​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Introduction

This is another research paper inspired by my good lady wife’s input. She is a regular listener to the BBC Radio programme ‘Thought for The Day’. She sent me the following link to one of the recent broadcasts that she rightly thought would be of interest to me: https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0m8nsgy?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile. It is a short piece, less than three minutes long in fact, so it is not a great chore to listen to it. Little did I know at the start of this piece of research what a Gargantuan epic I was about to write as a result of this three minute audio file!

The point of interest was that the presenter and writer, Anne Atkins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Atkins), lists her view of the serious human failings in several of God’s biblical heroes. Verbatim from the programme those failings are:

1. Abraham offered his wife for other men’s use to save his own skin not once but twice.
2. Moses was a murderer.
   
3. Jacob was a cheat.
   
4. King David was both a murderer and a cheat, killing a soldier because he fancied his wife.
   
5. David’s son Solomon had a harem of 1,000 wives.
   
6. Elijah brought down fire on his enemies
   
7. Elisha set a bear on a bunch of children, at best described as a gang of adolescents.
   
8. Saint Paul (Anne put the accent on the word ‘Saint’ – LOL) was intent on murder and even after conversion comes across as tetchy and arrogant.
   

Certainly, some of those views do sound familiar. So let us examine the relevant scriptures for each of those heroes of God and dissect the comments from Anne for their true meaning. Amen.
 

Abraham

Comment: ‘Abraham offered his wife for other men’s use to save his own skin not once but twice’.

Abraham’s Crime(s)

To tease out the full meaning of Abram’s offering of Sarai to Pharoah, we will need to unpick the whole of the second half of Genesis Chapter 12. It is certainly the case that Abram described Sarai as his sister thereby allowing Pharoah to take her to wife. This account occurred prior to Jehovah’s renaming of the couple as Abraham and Sarah respectively:

10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12 and it will come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they will say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee.
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15 And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 And he dealt well with Abram for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and she-asses, and camels.

However, Jehovah was displeased with this arrangement and consequently brought plagues upon Pharoah’s household. The scriptures do not tell us explicitly how Pharoah determined this was the cause for his plagues but I suspect he may have had a dream as was the case for Abimelech in the next and similar account. I also assume that Pharoah had not had enough time to enjoy his conjugal rights prior to the onset of his plagues. It is interesting that God did not admonish Abraham at all in this matter:

17 And Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

As a result of the plagues, Pharoah called Abram and asked him why he had not told him that Sarai was his wife. No response from Abram is recorded in the scriptures. Anyway, Pharoah allowed Abram and his household to go their way without further ado:

18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19 why saidst thou, She is my sister, so that I took her to be my wife? now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20 And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him: and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had. (Genesis 12 ASV)

The next such account of Abraham’s offering of Sarah to another monarch is very similar but differs in several respects. Firstly, this occurrence occurred after Jehovah had renamed the pair; although I am not sure if this is a significant fact for the matter at hand. Secondly, Abimelech was deemed to be a God-fearing king; this might be why Abimelech had a dream but was not dealt with any plagues upon his following God’s command in his dream Thirdly, more detail is provided in this case; it is not evident to the writer why this should be except perhaps some of that detail was also intended to apply to the previous account.  

To tease out the full meaning of Abraham’s offering of Sarah to King Abimelech of Gerar, we will need to unpick the whole of Genesis Chapter 20. It is certainly the case, once again, that Abraham described Sarah as his sister and thereby allowed Abimelech to take her to wife:

1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. (Genesis 20 ASV)

However, as always, God came to the rescue for all the participants in this little domestic drama. Jehovah told Abimelech in a dream that Sarah was a married woman and threatened him with death as a result. Abimelech pleaded his innocence in that he had taken Sarah to wife in good conscience and had not enjoyed his conjugal rights up to that point in time. He pointed out that Abraham had told him that Sarah was his sister and since Sarah supported Abraham in this, he had no reason not to marry her. God agreed with Abimelech’s assessment of the situation which was why He had intervened in a timely fashion before any adulterous action could have taken place. God requested that Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham. I think a key point here is that Jehovah goes on to explain the special role that He has for Abraham:

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken. For she is a man's wife.
4 Now Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation?
5 Said he not himself unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this.
6 And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou has done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. (Genesis 20 ASV)

Abimelech responded to Jehovah’s command. He called Abraham to him and asked him why he had done him such a disservice. Abraham replied that he did not think the fear of Jehovah was in Gerar and was in fear of his life regarding his wife. Abraham then goes on to explain that Sarah is indeed his (half) sister so, arguably, he was not caught in a lie but in a deception (check my Lies and Deception paper):

8 And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. And the men were sore afraid.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And wherein have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place. And they will slay me for my wife's sake.
12 And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
13 and it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me. At every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. (Genesis 20 ASV)

Anyway, this tale finishes with a happy ending for all concerned. Abimelech gave much of his riches to Abraham and Sarah, while God healed Abimelech and his household so that they became fertile again resulting from Abraham’s prayer on his behalf:

14 And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee. Dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee. And in respect of all thou art righted.
17 And Abraham prayed unto God. And God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants. And they bare children.
18 For Jehovah had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. (Genesis 20 ASV)
 

Mitigating Factors

So, was Abraham really a flawed hero of God? Well, it is certainly clear that Abraham had a very special place in God’s eye. There is no hint that God criticised His Prophet regarding these instances. I think that God fully understood Abraham’s concern regarding his own safety given Sarah’s beauty, particularly since Sarah seemed to be agreeable to the arrangement. In the end of the day, if Abraham’s fear had been realised then Sarah would have still ended up in either of the monarchs’ harems and would have lost her true husband in the process. Their scheme should be seen as the lesser of two evils. Was Abraham flawed for this? No, I think he was acting out of a reasonable sense of fear and made a decision that removed that fear without causing any additional risks to his wife Sarah, except the risk of being impregnated by another man and thereby committing adultery. This is the imperfect life that we all must live, making decisions as we go. We may not be happy with all our decisions in life but often they provide us with the better of two bad options. God most certainly understands this because this is exactly what this imperfect life is all about.
 

Abraham’s Crime of Attempted Infanticide

I have to say that I am very surprised that Anne Atkins did not think to mention the small matter of Abraham’s attempted murder of his own son, Isaac, albeit at the behest of Jehovah. This particularly since Jehovah would be the first to be damning of the nations that sacrificed their children to the false god Molech (check out my Idolatry paper). Let us have a little look at the relevant scriptures on this. This account starts off by telling us that God was testing Abraham to prove his loyalty to Jehovah by asking him to sacrifice his only beloved son:

1 And it happened after these things, testing Abraham, God said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.
2 And He said, Now take your son, Isaac, your only one whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. And there offer him for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will say to you. (Genesis 22 GLT)

During their journeying to Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the burnt offering. Abraham told him that God would provide the lamb. Now was this a lie or did Abraham really believe that God would provide the sacrifice?

7 And Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, My father. And he said, Behold me. And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood! But where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will see [to] the lamb for Himself, for a burnt offering. And the two of them went together. (Genesis 22 GLT)

Once they had arrived at their destination, Abraham prepared the altar complete with Isaac as the sacrifice. Interestingly there is no sense of Isaac’s putting up a struggle except that we are told that Abraham bound his son:

9 And they came to the place which God had said to him. And Abraham built there the altar, and arranged the wood. And he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on the wood.
10 And Abraham put out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22 GLT)

At this point, Jehovah’s angel told Abraham to halt since he had proven his loyalty to God in no uncertain way.  Furthermore, God provided a sacrificial ram to substantiate Abraham’s earlier ‘lie’:

11 And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens and said, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Behold me.
12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the boy, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you [are] a God-fearer, and you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold! A ram behind [him] was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it for a burnt offering instead of his son. (Genesis 22 GLT)

So, was Abraham an attempted murderer of his own son?  Well, he was following the Word of God and we saw that, in my earlier paper on War, loyalty to God transcends all other commandments. However, a further mitigation on Abraham’s ‘crimes’ is that the Law of Moses was not yet in place so, arguably, no crime could have been committed. Let us look at what Paul has to say on the subject to his Hebrew congregation:

17 By faith, being tested, Abraham offered up Isaac; and he receiving the promises was offering up the only begotten,
18 as to whom it was said, "In Isaac your Seed shall be called;" [Gen. 21:12]
19 reckoning that God [was] able to raise even from [the] dead; from where indeed he obtained him in a parable. (Hebrews 11 GLT)

So, Abraham was not afraid to sacrifice Isaac since he (correctly) reckoned that God would have raised his son up from the grave, if he had been allowed to go through with his sacrifice. Again, this puts the crime of murder into a very different category if one believes in the power of God’s resurrection.

James further justifies Abraham’s actions as proof of his righteousness:

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;
23 and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. (James 2 ASV)

A substantiating factor in all of this is that God had previously promised Abraham that his seed would be carried through his son Isaac, so Abraham was ‘guilty’ of believing God’s promise:

12 And God said to Abraham, Let it not be evil in your eyes because of the boy, and on account of your slave-girl. All that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice, for in Isaac your Seed shall be called. (Genesis 21 GLT)
 

Abraham Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on Abraham’s crime: Not guilty.

