1 Reis 14

Albert Barnes · Citado em PreceptAustin

1 Reis 14

Barnes: Synchronistic History of the Early Divided Monarchy (1 Kgs 14:21–16:34) — We now move into several chapters featuring the “leapfrog” treatment of the northern and southern kings, with their order of presentation apparently based solely on chronological factors. . . Two main observations are made about Rehoboam’s time as king: The people sadly grew even more heterodox in their worship (1Ki 14:22–25); and King Shishak attacked Jerusalem early in Rehoboam’s reign, ransacking the treasuries of palace and Temple, and, in particular, removing Solomon’s ceremonial gold shields from the palace (1Ki 14:25–28; cf. 1Ki 10:16–17). (See 1-2 Kings - Page 133) Dale Ralph Davis: I think the focus on Judah collectively rather than on Rehoboam individually is deliberate. Verses 22–24 are not meant only for Rehoboam’s reign. The writer wants to give a summary of the whole trend of Judah’s kingdom, which began with Rehoboam, and of the dark end that kingdom will meet. Verses 22–24 constitute a programmatic text. As 14:15–16 depicts the tragic end of the northern kingdom, beginning with Jeroboam, its first king, so 14:22–24 relates the fatal errors of the southern kingdom, beginning with its initial king, Rehoboam. In both cases, the seeds of demise are there at the beginning. This then is not going to be a happy history that we read. The divided kingdom is a depressing story from the very first. (1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly ) 1 Kings 14:23 For they also built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree. KJV 1 Kings 14:23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. BGT 1 Kings 14:23 καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν ἑαυτοῖς ὑψηλὰ καὶ στήλας καὶ ἄλση ἐπὶ πάντα βουνὸν ὑψηλὸν καὶ ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου συσκίου LXE 1 Kings 14:23 And they built for themselves high places, and pillars, and planted groves on every high hill, and under every shady tree. NET 1 Kings 14:23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. CSB 1 Kings 14:23 They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree; ESV 1 Kings 14:23 For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, NIV 1 Kings 14:23 They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. NLT 1 Kings 14:23 For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. NRS 1 Kings 14:23 For they also built for themselves high places, pillars, and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree; NJB 1 Kings 14:23 they had built themselves high places, and had set up pillars and sacred poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. built: 1Ki 3:2 De 12:2 Isa 57:5 Eze 16:24,25 20:28,29 images: or, standing images, or statues, Lev 26:1 groves: Mic 5:14 De 12:2 2Ki 17:9,10 21:3-7 2Ch 28:4 Jer 17:2 under every: Isa 57:5 Jer 3:13 1 Kings 14 Resources - multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Psalm 78:58 For they provoked Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their graven images. A PROFUSION OF PAGAN PILLARS For - Term of explanation. The writer is explaining how Judah provoked the jealously (and anger) of Jehovah. They also built for themselves high places (bamah) and sacred pillars (matstsebah) and Asherim (asherah) on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree - This verse is incredible in that it marks the abominable idolatry as not just "here and there," but twice says quantitates it with every! It was like a deadly plague of idol worship had affected the people of Judah. Every luxuriant (green) tree - see Isa. 57:5; Jer. 2:20; 3:2,6,13; 7:2; Ezek. 6:13; 20:28; Hosea 4:11-14 While the Bible does not tell us how many towns and villages were in Judah in Rehoboam's reign archaeological and historical estimates suggest that Judah in the 10th century BC (Rehoboam’s time) likely had 100 to 200 towns and villages, ranging from small villages to mid-sized towns. It is likely that every town had one or more of these idolatrous manifestations. Clearly this sin of idolatry had permeated the entire population. August Konkel: Most notable about Rehoboam is the way he leads Judah in the sins of Canaanite worship, no less than what Jeroboam does in the north. This includes the erection of sacred stones along with the sacred poles representing Asherah, the goddess of fertility. It was legitimate to set up stones as a memorial (Gen. 28:18; 35:14), or as a witness (31:45), but it was not permissible to follow the practice of the Canaanites to use such stones for worship (Ex. 23:24). Worship “on every high hill and under every spreading tree” may be a way of referring to the domain of the deity and the associated fertility. Worst of all are the “shrine prostitutes,” a collective term that perhaps refers to both males and females. Sexual relations were part of sacrificial rites as a means of achieving fertility and prosperity (Hos. 4:14). Cult practices and prostitution were explicitly forbidden by the covenant (Deut. 23:18). (See 1 and 2 Kings - Page 247) High places (01116) bamah Six activities