The history of the two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, is spotted with those kings who forget that they are in power by the grace of God and those kings who “do good in the eyes of the Lord” (The Holy Bible). Ahab initiates the down fall of the time of peace through his abandonment of the covenant. Josiah is the young king to regain favor with God and restore the convent between God and the people of Israel. Ahab, king of Israel, son of Omir and father of Athaliah marries Jezebel a Phoenician.
She then convinces him to abandon the worship of his God for the worship of her gods. Then tainted by evil Ahab and Jezebel plan and kill a man for his processions. Michaiah the prophet of God came to Ahab and told him to repent or they shall both die; Jezebel by dogs feasting upon her flesh and Ahab by an arrow in battle (Ahab). After Jezebel’s death Ahab’s family murders each other for the right to the kingdom. Jehu arrives on the scene and has all the ministers of Baal put to death. Jehu did what was good in the eyes of the Lord (2 Kings 10, The Holy Bible).
Athaliah mother of Ahaziah took the thrown after Ahab; she ordered that whole royal line be cut down by the sword. Jehoiada a priest stole away Joash and anointed him as king when he came of age. Joash worked to repair the temple and what is right in the eyes of the Lord (The Holy Bible. ) Jehoahaz took the kingdom forty years later and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Jehoash followed in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord (2 Kings 13: 11, The Holy Bible). Amaziah tried to do what was right and succeeded but not as his father David had done.
He was good just not good enough. Jeroboam the Second did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit (2 Kings 14: 24, The Holy Bible). Azariah king of Judah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done. Zechariah, Menahem, and Pekahiah all did evil eyes of the Lord. Israel and Judah are falling into war and on their way down the proverbial toilet was they have abandoned the covenant of God. Jotham did what was right, a small grace to Judah. Ahaz and Hoshea both did evil in the sight of the Lord.
Ahaz going as far as sacrificing his own son to a false god of fire. “He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the Israelites” (2 Kings 16:3, The Holy Bible). Hezekiah returned to the light side and did what was good in the sight of the Lord. Every king that follows God is a shot at redemption for the Israelites, but no one ever takes the bait. Manasseh and Amon the last of the evil kings before the Book of the Law is found are described as “he forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord (2 Kings 21: 22, The Holy Bible).
Josiah the boy kings takes the thrown at the young age of only eight. Interesting how a hero for God’s people and the villainous king are of the same lineage. Josiah means “Yahweh supports”. Though he took the kingdom at age eight he did not turn to God until age sixteen, upon finding the Book of the Law in the Temple after ordering it be restored Kelly). After dedicating himself to God he enacted war upon the idols, false gods, and sins of both Judah and Israel. Josiah’s rampage is commonly known as the Deuteronomie Reform (Josiah). Ahab and Josiah are seen as polar opposites but have very similar parallels in their lives and deaths.
Ahab is likened to Adam being the as Israel’s “first sin” or the one to begin and bring the downfall of the kingdom. Ahab’s major flaws were his non-devotion to Yahweh and his allowance of Jezebel to take the lead in the area of spiritual matters, resulting in the worshiping of Baal. Ahab was dedicated to making Baal the single religion of Israel (Short). It is because of Ahab that kingdoms both North and South; or Israel and Judah; fell out of favor with God. “Ahab did evil in the eyes of the lord. At every turn, when given another chance by God through grace, Ahab messed up.
Finally he chose to ignore the Word of the Lord given to him by Micaiah and he was killed as a result (Simmons). Ahab died at Romoth – Gileah by an arrow in battle (Ahab). “Josiah’s terminal problem was that he didn’t check in with God before attacking the Egyptian forces passing through on their way to a divine appointment of defeat up in the Mesopotamian region. His failure to do so literally cost him his life” (Simmons). Josiah was killed by a stray arrow in battle against Pharaoh Necho the Second (Josiah) at Megiddo or Romoth – Gileah. He was dedicated to the worship of God being the single religion; Short) in efforts to succeed he destroyed all false idols. In this way he was trying to save Israel and being her people back to God. However, because “Israel wasn’t looking for reform, salvation, or anything of the like” (Simmons) Josiah was rejected. A rejected messiah. Just as Jesus was when he came to Israel to provide salvation. While the two kings are so different they can both be likened to each other and have undeniable life and death parallels.
The kings and kingdoms of these Earthly nations live in the sight of the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria Annotated Bibliography Ahab, King of Israel. ” Academic American Encyclopedia. Deluxe Library Edition. 1. Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1997. Print. This was a great source for the basics. Who was Ahab and what did he do. It was a very historic point of view which was nice to have in contrast to the religious point so view I keep finding. This was also another importance source to lead off of and use for fact checking. In addition it was helpful; in providing angles upon which to expand providing a direction to the paper. While it was useful I do wish that more would have been available. Ahab. ” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. , 2010. Web. This is what I used as a basic idea for the information and what I needed to look for what questions I had and what questions I have already answered and what questions do I have because of this new information. I liked it because it was simple to read and easy to navigate but I do wish that it would be more of a reliable source. This source was more to define a piece of information that came up in the studying of a different source. “Josiah, King of Judah. ” Academic American Encyclopedia. Deluxe Library Edition. 11.
Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1997. Print. This was a great source for the basics. Who was Josiah and what did he do. It was a very historic point of view which was nice to have in contrast to the religious point so view I keep finding. This was also another importance source to lead off of and use for fact checking. In addition it was helpful; in providing angles upon which to expand providing a direction to the paper. While it was useful I do wish that more would have been available. Kelly, Patrick. “Wisdom Minute. ” Sheppard’s Care. Sheppard’s Care Ministries, Web. 27 Jan 2010.
