1 Chronicles 15:19-22 - The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth , and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith . Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.
I wonder what a bronze cymbal sounds like. Is it large like a gong?
I wonder (with everyone else) what alamoth and sheminith mean. Are they styles? rhythms? tempos?
I wonder how Kenaniah had become known as a skillful choir director.
10/10/2006
10/09/2006
The Three
1 Chronicles 11:15-19 - Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. "God forbid that I should do this!" he said. "Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?" Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
I wonder how the Three got all the way to Bethlehem (apparently) without David's knowing they had left. I wonder how long it took them to make the round trip.
I wonder if breaking through Philistine lines involved killing anyone or if it was totally done in secret. Did they wear disguises?
I wonder what their first reaction to David's refusal to drink the water was.
"Wha...?"
"But you said...."
"After all we...."
"No, wait! I'll take...."
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
I wonder how the Three got all the way to Bethlehem (apparently) without David's knowing they had left. I wonder how long it took them to make the round trip.
I wonder if breaking through Philistine lines involved killing anyone or if it was totally done in secret. Did they wear disguises?
I wonder what their first reaction to David's refusal to drink the water was.
"Wha...?"
"But you said...."
"After all we...."
"No, wait! I'll take...."
10/08/2006
Musician update
1 Chronicles 9:33 - Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.
This answers my earlier question about side jobs for the musicians. No, they didn't need them.
I wonder if "day and night" means 24x7. Or does it mean from morning till evening? What could they be doing in the wee hours of the morning that couldn't be done during the day?
This answers my earlier question about side jobs for the musicians. No, they didn't need them.
I wonder if "day and night" means 24x7. Or does it mean from morning till evening? What could they be doing in the wee hours of the morning that couldn't be done during the day?
Tent security
1 Chronicles 9:22-27 - Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the LORD -the house called the Tent. The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south. Their brothers in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods. But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.
I wonder why the gatekeepers (essentially police or security guards) were needed. Had there been one or more instances of robbery at the Tent that led David and Samuel to institute these offices? Or was it purely precautionary? I wonder if any robbery attempts were made while the gatekeepers were on duty. What would anyone really want to steal from the Tent? And why? Were they more afraid of vandalism?
I wonder why the gatekeepers (essentially police or security guards) were needed. Had there been one or more instances of robbery at the Tent that led David and Samuel to institute these offices? Or was it purely precautionary? I wonder if any robbery attempts were made while the gatekeepers were on duty. What would anyone really want to steal from the Tent? And why? Were they more afraid of vandalism?
10/04/2006
The chronicler(s)
1 Chronicles 9:1-2 - All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.
The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.
I wonder who wrote 1 Chronicles. Was it more than one person?
I wonder how long it took to write the book...er, chronicle. Was it done over a period of days? weeks? months? years? Were the first 8 chapters written before the captivity in babylon? Long before? Assuming what we have in 1 Chronicles is laid out in the order it was written, then everything from chapter 9 onward was written after the people were allowed to resettle in Israel.
The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.
I wonder who wrote 1 Chronicles. Was it more than one person?
I wonder how long it took to write the book...er, chronicle. Was it done over a period of days? weeks? months? years? Were the first 8 chapters written before the captivity in babylon? Long before? Assuming what we have in 1 Chronicles is laid out in the order it was written, then everything from chapter 9 onward was written after the people were allowed to resettle in Israel.
10/03/2006
Music ministry
Beginning with this post, there could be some overlap or expansion on some of the previous posts from 1 + 2 Samuel and 1 + 2 Kings because 1 + 2 Chronicles covers the same period -- generally from David through the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 6:31-47 - These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.
Here are the men who served, together with their sons:
From the Kohathites:
Heman, the musician,
the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham,
the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah,
the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel,
the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
the son of Tahath, the son of Assir,
the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath,
the son of Levi, the son of Israel;
and Heman's associate Asaph, who served at his right hand:
Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,
the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah,
the son of Malkijah, the son of Ethni,
the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah,
the son of Shimei, the son of Jahath,
the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;
and from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand:
Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi,
the son of Malluch, the son of Hashabiah,
the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,
the son of Amzi, the son of Bani,
the son of Shemer, the son of Mahli,
the son of Mushi, the son of Merari,
the son of Levi.
