Category Archives: People of the Bible

Bible 911 – 2 Chronicles 9:11

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2 Chronicles 9: 11 And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the Lord, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. (KJV)

Once again, my verse needs to have context given to it. So, Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, algum wood, presents, and a lot of wealth find their way into this study. For me personally, I have had mixed feelings about Solomon, and taking time to muse on Chapter 9 has given me some answers. 

Algum Wood – Like some plant and animal species, mentioned in the Bible, we don’t have an exact modern match for this wood. It is believed to be either juniper or sandalwood. This wood apparently did not come with the Queen but was brought by Hiram and Solomon’s men (sailors). Either of the two species would have the properties required for what was made.

Yes, there are varied opinions on the “terraces”. Some feel they may have been handrails and not the treads of the steps.

Chapter 9 is devoted to the Queen of Sheba and Solomon’s personal wealth and accomplishments. Chapter 8 highlights the work done on the Temple. 9:10 and 11 being written and placed here make sense if those terraces and instruments impressed the queen.     

The Queen of Sheba – The opinions, myths, legends, and naughty movies abound for the woman and Solomon. Jesus refers to the Queen of the South (south wind) in Luke 11:31 and Matthew 12:42; these refer to her coming to hear the wisdom of Solomon. If you continue this part of the study, please know we do not know who she was. There are records of powerful queens in the Yemen/Oman area from the period and powerful queens from the Ethiopia region of Africa that could have staged such a trip to visit Solomon.

Three opinions I will mention are:

  1. Song of Songs may have been written in the Queen’s honor. The winds in 4:16 could refer to her and Solomon, she would be the south wind. In 1:5 and 6 she refers to her dark skin color. Either of these would place her from the two target areas.
  2. The gifts she brought seem to reflect the ones the Wisemen brought to Jesus. 1Kings 10:10
  3. The eunuch in Acts 8:27 is from Ethiopia. I believe that there has been a Jewish presence in that area that started in the time of Solomon. The event with Philip seems to have started a Christian “church” in the area; that is still there today.

Solomon – In Sunday School class, as a child, we learned of his wisdom, wealth, and God’s love for him. I remember pastors talking about the building of the First Temple and comparing it to the modern church. So, as a young believer in Jesus, I thought he was an acceptable role model. Then the reality of what his riches did to him set in;1,000 wives, not denying himself of any worldly pleasure, and following the gods of the peoples around Israel. The ones mentioned in 1 Kings 11: 5-8 would have required child sacrifice. He did not follow after his father David or the God who had revealed Himself to him. Maybe you can see my dilemma, keep the “first” Solomon (child of David), condemn the “second” Solomon (child of the world), or just throw him all away.

I am glad that the Father gives wisdom if your heart is open to Him. I will not be assigning any messianic qualities to him as David’s son but he is/was the living example of other people and groups in the Bible and beyond the pages of Scripture.

  1. All of the other kings of Judah reflect their grandfather Solomon; some were wholehearted in following their God, and some followed the second Solomon and went further off course than he did. The people followed their kings and priests, some held to the Lord but many followed the people around them.
  2. I can see the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelations as a reflection of Solomon. I have been studying Ephesians and Jesus called them to return to their first love. There is no doubt that God sent prophets to Solomon so he would return to his first love.
  3. This is being said with a fair amount of embarrassment. The Church has followed in Solomon’s footsteps since Constantine. (Please note that I did not call out any denomination.) In these troubling days, people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord need to return to their first love. Leave Left or Right and Woke to the world and find Jesus.

Solomon is complex, just like those groups I see reflected in him. I put all of that aside to recognize that he is an influence in our Bible. Several Books were penned by him and Jesus uses him in His teaching and parables. We do not know much about his early life, but I would bet it was filled with condescending looks and mean whispers from Jerusalem because of his mother. He also had a front-row seat to a lot of drama because of his older brothers.

2 Samuel 12, 1 Chronicles 28 and 29, 1 Kings, and 2 Chronicles all tell pieces of his story. His legacy, the Temple, certainly outlived him.

