More doubles in I Kings 13 -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: [1], 2 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 20:06:16 04/07/08 Mon
Author: Betsy Peters
Subject: More doubles in I Kings 13

So we have seen the first of Jeroboam's imitation in his mirror image of Sinai's sin by making two golden calves. I don't think his imitation of sins stops there in I Kings 13. His sin continues. Jeroboam places one of his altars in BETHEL and the other in Dan. Dan is far in the north. It makes sense for anyone living north of the sea of Galilee not to make a long trip to Jerusalem three times a year for sacrifice. The journey IS to far for them. But Bethel is just a sneeze north of Jerusalem. Less than ten miles. This fact makes a sham of the concern "It is too much for you to go back to Jerusalem." No, it is not. If you can keep the kiddos in the back seat happy enough to make it to Bethel, you can make it to Jerusalem. It is only one more exit. This is a complete affront to the temple worship, because it repeats and intensifies the supposed sin of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Back in Joshua, Phinehas assumed that when the built the altar on the other side of the Jordan River that they planned to use it for worship. He refused to let this happen and so assembled all of Israel for war against the three tribes. When war-priest Phinehas arrives on the scene, he realizes that this is NOT the intention of the three tribes. They are building expressly to KEEP their place in Israel. It is just a reminder altar so that they can CLAIM inheritance. "We have to provide for the future of our children" so that you don't say "What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a boarder between you and us. You have no part in the Lord" and would kick them out of the inheritance of Israel.

Phinehas pulled the fire alarm falsely, but it sure caught everyone's attention. Extra altar are the smoke signal for the fire of false worship. Phinehas was right to scream: "don't you realize that the WHOLE assemble of Israel might perish for this sin like Aachen?" This is not a baby sin. Phinehas is ready to lead a civil war over it. Because that story is so gut-wrenching --Israel was one spear throw away from killing itself in killing Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh-- it gives us the picture of what Idolatry would look like--Israel ought to be on pins and needles lest they repeat the same error.

And yet after his civil war, Jeroboam openly imitates this sin. He KNOWS the story of Phineas, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. He knows. And it is because he knows that his altar in Bethel is so horrifying. Yes, it is a false altar that competes with Jerusalem. But it is a false altar that competes with Jerusalem in the context of a scenario Israel already experienced. In fact, Jeroboam announces when he rebels, "What share have we in David. We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel. Now see to your own house, O David". Jeroboam affirms what Reuben, Gad, and 1/2 Manesseh denied: I build this altar BECAUSE I have no participation with David and his God. R, G, and 1/2 M declared: We build this altar BECAUSE we want out children to remember that they SHARE a participation with Israel and Israel's God. Jeroboam commits the sin that R, G, and 1/2 M never did. Phinehas was all set to kill such perpetrators.

Again, I hear a story re-told, but I am not sure why the re-written narrative. What does the author gain by having Jeroboam imitate as he does?

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]