seem to be related to high places -- burning of incense, sacrificing, eating of sacrificial meals, praying, prostitution, child sacrifice (cf. bama in the valley, Je7:31). The first use in Lev 26:30 is God's declaration to Israel "I will destroy your high places." In Dt 32:13 speaking of Jacob (Israel) He declared "He made him ride on the high places of the earth," so clearly some uses of bamah are not negative. In a similar use God says Israel "you will tread upon their (Israel's enemies') high places." Another positive use is Psalm 18:33 where David declared Jehovah "makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places." (cp Hab 3:19 - NET Note = David "compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.", cp Isa 58:14) We see he effect of Israel's high places on Jehovah in Ps 78:58 = "For they provoked Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their graven images." BAMAH - NOTICE THE PREVALENCE IN KINGS AND CHRONICLES - Over 100x in 91 verses translated in NAS as heights(3), high place(19), high places(76), places(1), waves(1). Lev. 26:30; Num. 22:41; Num. 33:52; Deut. 32:13; Deut. 33:29; 1 Sam. 9:12; 1 Sam. 9:13; 1 Sam. 9:14; 1 Sam. 9:19; 1 Sam. 9:25; 1 Sam. 10:5; 1 Sam. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:19; 2 Sam. 1:25; 2 Sam. 22:34; 1 Ki. 3:2; 1 Ki. 3:3; 1 Ki. 3:4; 1 Ki. 11:7; 1 Ki. 12:31; 1 Ki. 12:32; 1 Ki. 13:2; 1 Ki. 13:32; 1 Ki. 13:33; 1 Ki. 14:23; 1 Ki. 15:14; 1 Ki. 22:43; 2 Ki. 12:3; 2 Ki. 14:4; 2 Ki. 15:4; 2 Ki. 15:35; 2 Ki. 16:4; 2 Ki. 17:9; 2 Ki. 17:11; 2 Ki. 17:29; 2 Ki. 17:32; 2 Ki. 18:4; 2 Ki. 18:22; 2 Ki. 21:3; 2 Ki. 23:5; 2 Ki. 23:8; 2 Ki. 23:9; 2 Ki. 23:13; 2 Ki. 23:15; 2 Ki. 23:19; 2 Ki. 23:20; 1 Chr. 16:39; 1 Chr. 21:29; 2 Chr. 1:3; 2 Chr. 1:13; 2 Chr. 11:15; 2 Chr. 14:3; 2 Chr. 14:5; 2 Chr. 15:17; 2 Chr. 17:6; 2 Chr. 20:33; 2 Chr. 21:11; 2 Chr. 28:4; 2 Chr. 28:25; 2 Chr. 31:1; 2 Chr. 32:12; 2 Chr. 33:3; 2 Chr. 33:17; 2 Chr. 33:19; 2 Chr. 34:3; Job 9:8; Ps. 18:33; Ps. 78:58; Isa. 14:14; Isa. 15:2; Isa. 16:12; Isa. 36:7; Isa. 58:14; Jer. 7:31; Jer. 17:3; Jer. 19:5; Jer. 26:18; Jer. 32:35; Jer. 48:35; Ezek. 6:3; Ezek. 6:6; Ezek. 16:16; Ezek. 20:29; Ezek. 36:2; Hos. 10:8; Amos 4:13; Amos 7:9; Mic. 1:3; Mic. 1:5; Mic. 3:12; Hab. 3:19 A sad phrase that is repeated again and again (speaking of Israel) is "the high places were not taken away" (1Ki 15:14, 2Chr 15:17 = King Asa but notice he did remove some of them - 2Chr 14:3, 5, 1Ki 22:43, 2Chr 20:33 = King Jehoshaphat, 2Ki 12:3 = King Jehoash, 2Ki 14:4 = King Amaziah, 2Ki 15:4 = King Azariah, 2Ki 15:35 = King Jotham son of Uzziah and look what his son did in 2Ki 16:1-4!, 2Chr 20:33). In many of these passages the context was of a king doing "spiritual house cleaning" so to speak and yet still failing to remove the high places. Isn't sin that way? We confess one or two sins but we have a little pet sin (better a "venomous viper") that we just don't have the heart to kill! God grant us spiritual eyes and hearts to learn from Israel's mistakes. Amen! Some kings like Hezekiah (1Ki 18:4, 2Chr 31:1, Isa 36:7) and Josiah (2Ki 23:4,8, 13, 15, 19-20, 2Chr 34:3 cp prophecy about Josiah 300 years earlier = 1Ki 13:2) did destroy the high places, but in Hezekiah's case his own son Manasseh rebuilt them (2Ki 21:1-2, 3, 2Chr 33:3) and in Josiah's case the people rebuilt them! We see the spiritual effect of high places on the people when King Jehoram (2Chr 21:5-10) "made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray." (2Chr 21:11) One of the most incredible (and saddest) verses in the OT (in my opinion) is "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon." (1Ki 11:7, cp 1Ki 3:3 = Solomon had "half a heart" for God!) This was too much for Jehovah and He declared that the 12 tribes would be split as a result of Solomon's sin! Sin is costly. You may think you are getting away with it, but you are not! You may think you are the wisest man in the world (like Solomon) but you are really the most foolish (as Solomon was)! There was one high place that was not idolatrous (at least not at the outset) - "Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place which was at Gibeon; for God's tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness." (2Chr 1:3, cp 1Chr 16:39-40, 21:29). Pillars (04676) matstsebah from natsab = to take a stand) means something set upright, most often "a standing, unhewn block of stone utilized for religious and memorial purposes. After a powerful experience of the Lord in a dream, Jacob set up as a pillar the stone on which he had laid his head, in commemoration of the event (Ge 28:18, 22; cf. Ge 31:45; 35:20). Moses set up an altar and also twelve pillars at the base of Mount Sinai to represent the twelve tribes of Israel (Ex. 24:4). These pillars were erected as monuments to God (Hos. 3:4); or, more commonly, to pagan deities (1 Ki. 14:23, Mic. 5:13). Many times in 2 Kings, the term refers to a sacred pillar that aided people in their worship of pagan gods, especially the Canaanite god Baal. In most of these passages, the sacred columns were used by Israelites, contrary to the Lord's prohibition