Especially since I'm a musician myself, I wonder what duties were laid down for these musicians. I'm guessing they composed, sang, played, and taught. Perhaps they also invented -- instruments, music styles, notation methods....
I wonder if they made their living solely from music or if they had to have side jobs to make ends meet.
I wonder who determined what their duties would be. David himself was a musician, so he probably had a lot to say about it.
I wonder how many full-time musicians there were on average.
I wonder if (outside of duties directly related to scheduled worship) they kept regular office hours.
1 Chronicles 6:31-47 - These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.
Here are the men who served, together with their sons:
From the Kohathites:
Heman, the musician,
the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham,
the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah,
the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel,
the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
the son of Tahath, the son of Assir,
the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath,
the son of Levi, the son of Israel;
and Heman's associate Asaph, who served at his right hand:
Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,
the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah,
the son of Malkijah, the son of Ethni,
the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah,
the son of Shimei, the son of Jahath,
the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;
and from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand:
Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi,
the son of Malluch, the son of Hashabiah,
the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,
the son of Amzi, the son of Bani,
the son of Shemer, the son of Mahli,
the son of Mushi, the son of Merari,
the son of Levi.
Especially since I'm a musician myself, I wonder what duties were laid down for these musicians. I'm guessing they composed, sang, played, and taught. Perhaps they also invented -- instruments, music styles, notation methods....
I wonder if they made their living solely from music or if they had to have side jobs to make ends meet.
I wonder who determined what their duties would be. David himself was a musician, so he probably had a lot to say about it.
I wonder how many full-time musicians there were on average.
I wonder if (outside of duties directly related to scheduled worship) they kept regular office hours.
10/01/2006
Who really wants to be king?
2 Kings 24:8-12 - Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father had done.
At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him.
I wonder if Jehoiachin really wanted to be king. I wonder if he had any choice. He's 18. He's a teenager with an emperor breathing down his neck. No wonder he surrenders after just 3 months in office.
Jehoiachin lived as a prisoner in Babylon for 37 years. That's until he was 55. I wonder if he did anything useful during all that time. Did the Babylonians put him to work?
I wonder why the next king of Babylon, Evil-Merodach, treated Jehoiachin with so much honor. Had he proved worthy of it while a prisoner for 37 years? Was it because the Babylonians knew they had nothing to fear from him? Did he maybe change his ways, become God-fearing, and witness to the Babylonians?
At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him.
I wonder if Jehoiachin really wanted to be king. I wonder if he had any choice. He's 18. He's a teenager with an emperor breathing down his neck. No wonder he surrenders after just 3 months in office.
Jehoiachin lived as a prisoner in Babylon for 37 years. That's until he was 55. I wonder if he did anything useful during all that time. Did the Babylonians put him to work?
I wonder why the next king of Babylon, Evil-Merodach, treated Jehoiachin with so much honor. Had he proved worthy of it while a prisoner for 37 years? Was it because the Babylonians knew they had nothing to fear from him? Did he maybe change his ways, become God-fearing, and witness to the Babylonians?
9/30/2006
Josiah cleans house
2 Kings 23:4-20 - The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. He did away with the pagan priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of the LORD and where women did weaving for Asherah.
Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates—at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which is on the left of the city gate. Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melech. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.
He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the LORD. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley. The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon. Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.
Even the altar at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also. Then Josiah looked around, and when he saw the tombs that were there on the hillside, he had the bones removed from them and burned on the altar to defile it, in accordance with the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who foretold these things.
The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?"
The men of the city said, "It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it."
"Leave it alone," he said. "Don't let anyone disturb his bones." So they spared his bones and those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed and defiled all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria that had provoked the LORD to anger. Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
I wonder if anyone tried to oppose Josiah along the way as he desecrated altars, killed idolaters, and so on.
The list of people, places, and things to get rid of goes on and on. I wonder how long it took to accomplish all of this. (It seems it was less than a year. Hopefully only a few weeks.)
"Even the altar at Bethel...even that altar...." I wonder if even some of the God-fearing people thought of that place as untouchable. Not Josiah.
The people of Bethel obviously had passed the prophecy of the destruction of the altar from one generation to the next. I wonder if each one feared what would happen to their city when that day would finally come. Would they be destroyed along with it?
Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates—at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which is on the left of the city gate. Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed from the entrance to the temple of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melech. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.