This is not a highlight telling of his life, but what may have occurred after the Temple was built. The Temple and his palace took half of his reign as king (20 years).

  • 2 Samuel 12:24 tells of his birth and that David and Bathsheba named him Solomon, but God gave him Jedidiah.
  • 1 Kings 10:14 is his yearly income, 666 talents of gold (possibly 25 tons).
  • 1 Kings 11: 6-11 relates part of the evil Solomon did and what God did to him and the kingdom.

Ecclesiastes may have been his opus at the end of his life. Hopefully, 12:13-14 reflects a heart change in his life.

Bible 911 – Ezra

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This Bible 911 is from a man I would add to the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews, Ezra’s 911 is in a prayer that is coming from a distressed heart. The personal story of Ezra, son of Seraiah, (the High Priest family) starts in Ezra 7 with his family tree and a letter from Artaxerxes. His return to Jerusalem (8:15) is the story of faith that earns him a place in the Hall of Faith.

He bragged (spoke out in faith) to the king that the Lord would look with favor towards them and protect the people on the journey. The king was ready to send soldiers to guard them and the fortune they were carrying, but Ezra did not take them. Instead, he called for a fast and sought God (8:21). The magnitude of this must be viewed in light of 8:31 and remembering Haman, from Esther, the Samaritans, and the opposition to the builds in Ezra and Nehemiah. Satan did not want Israel worshipping or walking with the Lord again.

Bible Map: Ahava (bibleatlas.org)      

A little history –

  • Ezra is in two parts. Chapters 1-6 are about rebuilding the Temple. 7-10 focuses on Ezra and the mixed marriage problem.
  • Haggai and Zechariah are associated with Chapters 1-6.
  • Esther’s story is mixed in the time period from Ezra to Nehemiah.
  • There are about 100 years from Ezra 1 to the end of Nehemiah. That really depends on which expert you look at.
  • There are about thirty-four years between Ezra and Nehemiah. (Expert dependent)
  • There were three groups that returned, two in Ezra and one in Nehemiah.
  • Many of the Persian officials have non-Biblical confirmation that they existed. (BAR)
  • Malachi may have been written by Ezra. 1:8 talks about animal sacrifice and a “Persian” word for governor. Malachi at that time may have been a title and not a name (it means messenger).
  • The prophet Zechariah was killed after the altar and temple were finished – Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51. These are the only mention of that event.  

Ezra 9:11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. (KJV)

Ezra and the returning exiles had barely unpacked when he was told that the priest, Levities, Jewish officials, and other men were repeating the sin that led to the fall of Jerusalem and Judah. They are intermarrying with the people around them and bringing in the abominations of their enemies, not walking righteously with God. Ezra is gut-punched and mourning for several hours before he starts praying in verses 6 to 15. He thanks the Lord for His mercy and kindness towards them and builds his case as to why it must stop. The prayer was to the Father, but the people were instructed as well.

A little leaven – The issue is not how many men and families are involved; it is the fact that it has happened. The second chance that Ezra was thankful for had already been ignored. Yes, I counted. A total of 111 men were at fault, which is a small percent of the population that was the first wave of returnees. The Enemy started small but it included eighteen priests and nine Levities, the spiritual examples of the community. The Father wanted and still loves righteousness. He wants a people who will choose Him and willingly walk with Him. Ezra was there to raise that standard again.

Ruth – Ruth is a granddaughter of Lot; she is a Moabite. They did not do right by Israel in the years of the Exodus. Her marriage to Boaz should have been a mixed marriage and forbidden under the Law (Deuteronomy 23). With questions about the Law, I will offer IDK. How is this marriage different from most of the ones Solomon had? There is one thing that Ruth did that Solomon’s wives did not do, she chose Jehovah and left the gods of Moab on the east side of the Dead Sea. That walk to Bethlehem was literally a righteous faith walk into a new life. Solomon made temples so his wives could continue worshipping their demons (1 Kings 11:2, 7-8).  

