Tag Archives: Paul R. House

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 2 Kings 24-25 (The Fall of Judah)

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At the end of chapter 23, King Josiah is killed by the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco in 609 BC. Shortly thereafter Neco places one of Josiah’s sons, Jehoiakim, on the throne of Judah. Judah has now become a vassal of Egypt and the king heavily taxes his people in order to pay the tribute to Egypt.

Chapters 24-25 of 2 Kings span the last 23 years of the nation of Judah. The account is rapid-fire and introduces numerous people to the reader. In order to help us see more clearly the order of events, I’ve placed a timeline below which is borrowed from Lawrence O. Richards’ The Teacher’s Commentary.

609 BC – Josiah slain in battle at Megiddo; Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, becomes king

605 BC – Babylon defeats Egypt at Carchemish; Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon; First deportation to Babylon includes Daniel

604 BC – Nebuchadnezzar receives tribute in Palestine

601 BC – Nebuchadnezzar defeated near Egypt

598 BC – Jehoiakim dies; Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, rules from December 9, 598 to March 16, 597; is then deported April 22 to Babylon

597 BC – Nebuchadnezzar chooses Zedekiah, son of Josiah, to become king of Judah; Ezekiel taken to Babylon

588 BC – Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem on January 15

587 BC – Jeremiah imprisoned (Jer. 32:1–2)

586 BC – Zedekiah flees; He is captured and blinded by Nebuchadnezzar; A few months later, Nebuchadnezzar orders Jerusalem sacked and destroyed

In the final 23 years of Judah, there are actually three deportations. The first occurs in 605 BC when Nebuchadnezzar becomes the king of Babylon. He defeats Egypt and thus assumes control of all of Egypt’s vassal states, Judah being one of them. Nebuchadnezzar then marches into Judah and demands loyalty from Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim submits and allows Nebuchadnezzar to take some of the nobility and members of the royal family to Babylon. Daniel is among this first group of exiles.

The second deportation occurs in 597 BC when Nebuchadnezzar again marches on Jerusalem, this time because Jehoiakim is rebelling against Babylonian rule. By the time he arrives, Jehoiakim has already died and his son Jehoiachin is king. Jehoiachin surrenders to Nebuchadnezzar and is taken in captivity to Babylon.

This time around Nebuchadnezzar also takes many of the treasures of the temple and palace. He takes captive virtually all the military officers and 7,000 soldiers, as well as 1,000 craftsmen and artisans. Ten thousand people are taken captive, including Ezekiel.

The third and final deportation occurs in 586 BC after Nebuchadnezzar has again laid siege to Jerusalem. This time Nebuchadnezzar attacks because his puppet, King Zedekiah, has rebelled and joined forces with Egypt. Once Zedekiah is captured and hauled off to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar sees to it that Judah will never again bother him.

Verses 8-17 in chapter 25 of 2 Kings recount the destruction. The Babylonians burn the temple, the palace, and all the major buildings in Jerusalem. The walls of the city are destroyed. Before burning the temple, the Babylonians carry off everything of value. Jerusalem, the city that David established as the capital of the united kingdom of Israel around 1000 BC, is now completely and utterly destroyed, with all but the poorest Israelites marched off to Babylon.

Paul R. House, in vol. 8, 1, 2 Kings, The New American Commentary, writes,

For covenant-minded readers the loss of the temple means much more than the destruction of a significant public building. To them the temple symbolizes God’s presence in the midst of the chosen people, ongoing worship of Yahweh, the possibility of receiving forgiveness by the offering of sacrifice, and the opportunity to gather as a unified nation at festival time. Of course, the temple was rarely used properly, yet as long as it stood, the hope for the ideal existed. Now what will happen to God’s people?

The unthinkable has finally occurred. After centuries of warnings, God has removed Israel from the Promised Land. Is the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people a surprise? It shouldn’t be. The Mosaic covenant has been broken by king after king for centuries. The people of Israel and Judah have strayed further and further from loving Yahweh, instead choosing to worship false gods made of metal and wood. Paul House recounts the warnings given to the people of Israel ever since the days of Moses.

