Famine, murder, revolution in Israel
Famine, murder, revolution
Famine in Israel
Elisha met with the woman from Shunem, whose son he brought back to life. He told her, “The LORD is sending a famine here. For seven years we won’t have enough food to go around. So, you need to live somewhere else during that time." She did what the prophet said. She moved into Philistine territory and stayed there for seven years.The famine may have been started by Syrian king Ben-hadad's three-year siege of Israel's capital city of Samaria. Invading soldiers may have destroyed the crops. It takes several years to restart a vineyard burned to the ground, for example.
Murder in Damascus, prompted by a prophet
Elisha pays a visit to Damascus while the Syrian king, Ben-hadad, lies sick in bed. He's hostile to Israel, but apparently values the opinion of Israel's most revered prophet. So he sends a messenger to ask if he'll recover from the sickness. Elisha tells the messenger, Hazael, to lie and tell the king he'll recover. Elisha then cries and tells Hazael that he'll do terrible things to Israel.Hazael tells the king he'll get well. Then he suffocates him and declares himself king of Syria.
Hazael will declare war on Israel and begin to take some of Israel's land east of the Jordan River. King Ahab's son and successor, Joram joins forces with Judah's army to try to stop the Syrians. Joram is wounded in the fight and goes to his getaway palace in the town of Jezreel to recover. He will die there, assassinated by one of his chariot commanders, prompted by a message from Elisha (2 Kings 9). That would be two kings Elisha nudged into an assassination.
Revolution
Edom and the little border town of Libnah revolted against Judah during the reign of Jehoram, the king who went into battle with Joram against Syria, and lost. Edom may have seen that as a sign of weakness. The nation won their independence, and the Israelites never regained control of the land.For more Bible features
Jordan River cure
Jordan River cure
Jordan River cure
Seven dips underwater
An Israelite slave girl of Syria's top military commander, Naaman, said he could get cured of his skin disease if he went to Israel an asked the prophet Elisha for help. He would not happy, however, when the prophet refused to meet him, but simply told him to go dip himself in the Jordan River seven times.His mysterious skin disease
The Hebrew word describing the disease, ṣāraʽ, can refer to any serious skin disease that would make an Israelite ritually unclean, and unfit to step foot on the sacred grounds of a worship center. Skin diseases reported in the Bible may often have been what we know today as a simple rash or perhaps eczema or psoriasis. The word is often translated as leprosy, but there’s no way of knowing if Naaman had what we today call Hansen’s disease. It’s caused by bacteria that grows slowly and damages nerves, skin, and eyes. It can produce light patches on the skin. Hansen’s disease is curable today with steroids and antibiotics. Without treatment, lepers sometimes get injured and don’t treat the injury because they can’t feel the pain. Infection sets in and body parts are amputated.Naaman refuses to wash in the Jordan
Naaman left, furious. He said, “I thought he would take me seriously. Why didn’t he come out to see me and to call on the power of his God, the LORD? He should have waved his hands over the spot on my skin to cure me. But no, he’s sends me to the Jordan. I could have washed in the rivers of Damascus—the Abana or the Pharpar. They have better water than anything we’re going to find down here in Israel.” Naaman was becoming livid.He calms down and dips
His servants tried to calm him down. “Please sir, you know that if the prophet asked you to do something huge and hard, you would do it. Why not do it even more so, since he told you to do something so small and easy? Wash and get well.” So Naaman did what Elisha said. He went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times into the water. Then he came up out of the water with skin as healthy and as clear as you’d find on a young boy. (2 Kings 5:11-14)For more Bible features
Jezreel Valley up close
Jezreel Valley up close
Israel's best farmland and frequent war zone
Josiah died here
A 3D-style map of Jezreel Valley up close gives us a better understanding of:- Why the valley is and always has been Israel's breadbasket
- Why Napoleon called it the perfect battlefield for his kind of warfare: stand, shoot, and die.
- Why King Josiah took his stand against the Egyptian army coming from the north. Think: Spartans at Thermopile.