A Nehemiah Note – Just because the Temple was in service again and the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, the attacks on righteousness did not stop. The meeting in Ezra is not the meeting in Nehemiah. Ezra did read at Nehemiah’s meeting. Nehemiah had priests who had intermarried and provided space in the Temple complex for a local heathen official. He ended that problem and drove them away from Jerusalem. His problem was the attack on the Sabbath, with the buying and selling of goods. Resting with God and staying pure extend from the commandments of “Love God and your neighbor”.

These attacks on the Family of God have not stopped. The enemy still wants to pollute the Family and pull us away from walking and resting with Jesus and the Father. Righteousness and godly offspring are the desire of the Father for His Children. Remember Ruth before you judge a new Family member.

CROSSING JORDAN

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Crossing Jordan has been a metaphor for dying and going to Heaven (the Promised Land). I have heard that metaphor stems from Joshua leading the Children from the east bank to the west bank of the Jordan River. Going across the Jordan was part of life in Israel and is mentioned many times from Judges to David. There were no bridges, it seems, and people waded across at fords or shallow spots.

There are Biblical characters that crossed the river in the same direction as Joshua at key times in Israel’s history. I am looking at their stories in this post. I will start with someone who went contrary to the metaphor and had his way back blocked with a flaming sword and cherubim.

Adam and Eve – They started in Paradise and were sent to the East (Genesis 3:24). I believe there was a Garden with five rivers, and two very important trees, and Adam was responsible for tending it. God has always shown an interest in this region. Terah was sent there but he did not go, Abram did. Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God was in the area. I said that because it makes more sense to think the Garden was here because this place means something to God. Before the objections start, I live in America, and we have recycled names pinned on many cities, rivers, and regions so renaming four rivers is a high possibility. I can see Noah’s grandchildren using things he told them just to honor him. My God has mysteries that He has not shared, but the world changed after Adam and Eve ate the fruit and Noah’s Flood.

If the land of Canaan (Noah’s grandson by Ham, Genesis 9:18-24) was part of the Garden; Adam would have traveled over where the Jordan was or would be. East is an important direction in Genesis 2 and 3.

Jacob and Family – When Jacob ran from Esau, he was by himself. Genesis 28:10 says he left Beersheba to go to Haran. He stopped at Luz (Bethel) and spent the night. That is the end of his route until he is with the “eastern people” in Haran. I believe from Luz (28:18) he had three routes he may have taken: 1. The road along the seashore, 2. The highway through the mountains that went above Lake Galilee, and 3. to cross the Jordan and go through the Bashan/Gilead. I would have taken the coast road, but in Genesis 32:10 Jacob says he crossed the Jordan with just his staff.

When Jacob ran from Laban, he had four wives, eleven sons, a daughter, and a lot of possessions. After the ordeal of Chapter 31, Jacob’s camp made it to Mahanaim. There he was met by a camp of angels (reminds you of Elisha). Sometime after meeting Esau Jacob’s camp(s) crossed the Jordan and went to Shechem. Jacob had returned to his land which was part of the promise to Abraham from God. It makes me wonder what route Abram took to get to Canaan.

Thoughts on Jacob – 1. He had many experiences with angels. 2. He is older than you might expect. I had to work backward from his death and consider every timestamp that was given during his life. I made mistakes in How Old Were These Guys. I did better in the Patriarch Timeline and the Tribes of Israel Timeline. 3. Angel of the Lord or Metatron means angel of countenance this is a theophany.

Joshua and Israel – The event that gave the name of this post is found in Joshua 3 and 4. God exalted Joshua in the people’s eyes because of this event (3:7). He also dried up the Jordan to show Israel and the world His power (4:24). We tend to focus on the human aspect of this day, but I believe it was much more important to the Father. He was bringing His children home.