This event is the most devastating punishment Moses can use to threaten people who desperately seek a home of their own (Deut 27–28). It is what Israel barely avoids in Judges, what Samuel warns the people about in 1 Samuel 12, and what Solomon fears in 1 Kgs 8:22–61. Isaiah predicts the exile (Isa 39:1–8), as do Jeremiah (Jer 7:1–15), Ezekiel (Ezek 20:1–49), Amos (Amos 2:4–5; 6:1–7), Micah (Mic 3:12), Habakkuk (Hab 1:5–11), and Zephaniah (Zeph 1:4–13). Jeremiah and Ezekiel live during the exile, while Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi live in its aftermath. Clearly, it is one of the defining events in the Old Testament story.

Four biblical writers lived during the last days of Judah: Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Habakkuk and Jeremiah were both prophesying in and around Jerusalem, while Ezekiel and Daniel began their ministries after they had been exiled to Babylon during the first and second deportations (Daniel in 605 BC and Ezekiel in 597 BC).

Even though the people have been exiled and the land has been lost, God’s spokesmen continue to preach and write to the remnant of Israel. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel all have important messages to give to the people of God (which we will study in the coming weeks). The destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC is the end of an era, but it is not the end of God’s plan for Israel and the rest of the world.

Bible Interpretation, Theology

Why Is God So Concerned with Idol Worship?

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The Second Commandment, as given in Exodus 20:4-6, forbids the worship of idols. The northern kingdom of Israel, starting with the reign of Jeroboam, ignores this commandment and after 200 years of existence is finally judged by God in the form of a devastating Assyrian invasion.

The author of 1 and 2 Kings writes that God’s judgment upon Israel is due to the rampant idol worship of the kings and his subjects. So why is this so important to God? We know that worshiping the creature instead of the Creator is a foolish error and disrespectful to the Creator. The Creator is a jealous God who covets the love of his creation. But I think many people miss the further implications of idol worship.

God placed the need to worship deep into the hearts of all mankind. It is not possible, as human beings, to not worship something, even if it is ourselves. When we worship something or someone besides the true Creator God, it leads inexorably to horrible consequences.

These consequences are sometimes spelled out in the Old Testament (OT) and sometimes not. The writers of the OT assumed that their readers did not always need to be reminded of the consequences of idol worship, so they would often use idol worship as shorthand for a whole host of sins. The prophetic writings clarify the list of sins that accompany idolatry.

Paul R. House, in The New American Commentary Volume 8 – 1 & 2 Kings, writes:

As a result of their idolatry, which amounts, of course, to covenant breaking of the worst sort (cf. Exod 20:3–6), the people no longer hold high ethical standards for how to treat one another. Oppression, greed, and brutality become common. Hosea notes that lies, wickedness, intrigue, and immorality are regular occurrences among both the people and their leaders (Hos 7:3–7). Amos claims Israel’s women “crush the needy,” “oppress the poor,” and exhort their husbands to hurt the poor for material gain (Amos 4:1). The men, on the other hand, love luxury, are lazy, and care nothing about their country’s moral decline (Amos 6:1–7). People are sold to pay petty debts (Amos 2:6–8). Similarly, Isaiah declares that justice is denied to the poor, the widow, and the orphan (Isa 1:17; 10:1–4). The false prophets do not restrain the people at all (Isa 28:7–13). None of these abuses are mentioned in 1, 2 Kings, so an awareness of their existence in this era helps readers understand that things were even worse than the author indicates. The people are as corrupt as their leaders.

In the Torah, Moses warns the people of Israel that if they adopt the worship of the Canaanite gods, they will inevitably commit the sins of incest, child sacrifice, bestiality, temple prostitution, and a host of other deviant practices. The author of 2 Kings 17 explicitly mentions that some Israelites were practicing child sacrifice before the Assyrian invasion.