He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts of the temple of the LORD. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley. The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon. Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.
Even the altar at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also. Then Josiah looked around, and when he saw the tombs that were there on the hillside, he had the bones removed from them and burned on the altar to defile it, in accordance with the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who foretold these things.
The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?"
The men of the city said, "It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it."
"Leave it alone," he said. "Don't let anyone disturb his bones." So they spared his bones and those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed and defiled all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria that had provoked the LORD to anger. Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
I wonder if anyone tried to oppose Josiah along the way as he desecrated altars, killed idolaters, and so on.
The list of people, places, and things to get rid of goes on and on. I wonder how long it took to accomplish all of this. (It seems it was less than a year. Hopefully only a few weeks.)
"Even the altar at Bethel...even that altar...." I wonder if even some of the God-fearing people thought of that place as untouchable. Not Josiah.
The people of Bethel obviously had passed the prophecy of the destruction of the altar from one generation to the next. I wonder if each one feared what would happen to their city when that day would finally come. Would they be destroyed along with it?
9/27/2006
Lost and found
2 Kings 22:8 - Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
I wonder when the last time was that the Book of the Law (BotL) had been used. I wonder if Shaphan the secretary read the entire BotL before taking it to King Josiah. Or did he come across something particularly disturbing (like God's curses on the disobedient) that suddenly made him realize that this was an important document that the king needed to see immediately.
I wonder how much of it Hilkiah had read before turning it over to Shaphan. I wonder why Hilkiah himself didn't take it to Josiah. Did Hilkiah realize what it was? (Maybe Hilkiah hadn't been Josiah's regent.)
I wonder where the BotL had been stored that it fell into disuse. Did one of the ungodly kings maybe even hide it? Notice that God saw to it that the BotL was not destroyed -- even though many kings and priests and Levites had neglected it for many years.
I wonder how many people even knew it existed. How many fathers told their children the stories and instructions the BotL contained even if they didn't have a copy of their own. How many fathers today tell their children the stories and instructions the Bible contains even if they do have a copy of their own?
I wonder when the last time was that the Book of the Law (BotL) had been used. I wonder if Shaphan the secretary read the entire BotL before taking it to King Josiah. Or did he come across something particularly disturbing (like God's curses on the disobedient) that suddenly made him realize that this was an important document that the king needed to see immediately.
I wonder how much of it Hilkiah had read before turning it over to Shaphan. I wonder why Hilkiah himself didn't take it to Josiah. Did Hilkiah realize what it was? (Maybe Hilkiah hadn't been Josiah's regent.)
I wonder where the BotL had been stored that it fell into disuse. Did one of the ungodly kings maybe even hide it? Notice that God saw to it that the BotL was not destroyed -- even though many kings and priests and Levites had neglected it for many years.
I wonder how many people even knew it existed. How many fathers told their children the stories and instructions the BotL contained even if they didn't have a copy of their own. How many fathers today tell their children the stories and instructions the Bible contains even if they do have a copy of their own?
Josiah's early reign
2 Kings 22:1-7 - Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 31 years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said: "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD - the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."
I wonder who was regent while Josiah was still so young. Perhaps it was Hilkiah the priest. That would certainly help explain why he turned out to be a good king. (He didn't learn it from his father Amon.)
It is only 10 chapters later in the book of 2 Kings, but it is over 250 years later when we hear of Josiah doing the same type of repair and maintenance work on the temple that his predecessor Joash had done centuries before. For a bit of perspective on this, consider what was happening in the world around A.D. 1750! The U.S. wasn't even a country as such yet. Here we read of Josiah fixing up a building that, for the second time at least, had fallen into major disrepair. At least it was still standing. I wonder how many centuries-old buildings anyone considers worth repairing today.
I wonder what the full job description of the king's secretary was.
In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said: "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD - the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."
I wonder who was regent while Josiah was still so young. Perhaps it was Hilkiah the priest. That would certainly help explain why he turned out to be a good king. (He didn't learn it from his father Amon.)
It is only 10 chapters later in the book of 2 Kings, but it is over 250 years later when we hear of Josiah doing the same type of repair and maintenance work on the temple that his predecessor Joash had done centuries before. For a bit of perspective on this, consider what was happening in the world around A.D. 1750! The U.S. wasn't even a country as such yet. Here we read of Josiah fixing up a building that, for the second time at least, had fallen into major disrepair. At least it was still standing. I wonder how many centuries-old buildings anyone considers worth repairing today.