This day was an end and the beginning for Joshua and Israel. With years of learning to trust God behind them, they were facing a new test of their faith. They now had to fight for the land promised to Abraham for his family. In the crossing of this Jordan, they left behind the Moabites and Midianites and now had to face the giants and walled cities that had intimidated their forefathers. When we cross the spiritual Jordan, our fighting is done. Metaphors are limited and this is a good example of that.

This is a good time to compare and contrast the passage out of Egypt and the entrance into Canaan. (Please, ignore Exodus through Joshua and look at the rest of the Scriptures.) Passing through the Red Sea has more references than going through the dried-up Jordan River. I found two – Psalms 114:5 and 74:15. (If you know of others, please share.) If you use that as an indicator, leaving Egypt (baptism) is more important than the crossing at the Jordan. I have used the crossing of the Jordan as a shadow of baptism, I will not do that anymore. Israel went through two walls of the sea; the Jordan was dry. Remember, the water was stopped about twenty miles above the crossing site, they were not flanked by walls of water. You could stretch that and say the Dead Sea was on one side and the water at Adam (man or red) was on the other side. (Some bullet points.)

  • Both Crossings had enemies just before going through.
  • The oldest people at the Jordan were Joshua and Caleb. The nineteen-year-olds were now fifty-seven. It seems that the men thirty-eight and younger were not circumcised.
  • Some of the people had seen both crossings.
  • The people took memorial stones from the Jordan. Solomon may have built a memorial on the eastern side of the Red Sea.
  • The Red Sea was after Passover. The Jordan was just before. They crossed on the day they were to choose the lamb for the meal, the tenth day of the first month. (That could be a preaching point.)
  • The direction of travel was different for the two crossings.

This crossing happened at Jericho/Gilgal. Gilgal was the first campsite where they were circumcised and celebrated Passover.

David, His Family, His Officials – David and those fleeing from Absalom left the west bank and traveled east to Mahanaim, 2 Samuel 17:22. (The same city Jacob named. It was also a refuge city.) David returned, east to west, in 2 Samuel 19 and proceeded to Jerusalem. Jesus would follow the same path in Matthew 20 + 21. Both had a mess to clean up when they reached Jerusalem.

This crossing occurred at the fords or shallow spot near Gilgal. Even the king’s return caused an uproar that had to be fixed.

Elisha – Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan near Jericho, going west to east. Elisha, a shadow of Jesus, returned east to west at the same spot. Both of these crossings were done on dry land with the waters dividing for the men. 2 Kings 2

This set of crossings involved the fewest people and the least amount of material goods. Elisha crossed back to the west with a well-used cloak and a double anointing. The entire scene is a shadow of John the Baptist (Elijah) diminishing before Jesus (Elisha) took center stage.

Jesus, His Disciples, His Camp – Jesus’ final pilgrimage to Passover started in Matthew 19:1, Mark 10, Luke 17:11, and John 10:40. (Matthew is my main reference.) He left Galilee crossing the Jordan and went to the area across from Jericho, where he taught and healed the people. If you compile all of the Gospels, it is clear He crossed back and forth several times before going to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday.    

I blame too many movies about Jesus for the idea that just twelve men followed Jesus as He preached about the Kingdom. Mark 15:41 talks about women in Galilee, Luke 24:9 speaks of others that were with the Eleven after the resurrection and Acts 1:21+22 mentions the requirements for taking Judas’ position, so there had to be more than just the Twelve.

This parade started big with His Camp at the Jordan and got larger. The only parade for Jesus that was bigger was the one in Heaven after He disappeared in the clouds when He ascended.

Thoughts – Crossing Jordan is a beautiful metaphor. I admit that my thoughts have changed as I have grown older. But for these crossings, work, warfare, and new experiences waited for those that crossed from east to west over the Jordan.

Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah

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These three men, Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah are palace officials who speak for Hezekiah and Jerusalem when Sennacherib’s commander maligns God. This story is found in 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36. Eliakim and Shebna are also mentioned in Isaiah 22, this chapter is what really started this study. If you are going to do a word search for these names, please be aware that there are other men with these names. Joah for example is a name that is used several times in the family of Levi.