So you see, worship of false gods leads to a society that is rotten to its core, a society that preys on the weak, a society where might makes right, where every man is a law unto himself. This is exactly what happened to the nation of Israel. Idol worship is where it all begins.

Sociologist Rodney Stark has studied the impact of different concepts of god on the behaviors of diverse human societies. Stark concludes from his studies (For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery) the following :

The contrasts already drawn between supernatural beings and unconscious, impersonal, vaguely supernatural essences reveal that different conceptions of the supernatural have dramatically different effects on the human experience. Even within Godly religions, compare the social implications of belief in a pantheon of undependable and often immoral Gods with those of belief in a supreme being who imposes moral obligations on humans. As will be seen, the consequences of these and other such differences in how the supernatural is conceived are decisive.

In other words, it really matters what kind of god you worship. The famed Christian theologian, A. W. Tozer, penned the following words decades ago in The Knowledge of the Holy, and they are a fitting summary of this discussion.

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. She can never escape the self-disclosure of her witness concerning God.

Bible Interpretation, Books of the Bible, Sunday School

Commentary on 2 Kings 17 (Fall of Israel)

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The last king of Israel is Hoshea, who rules from 732 – 722 BC. Just as all the other kings of Israel, starting with Jeroboam, Hoshea disobeyed the commands of God recorded in the Torah. The author allows that Hoshea wasn’t quite as bad as his predecessors, but it does not matter.

Hoshea refuses to pay off the Assyrians and seeks a defensive pact with Egypt. This move completely backfires on Hoshea and he is attacked by the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser. Hoshea is captured and the capital of Israel, Samaria, is besieged for three years until it finally falls to the Assyrian army, thus ending the existence of the nation of Israel.

So why did God arrange for Assyria to end the nation of Israel in 722 BC? Why did He turn His back on the 10 northern tribes? The next 16 verses answer these questions.

Verse 8 gives a concise summary: Israel “walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.” The people of Israel mimicked the behavior of the pagan nations around them and the behavior of their corrupt kings. God had sent numerous prophets to call the nation to repentance, but none of them were heeded.

Paul R. House, in The New American Commentary Volume 8 – 1 & 2 Kings, notes:

A long time has passed since the prophet Ahijah told the wife of Jeroboam I that idolatry would lead to Israel’s exile (1 Kgs 14:14–16). Over these two hundred years Israel has seemed determined to make this prophecy come to pass. No reform occurs. No real repentance emerges. No leader calls a halt to pagan worship. No prophet is taken seriously. Thus the spare, unadorned description of Samaria’s fall is dramatic only in the sense that it is Israel’s final scene. God’s grace alone has delayed the fall this long.

Thomas L. Constable, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Old Testament:), remarks that “after just over two centuries the Northern Kingdom of Israel ceased to exist as a nation (931–722 B.C.). Seven of her 20 kings were assassinated. All were judged to be evil by God.”

In verses 19-20, the author of 2 Kings writes that even though Judah was spared in 722 BC, God would later render the same judgment on them. They too would be plundered and their leadership deported.

The policy of the Assyrians was to deport the leaders, administrators, and ruling class of their defeated enemies; they were re-settled in Assyrian territory. Then they would move Assyrian leaders and administrators into the conquered area to assume control. In this way, conquered nations could not easily rebel since their leadership had all been deported.  This is exactly what they did with Israel.

The Assyrians moved people from five different conquered nations into Samaria to re-populate the land. After they arrive, they suffer from frequent, deadly lion attacks. Most likely the native lion population had grown due to the human population being decimated during the war with Assyria.

Their reaction to the lion attacks is to assume that the local god of Samaria (the name given to the former nation of Israel) was displeased with them. They call upon the king of Assyria to send them a priest from Israel who could teach them how to placate the god of Samaria. A priest is sent, but would this bring a revival of true religion to the people of Samaria? No.