I wonder what the full job description of the king's secretary was.
9/25/2006
55 years of Manasseh
2 Kings 21:1-9 - Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother's name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put my Name." In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their forefathers, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them." But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
I wonder what outside influences turned Manasseh to such evil. Probably the usual: money, "friends," etc. And internally: greed, lust for power, sex, selfishness.
I wonder why he was permitted by God and good people to rule for 55 years. Apparently enough of the people were just like him -- or close enough. Isn't it amazing how quickly people forgot how good things were under Hezekiah? Then again, some probably didn't think life under Hezekiah was all that good.
He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their forefathers, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them." But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
I wonder what outside influences turned Manasseh to such evil. Probably the usual: money, "friends," etc. And internally: greed, lust for power, sex, selfishness.
I wonder why he was permitted by God and good people to rule for 55 years. Apparently enough of the people were just like him -- or close enough. Isn't it amazing how quickly people forgot how good things were under Hezekiah? Then again, some probably didn't think life under Hezekiah was all that good.
10 steps
2 Kings 20:1-11 - In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "
Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?"
Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?"
"It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "Rather, have it go back ten steps."
Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.
Hezekiah's illness was the result of a boil. Or maybe the boil was a symptom of something else. Perhaps he also contracted an infection related to it. I wonder what the doctors had done to try to heal him. Was a fig poultice a treatment they had never heard of before? In any case, it certainly reversed Hezekiah's condition quickly. I wonder if the doctors were amazed at his recovery just as they sometimes are today when prayer is offered on behalf of an ill person and they miraculously recover.
Prayer is powerful. Apparently Isaiah's announcement of impending death was intended as a test of Hezekiah's faith. A test he passed.
I wonder (not to the point of wanting to experience it) what it's like to know for certain that you're going to die very soon -- and the certainty comes not from fallible physicians but from a prophet who is the mouthpiece of God. I wonder what it was like for Hezekiah to know that 15 years later he would die for sure. Did he (would you in his place) do anything different, especially in that final year?
There probably has been a lot of conjecture about the shadow moving back 10 steps. I know very little of it, so this really is all my own.
I think there would be two ways for the shadow to move back 10 steps.
1) The rotation of the earth completely reversed.
2) The earth's orbit drastically changed.
If God used some "natural" phenomenon to accomplish the effect, I think it would involve a large object pulling on the earth via gravity. But something else plays in here too. The shadow moved back 10 steps, but apparently everything was back to normal immediately thereafter -- as far as we know. How long did that take? Did the 10 steps back take the same amount of time as the 10 steps forward? Perhaps a few hours? If another heavenly body was involved, it seems to me that its effects would have been felt for a longer period of time. (Then again, maybe not. I'm not a scientist.) So maybe there was no other asteroid or whatever involved. I wonder if God "simply" gave the earth a reverse twist with his "hand."
Were there any other effects on the planet besides all the shadows changing? And did anyone else notice? Did anyone not notice? Has anyone found other writings from this time that record this event? How did it affect the winds? The "jetstream"? The weather that day? Did any effects continue to have consequences over the next week? Month? Year?
I wonder if the Stairway of Ahaz (Hezekiah's father) was a type of timepiece like a sundial.
I wonder if anyone besides Hezekiah and Isaiah were told to expect this. I wonder if any "scientists" or wise men (magi) attempted to measure how long the phenomenon took once they noticed it had started. Or did anyone try to discover its cause?
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "
Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?"
Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?"
"It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "Rather, have it go back ten steps."
Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.
Hezekiah's illness was the result of a boil. Or maybe the boil was a symptom of something else. Perhaps he also contracted an infection related to it. I wonder what the doctors had done to try to heal him. Was a fig poultice a treatment they had never heard of before? In any case, it certainly reversed Hezekiah's condition quickly. I wonder if the doctors were amazed at his recovery just as they sometimes are today when prayer is offered on behalf of an ill person and they miraculously recover.
Prayer is powerful. Apparently Isaiah's announcement of impending death was intended as a test of Hezekiah's faith. A test he passed.
