REIGN OF AHAB 872-851 BCE Religion Prophecy Peace with Judah War with Aram
Dec 25, 2015
Religion
Baal and Ashera
Baal and Ashera
Ahab worshiped the imported idols Baal and Ashera
Jezebel imported the cults to Israel from Tyre
Unlike other Kings of Israel Ahab attempted to abandon Judaism in favor of these idols
He wanted to undo our connection with Hashem
Historians have trouble believing in such a radical break from traditional values and minimize the dispute
According to them Ahab and the Israelite aristocracy were advocating an open form of worship with Hashem being just one of many powers Elijah fought for exclusive worship of Hashem
Prophesy
Elijah & Other Prophets
View from top of Mount Carmel looking over the Jezreel Valley
Elijah decrees drought on Israel in response to Ahab’s institutionalizing Baal worship
Ahab and his wife attempt to kill all prophets in Israel
Ovadya, who is Ahab’s steward saves 100 prophets in a cave
Has a test with the prophets of the Baal on Har Hacarmel
Rebukes Ahab for his conspiracy to steal the land of Nabboth from Jezreel through a fake trial
Other prophets are called to give messages to Ahab in time of war to let him know that Hashem is behind Ahab’s defeat of the Arameans
Prophecy
DevelopmentFrom Shofet
◦ Deborah
◦ Shmuel transition to monarchy
To Royal Advisor◦ Nathan and Gad
To Critique of the Kings◦ Elijah
◦ Elisha
◦ Both of whom first rebuke the Kings for Syncretistic worship
◦ Secondarily for inhumane treatment of their subjects
Later focus on social ills◦ Amos
◦ Isaiah
Prophecy of Destruction◦ Jeremiah
Prophecy of the Exile◦ Ezekiel
Prophecy of Rebuilding◦ Zachariah
Peace Between Israel and Judah
Jehoshaphat (870-846 BCE) Results of the Peace Was the Son of Asa and
became King of Judah Made peace with Israel
and is found fighting alongside of Ahab in his wars with Damascus and with Ahab’s son Jehoram in his war against Moab
He arraigned Ahab’s daughter Athaliah to marry his son Jehoram
(things become confusing when the king of Israel and the king of Judah have the same name. Sorry not my fault)
In spite of being called a צדיק by the Navi who tried but failed to removed the Baamos and tried to teach Torah to the nation
Judah still suffer losses because of the alliance with Israel
Loss of Edom◦ During Jehoshaphat’s lifetime Judah
ruled over Edom
◦ In his son’s reign they rebelled and Judah lost the territory
Loss of freedom in becoming a vassal of the kingdom of Israel
His new daughter-in-law Athaliah eventually kill almost all of his decedents and institutionalizes Baal and Ashera cults in Judah
Attempted an expedition from the Red Sea which failed
War Between Aram-Damascus and Israel
First Battle Second BattleBen-Hadad threatens
the independence of Israel and demands a very high tribute
Ahab is assured by the prophet that he would win and should use the victory as sign to repent because the war is not over
Ahab does not repent and after
Ben-Hadad returns the next year and says that Hashem is only powerful in the mountains so they decide to fight on the plain
A Navi reports to Ahab that since he has not repented he should lose the battle but since an Israelite loss would mean that Ben-Hadad’s blasphemy is true Ahab will win
Ahab wins and has the Ben-Hadad trapped but when Ben-Hadad surrenders treats him as an equal and makes a treaty
War Between Aram-Damascus and Israel
Final Battle The incident with Nabboth from
Jezreel Elijah goes to Ahab and tells him
that he will be killed by the king of Aram and that in two generations his dynasty would be killed off
Ahab repents – at least in public After a three year peace Ahab
decides to take Ramoth-Gilead from Aram
He and Jehoshaphat of Judah attack Aram and Ahab is killed in battle
The Israelites lose the battle and are weakened by the loss
Rise of Assyria
Ashurnasirpal II (854-859 BCE) Shalmaneser III (859-824 BCE)
