Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Plucking the Eagle's Wings

The Josiah Connection

"And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said 'O, altar, altar; Thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born to the house of David; Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt on thee." (1 Kings 13:1-2) Another parallel develops regarding the story of King Josiah. In this story, Jeroboam, fearing the loss of his kingdom to Jerusalem, instituted false idol worship in Bethel and Dan so that his subjects would not have to travel to Jerusalem. Three times a year, Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem to worship. These times marked three festivals: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. One of these three festivals was probably approaching when Jeroboam started considering his predicament. We can determine which one by looking at the context of the story. The Bible tells us in I Kings 12:33 that Jeroboam "devised of his own heart and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel" on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. To identify the eighth Hebrew month, we must understand that in Judaism there are two calendars. The civil calendar begins with the month Tishiri, making the eighth month Iyar, which follows the Passover season. However, in Exodus 12:2, God told Moses that "this month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you." The month referred to here is Nisan, which is the first month of the religious calendar. So, starting with Nisan, the eighth month would be Cheshvan, the month that follows the Feast of Tabernacles season. So, it was either the approach of Passover or Tabernacles that provoked Jeroboam to establish his own religious holiday. Josephus, the Jewish historian, identifies the Feast of Tabernacles as the holiday during which Jeroboam sought to keep his subjects away from Jerusalem. It was at this time of year that the prophet came and delivered his ominous tidings (Source: Antiquities , Book 8, Chapter 8, Section 4). According to Wilmington s Guide to the Bible , this prophecy

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