I wonder (not to the point of wanting to experience it) what it's like to know for certain that you're going to die very soon -- and the certainty comes not from fallible physicians but from a prophet who is the mouthpiece of God. I wonder what it was like for Hezekiah to know that 15 years later he would die for sure. Did he (would you in his place) do anything different, especially in that final year?
There probably has been a lot of conjecture about the shadow moving back 10 steps. I know very little of it, so this really is all my own.
I think there would be two ways for the shadow to move back 10 steps.
1) The rotation of the earth completely reversed.
2) The earth's orbit drastically changed.
If God used some "natural" phenomenon to accomplish the effect, I think it would involve a large object pulling on the earth via gravity. But something else plays in here too. The shadow moved back 10 steps, but apparently everything was back to normal immediately thereafter -- as far as we know. How long did that take? Did the 10 steps back take the same amount of time as the 10 steps forward? Perhaps a few hours? If another heavenly body was involved, it seems to me that its effects would have been felt for a longer period of time. (Then again, maybe not. I'm not a scientist.) So maybe there was no other asteroid or whatever involved. I wonder if God "simply" gave the earth a reverse twist with his "hand."
Were there any other effects on the planet besides all the shadows changing? And did anyone else notice? Did anyone not notice? Has anyone found other writings from this time that record this event? How did it affect the winds? The "jetstream"? The weather that day? Did any effects continue to have consequences over the next week? Month? Year?
I wonder if the Stairway of Ahaz (Hezekiah's father) was a type of timepiece like a sundial.
I wonder if anyone besides Hezekiah and Isaiah were told to expect this. I wonder if any "scientists" or wise men (magi) attempted to measure how long the phenomenon took once they noticed it had started. Or did anyone try to discover its cause?
9/23/2006
185,000 fallen
2 Kings 19:32-37 - Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria:
"He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.
By the way that he came he will return;
he will not enter this city,
declares the LORD.
I will defend this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David my servant."
That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning -- there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.
I wonder if God used some "natural" cause to bring about the death of these soldiers. Perhaps some quick-spreading disease? Was it something they ate? But all in one night! Wow! Presumably these were all able-bodied soldiers. I wonder if any of them realized what was happening. I wonder who had to dispose of the bodies. And how long did it take?
I wonder why Sennacherib thought he might need 185,000 (or more) just to take Jerusalem.
Everything happened as the LORD has prophesied through Isaiah, of course. I wonder why Sennacherib's sons killed him. I wonder how they were able to do so in a temple. I wonder why neither of them became the next king.
"He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.
By the way that he came he will return;
he will not enter this city,
declares the LORD.
I will defend this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David my servant."
That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning -- there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.
I wonder if God used some "natural" cause to bring about the death of these soldiers. Perhaps some quick-spreading disease? Was it something they ate? But all in one night! Wow! Presumably these were all able-bodied soldiers. I wonder if any of them realized what was happening. I wonder who had to dispose of the bodies. And how long did it take?
I wonder why Sennacherib thought he might need 185,000 (or more) just to take Jerusalem.
Everything happened as the LORD has prophesied through Isaiah, of course. I wonder why Sennacherib's sons killed him. I wonder how they were able to do so in a temple. I wonder why neither of them became the next king.
I know where you live
2 Kings 19:27-28 -
But I know where you stay
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me.
Because you rage against me
and your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.
I wonder if Isaiah was grinning with a twinkle in his eye when he said that. That's how I imagine him as he gives the LORD's answer about Sennacherib to the messenger who would deliver it to Hezekiah. I wonder if he wrote it down then and there, or dictated it, or if the messenger was expected to remember it.
Most messages from God are frightening to those who make themselves his enemies and at the same time comforting to those he calls his friends. This one is no different. "I know where you stay." If he knows where I am, then I know I am safe, since I'm one of his friends. Were I not, even though I might scoff on the outside, I'd be terrified in truth.
But I know where you stay
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me.
Because you rage against me
and your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.
I wonder if Isaiah was grinning with a twinkle in his eye when he said that. That's how I imagine him as he gives the LORD's answer about Sennacherib to the messenger who would deliver it to Hezekiah. I wonder if he wrote it down then and there, or dictated it, or if the messenger was expected to remember it.