This was a different source. Very one minded. I thought that it was good because it was a nice recap of the Ahab Josiah story. It also expresses the idea of a parallel between Ahab and Josiah as well as comparing them with Ahab being the first sin and Josiah being the rejected messiah of Israel drawing the comparison to Jesus. I found it nice and interesting. This was a really nice place to pull different points of view even if they were all religiously themed. “King Josiah’s Rampage. ” The Unspoken Bible. Web. 27 Jan 2010. This was one of the most unique and useful web sites found.
It focuses more on the reformation that Josiah did and how the public reacted to their king’s sudden change in heart, religion and kingship. Also there is a historical overview of who and how attacked during Josiah’s time. It gives as quick little blurb about his death but nothing major. I found this source to be of extreme use because it was something different and not over done. Short, Thomas. Personal Interview on Ahab and Josiah and their affects on history. Thomas held some very interesting and different points of view on a very well known topic.
I thought it unique that stance he held on the parallels of Ahab and Josiah. Also I found it strange that he made no mention of the parallels of Josiah to Jesus. Thomas has the idea that what is printed in the Bible is absolute and not open to interpretation which is a very narrow minded and limited view however when one is looking for information on comparing two characters from the text he is the guy to go to. Simmons, Josh. Personal Interview on Ahab and Josiah and their affects on history. Mr Simmons had a very different approach then Thomas.
Josh was more of a this is what happened but this is what we need to get from it and here is why. Josh believes that what is in the Bible is true and absolute however times have changed so if we (the audience) are not running around impaling each other on swords then what are we to get from this story; “thou shalt not have idols before me for I am your god. And I am a jealous God. ” The Holy Bible. Colorado Springs: The International Bible Society, 1973. Print. This is the base location for information on the line of Ahab as well as the rise and fall of those who did well in the eyes of the Lord.
So there is the book of the Law. It is thrown out the window. The kingdom goes down the toilet. Everyone is sad. The book of the Law is found. It is good. God is still like… no you did bad. I shall still destroy you but you shall be restored to the Promised Land and the covenant shall be renewed. The kingdom is sad but has hope for the future… yay hope. Expert Interview: Thomas Short Email The Questions In what way was the rule of Josiah like that of Ahab? Wow! There’s really not much room for comparison. Josiah was a godly man & Ahab was an ungodly man.
About the only thing I can offer of similarity would be that Ahab, through his wife Jezebel’s strong influence, seemed dedicated to making Baal worship the singular religion of the northern kingdom of Israel while Josiah was fully dedicated to making Yahweh worship the singular religion of the southern kingdom of Judah. What was the major downfall of Ahab? Josiah? Ahab’s major malfunction (other than non-devotion to Yahweh) was his allowance of Jezebel to take the lead in spiritual matters of the northern kingdom, thereby permitting Baal worship to become the norm.
Josiah’s terminal problem was that he didn’t check in with God before attacking the Egyptian forces passing through on their way to a divine appointment of defeat up in the Mesopotamian region. His failure to do so literally cost him his life. Why do you feel it important Josiah be mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew? I don’t. It’s simply a matter of record. It’s more significant that the women (Rahab & Ruth) are cited, since that was not normal procedure. Elaborate upon the idea of Ahab and Josiah being parallels and metaphors for Jesus and His Second Coming. What are your thoughts on Josiah being the unwelcomed Messiah of Israel?
I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with either line of thinking. If you provide me a bit more info I might be better equipped to respond. Expert Interview: Josh Simmons Email In what way was the rule of Josiah like that of Ahab? – I suppose that you could say that both were nothing like had ever been or would be again. In the details outlined in the book of Kings, you see that they are almost exactly polar opposites. What was the major downfall of Ahab? Josiah? – Ahab did evil in the eyes of the Lord. At every turn, when given another chance by God through grace, Ahab messed up.
Finally, he chose to ignore the word of the Lord given to him by Micaiah and was killed as a result. Josiah also should not have gone to battle, in which his life was ended. Why do you feel it important Josiah be mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew? – The geneology of Jesus is used to show his relation in the Davidic line. Prophesy had declared that the Messiah would be descended from David, and it was through Josiah (as he was in the line of Judah’s kings) that the connection is made. I do not think that mention of Josiah’s name makes him any more or less important than the other names mentioned in the list.
Elaborate upon the idea of Ahab and Josiah being parallels and metaphors for Jesus and His Second Coming. – I have never given this much thought, but I suppose you could liken the reign of Ahab to what the world will be like and how people will be shortly before Christ returns, and Josiah’s reign can be likened to the descriptions of what Jesus will do when he returns. What are your thoughts on Josiah being the unwelcomed Messiah of Israel? – Tough for me to help you on this one because I have never heard of him described in that way.
But I suppose if by Israel you mean the northern kingdom at the time of Josiah’s reign, then the text shows us that even though Josiah was king of only Judah, when he implemented his reforms based on the Book of the Law, he went into Israel and forced them to reform as well. While I think he had every right to do this, I suppose you could say that Israel (northern kingdom) wasn’t looking for reform, salvation, or anything of the like. Hard to say though, because at that time the northern kingdom didn’t exist as a result of Assyria’s invasion and destruction of that kingdom.