The author of Kings explains that worship of Yahweh was merely added to and combined with the worship of the other pagan gods. Verse 41 states, “Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.”

This passage of 2 Kings sheds light on why the Samaritans living during Jesus’s life were so despised by the Jews of that time. The Samaritans were a hybrid group of Jews and other near eastern peoples who had mixed true worship of Yahweh with worship of other pagan gods.

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 2 Kings 1-2 (Elijah Goes to Heaven)

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King Ahab, the enemy of Elijah, has died and his son Ahaziah has taken his place as king of Israel (the year is 853 BC). Elijah is still the anointed prophet of God, but his time is coming to an end. Some years earlier Elijah had already selected his successor, a young man named Elisha (see 1 Kings 19), but Elijah had a few remaining things to take care of before he was taken to heaven by God Himself.

As 2 Kings 1 opens, we learn that King Ahaziah has an unfortunate accident. He falls through a window in his home and seriously injures himself. Instead of consulting Yahweh or one of God’s prophets about his condition, he instead sends messengers to consult a Philistine god, Baal-Zebub. Baal-Zebub translates to “Lord of the flies” but most scholars seem to think that the writer of 2 Kings deliberately altered the real name of the god, Baal-Zebul, which means “Lord Prince” or “Exalted Lord,” to ridicule the fictional Philistine god.

The angel of the Lord gives a message to Elijah for Ahaziah: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending men to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”

Elijah intercepts Ahaziah’s messengers on their way to Ekron and delivers the message from the angel of the Lord. The messengers return to Ahaziah and relay the message. Ahaziah’s reaction is to send two groups of 50 fifty soldiers to arrest Elijah and bring him to the king, but each group is immolated by fire from God. Amazingly, Ahaziah then sends a third group of soldiers, but this time the captain of the fifty begs Elijah for mercy instead of ordering Elijah to come with him as the previous two captains had done.

The angel of the Lord instructs Elijah to go with this third captain to personally deliver God’s message to Ahaziah. Elijah does indeed deliver the message to the king and the king dies shortly thereafter. His brother, Jehoram (or Joram), takes his place as king of Israel. Jehoram would reign for 12 years before his death, thus ending Ahab’s dynasty, as Elijah predicted.

Chapter 2 of 2 Kings records the passing of the baton from Elijah to Elisha. Elijah knows that today is his last day on earth because God has told him. Elijah travels to three different locations during the day (Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan River), each separated by several miles. Each time he arrives, he suggests that Elisha stay behind and rest, but Elisha insists that he follow Elijah wherever he goes that day.

The implication is that Elijah is testing Elisha’s commitment to assuming the responsibility of becoming the primary prophet of God in Israel, taking over Elijah’s work. If Elisha will not follow his master to the very end of his life, then he is not fit to be the Prophet of Israel.

When they reach the Jordan River, Elijah rolls up his cloak, strikes the water, and the river dries up, allowing them to cross on dry land. After they’ve crossed, Elijah asks Elisha what he wants and Elisha responds that he wants to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Since the firstborn of any man was entitled to his successor as head of the family, and the firstborn would receive a double portion of the inheritance given to all the children, Elisha was effectively asking to become Elijah’s spiritual successor.

Elijah tells Elisha that the evidence that God has chosen Elisha will be if Elisha sees Elijah taken up to heaven. Sure enough, as they are walking, “suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.”

The chariot and horses of fire represent the might and power of the God of Israel. Elijah was used by God to project His power into the land of Israel. Likewise, Elisha would now be the chariot and horses of fire for Israel. Elisha considered Elijah to be a father to him and when Elijah departs in a violent storm, accompanied by chariots and horses of fire, he is overwhelmed and tears his clothes in mourning.