Most messages from God are frightening to those who make themselves his enemies and at the same time comforting to those he calls his friends. This one is no different. "I know where you stay." If he knows where I am, then I know I am safe, since I'm one of his friends. Were I not, even though I might scoff on the outside, I'd be terrified in truth.
9/21/2006
From watchtower to fortified city
2 Kings 17:9 - The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.
2 Kings 18:8 - From watchtower to fortified city, he [Hezekiah] defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
Compare the two uses of "from watchtower to fortified city." Stark contrast, isn't it?
There are so many interesting parts to the life of Hezekiah packed into a few short pages of the Bible. I wish there were a whole book called Hezekiah. For one thing, I could then read what's in my favorite verse that's currently not in the Bible: Hezekiah 3:12. (Ask me to explain that, if you're really interested.)
You really should read all about Hezekiah before going on. Read at least 2 Kings 18. Though Hezekiah was as faithful as David, note that he didn't have an easy life because of it.
About Sennacherib's field commander...I wonder how many languages he could speak. I wonder how Hezekiah knew to tell his guards on the wall not to respond to the taunts.
More bits to come on Hezekiah.
2 Kings 18:8 - From watchtower to fortified city, he [Hezekiah] defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
Compare the two uses of "from watchtower to fortified city." Stark contrast, isn't it?
There are so many interesting parts to the life of Hezekiah packed into a few short pages of the Bible. I wish there were a whole book called Hezekiah. For one thing, I could then read what's in my favorite verse that's currently not in the Bible: Hezekiah 3:12. (Ask me to explain that, if you're really interested.)
You really should read all about Hezekiah before going on. Read at least 2 Kings 18. Though Hezekiah was as faithful as David, note that he didn't have an easy life because of it.
About Sennacherib's field commander...I wonder how many languages he could speak. I wonder how Hezekiah knew to tell his guards on the wall not to respond to the taunts.
More bits to come on Hezekiah.
9/20/2006
New kids in town
2 Kings 17:24 - The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
I wonder how Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, decided who would go live in Samaria. I wonder if it was considered a privilege or a punishment to move there. I wonder if the people had a choice. Did they all go at the same time?
I wonder how Shalmaneser decided which nations to choose the people from. Why did he choose more than one nation's people? I wonder if any pure Assyrians moved in permanently.
How many Assyrian soldiers, officials, etc. had to move there temporarily to get the other peoples settled in where the king wanted them? Did the king provide moving vans and other aid? Did the king (and his officials) care exactly which city (street? house?) the people settled in? Were as many people reported as had been deported?
The more you think about the details here, the more questions come up. But I'll stop for now.
I wonder how Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, decided who would go live in Samaria. I wonder if it was considered a privilege or a punishment to move there. I wonder if the people had a choice. Did they all go at the same time?
I wonder how Shalmaneser decided which nations to choose the people from. Why did he choose more than one nation's people? I wonder if any pure Assyrians moved in permanently.
How many Assyrian soldiers, officials, etc. had to move there temporarily to get the other peoples settled in where the king wanted them? Did the king provide moving vans and other aid? Did the king (and his officials) care exactly which city (street? house?) the people settled in? Were as many people reported as had been deported?
The more you think about the details here, the more questions come up. But I'll stop for now.
9/19/2006
Ahaz remodels the temple
2 Kings 16:10-18 - Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it. He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar. The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the LORD -and put it on the north side of the new altar.
King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance." And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.
King Ahaz took away the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the LORD, in deference to the king of Assyria.
I wonder how complex the new Assyrian-Judean altar was. Detailed plans imply some level of difficulty. Yet under Uriah's direction, it was built before Ahaz returned from Damascus. I wonder how long Ahaz stayed as Tiglath-Pileser's guest.
The king is the king, and what he says is law, but I wonder that there was no one -- not even a prophet or a priest -- who questioned Ahaz's remodeling of the temple and restructuring of worship and sacrifices. Apparently Tiglath-Pileser had some influence on the changes too, since some of them were made "in deference" to him.
King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance." And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.
King Ahaz took away the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the LORD, in deference to the king of Assyria.
I wonder how complex the new Assyrian-Judean altar was. Detailed plans imply some level of difficulty. Yet under Uriah's direction, it was built before Ahaz returned from Damascus. I wonder how long Ahaz stayed as Tiglath-Pileser's guest.
