosy was a deadly and feared disease in ancient days. Thought to be highly contagious, many nations forced lepers to dwell in colonies away from the healthy. According to the Mosaic Law, lepers were considered “unclean” and had to stay apart from the healthy until they became clean and presented themselves before the priest. Other diseases could be mistaken for leprosy, including skin diseases, so it is very possible many were called unclean, who did not have leprosy.

Even today, leprosy is a difficult bacterial disease. In 1995, over 2 million people were permanently disabled because of leprosy. Today we have treatment for it, with 20 million people being cured of it over the past 20 years.

2 Kings 5⁵ And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

⁶ And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

In traveling to Israel and introducing himself to King Joram, the Israelite king was dismayed. He just finished fighting the Moabites, and now feared he would again have to fight against the Syrians if he were not able to heal the leper.

Fortunately, Elisha heard of the arrival of Naaman, and sent for him.

Imagine being the second in command of a nation. In traveling, even in ancient days, it was normal and customary for the important people to greet the visitor. Instead, Elisha sends his lowly servant out to greet the Syrian. There are no trumpets. There is no great fanfare. There are no prophets calling forth thunder and lightning from the sky to torch the leprosy from the inflicted’s skin. There is just a small man in ragged clothing standing before Naaman.

2 Kings 5¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

¹¹ But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

“Go wash in the Jordan River seven times.” The simple servant turned around and walked back up the path to the prophet’s house.

Of course Naaman was incensed. This was not the way one treated an emissary from another country! Thankfully, Naaman had good counselors.

2 Kings 5¹³ And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

¹⁴ Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

The story seems so simple today. Anyone could see he should have immediately trusted the prophet. Right? Yet we forget that he had seen many gods come and go in his own land. No doubt he had gone to all their temples and altars, seeking to be cleansed, only to find that none of them had the power to heal him. We often miss out on blessings and the healing power of God in our own lives, simply because we are too proud to do the simple things. If God were to ask us to cross the Great Plains with a handcart, we would quickly jump to the task. Yet when we are asked to pray daily, study our scriptures, or visit the sick and afflicted, we balk at such a simple thing. Yet it is in the simple things that God works some of his greatest works.

“Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise” (Alma 37:6).

Gehazi - seeking wealth
Gehazi was Elisha’s servant. He was the one Elisha sent down to tell Naaman to wash in the filthy waters of Jordan. As Elisha’s servant, he was responsible for handling all tasks and being completely obedient to Elisha and Jehovah. However, greed set in.

When Naaman returned to thank the prophet, Elisha refused to take any gifts from the Syrian. Naaman did proclaim his faith in Jehovah, and that he personally would worship no other god, even as he served the Syrian king in his personal worship of his gods. Naaman departed, taking all his treasure with him.

Gehazi felt his master was foolish in not accepting even a little of the treasure:

“But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him” (2 Kings 5:20).

Gehazi was clearly intent on taking some of the riches, as he swore to do it in God’s name (“as the Lord liveth”). So he devised an excuse and chased after the entourage.

2 Kings 5²¹ So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?

²² And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

²³ And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.

But Elisha perceived what occurred, and asked Gehazi,

2 Kings 5²⁵ But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

²⁶ And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

²⁷ The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

 

Alma explained it, “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors” (Alma 34:32). There is plenty of time in the next life to receive great treasures and rewards from God. Here, we need to focus on the works of God, and serving Him. For those who first seek treasure before their reward in heaven, they will find that their treasure will rot and rust away. Gehazi now had his two talents, but no where to spend it easily. As a leper, he would be forced to join the unclean away from the cities of Israel and dwell in sickness and poverty the rest of his life. Though this seems like a terrible curse to place upon a person, perhaps it was Elisha’s way to help Gehazi repent and turn back to God. Just as Elijah brought drought upon Israel in order to humble the people, here was Gehazi’s chance to be humbled and return to God.

So are the trials we are given in life. Sometimes we will face health issues, economic problems, or family struggles. Each of these can be a curse or a blessing in disguise:

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).

Elisha versus the Syrians
2 Kings 6
In this period, the Syrians developed a massive army with thousands of chariots. The king of Syria devised a plan to secretly set up a camp for his army. This camp obviously was in a place that Israel’s King would frequently send his troops, as the Syrians were set in ambush.

Elisha warned Joram to not take his troops to that spot, as the Syrians lay in wait for them and would destroy them. In this instance, Joram wisely listened to the prophet. Instead, he sent his own spies to the area twice, and affirmed that the Syrians were waiting in ambush. When the Syrian king realized that his plan was foiled, he demanded of his counselors which one betrayed Syria:

“Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? “ (2 Kings 6:11).

¹² And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

Syrian spies found the prophet dwelling at Dothan. Dothan was north of Samaria and not far from the Syrian border. The armies of Syria crept through the wilderness and surrounded the town by night. In the morning, Elisha’s servant left the house, only to see thousands of troops and chariots surrounding the village.

2 Kings 6¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

¹⁶ And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them

The young man did not understand what Elisha meant, until the veil over his eyes were removed.

