kings

Abijah or Abijam? 1 Kings14-15

Abijah or Abijam? 1 Kings 14-15

The NIV translates Rehoboam’s son as Abijah. When you compare it on the Bible app, to all the other translations every other translation calls him Abijam.
There was confusion for me because Abijah, Jeroboam’s son, died. So this led me to t…

Kings :: By Nathele Graham

Kings :: By Nathele Graham

Israel has always been a unique nation. It was established by God, but its history is filled with many ups and downs. When they obey God, they prosper. When they rebel, things aren’t good. Even in rebellion, God never deserts them. They had strong leaders in Moses and Joshua. These men led them from captivity […]

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The King’s Touch

The King’s Touch

A peculiar form of healing prayer in England (and France) continued from the Middle Ages to the 1700s, the “King’s Touch” That is, a…

Did King Hezekiah do something wrong in showing off his wealth?

The Hezekiah (Heb: Chizkiyahu) narrative in II Kings (chapters 17 – 20) and Isaiah (36 – 39) concludes on a dissonant and haunting confrontation between King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah has just shown his kingdom’s wealth to messengers of Brodach Baladan, King of Babylonia. Isaiah asks Hezekiah about his guests, and when Hezekiah tells him where they are from, Isaiah proclaims:

Behold, days are coming and everything in your house and what your
ancestors have collected until this day will be carried off to
Babylonia, nothing will remain saith the Lord. And the children that
you will beget will be taken to be eunuchs in the palace of the King
of Babylonia. And Hezekiah responded to Isaiah, the word of the Lord
that you have spoken is good, insomuch as there will be peace and
truth in my days. (II Kings 20:17-18, JPS translation).

This prophecy of doom is devastating and perplexing. Does Isaiah mean to say that Hezekiah is literally responsible for the future exile and destruction at the hands of Babylonians? If so, what did he do wrong? How should Hezekiah have known it was bad to receive foreign emissaries from Babylonia?

Three Kings Day of the Magi

Epiphany 2016: ‘Three Kings Day’ It’s the day the Magi visited Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Were they really just 3?…