The king is the king, and what he says is law, but I wonder that there was no one -- not even a prophet or a priest -- who questioned Ahaz's remodeling of the temple and restructuring of worship and sacrifices. Apparently Tiglath-Pileser had some influence on the changes too, since some of them were made "in deference" to him.
9/18/2006
Temple repair outsourced
2 Kings 12:4-16 - Joash said to the priests, "Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD -- the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple."
But by the 23rd year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple." The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the LORD. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the LORD. Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the LORD and put it into bags. When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD -- the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.
The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
I wonder in which year of his reign Joash first told the priests to repair the temple. I get the impression that they delayed any repair work for several years. I wonder why Joash (and his staff) assumed that the priests themselves would be capable of making the repairs. After all, they were just that -- priests, not carpenters, builders, masons, or stonecutters. It's not surprising to me that they finally decided to outsource the repairs to the professionals.
I wonder if the priests thought, "Hey, we just got a nice raise! If we play our cards right, we won't even have to do any more work than we did before."
I wonder if Joash ever tried to recover the money from the priests that had never been used for repairs as intended. And if not, why not?
Since it's specifically mentioned that no accounting was required of the workmen, that seems to imply that such an accounting was required in other situations. Seems an accounting maybe should have been conducted with the priests (of all people!) a few years earlier.
But by the 23rd year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple." The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the LORD. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the LORD. Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the LORD and put it into bags. When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD -- the carpenters and builders, the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.
The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
I wonder in which year of his reign Joash first told the priests to repair the temple. I get the impression that they delayed any repair work for several years. I wonder why Joash (and his staff) assumed that the priests themselves would be capable of making the repairs. After all, they were just that -- priests, not carpenters, builders, masons, or stonecutters. It's not surprising to me that they finally decided to outsource the repairs to the professionals.
I wonder if the priests thought, "Hey, we just got a nice raise! If we play our cards right, we won't even have to do any more work than we did before."
I wonder if Joash ever tried to recover the money from the priests that had never been used for repairs as intended. And if not, why not?
Since it's specifically mentioned that no accounting was required of the workmen, that seems to imply that such an accounting was required in other situations. Seems an accounting maybe should have been conducted with the priests (of all people!) a few years earlier.
Joash the boy king
2 Kings 11:1-3, 21 - When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.
I wonder why Jehoiada the priest waited 6 years before proclaiming Joash as king. Was there something significant about Joash turning seven? Was Athaliah too powerful and had too much support during the first 6 years? Did Jehoiada need that long to make preparations for declaring Joash king?
I wonder how much Joash understood about what Jehoiada was doing for him. Today he would have been a 2nd-grader in elementary school at best.
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.
I wonder why Jehoiada the priest waited 6 years before proclaiming Joash as king. Was there something significant about Joash turning seven? Was Athaliah too powerful and had too much support during the first 6 years? Did Jehoiada need that long to make preparations for declaring Joash king?
I wonder how much Joash understood about what Jehoiada was doing for him. Today he would have been a 2nd-grader in elementary school at best.
9/16/2006
Jehu drives like a madman
2 Kings 9:17-20 - When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu's troops approaching, he called out, "I see some troops coming."
"Get a horseman," Joram ordered. "Send him to meet them and ask, 'Do you come in peace?' "
The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
"What do you have to do with peace?" Jehu replied. "Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "The messenger has reached them, but he isn't coming back."
So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
Jehu replied, "What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a madman."
I wonder where the watchman had seen Jehu drive a chariot recklessly before. I wonder how often he had seen him drive. I wonder if this was the only reckless chariot driver he knew.
I wonder if Jehu was commonly known as a reckless driver or "madman" on the road.
I wonder if Jehu was simply not a good chariot driver or if he had a servant who was a bad driver.
"Get a horseman," Joram ordered. "Send him to meet them and ask, 'Do you come in peace?' "
The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
"What do you have to do with peace?" Jehu replied. "Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "The messenger has reached them, but he isn't coming back."
So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
Jehu replied, "What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a madman."
I wonder where the watchman had seen Jehu drive a chariot recklessly before. I wonder how often he had seen him drive. I wonder if this was the only reckless chariot driver he knew.
I wonder if Jehu was commonly known as a reckless driver or "madman" on the road.
I wonder if Jehu was simply not a good chariot driver or if he had a servant who was a bad driver.
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