The final day of Elijah and the manner of his departure are full of theological importance. Consider the words of Paul R. House in 1, 2 Kings: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (The New American Commentary):

Elijah’s ‘death’ has proven as spectacular as his life. Just as fire from heaven once proved Yahweh is more powerful than Baal, so now a similar heavenly fire proves that Elijah is the prophet par excellence. And just as another fire from heaven protected him from wicked King Ahaziah (1:9–12), so now it removes Elijah permanently from any further dangers or discouragements. Cogan and Tadmor note that this nondeath ‘invested him with the quality of eternal life, surpassing even Moses, the father of all prophets, who died and was buried (albeit by God himself: Deut 34:5–6).’ Because he never dies, Elijah later becomes the symbol for great future prophets, including the forerunner of the Messiah (Mal 4:5–6). Several Jewish legends also rise up concerning him, and the New Testament patterns its portrayal of John the Baptist (Matt 3:1–12; John 1:19–23) and one of the two witnesses of Rev 11:1–14 after Elijah’s ministry.

Elijah is understood by Jews to be the second Moses. His life has several parallels with Moses. John J. Bimson writes in the New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition,

Previous events in Elijah’s life recalled aspects of Moses’ ministry, e.g. like Moses, Elijah received a revelation of God on Mt Horeb, and his slaughter of the prophets of Baal had echoes of the aftermath of the golden calf incident (Ex. 32:25–29). Now he crossed to the eastern side of the Jordan (in a manner similar to the crossing of the Red Sea under Moses’ leadership), where Moses’ ministry also came to an end. Indeed, the end of Moses’ life was almost as mysterious as that of Elijah’s (Dt. 34:6). The parallels between the lives of the two men are underlined in the NT when they both appear speaking to Jesus at his transfiguration (Mt. 17:3).

Bimson continues,

Moses was the mediator of the covenant at Sinai/Horeb, the prophet (Dt. 18:15; 34:10) through whom Israel was brought into that covenant relationship and made the people of God. Elijah was the prophet through whom the people were turned back to the Sinai covenant and Israel’s special status was saved. In short, the parallels with Moses dramatically heighten Elijah’s importance in Israel’s history and in the books of Kings in particular.

Now that Elijah is gone, the reader wonders if God will give Elisha his mantle. Elisha calls out to God and strikes the Jordan River as Elijah did. The river dries up and he crosses back over to the western side, in the sight of a company of prophets. The prophets acknowledge that the spirit of Elijah has passed to Elisha and they bow down in respect.

In the remaining verses of chapter 2, Elisha is twice more confirmed as the successor of Elijah, the messenger of God. First, Elisha travels to Jericho from the Jordan River (just as Joshua did) and performs a miracle which purifies the polluted water supply. Recall that Joshua has cursed Jericho, but Elisha has now lifted the curse.  Second, as Elisha travels from Jericho to Bethel, a large group of young men (more than 40) mocks and threatens Elisha. As Elisha is now the spokesman for God in Israel, the young men are not only insulting Elisha, but they are insulting God Himself. Elisha curses them and God sends two bears into their midst; the bears maul 42 of them.

Just as Elijah is the second Moses, Elisha is the second Joshua. John Bimson writes,

If Elijah is identified as a second Moses, Elisha would appear to be in the mold of Joshua. As Joshua succeeded Moses as leader of the people, so Elisha succeeded Elijah, crossing the Jordan on dry land from east to west as Joshua did (14) and following in Joshua’s footsteps by going on to Jericho (15–22). (Even Elisha’s name recalls that of Joshua. Elisha means ‘God is salvation’, while Joshua means ‘Yahweh is salvation’.)

Elisha would serve God in Israel for about half a century and would perform numerous miracles intended to bring the people of Israel back to the true God who brought them out of Egypt.

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 1 Kings 17-18 (Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah)

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In the nation of Israel, since the division of the kingdom, there have been 7 kings and 4 different dynasties (successions of rulers who are of the same family). The year is 874 BC and the eighth king of Israel comes to the throne. His name is Ahab and his reign begins at about the time King Asa of Judah’s reign is ending.