- Why Judah's wounded King Ahaziah fled in his chariot to the Megiddo fortress to escape Jehu's coup
AI's view of the Jezreel Valley
"THE PERFECT BATTLEFIELD"
French General Napoleon saw this valley and declared it the perfect battlefield. Perhaps so, if you want two armies charging into each other with sharp objects. There's plenty of room to work up a speedy charge. it's the largest valley in Israel. It stretches out into a triangle about 20 miles by 20 by 12 (32km by 32 by 19).Bible-time battles
It rests at the foot of the Carmel mounts in the east and the Gilboa mountains in the southwest, where Saul and three of his sons died fighting an overwhelming force of Philistines. Gideon fought off seasonal invaders who made Jezreel they're staging center for raids on farms at harvesttime. Deborah, a prophetess with more courage than the nation's general, led the Israelite army to victory over an invading chariot corps. The general wouldn't go into battle unless she came, too. She took the Israelites up the steep slopes of Mount Tabor, where chariots couldn't go. She waited for a rainstorm, which seems to have trapped the chariots stuck in the mud by a flooding Kishon River. The invading army ran away, on foot.Jaw-dropping vistas
The Jezreel Valley, also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a breathtaking expanse nestled in northern Israel. Its lush landscape is adorned with fields of vibrant crops, orchards, and quaint villages. Famous for its historical and biblical significance, the Jezreel Valley has witnessed countless pivotal events. It is often referred to as the site of the ancient city of Megiddo, an archaeological treasure trove showcasing layers of human civilization dating back thousands of years. The valley's strategic location made it a sought-after prize for conquerors and a stage for numerous ancient battles. Written part by AI Edited by MillerFor more Bible features
Absalom and David run away
Absalom and David run away
Israel's royalty run for their lives
Prince Absalom orchestrates the murder of his big brother, and then runs for his life from his Dad, King David. A few years later, the world flips and David is running for his life away from his son, who was leading a coup.Rape of the princess
The family troubles all started with lust and incest. David's oldest son, Amnon, first in line for the throne, fell in lust with his half sister, Tamar. She was the full sister of Absalom. Amnon raped her. She tried to stop him. She said, “No, no, no. Don’t do this to me. It’s disgusting. And it’s not allowed in Israel. Who would marry me after you shamed me like this? It would ruin your reputation, too. I’m begging you, if you want me, go to the king and ask him for me. He’ll give you anything you want” (2 Samuel 13:12-13). He raped her anyhow, and the kicked her out of his house. Bible writers seem to imply she spent the rest of her life as a single woman living with her brother.David gets mad
The rape infuriated David, yet he didn't even mention it to Amnon.Absalom gets even
Absalom slowly fumed for months, plotting murder of his brother...years later he would attempt to murder David as well, in a coup. In the spring, when shepherds shear the sheep and harvest a crop of wool, Absalom threw a party to celebrate the payday. Amnon got the invite. He got drunk. And he got dead.Absalom runs to grandpa, king of Geshur
Absalom's mother came from the royal family of Geshur, a territory just beyond the eastern of the Sea of Galilee. He would live there in exile for three years before David finally invited him home. That's when David's biggest problem blew up in his face.Murder of Bathsheba’s husband
Murder of Bathsheba's husband
it began with an affair
King David didn't plan to get Bathsheba pregnant, the wife of one of his elite soldiers. And he didn't want to order her husband murdered. He did it to cover up the affair. David already had at least seven wives at the time. The Bible writer gives no indication if Bathsheba was a willing partner or a woman suffering through a royal command performance. Women seemed to have little to no influence, as in some nations even today. They were treated much like children.From 2 Samuel 11
BATHSHEBA THE NAKED BEAUTY
1In the spring of the year, when kings at war typically return to the battlefield, David sent his army to finish the fight with Ammon. He sent his commander Joab, all the officers, and all the soldiers to Ammon’s capital of Rabbah. But David stayed behind, in Jerusalem. 2Late one afternoon, after a siesta, David got up and walked to the flat rooftop of his palace. He saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. 3David had his people find out who she was. They gave him this report: “The woman is Bathsheba. She’s the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4David sent for Bathsheba. She came to him, he had sex with her, then she went home. At the time of the bath, she was purifying herself at the end of her menstrual cycle. 5She became pregnant. She sent the message to David. “I’m pregnant.” 6David sent a message to Joab: “Tell Uriah the Hittite to report to me.” Joab did. 7David asked Uriah how the war was going and how Joab and the soldiers were doing.URIAH DIDN'T COOPERATE
To quickly sum up the Bible story, David hoped Uriah would go home and sleep with his wife, so he would think the baby was his. Uriah refused to enjoy the comfort of home when his fellow soldiers were fighting to get inside a walled city. So David sent him back to the battle, carrying a secret message for the commander's eyes only. David wanted Uriah killed in the battle. The commander obeyed and sent him to the front line. The prophet Nathan soon confronted David, who repented and then married the widow. Their baby son died. But another son of Bathsheba became Israel's next king. His name was Solomon.David’s kingdom of Judah
David's kingdom of Judah
David becomes king of his own tribe
The map of Israel and Judah changed after Philistines killed King Saul and most of his sons in battle. David's tribe of Judah crowned him king of the powerful tribe. The other tribes up north and east of the Jordan River stayed with Saul's son Ishbosheth. He was a weak king, easily intimated by his commanding general, who seems to have slept with one of the woman in the king's herem. Not kosher. Initially, the general, Abner, supported Ishbosheth. He even went to battle against David, to defend the crown for Saul's family. But Abner lost to David's forces, and would later broker a deal to join forces with David.Battle for Israel and Judah
That didn't work out so well, David's general, Joab, murdered him. It was revenge for Abner reluctantly killing Joab's brother in battle. After the battle, Joab's brother, Asahel, who "ran like a wild gazelle," targeted Abner, who was retreating for home.Asahel refused to fight anyone else. He kept eyes on his bullseye, the enemy commander running away. Abner looked back and yelled, “Is that you, Asahel?” He said, “You bet it’s me.” Abner said, “Go after one of these other men and take what you want.” Asahel kept gaining on him. Abner said, “Pick someone else. I don’t want to kill you. If I do, how could I ever face your brother Joab?” Asahel kept running. He ran right into the butt end of Abner’s spear. It bore through his stomach and broke through his back. Asahel, David’s nephew, dropped dead. When fellow warriors came to his body, they stood for a time in silence. (2 Samul 2:19-23)Before long, the map of Israel and Judah would change again. David would unite the tribes and use the force of his armies to pacify Israel's neighbors.
For other Bible versions see Bible Gateway. Website of Casual English Bible paraphraser and mapmaker, Stephen M. Miller.