concerning the worship of any other god (2 Ki. 3:2; 10:26, 27; 18:4; 23:14; cf. Hos. 10:1, 2; Mic. 5:13[12])." (Baker) Milton Fisher - maṣṣēbâ. Pillar. The lexicons distinguish between the meanings "pillar," or "column," and (standing) "image," but both ASV and RSV translate the word as "pillar" almost exclusively. (The KJV rendering "garrison" in Ezekiel 26:11 is "pillar" in the other two versions, for example.) Some light has been shed, not yet clearly enough, on the interesting term maṣṣēbâ "pillar," by archaeological discoveries. It has an apparent primary reference to cultic objects, though Absalom's memorial monument (maṣṣebet) to himself (2 Samuel 18:18) may not have been for a specifically religious purpose, as also that set up for Rachel's grave (Genesis 35:20). Many maṣṣēbôt have been found in Palestinian excavations. While the famous ones at Hazor (BA 19, 22) and at Byblos are clearly monumental and cultic, other standing stones were for a time wrongly identified. It is now known that many rough stone columns, initially interpreted as cultic objects, were actually a normal feature of Middle Iron Age Israelite house construction. A suggested relationship or possible development of cultic pillars into actual imagery and idols is also inconclusive. While the two biblical occurrences cited above do refer to simple memorials, more often the maṣṣēbâ has religious significance. In Genesis 28:18 Jacob's pillow becomes a "pillar," which he anoints with oil, naming the place Beth-el, "the House of God." On his return to that place (Genesis 35:14) he set up another pillar, pouring out both a drink offering and oil, because God talked with him there and changed his name to "Israel." Previous to that, at the time of his agreement with Laban (Genesis 31:45), Jacob set up a stone pillar in addition to the "heap of witness" directly associated with their agreement. In Exodus 24:4 Moses, besides the altar he built, erected twelve stones (pillars) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The above were legitimate uses of this object. It must be recognized that quite often the maṣṣēbôt mentioned in the Bible were of pagan cultic significance and as such were not only forbidden to Israel but called for destruction when found. In Exodus 23:24 the expansion upon the Decalogue— near the conclusion of the so-called Book of the Covenant—calls for action: Israel must "not bow down to their gods, . . . but . . . break down their images" (ASV and RSV, "pillars," with a margin "obelisks" in the former). So too, in Deut. 16:21-22, they are told, "Thou shalt not plant thee a grove (ʾăshērâ) . . . neither shalt thou set thee up any image." Nevertheless, later on in Israel's history we read of Judah's sin, described in such terms as, "they also built them high places, and images, and groves" (1 Kings 14:23). The LXX uses stēlē to translate maṣṣēbâ in all the cited instances, with the exception of Exodus 24:4, where lithos is employed. Other Hebrew nouns rendered "pillar" in KJV, such as misʿād, māṣūq, and ʿamūd, are completely free of the religious or cultic associations described above. Two instances where the Hebrew text noticeably avoids use of maṣṣēbâ are Joshua's "great stone" placed as a witness to reaffirmation of the covenant between Israel and her God (Joshua 24:26-27) and Samuel's ʾeben hāʿēzer, "Stone of Help," which he erected in commemoration of deliverance from the Philistines. (See online Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) Septuagint in Ex 23:24 = stele = a commemorative stone block or pillar, monument, pillar from the time of Hom. inscribed and used as a grave marker, or for commemoration of events, proclamation of decrees, recognition of personal achievements. Stele is a block or slab, bearing an inscription; and so, 1. a gravestone, Hom., Att. 2. a block or slab, inscribed with record of victories, dedications, treaties, decrees, etc., Hdt., Att.; whether for honour, or for infamy, Hdt., Dem.:-also the record itself, a contract, agreement, kata. th.n sth,lhn according to agreement, 3. a boundary post, Xen.:-the turning-post at the end of the racecourse, MATSTSEBAH - 38X/33V - obelisks(1), pillar(19), pillars(16), stump(2). Gen. 28:18; Gen. 28:22; Gen. 31:13; Gen. 31:45; Gen. 31:51; Gen. 31:52; Gen. 35:14; Gen. 35:20; Exod. 23:24; Exod. 24:4; Exod. 34:13; Lev. 26:1; Deut. 7:5; Deut. 12:3; Deut. 16:22; 2 Sam. 18:18; 1 Ki. 14:23; 2 Ki. 3:2; 2 Ki. 10:26; 2 Ki. 10:27; 2 Ki. 17:10; 2 Ki. 18:4; 2 Ki. 23:14; 2 Chr. 14:3; 2 Chr. 31:1; Isa. 6:13; Isa. 19:19; Jer. 43:13; Ezek. 26:11; Hos. 3:4; Hos. 10:1; Hos. 10:2; Mic. 5:13 QUESTION - What was wrong with the sacred pillars the Israelites built? ANSWER - God gives His people instructions on how to relate to Him. Because He has created people, He knows best His design for how we know Him, how we should serve Him, and how we ought to worship Him. In 2 Kings 17 we find an account of the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. It is evident there why the nation fell and what was wrong with the sacred pillars the Israelites built (2 Kings 17:10). In roughly 721 BC, Israel