Each of the previous kings of Israel has led the nation further and further from God, but Ahab is worse than all of them. Ahab marries a Phoenician princess named Jezebel in order to secure a trade alliance. Although this alliance helps Israel economically, it leads to spiritual disaster.

Jezebel is a devoted follower of the Phoenician god, Baal-Malquart (referred to as Baal hereafter). Baal is a storm god who is supposed to have power over the weather. Baal worshippers believed that he was responsible for the rain which enabled their crops to grow.

Jezebel’s intention was to have Baal worship replace worship of Yahweh in Israel. Her husband Ahab helped her by building a worship center for Baal in the capital of Israel, Samaria. He also built wooden poles for Asherah, the consort of Baal. Jezebel imported hundreds of Baal prophets into Israel to replace the prophets of Yahweh, whom she murdered.

At the peak of this crisis enters the greatest prophet of the Old Testament (after Moses), Elijah. In chapter 17, verses 1-6, we meet Elijah for the first time when he suddenly appears before King Ahab and tells him that, as a representative of the true God of Israel, there will be a severe drought in Israel for the next few years. Since Baal is supposed to control the rain in Israel, this is meant as a direct challenge to the growing Baal religion.

God then tells Elijah to hide from Ahab for the next few years, lest he be murdered by the king or his wife. God supernaturally sustains Elijah by first leading him to a secret water source and providing him food through ravens. Once the brook dries up, God tells Elijah to travel into the heart of Baal-worshipping Phoenician territory and stay with a widow and her son. Again, God miraculously provides all three of them food during the drought.

While he is staying with the widow and her son, the boy dies and the widow begs Elijah to help. Elijah prays to God and lies on top of the boy three times, after which the boy comes back to life. The widow rejoices, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.” This is the first recorded incident of a person being brought back to life in the Bible.

In the third year of the drought, God commands Elijah to once again confront Ahab. Ahab has been searching for Elijah for three years, but he has been unable to find him. When Ahab sees Elijah, he asks, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” Elijah then issues a challenge to Ahab that he cannot refuse.

“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Mount Carmel is evidently a place that held religious significance for both Yahweh and Baal worshippers. It is right on the border of Israel and Phoenicia, on the Mediterranean coast. What better place to have a showdown between these two gods? Once the prophets of Baal and Asherah are assembled on the top of Mount Carmel, in the sight of a large number of Israelites, Elijah explains the contest that is about to take place.

I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God.

Everyone agrees and the prophets of Baal place their bull on an altar and begin praying for Baal to answer with fire. For three hours they shout, but nothing happens. At noon, Elijah begins to taunt them.

“Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

Elijah’s mocking of the Baal prophets illustrates just how certain he is that the God of Israel is the only true God. Only a man of great conviction would stand in front of a hostile crowd of hundreds and make fun of their most sacred religious rituals!

For three more hours, the prophets of Baal shouted louder and even cut themselves in an attempt to get the attention of Baal. After 6 hours, the supposed storm god of Phoenicia, the god who controls the wind, rain, and lightning, does absolutely nothing.

Elijah tells the prophets of Baal to step aside, for it is his turn. He builds up an altar made of 12 stones, for the 12 tribes of Israel. He then digs a trench completely around the altar. He places some wood and a bull (chopped into pieces) on top of the altar and then instructs bystanders to pour 12 large jars of water on the altar so that the excess water fills up the trench around the altar. If the bull catches fire, there will be no doubt that it is from God.

In one the most dramatic moments in all the Bible, Elijah steps forward and offers this prayer:

O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.

Immediately, “the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”

The assembled people of Israel loudly proclaim that Yahweh is the true God and they seize the false prophets of Baal and execute them. Elijah then tells Ahab to hurry home because a huge rainstorm is coming. Ahab does as he is told and shortly afterward, the first major rainstorm in years drenches Israel in a downpour, proving that Yahweh is God and Baal is a complete fiction.

