Reading for January 24th

 Read 2 Kings 23.1-14. In verses 1-3: Huldah's original oracle may not have been so bleak or at least it may have been conditional, since it motivated Josiah to try to carry out reforms so as to avoid disaster. On the the language of v. 3, compare 23.25 and Deut 6.5. In verses 4-5: Josiah's reform included purging the Temple of the trappings of the worship of other gods. The Kidron was the valley between the city of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. In verse 6: Throwing the dust from the image of Asherah upon the graves would defile the image all the more. In verse 7: The word translated male temple prostitutes may actually include both male and female prostitutes who served in the fertility rituals of the worship of Baal and Asherah. In verse 8: In bringing the priests out of the towns of Judah and destroying the high places Josiah was executing the deuteronomic ideal of centralization, according to which the Temple in Jerusalem was the only legitimate place to worship the Lord. From Geba to Beer-sheba was the extent of the kingdom of Judah. In verse 9: The priests of the high places, however, refuse to go to Jerusalem. Eating unleavened bread accompanied sacrifices (Lev 6.14-18), which apparently continued outside of Jerusalem despite Josiah's efforts. In verse 10: Topheth was a valley that marked Jerusalem's western border. Also known as the valley of (the son of) Hinnon (Heb., "ge'hinnom"), it became Jerusalem's trash dump and was used by Jesus as the image for hell (Gehenna, see Mt 10.28). It was despised because it had served as a place of child sacrifice to the Ammonite god Molech (a distortion of the name Milcom made by borrowing the vowels from the word "bosheth," meaning "abomination"). In verse 11: This verse suggests that horses were an important part of worship of the sun , which was imagined as being drawn daily across the sky in a chariot. In verse 12: Offerings from altars on the roof are mentioned in Jer 32.29. The altars that Manasseh had made are mentioned in 21.5. In verse 13: Mount of destruction is a play on the Hebrew name for the Mount of Olives ("Mount of Anointing") because of the altars to foreign gods erected there. In verse14: Pillars and sacred poles were used in the worship of the Canaanite gods. Cover(ing) the sites with human bones would further defile them. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 23rd

 Read 2 Kings 22.11-20. In verse 11: tearing clothes is a sign of repentance and distress. Josiah is worried of the punishments threatened in the law for disobedience, since the people of Judah have not kept the law. In verse 13: Inquire is a technical term for divining or seeking an oracle from God. In verse 14: The prophetess Huldah is one of the few women in the Bible so designated (Miriam, ex 15.20; Deborah, Judg 4.4, and Isaiah's wife [?], Isa 8.3). The Second Quarter was apparently an expansion of the city of Jerusalem that had taken place, perhaps during Hezekiah's day, in the part to accommodate the influx of refugees from Israel. In verses 15-17: The man who sent you to me is Josiah. This place is Jerusalem. This part of of Huldah's oracle anticipates the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile. In verse 20: Most scholars believe at least the second half of Huldah's oracle to be genuine because it seems to be contradicted by history. Josiah did not in fact go to his grave peacefully, if this is what peace means. rather, he was killed in battle (23.29). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 22nd

 Read 2 Kings 22.1-10. In 22.1-23.30: The reign and reform of Josiah. Josiah, along with Hezekiah, is one of the good kings of Judah and one of the heroes of the Deuteronomistic History. He is renowned for his obedience (22.2; 23.25) to the law boom found during his reign. In 22.3-10: The temple repairs made by Josiah lead to the discovery of a copy of the book of the law, which has long been identified as a form of the book of Deuteronomy. Comments or Questions..