was defeated and taken into exile by the kingdom of Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). The writer explains why this happened in 2 Kings 17:7–18. Israel had sinned against God and turned to other gods (2 Kings 17:7). The people began to follow the customs of other nations rather than those God had put in place for them (2 Kings 17:8). They also sinned secretly against God. It seems they were even trying to make it appear they were following God (2 Kings 17:9). The Israelites had abandoned what God designed for them. They built their own high places in all their cities on which to worship other gods (2 Kings 17:9). This means that they made the worship of false gods a central part of city life in all their towns. They also built sacred pillars and idols including Asherim, which were symbols of the worship of a female deity (2 Kings 17:10). The sacred pillars the Israelites built were part of Israel’s adopting other nations’ practices for worshiping their false gods. The people of Israel would burn incense at those locations to the gods of the various nations of Canaan (2 Kings 17:11). Centuries earlier, God had delivered the people of Israel from those nations that lived in the land of Canaan and had given the land to Israel. God had instructed them not to worship the gods that those peoples had worshiped. Instead they were supposed to be holy—set apart. They were supposed to be different, showing the world who the one true God really was. Part of God’s clear instructions was a prohibition of setting up sacred pillars to false gods: “You must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the Lord your God. And never set up sacred pillars for worship, for the Lord your God hates them” (Deuteronomy 16:21–22, NLT). Instead of being faithful with the task of holiness, the people of Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them, so they stopped loving and worshiping God, and they failed to obey what He had instructed them to do. They chose to adopt the customs and worship systems of other peoples. They even built sacred pillars as were used in the worship of these false gods. Of course, there was nothing wrong with constructing pillars, but these sacred pillars located and supported places of worship of false gods. God had instructed the people to approach Him in a certain way and in a certain place—Jerusalem, specifically. It was in the temple in Jerusalem that God would interact with the people. Yet the people rejected God’s design and pursued other expressions of spirituality on their own terms. The sacred pillars the Israelites built provide a cautionary tale for people today. As God is the sovereign Creator, He has determined and designed how we can know Him and how we should worship Him. It would be foolish of us to instead dictate to Him how we will worship (or not worship) Him. The nation of Israel had to learn that lesson the hard way, and, even in their failing, we see that God was patient with the people (2 Kings 17:13). He had an incredible level of mercy on them even though they continually rejected Him. Ultimately, they had to pay the price for their rebellion. We would be wise to learn from that example and remember that God is paying attention to the “sacred pillars” we construct in our own lives. What are high places, sacred pillars, and asherim, and why are they so terrible (1 Kings 14:23)? Even today, we tend to think of heaven as up. After 2,000 years of hearing that God is a spirit, how many of us can honestly say we don’t visualize Him in some form surrounded by clouds, looking down on the earth. This mental trick allows us to think of God in a tangible way. We know it’s incorrect, but we do it anyway. The theologically unsophisticated people of Canaan had a similar conception. They too considered the abode of their gods as being up high. That being the case, it was logical for them to build their place of worship on the highest hill. The closer they were to where the gods were, the more effective their worship would be. Some of the “high places” were not, however, located on the tops of high hills. One of the things that seems to connect all of them, though, is an artificial platform built of stones and earth that raised up the worship place. The high places were often nothing more than an open air shrine with an altar and a few of the other appliances of sacrificial worship. They were the unauthorized places where the false gods were worshipped or where the true God was worshipped falsely. The Asherah and the sacred pillars were cult objects. One well-known Israeli archeologist showed a slide of a strangely constructed piece of pottery that he identified as a cult object. He explained that archeologists call anything they don’t understand or recognize a cult object. In fact, we don’t know with any certainty what these were. Asherah was the name of the principal female deity of Canaan (1 Kings 18:19). The Asherah were objects erected in her honor (1 Kings 15:13). They seem to have been made of wood, because they could be burned (Deuteronomy 12:3) or cut down (Exodus 34:13). We can’t