Contemporary of Omri Built up the Army Pillaged for wealth not
territory Conquered upper
Mesopotamia and Northern Syria as far as the northern Phoenician coast
He conquered and was forced to leave either to put down a revolt or to attack elsewhere
Began to campaign annually in the Levant
Subjugated a Kingdom known as Bit Adini
12 States in the Levant formed a coalition to hold off Assyria
This included Ahab of Israel and Haddezer of Damascus
According to Shalmaneser’s records Ahab provided 2,000, chariots and 10,000 Infantry
The largest contingent of chariots in the coalition
Ahab and the coalition held off Assyria in the battle of Qarqar
The temporary alliance between Damascus and Israel would account for the three years of peace and the defeat of Shalmaneser would account for the renewed hostilities between them
Ahazia
How to be forgotten by history
Ahab’s Palace in Samaria
After Ahab’s death his oldest son Ahaziah becomes king
He falls through a lattice in a window or a railing from a wall and gets injured
He turns to Baal Zebub to find out his fate
His messengers meet up with Elijah who burns them up until they are polite
Elijah then says Ahaziah will die and he does
Reigned less than 2 years
War with Moab
Coalition
Mesha Stele
Moab had been a vassal of Israel from the time Omri but since the death of Ahab stopped paying tribute
Jehoram, gathered a coalition to retake Moab
Jehoshaphat of Judah and the King of Edom joined
This again shows the more powerful and rich Israel exercising control over the smaller and weaker kingdoms of Israel and its vassal of Edom
War with Moab
The Shocking Conclusion
Jane Taylor/Sonia Halliday PhotographsA 12th-century Crusader castle perches atop a 2,500 foot-long plateau in central Jordan, once the site of Kir-hareseth, the ancient capital of Moab. Isolated by a 300-foot-deep valley, this location, today modern Kerak, has been a strategic military stronghold throughout much of history.
Nearly 2,000 years before the Crusader castle was built, allied Hebrew-Edomite armies surrounded the badly beaten Moabite army after its retreat to Kirhareseth. According to the account in 2 Kings 3:26–27, the desperate Moabite king Mesha scarified his oldest son as a burnt offering on top of the city wall, in full view of the conquering armies. After this dramatic death, for reasons not clarified in the Biblical account, the Hebrews and the Edomites returned home without taking the city.Horn, Siegfried H. “Why the Moabite Stone Was Blown to Pieces.” Biblical Archaeology Review, May/Jun 1986, 50-59, 61
The coalition attacks Moab
They get stuck in the desert with no water
Elisha promises water because of the righteousness of Jehoshaphat
The coalition defeats Moab and are about to take the city when Mesha the king of Moab scarifies’ his own son to their "ז and the Israelite עcoalition disbands
THE REIGN OF JEHORAM, SON OF
JEHOSHAPHAT, KING OF JUDAH & AHAZIAH
SON OF JEHORAM JEHORAM – 846-841BCE
AHAZIAH 841BCE
Jehoram of Judah
Israel and Judah He continued the relationship
that his father had with Israel He send aid and assistance to
Israel when in need He was married to Athalia the
daughter of Ahab and Jezebel During his time Edom revolted
and was lost to Judah This is a critical loss of control of
the “King’s Highway” trade route it was now controlled by Edom and Moab who were under the control of Aram-Damascus
He died and his son Ahaziah rules Judah for a few months until Jehu’s revolt
BACK TO JEHORAM OF ISRAEL & THE WAR WITH ARAM DAMASCUS
War with Aram-DamascusPhase OnePhase TwoPhase Three Final Phase
Coup d'états
War with Aram Damascus
First Phase
Horses and Chariots of Fire (Very Scary)
Naaman visits Elisha Elisha reveals Aram’s ambush Aram seeks to capture him Elisha prays and the
Arameans see an army with horses and chariots of fire
Then Elisha smites the Arameans with blindness
Then leads the Aramean army to Samaria
