{"id":62586,"date":"2019-09-08T18:29:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-08T15:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=62586"},"modified":"2023-04-02T12:27:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T09:27:23","slug":"points-to-ponder-i-kings-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/points-to-ponder-i-kings-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Points to Ponder – I Kings 15"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    \n
  1. The sin-o-meter<\/em>. The kings of Judah and Israel in the Book of Kings are given first of all a grade as to their piety, whether they do \u201cwhat was pleasing to the LORD\u201d or not. The kings of Judah can strive to be \u201clike David,\u201d while the kings of Israel can only be more or less bad, because they always lose points because of \u201cthe sins of Rehoboam.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. All we get is war<\/em>. Over the course of the fifty years that the chapter describes, there is constant war between the two related kingdoms, Judah and Israel. The situation will only change during the reign of the next King of Judah, Jehosophat, in another 7 chapters (chapter 22).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Inviting foreign influences?<\/em> King Asa of Judah involves Aram in the conflict between him and Israel. Is this appropriate? On the one hand, the chapter does not criticize him explicitly for it. On the other, the payment for his support is called <\/span>shochad kesef<\/span><\/i>, \u201ca gift of money\u201d that could also mean a bribe (verse 19), which certainly doesn\u2019t sound great.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. The lady and the monster<\/em>. Maacah the daughter of Abishalom, Asa\u2019s mother, and perhaps David\u2019s granddaughter (if Abishalom is the same as Absalom), was granted the status of \u201cqueen mother,\u201d with attendant priveleges. Maacah was responsible for making the \u201cabominable thing\u201d for the Ashera cult, and thus Asa removed both her and the cultic objects.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Just the tip of the iceberg.<\/em> The chapter leaves us with some open questions about the deeds of the kings, and the relationship between Israel and Judah. We\u2019ll see a little more of this iceberg in 604 chapters (2 Chronicles 13), and then perhaps we will understand a bit more about why, for instance, Asa was so opposed to the initiative of Israel to fortify Ramah. 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