say more with certainty. It’s common to describe them as wooden poles set up in honor of the goddess. They may have been carved to resemble her, but none has survived, so we don’t really know. The sacred pillars, on the other hand, were of stone. They had a long and honorable history that went wrong when Israel began to worship Baal. Earlier in patriarchal times they were merely commemorative stones. Our grave markers are a good modern example. But the sacred pillars condemned by the prophets were symbols of the god Baal. They were apparently unworked stone, which, in their crude strength called to mind Canaan’s principal male god. Together they stood in the high places where the cruel and immoral rites of fertility were celebrated. Together, with their religion that called for no commitment, only sacrifice and lasciviousness, they seduced the hearts of the people of Israel. (Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties - Page 272) John Kitto - High Places—I Kings 14:22–24 It seems that king Rehoboam, in Judah, profiting by the chastisement he had received, conducted himself reasonably well for three years, during which he employed himself vigorously in strengthening his kingdom, by collecting arms, and depositing them in a large number of cities which he fortified. “When Rehoboam had established his kingdom and strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” The iniquity into which the Judahites fell, is described as greater than had been in former times committed—perhaps not greater than individuals in authority had committed, Solomon, for instance, but greater than any part of the nation had before concurred in. Indeed, from all that appears, the sin was for the time greater than that of Jeroboam; but there was this essential difference, that Jeroboam’s sin was not repented of, and that of Rehoboam was. The form of this great offence is thus described:—“They built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill and under every green tree.” We remember the time when we used to be perplexed about these high places and groves. What is the harm in worshipping upon a high place or in a grove? Are they not, on the contrary, very proper places of worship? And, what is more to the purpose, did not the patriarchs worship upon high places and in groves? And the fact of their doing so is mentioned, certainly without blame, if not with approbation; while in later ages we find these practices severely condemned, and calling down divine punishments. The way to get at the cause of this is to consider, that things indifferent, or even good, in themselves, may become evil in the lapse of time, from the considerations that come to be associated with them. If a British consul or governor upon the African coast sets up the union jack over his house on Sundays, there may be no harm in that; but if the barbarous people around come to the conclusion that, since he does this on the day set apart to his worship, this flag is the white man’s god, and begin to treat it with superstitious reverence, or assemble to render it worship, the practice of setting it up becomes a sin. But we need not travel out of Scripture for an illustration. What could be more proper and seemly than the feeling which led Moses to preserve in the tabernacle the brazen serpent, which had been lifted up in the wilderness for the healing of the nation? But when the people came to regard it with superstitious reverence, and manifested a disposition to render idolatrous honors thereto, it became an abomination, and as such was most properly destroyed by king Hezekiah. Now we read in the book of Genesis, that Abraham, on entering the promised land, built an altar upon a mountain between Bethel and Hai. At Beersheba he planted a grove, and called there upon the name of the everlasting God. It was to a mountain (Moriah) that he was directed to go, there to offer up his son Isaac; and it was upon another mountain (in Gilead) that Jacob and Laban offered sacrifices before they parted in peace.537 So far, therefore, as appears from the book of Genesis, there was no harm in worshipping in high places and in groves. But in a later age, when the Israelites had departed from Egypt, and approached the same land to take possession of it, we find something had arisen to cause high places and groves to be regarded with disfavor. The people are strictly enjoined to cast down and destroy all those belonging to the Canaanites they might find in the land.538 It might be supposed, that this was because these had been consecrated to the worship of idols; but did not involve any prohibition of high places and groves to the Israelites. But, first, the Israelites by the law of Moses could worship by sacrifice only at one place, that is, at the tabernacle altar; and therefore, because not anywhere else certainly not in high places; and, further, it was expressly enjoined, that near this sole altar no trees should be planted.539 This last restriction is very remarkable. Apart from that, the limitation of the Israelites to one place of ritual worship, would suggest a perfectly sufficient