Paul R. House, in 1, 2 Kings: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (The New American Commentary), aptly summarizes the victory of God over Baal:

God sustains and protects his prophets, while Baal lets his die. Yahweh feeds the orphans and widows and raises the dead, while Baal lets the needy suffer and requires Anat to raise him from death. Yahweh can send fire or rain from heaven, but Baal cannot respond to his most valiant worshipers. A god like Baal is no God at all. A God like Yahweh must be God of all. Rain is not just rain here but evidence of the Lord’s absolute sovereignty over nature and human affairs.

Bible Interpretation, Sunday School

Commentary on 1 Kings 6-8 (Solomon Builds the Temple)

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In chapters 6-8, the author reports the building of the temple that would become the permanent “home” of God among the Israelites. Verses 1-10, in chapter 6, tell us that temple construction began in 966 BC, Solomon’s fourth year as king. The project was completed and the temple dedicated 7 ½ years later. This structure would stand for almost four hundred years until it is destroyed by the Babylonians.

What did the temple look like? Paul R. House, in 1, 2 Kings, The New American Commentary, summarizes:

First, the temple was about ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and forty-five feet high. By modern standards it was a fairly small worship center [with 2700 square feet of floor space]. Second, it had a portico, or porch (6:3), which ran ‘the width of the temple’ and projected out ‘from the front of the temple’ (6:3). Third, it was a three-story complex (6:6). Fourth, its various portions were carefully shaped at their quarries, then fitted, without hammering, on site (6:7). Fifth, its frame and beams were cedar (6:9). Sixth, the facility included a number of ‘side rooms’ (6:10) that probably were set aside for the priests’ use. In other words, the building was attractive, yet functional.

The rest of chapters 6 and 7 describe the interior of the temple and the bronze furnishings crafted by Huram of Tyre. We also learn in chapter 7 that Solomon built an entire palace complex after completion of the temple. His palace complex would take 13 years to finish, almost twice as long as the temple.

Once the temple construction finishes, it is time to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) inside the temple. Recall that the Ark has been residing in a specially constructed tent inside the City of David. Solomon has built the temple and his palace just outside the City of David, thus expanding the footprint of the city of Jerusalem, which includes all of it.

Solomon invites all the elders of Israel to witness the carrying of the Ark to the newly completed temple. The movement of the Ark and the subsequent dedication of the temple all take place during the Festival of Booths. Solomon extends the Festival from seven days to fourteen days to celebrate the dedication of the temple.

Once the priests finished placing the Ark in the Most Holy Place, a cloud (the glory of God) filled the temple, thus indicating that God has taken up residence among Israel.

Solomon then speaks to all the leadership of Israel about the meaning of this day. First, Solomon reminds them that God has kept the promise He made to David – that David’s son would build a temple for God. Second, God promised David that Solomon would sit on the throne of Israel, and that has also occurred. Third, Solomon has built a permanent structure for the Ark of the Covenant which contains the two stone tablets that Moses placed in the Ark almost 500 years prior.

Later in chapter 8, Solomon also reflects on God’s fulfillment of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. God promised the patriarchs that their descendants would have the land of Canaan – that was complete. God promised Moses that Israel would have a central place of worship – check. God promised that Israel would live in peace with her neighbors – and during Solomon’s reign that was the case. Solomon also prays that God will fulfill His promise of blessing all the nations of the world through Israel and her temple.

The dedication of the temple in 959 BC is regarded by most scholars as the pinnacle of Israel’s success as a nation. She was powerful, wealthy, and at peace. But before we get carried away, we must remember that God repeatedly warns Solomon, as He reminded David, that Israel’s blessings are contingent on Solomon’s obedience to the Torah. Although Solomon was seemingly off to a good start, it wouldn’t be long before Solomon’s disobedience would cost Israel dearly.

For an illustration of what Solomon’s temple may have looked like, click on this link.

To see the geographical boundaries of Israel under Solomon’s rule, click on this link.