Jehoram is shocked to see them and at Elisha’s request feeds the army and sends them home
War with Aram Damascus
Second Phase Phase Three
Ben-Hadad laid siege on Samaria
A report of cannibalism causes Jehoram to break down and blames Elisha
The incident of the four metzoraim and the miraculous abandonment of the Aramean camp
Ben-Hadad king of Damascus falls ill
Elisha is sent by Hashem to Ben-Hadad
Hazael one of Ben-Hadad’s generals greets Elisha who predicts that Hazael would kill Ben-Hadad and rule in his place
Hazael kills Ben-Hadad and became king of Damascus
Jehoram of Judah does evil like his father in law Ahab
But Hashem did not want to destroy Judah because of his love of David
War with Aram Damascus
Final Phase
Importance of Ramoth Gilead
Hazael is on the throne of Damascus
It could be that Israel thought that Aram-Damascus was weak from the coup
Israel decided to attack Aram at Ramoth Gilead
King Ahaziah join Israel Ramoth Gilead was a
strategically important area controlling the King’s Highway
Coup D'états
Jehu’s Coup Elisha sends a Navi to anoint Jehu
king of Israel In the Battle fro Ramoth Gilead
Jehoram king of Israel was wounded
Both he and Ahazia of Judah return to the city of Jezreel to recuperate
Jehu is left as the officer in charge at the front
Soon Jehu’s men proclaim him king Jehu moves on Jezreel where he
killed Jehoram and Ahazia as well at all of Jehoram’s family and Jezebel, Jehoram’s mother and Ahazia’s grand-mother
Coup D'états
Why? Support of Elisha and the
prophets is indicative of popular hatred of the syncretistic ruling dynasty of the House of Omri
Economic/ class hatred to the ruling upper class from the rural agricultural class
Alliance with Assyria◦ The enemy of my enemy is
my friend
◦ The state who is on the other side of my enemy is my friend
◦ Jehu killed all the family of Ahab and those who sided with Aram in there coalition to war with Assyria
Results of the Coup
Israel Loses because of the Coup
Shalmaneser III dies a year after Jehu’s coup
After his death Shamshi-Adad V (824-811BCE) becomes king
He has to deal with “the Great Revolt” in Ninveh
Assyria is too weak to project power all the way to Southern Syria until 805BCE
A weak Assyria causes Aram to becomes stronger
Aram-Damascus takes Transjordan from Israel
After the Coup
Consolidating Power
Archeologist Yigal Yadin believed that Ramat Rachel was the house of Baal that Athaliah built
Athaliah mother of Ahazia Daughter of Ahab and Jezebel
Slaughters all the rest of her family to allow her to rule independently
She rules for 6 years on her own as a Queen
She institutes Baal worship in Jerusalem
Jehoiada
Saving the line of David
Jehoiada hid Jehoash in an upper floor of the Beis Hamikdash
Jehosheba sister of king Ahaziah saved baby Jehoash
Brought him to Jehoiada who kept him safe in an upper chamber in the Beis Hamikdash until he was seven years old
Jehoiada brought out the boy king Jehoash in the Beis Hamikdash to the cheers of the crowd
When Athaliah walked into the Beis Hamikdash people dragged her out and killed her
The common person was loyal to Hashem, and resented the rule of foreign Queen with her foreign "ז ע
Relationship between Jehoash and Jehoiada
Rebuilds the Beis Hamikdash After Jehoiada’s Death
Jehoash grows and decides to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash
He sends out the Kohanim to collect the funds
This was demeaning to the Kohanim and unsuccessful in raising funds
He asks for donations using a pushka in the Beis Hamikdash and is very successful
Divrei Hayamim 2 24:17 After Jehoiada died, Jehoash fell
under the influence of the Princes שרי of Judah
The king stopped the construction of the Beis Hamikdash and started worshiping Baal and Ashera
Jehoiada’s son Zecharia protested, on Yom Kippur and Shabbos that people were worshiping idols and not Hashem
He was stoned to death in the Bies Hamikdash at the command of the king