reason for the destruction of the Canaanitish [altars upon the] high places, and the demolition of the consecrated groves; for there would be a danger that the Israelites, in taking possession of the localities in which they were found, would retain their use as local places of worship. But the intimation, that even at the one altar any approximation to a grove was to be carefully avoided, compels us to look a little further. One great object of the Mosaical dispensation was to maintain, in the persons of the Israelites, a living testimony against the polytheism which had overspread the nations; and whatever might directly or indirectly tend to worship many gods, or to associate other gods of man’s devising with the only real God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, was carefully guarded against and discouraged. When, in the process of time, the high places and groves of primitive worship became consecrated to divers idols, the danger was, that, in adopting the use of them, the Israelites should retain some lingering recollection of the god to whom they had been set apart; and this, gathering strength, would insensibly lead them into idolatry, and to the association of other gods with Jehovah. Before the erection of temples, or before temples became general, groves and high places were the usual places of worship. Hence we do not find any order to the Israelites to destroy the temples of the Canaanites, for there were none to destroy. The order to demolish their groves and high places was, therefore, an order to destroy their places of worship, as well as their objects of worship, if any such materials existed. This was important in an age when the entire tendency of the human mind was towards polytheism—the multiplication of gods; so that the demolition of a place of worship was equivalent to the demolition of an idol, and the setting up one, in its ultimate results, almost equivalent to the setting up of an idol. The result dreaded and guarded against in these directions was the multiplication of gods; and how wisely this was ordered, and how imminent the danger was, is shown by the fact, that the very evil which the law sought by its interdiction to prevent, did arise from the neglect of that interdiction by Rehoboam and subsequent kings of Judah,—so that, at the time the nation was ripe for the overthrow which it sustained, Jeremiah could exclaim, “According to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah!” Jeremiah 2:28. But it may be asked, Was not the danger equally imminent at the times when the patriarchs worshipped in groves, and set up their altars upon high places? Perhaps not. There is no indication throughout the book of Genesis that the Canaanites had yet gone far, if at all, into the corruptions of polytheism, and it is expressly stated that their iniquity was “not yet full.” Moral iniquity abounded; but that they had as yet gone into gross idolatry, is more than we know. The only hint we have respecting the religion of the land, sets before us one king (Melchizedek) who was a worshipper, not less than Abraham, of “the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth.” All mankind were at first His worshippers; and in the different places of their dispersion the nations of men varied in the time and extent of their corruptions of original truth. The country out of which Abraham came seems to have been far more gone in polytheistic error than that into which he entered. There, probably, nothing was found to point out the kind of danger which afterwards became connected with groves and high places; and if there had been something of the sort, the danger, which might be great to a nation composed of people of different habits of mind and varied depth of religious feeling, would be but small in the case of the single family of the faithful Abraham, abiding in one locality. The danger arose when the nation lay dispersed over a wider country,—and if high places and groves were at all tolerated, they would have had many in simultaneous use in different parts of the land. It is remarkable with what inveteracy the Israelites clung to the worship in high places. Such were even tolerated by monarchs who exerted themselves to root out idolatry, and of whose zeal for the purity of the worship of Jehovah no doubt can be entertained. As they were not for this subjected to any such judgment as that denounced on Rehoboam, it seems as if some peculiar enormity was found in his case. This is discovered in the connection of “images” with them; for these must have been symbolical representations either of Jehovah or of strange gods—most likely the latter; whereas the others were merely sanctioned as places for the local worship of the Lord, and, so far as tolerated, did not present an immediately idolatrous aspect. This toleration of an acknowledged irregularity the sacred historian indicates as the only blot upon the character of some truly right-minded kings, who certainly would not have allowed anything that seemed to them to savor of idolatry. It probably arose from the known indisposition of the people