2 Kings 6¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

The prophet then caused the Syrians to be blinded, and led the army carefully away to Samaria, the Israelite king’s city. Elisha delivered the Syrians to an astonished Joram, who asked Elisha what he should do with them -

²⁰ And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said,Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria (the capital of Judah).

²¹ And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

Elisha commanded him to treat them as captives. Feed them and send them humbly back to the king of Syria.

In this we learn that a wise person will follow the counsels of the living prophet. Israel’s armies risked destruction, but were spared because the king listened to the prophet. Perhaps Joram saw how Elisha helped the armies of Israel and Judah against Moab, and knew that God would help them, even if he didn’t always serve the Lord diligently. Joram had put away his parents’ god of Baal, but still worshiped the calves of Jeroboam (which represented El, as I discussed in a previous lesson). He was a heretic, not an apostate.

Next, the servant of Elisha discovered that the angels of God surround the righteous, ready to protect and defend them as necessary.  While many things can be explained in scientific terms, it does not mean there is no God or angels. God may indeed work most things through natural law. But he can also step in and perform miracles on occasion. Natural law could explain all the Syrians being temporarily blinded at once: perhaps a bright flash of light. But it is also possible that angels or priesthood power caused the flash of light which blinded them.

(Moroni 7) “25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?....
35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.
38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made” (Moroni 7:25-38).

We live in a doubting time. Just as the servant of Elisha was overwhelmed by the Syrian army and his fears shook him, Elisha’s faith revealed the true power and nature of God. Some wonder how we can defeat the powers of evil in our own day, whether radical terrorists or people who promote sin. The answer is in Elisha’s statement, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” The wicked do not outnumber us, even though we may not be able to see all the reinforcements God has ready to send to us. For those who are deceived into believing God is no longer, or that God no longer performs miracles, they are left alone on the battlefield. Many of them will choose to desert to the armies of the Syrians rather than be decimated.

But God will protect his faithful Saints in the last days, even if by power:

“Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.
“Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel” (1 Nephi 22:17-18).

This hearkens back to Elijah’s experience. When King Ahaziah (Ahab’s oldest son) sent troops to destroy him, Elijah sent down fire from heaven to destroy them (1 Kings 1). Elijah was one man against all of Israel, including Ahab and Jezebel. Yet, he was able to perform great works that amazed the people, and caused many to return to Jehovah and accept him as the only God. Elisha picked up that mantle of responsibility, authority, and power, and equally did great things for the people and the kings of Israel and Judah.

Samaria Besieged
2 Kings 6-7
Ben-Hadad (Son of Hadad), King of Syria was not pleased to see his armies return to him empty handed. Instead of a ploy of stealth, he directly attacked Samaria and besieged it. Holding a city so that no one can go in or out is a waiting game. It requires patience to see who will blink first. When the Romans besieged Jerusalem in 70 AD for over a year, over a million people starved to death.

In this case, the Samaritans were also starving. Bread was scarce and sold for exorbitant prices. Imagine if the $1 loaf of bread you normally purchase zoomed to $100 a loaf! So intense is the starvation that a woman accosted King Joram, begging for justice. She and another woman each had a child. It was agreed upon that they would kill and eat the one child one day, and when needed would slay the other child. The other woman reneged on the agreement, refusing to kill her child after the first woman cooked hers. So is mass starvation when it occurs. People do horrific things, including cannibalism, when they are desperate and no help is near. It is a sign of the degenerate and destitute spirits of people, as we also see in Mormon’s witness against the Nephite people in their final days (Moroni 9).

The King was shocked and dismayed, renting (tearing off) his clothing and donning sackcloth and ashes as an outward sign of intense mourning and grief. Joram, who had previously called Elisha “father” for saving his armies from the Syrians, now cursed him and swore “God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day” (2 Kings 6:31). He did not understand that the siege was due to his own sins.

He had not turned to Jehovah nor his prophet for deliverance, but chose instead to blame the destruction and cannibalism on Elisha.

Joram comes to the prophet and speaks to Elisha, saying “Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?” (2 Kings 6:33). Elisha tells him that a little more patience is needed:

2 Kings 7:1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

² Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

Four lepers sitting in the cities main gates decide that there’s no reason to starve. If they were to desert to the Syrian army, they would either be fed or killed. Either way, their problems would be over. Upon arriving, they find the army is gone, having left everything behind. We are told that the Syrians heard in the middle of the night the sound of thousands of chariots and soldiers. Believing Israel had the Hittites and Egyptian armies helping them, the Syrians fled in terror. The lepers stuffed their pockets, hid food and treasure for themselves, and then returned to Samaria.

“So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were” (v 10).

Still, Joram did not believe the prophesy of Elisha.

“And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city” (v 12).

However, in sending a small group to check out the situation, and finding the Syrians did indeed flee, the king tried to establish an orderly march of the people to the site. The lord who mocked Elisha before was placed to regulate movement out of the main city gate.

¹⁷ And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

Elisha’s prophesy came true.

Interestingly, Joram and others were ready to blame Jehovah and Elisha for the siege. Would it have lasted as long had the king and people humbly gone before Elisha earlier and prayed for God’s deliverance? Why is it that we often must wait until death looks us straight in the eye before we choose to humble ourselves and obey?