Joah – In Isaiah 36 he is identified as a son of Asaph and the recorder for Hezekiah. Asaph should be the musician that David appoints along with Heman in 1 Chronicles 6. This is a serious family line and it continues to the time of Josiah and Jeremiah.

He is a learned man because he knows the Assyrian and Aramaic languages and it is his job to record everything that goes on during the reign of Hezekiah. (It is possible that he documented this story.)

Other Levities, especially sons of Gershon, Moses’ son, and recorders are found in 1 Chronicles 6:21 and 26:4 and in 2 Chronicles 29:12 and 34:8.

Eliakim – This man was important for two reasons: 1. He was from the high priest’s family, Hilkiah. Like Jeremiah, he could have been a high priest. 2. He was the palace administrator. I believe that puts him in the same class as Daniel in Babylon under several kings, and Joseph in Egypt (under Potiphar, in the prison, and in Pharaoh’s house).  

Isaiah 22: 20-24 could sound like Shebna had been the administrator and got demoted. That is a very positive word for Eliakim. I could also see it happening between Hezekiah and Manasseh’s rule since he was only twelve when he started.  

Shebna – This name/man is mentioned only in connection with Sennacherib and Isaiah 22: 15- 19. Several titles are associated with him, so we know he was important. I find it odd that he has no family associations. Did his pride and questionable actions have anything to do with this? The chariots reference in vs 18 makes you think of Absalom’s behavior against David. Was he a royal? How much of the first part of Isaiah 22 was centered around him and his actions?

Whatever the truth is, my guess is he did not have a happy ending.

Further Study- Find the meanings of the names of Eliakim, Shebna, Joah, Hilkiah, Asaph, Hezekiah, and Isaiah. What does this add to the story?

A Question About Rehoboam

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The question about Rehoboam was really on who his mother was. The problem for the questioner was the fact that she was an Ammonite and not a native Israelite. I have two posts on Naamah. Post #1 and Post #2. I will guess Deuteronomy 23 is the scripture the question stems from. I am not going to wade through the jots and tittles of Hebrew Law about marrying foreigners.

But I had to stop and think about all of the times that Hebrew men married foreign women. Moses, Salmon, Boaz, and probably David, and the men who returned to Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah are the ones I thought of. Moses married a Cushite (Numbers 12), Salmon married Rahab (1 Chronicles 2:13, Matthew 1:5), Boaz married Ruth, David married Bathsheba (possibly a Hittite, 2 Samuel 11), and the men with Nehemiah (13:23) seemed to be marrying who was available. You may argue with God about the first four. I will try to contrast and compare the women of these two groups.

Group 1 – We know very little about the Cushite and Naamah, just that they had yoked themselves to the Israelite community. Rahab hid the spies in Jericho after acknowledging God and the things He had done. Ruth pledged to Naomi that she would follow her and accept Jehovah as her God. Bathsheba was part of the community and I guess David offered sacrifices for her when the first baby died. It seems to me that all of these women chose to follow God when they married into Israel.

Group 2 – These women were from Ashdod (Philistine), Ammon, and Moab, not that different from Group 1. Nehemiah 13: 23 and 24 paint a different picture of how they lived. They married the men but did not choose the God of Israel. To be fair to them their husband may not have been on fire for Jehovah either. They were not even taught to speak Hebrew, which met that they could not read Torah or participate in festivals with the Hebrew community.

A great, well-learned Pharisee wrote a New Testament commentary on this subject in 2 Corinthians 6:14-do not be unequally yoked to unbelievers. I am not sure if any of the women in Group 1 could enter the “temple” and worship God with their husbands. I have read that the Hebrew husband would “cover” the children of these marriages, but that finer point of the Law is above my paygrade. It does seem that these women did yoke themselves to the God of Israel.

Since much of the lineage of Jesus was mentioned in Group 1, I will let you question if Rehoboam should have had an Ammonite for a mother.

Homework-What did the people (men) of Israel yoke themselves to in Numbers?