living at a distance from the temple, to be limited to the altar services at that spot, in which they could only at distant intervals participate; while their earnest wish to have places for the chief ritual acts of their religion—sacrifice and offerings—near to their own homes, may have suggested the fear that, unless they were gratified in having in their own neighborhood places of religious assemblage and of offerings to the Lord, they might be led to make their offerings to idols. Under its first aspect, the wish has the appearance of an excess of religious zeal,—which, apart from its latent dangers, may account for the hesitation the kings felt in putting down this abuse, and for winking at an irregularity contrary to one of the first principles of the theocratic institutions. It is worthy of note, in corroboration of this view, that we hear no more of worship in high places and groves, after the establishment of synagogues in the towns afforded an adequate and ready vent to the craving of the people to localize their religion. They were then enabled to have near their homes so much of their religious observances as admitted, without danger, of being separated from the grand ritual solemnities for which the great common center at Jerusalem was still preserved. Besides, the tendency to idolatry had then passed away, and perhaps groves and high places would then not have been refused had they been desired. But so it was, that the people craved to worship upon high places and in groves when it was really dangerous and seducing for them to do so, but ceased to care about them when the danger no longer existed. 1 Kings 14:24 There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. And there: 1Ki 15:12 22:46 Ge 19:5 De 23:17 Jdg 19:22 2Ki 23:7 Ro 1:24-27 1Co 6:9 1 Kings 14 Resources - multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Deuteronomy 23:17+ “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.” 1 Kings 15:12+ “He [King Asa] put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.” 1 Kings 22:46+ “And the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he [Jehoshaphat] expelled from the land.” 2 Kings 23:7 “He [King Josiah] broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for Asherah.” Leviticus 18:24-25+ ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 25 ‘For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 1 Corinthians 5:6-7+ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. ABOMINABLE MALE CULT PROSTITUTES There were also male cult prostitutes (qadesh) in the land - The male cult prostitutes were individuals who engaged in ritualized sexual acts as part of pagan worship. These practices were especially associated with Canaanite fertility cults, which sought to invoke the favor of gods and goddesses for agricultural prosperity, fertility, and divine blessing. They engaged in homosexual or heterosexual intercourse as part of religious rites to honor gods like Baal and Asherah. They were often stationed at pagan temples and high places dedicated to pagan deities. Their abominable acts were believed to ensure agricultural success and human fertility. Finally, these defiling practices were tied to the worship of Asherah, the Canaanite fertility goddess. They did according to all the abominations (toebah; Lxx - bdelugma = detestable things) of the nations (pagan Gentiles) which the LORD dispossessed (yarash; Lxx - exairo - expelled, drove out) before the sons of Israel - God had warned Israel prior to entering the Promised Land that the abominable worship of the Canaanites would be enticing and ensnaring if they "toyed" with it! It only takes a little leaven to leaven the whole loaf. And that leaven effect of perverted pagan worship is exactly what we occurred in both the Northern Kingdom and now in the Southern Kingdom. Recall that in the book of Judges while Israel did eradicate some of the pagans, the eradication was not complete and remained in the Promised Land to fester and eventually destroy worship of the Living God! Cyril

1 Reis 14

Barnes: This is a curious repetition with the accession formula in 14:21b. Cogan (2001:388) takes this as an erroneous duplication, but I wonder if there is more to this notice than that. I have argued that the curious duplications of regnal formulas found in 2 Chr 21:5, 20 for Jehoram; 2 Chr 27:1, 8 for Jotham; and the familiar dual notice concerning Josiah’s 18th year (2 Kgs 22:3; 23:23, paralleled in 2 Chr 34:8; 35:19) signify in Chronicles every fifth monarch after Solomon in the Davidic king-list (see Barnes 1991:142–144). In short, repetitions are often intentional, and that may be the case here. (SEE 1-2 Kings - Page 132) Peter Pett surmises (avoid dogmatism) that "The repetition of his mother’s name, which is unusual in Kings, was probably an indication of the author’s unhappiness with the fact that Solomon had married an Ammonitess. The Ammonites were one of the peoples excluded from becoming true worshipping Israelites (Deuteronomy 23:3), and his Ammonite wives had led him astray." And Abijam his son became king in his place - The writer picks up Abijam's story in 1Ki 15:1-8. George Rawlinson has summarized Rehoboam’s reign for us: “Rehoboam’s character was weak and irresolute. He seems to have had warm affections, and to have been capable of making good resolutions under good advice (2 Chron. 