We have a similar example in the Book of Mormon. Laman and Lemuel bound Nephi on the ship to the Promised Land. They wanted to party and were tired of his preachings. Storms came in that became worse and worse over a series of days, knocking them off course. The Liahona compass, which they had come to rely upon for directions, did not function. It was not until they realized that destruction was imminent that they humbled themselves enough to untie Nephi and ask the prophet to beseech the Lord for safety (2 Nephi 18).

Jehu Anointed King and Slays Jezebel
2 Kings 9-10
Elisha continues performing works in Israel. He foresees a seven year drought and gives the people a warning regarding it. After the famine, he sees Hazael, a servant of the king of Syria, and weeps. When Hazael asks the prophet why he should weep, Elisha states that he knew Hazael would be the next king of Syria and would slaughter many Israelites. Hazael returns to the Syrian king, assassinates him in his sickbed and takes his place as king.

The kings of Israel and Judah were related. Israel’s King Joram was the son of Ahab. King Ahaziah of Judah was Ahab’s son-in-law. Both were very wicked. In fact, Ahaziah introduced the worship of Baal into Judah. The two went to battle against the new king of Syria. King Hazael defeated the armies of Judah and Israel, wounding Joram in battle. Joram and Ahaziah return to Jezreel, the military capitol of Israel and the home of Jezebel.

Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets to Jehu and anointed him to be the new king of Israel. Jehu sat with other generals of the Israelite army discussing important issues, possibly regarding the war with Syria and how the kings had failed them, when the prophet arrived.

2 Kings 9⁶ And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.

⁷ And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.

⁸ For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab (All the males in Israel) him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

⁹ And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:

¹⁰ And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

Jehu gathers his men and furiously rides his chariot to Jezreel.  Joram sends messengers out to greet Jehu and ask him, “is it peace?” wanting to know if the Syrians declared a truce. Jehu answered each messenger sent with, “What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me”. In succession, several messengers lined up behind Jehu and followed him.

Finally, Kings Joram and Ahaziah climb onto their chariots and go out to meet Jehu.

“22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.”

Both kings are slain, and Joram’s body tossed upon the field of Naboth. Naboth was an Israelite that owned a field next to the palace in Jezreel. Ahab desired it for a garden and mourned over the field, because Naboth refused to sell it. Jezebel convinced her husband to trump up charges of treason against Naboth and slay him. Ahab then rejoiced in the field he had acquired. This is reminiscent of other women who have tempted their husbands or fathers to do evil in order to get gain (see Ether 8, Mark 6).

This killing of Naboth and his family rested heavily upon Jehu, who said to his men, “Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord“ (v 26).

Arriving in Jezreel, Jezebel looked out from her palace window. It was near the gate, which probably faced north towards Syria). Knowing trouble was about, she took the time to paint her face and make herself look queenly. Jehu called to the servants above and told them to toss her down. The horses of Jehu and his soldiers trampled her to death. Going inside to eat, he then commanded that she be buried, being a queen. However, when they returned, all that was left of her were her skull, the palms of her hands and feet. The prophet’s foresaw her death, and that she would not be honored with burial.

“36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:
37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.”

Come with me, and See my Zeal for the Lord
2 Kings 11
In chapter eleven, Jehu commands that the people slay all seventy of the sons of Ahab, ensuring there is no one in the family line to reign again. They send the heads of the men in baskets to Jehu, so he can verify they truly all are dead.

The new king turns to his friend Jonadab and says, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord” (v 16). Jehu then called forth all the priests of Baal and Jezebel in the entire country for a huge feast to Baal.

Publicly, Jehu pronounced: "Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much” (v 18).

Jehu called for all the prophets, servants, and priests of Baal to attend a great sacrifice. He proclaimed that those who did not show up for the sacrifice would not live. Special vestments were made for the worshipers of Baal. They were all gathered into the chief Temple of Baal in Jezreel, filling the place.

“23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Baal only.“

Once there were only the followers of Baal inside, Jehu sent 80 men to kill them all.

“And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel” (vs 26-28).

The temple of Baal was turned into a draught house, or tavern.

Still, Jehu turned away from the proper worship of Jehovah, and towards the worship of Jeroboam’s calves (of El). As with others before him, he rejected the complete apostasy of Baal worship, and turned to the heresy of worshiping El without God’s permission to do so, nor the proper order in which to do it.

Because Israel did not fully return to God or give heed to the prophets of God, they fell under the terror of King Hazael of Syria, who crushed the Israelites from the Mediterrannean coast all the way to the east side of the Jordan River.

Both Israel and Judah will continue struggling with apostasy over the years. Israel’s time is numbered before the Assyrians will carry them off. Only Judah will occasionally have a righteous king, one of which we’ll discuss next time.

Bibliography
Elijah - Bible history and traditions: Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah
Leprosy - Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy
David Larsen’s lesson #29 on Elisha:http://www.heavenlyascents.com/2010/07/31/he-took-up-the-mantle-of-elijah-ot-lesson-29/