Reading for Januaray 21st

 Read 2 Kings 21.10-26.  In verse 11: Amorites is a general name for the inhabitants of Canaan before the Israelites. In verse 13: The measuring line and plummet suggests that Judah will be judged by the same standards by which Samaria and its worst kings, the house of Ahab, were condemned. Compare Am 7.7-9. To wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish means to empty it completely. In verse 14; The Lord's heritage is the nation of Israel. since the northern kingdom is no more, therefore, predicts the Babylonian Exile and blame it on Manasseh. Quite a different story is told in 2 Chr 33.10-13. In verse 16: This verse may be an addition, since it does not seem to relate well to the surrounding context. In verse 18: Manasseh also is not buried in the city of David but in the garden of Uzza and the location of this garden is unknown. In verse 24: The people of the land may be the landowning nobility, but their identity is disputed. In verse 26: Amon is also buried in the garden of Uzza. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 20th

 Read 2 Kings 21.1-9. In 21.1-26: Manasseh and Amon. In verse 1: Manasseh is credited with the longest reign, fifty-five years, of any king of Israel or Judah. In verse 3: A sacred pole was an important part of worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. The host of heaven refers to the astral gods-sun, moon, and stars. These practices were outlawed by Deuteronomy (12.29-31; 17.3). In verse 6: He made his son pass through fire refers to child sacrifice. Mediums and wizards are often used in conjunction and refer to devices used to communicate with the dead. Such practices are condemned by law in Deuteronomy (18.10). See 1 Sam 28. In verses 7-8: Here the promise of the central "place" chosen by Yahweh (Deut 12.5) is combined with the promise of a dynasty to David (2 Sam 7). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 19th

Read 2 Kings 20.1-21. In 20.1-21: Hezekiah's illness and the Babylonian envoy. The stories in this chapter are probably out of order and originally preceded the invasion of Sennacherib in 701 BCE, since v. 6 promises defense of Jerusalem, and the visit of Merodach-baladan must have preceded Hezekiah's revolt against Assyria. In verse 7: The lump of figs served as a poultice, a medicinal substance applied directly to the the skin, to draw out the boil. In verses 8-11: Comparable to Josh 10.12-13, where the sun stood still, here it retreated 10 hours. In verses 12-19: Merodach-baladan is Marduk-apal-iddina, who ruled in Babylon 702-709 and again in 702 and opposed Assyria. His visit to Jerusalem would have involved plotting for Hezekiah's revolt against Assyria. In this context, however, it has been used to foreshadow the Babylonian Exile. Eunuchs (v. 18) were castrated males who were often employed as guardians and servants in the royal harem. However, the Hebrew word may simply mean a palace servant or official. In verse 20: The conduit by which Hezekiah brought water into the city probably refers to the Siloam tunnel in Jerusalem, which contained an inscription describing its construction. In verse 21: There is no notice about Hezekiah's burial "in the city of David" as there is for his predecessors. The reason is unclear, though it may reflect as actual change in practice. 2 Chr 32.33 says he was buried "on the ascent to the tombs of the descendants of David," which may suggest that the royal tombs of Judah were full. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 18th

 Read 2 Kings 19.20-37. In verse 21: She is the virgin daughter Zion, a reference to Jerusalem. Toss(ing) her head was a way of showing contempt. The idea is that the city of Jerusalem disdains the Assyrian king Sennacherib. In verses 22-24: Sennacherib is caricatured as arrogant and boastful to the point that he reviled the Lord. The speaker is vv.23-23 is Sennacherib. See Isa 10.12-19; 14.24-27. In verses 25-28: Now the Lord speaks. The message in these verses is that it is the Lord who determined Sennacherib's victories and who will now bring him down because of his pride.  In verses 29-31: This oracle is considered more realistic and thus more original than the surrounding material. The sign is describes is a three-year period before agriculture returns to its normal cycle and the Assyrians threat is fully removed (v. 29). The city of Jerusalem from which the countryside will be repopulated after the Assyrian devastation (vv. 30-31). In verses 32-33: These verses reflect the doctrine of the inviolability of Jerusalem, that is, the belief that the Lord would never allow the city of Jerusalem to be captured. The idea may have arisen as a result of the city's survival in 701. It was later countered by t he prophet Jeremiah (Jer 7). In verse 35: This verse describes a plague that devastated Sennacherib's and forced him to return home in shame to Nineveh. The historical veracity of the even cannot be confirmed or denied. In  verses 36-37: Sennacherib's assassination did not take place until 20years later in 681 BCE. Ararat (v. 37) is modern day Armenia north of Assyria. Comments or Questions..