11:4; 12:6); but he had no stability of purpose, and his last counsellor generally determined his actions. We are told that ‘he did evil, because he fixed not his heart to seek the Lord’ (2 Chron. 12:14). There was no fixity about him.” (See Studies in the Books of Kings page 12) Abijah/Abijam - ISBE - The son and successor of Rehoboam king of Judah (1 Ch 3:10; 2 Ch 11:20-14:1). As to the variant name Abijam (1Ki 14:31; 15:1,7,8) The statements concerning Abijah's mother afford great opportunity for a person who is interested in finding discrepancies in the Bible narrative. She is said to have been Maacah the daughter of Absalom (1 Ki 15:2; 2 Ch 11:20,21,22). As more than 50 years elapsed between the adolescence of Absalom and the accession of Rehoboam, the suggestion at once emerges that she may have been Absalom's daughter in the sense of being his granddaughter. But Maacah the daughter of Absalom was the mother of Asa, Abijam's son and successor (1 Ki 15:10,13; 2 Ch 15:16). Further we are explicitly told that Absalom had three sons and one daughter (2 Sam 14:27). It is inferred that the three sons died young, inasmuch as Absalom before his death built him a monument because he had no son (2 Sam 18:18). The daughter was distinguished for her beauty, but her name was Tamar, not Maacah. Finally, the narrative tells us that the name of Abijah's mother was "Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah" (2 Ch 13:2). It is less difficult to combine all these statements into a consistent account than it would be to combine some pairs of them if taken by themselves. When all put together they make a luminous narrative, needing no help from conjectural theories of discrepant sources or textual errors. It is natural to understand that Tamar the daughter of Absalom married Uriel of Gibeah; that their daughter was Maacah, named for her great-grandmother (2 Sa 3:3; 1 Ch 3:2); that Micaiah is a variant of Maacah, as Abijah is of Abijam. Maacah married Rehoboam, the parties being second cousins on the father's side; if they had been first cousins perhaps they would not have married. Very likely Solomon, through the marriage, hoped to conciliate an influential party in Israel which still held the name of Absalom in esteem; perhaps also he hoped to supplement the moderate abilities of Rehoboam by the great abilities of his wife. She was a brilliant woman, and Rehoboam's favorite (2 Ch 11:21). On Abijah's accession she held at court the influential position of king's mother; and she was so strong that she continued to hold it, when, after a brief reign, Abijah was succeeded by Asa; though it was a position from which Asa had the authority to depose her (1 Ki 15:13; 2 Ch 15:16). The account in Chronicles deals mainly with a decisive victory which, it says, Abijah gained over northern Israel (2 Ch 13), he having 400,000 men and Jeroboam 800,000, of whom 500,000 were slain. It is clear that these numbers are artificial, and were so intended, whatever may be the key to their meaning. Abijah's speech before the battle presents the same view of the religious situation which is presented in Kings and Amos and Hosea, though with fuller priestly details. The orthodoxy of Abijah on this one occasion is not in conflict with the representation in Kings that he followed mainly the evil ways of his father Rehoboam. In Chronicles coarse luxury and the multiplying of wives are attributed to both father and son. MAACAH - The daughter of Absalom, the favorite wife of Rehoboam, and mother of Abijah (1 Ki 15:2; 2 Ch 11:20, etc.). Evidently "daughter" must here be understood as "granddaughter," according to a common oriental usage. Tamar was the only daughter of Absalom. If Tamar married Uriel of Gibeah (2 Ch 13:2), then Maacah was her daughter. In that case the name Micaiah in this passage would be either a copyist's error or a variant of Maacah. She must have been a woman of strong personality. Unfortunately, her influence was cast upon the side of idolatry. She maintained her position in the palace, however, till the reign of her grandson Asa. Possibly she acted as regent during his minority. Ultimately, she was degraded by him for an act of peculiar infamy (1 Ki 15:13; 2 Ch 15:16). Maachah survived her husband and reigned as queen mother during the reigns of her son, Abijam, and her grandson, Asa (1Ki 15:2, 10, 13. Cf. 2 Chronicles 15:16). TAMAR - Daughter of Absalom, (2 Samuel 14:7) became, by her marriage with Uriah (Uriel) of Gibeah, the mother of Maachah, the future queen of Judah or wife of Abijah. (1 Kings 15:2) URIEL - Uriel of Gibeah was the father of Maacah or Michaiah the favorite wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah. (2 Chronicles 13:2) (B.C. before 973.) In (2 Chronicles 11:20) she is called "Maachah the daughter of Absalom." Probably her mother, Tamar, was the daughter of Absalom.