But let’s have a look at God’s ‘guilt’ in all this by asking His faithful prophet to sacrifice His only son. The false god, Molech (check out: https://allthatsinteresting.com/moloch) demanded his adherents should sacrifice their offspring by passing them through fire. So, how is this different from God’s request of Abraham? Jehovah was more than clear on His attitude towards that particular false god (check out my Idolatry paper):

1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Moreover, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3 I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4 And if the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death;
5 then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that play the harlot after him, to play the harlot with Molech, from among their people. (Leviticus 20 ASV)

21 And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through [the fire] to Molech; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah. (Leviticus 18 ASV)

I think there is a clear difference in that children were actually sacrificed to Molech whereas Jehovah stopped short of allowing Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It was intended as a test on Abraham, not a request for a true sacrifice:

31 Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods. (Deuteronomy 12 ASV)

Jehovah took the sacrifice of one’s own children very personally:

20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Were thy whoredoms a small matter,
21 that thou hast slain my children, and delivered them up, in causing them to pass through [the fire] unto them? (Ezekiel 16 ASV)

And we should not forget the ultimate sacrifice of Jehovah’s only begotten son as an act of His love for sinful mankind:

9 By this the love of God was made manifest in our case, because God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him.
10 The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent forth his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4 NWT)

Verdict on Jehovah’s ‘crime’: Not guilty.

I suppose one might challenge me as to why a (hopefully) good Christian would even ask the question of Jehovah’s guilt. But if I did not ask the question and satisfy myself as to the answer, I am certain a non-believer somewhere will ask that question with prejudice.

Also, I believe that it is not unreasonable for a subject to test his God’s justice model. While I would not wish to draw too many comparisons between myself and Abraham, it is noteworthy that he also asked Jehovah some searching questions to seek out his God’s sense of justice:

22 And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. (Genesis 18 ASV)

Amen.

 

Moses

Comment: Moses was a murderer.

Moses’ Crime

Well there is no doubt that Moses did indeed kill an Egyptian:

11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that [there was] no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. (Exodus 2 KJV)

Now sometime later, God caught up with Moses and instead of admonishing him for his murderous deed Jehovah told him to return to Egypt as those that sought his life were no longer alive themselves:

19 And Jehovah said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life. (Exodus 4 ASV)
 

Mitigating Circumstances

God then gave Moses His instructions towards Pharaoh. God describes the children of Israel symbolically as His own son. Given this, I imagine that God was pleased with Moses’ action in killing the Egyptian to protect a fellow Hebrew,  a member of His symbolic son. God would have considered an Egyptian to be an idol worshipper so would not consider his death to be anything other than supporting the worship of Jehovah (once again my papers on War and Idolatry are relevant).

21 And Jehovah said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born:
23 and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born. (Exodus 4 ASV)

We next find a terse few verses that require some interpretation. God threatens to kill Moses. Moses' wife steps in and circumcises their son upon which God relents to let Moses proceed to Egypt. Oddly it seems that Moses had not gotten his own son circumcised, presumably because he had an Ethiopian wife who objected to the circumcision of her son:

24 And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him, and sought to kill him.
25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.
26 So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [art thou], because of the circumcision. (Exodus 4 ASV)

God must have taken Moses’ not following the Land and Circumcision Covenant (LCC) laid down with Abraham as a serious crime against Himself compared with the murder of an idol-worshipping Egyptian. It should also be observed that while the LCC was in force, the Law of Moses clearly had not yet been given to the children of Israel:

9 And God said unto Abraham, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you. (Genesis 17 ASV)

Perhaps we are being given a little clue in the wording chosen by Christ in discussing circumcision. Whilst circumcision was written into the Law of Moses, Christ is clear that circumcision was not originally given to Moses. I wonder why He felt it necessary to make that point?

22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. (John 7 KJV)

Well, it looks like the following verses from Luke, regarding the Moses’ murder account, could provide us with the New Testament view of that small piece of Hebrew history. Luke rightly recounts the tale as Moses' defending of one of his brethren:

22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
24 And seeing one [of them] suffer wrong, he defended [him], and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: (Acts 7 KJV)

Not only did God not punish Moses’ killing of the Egyptian but, as we well know, He chose Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and gave them the Book of the Law through him:

34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent [to be] both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush. (Acts 7 ASV)

 

Moses Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on Moses’ crime: Not guilty.

Whilst Moses most certainly did kill the Egyptian, it was clearly done in defence of the beaten Hebrew. Rather than see this as a crime, it seems that this act met with God’s approval as an act to assist one of His people. Also, we do not yet have the Law in place at the time of the killing, so what Law was he breaking? Finally, who am I to question God’s judgement on this matter?
 

 
Jacob

Comment: Jacob was a cheat.

Jacob’s Crime

The first relevant scriptures on this topic describe the provision of pottage by Jacob to his elder brother Esau. Jacob demanded Esau’s birthright in exchange for the soup. Esau agreed to this whilst being highly dismissive of his birthright. Apart from sheer greed, it is not clear to me why otherwise Jacob would have wanted to strike this deal with his brother. However, whatever the rationale, the deal was struck between them:

29 And Jacob boiled pottage. And Esau came in from the field, and he was faint.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]. For I am faint. Therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die. And what profit shall the birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me first. And he sware unto him. And he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25 ASV)

So let us now have a look at Genesis Chapter 27 which recounts the story of Jacob’s tricking of his father, Isaac, into giving him Esau’s birth-right. I think it necessary to analyse the bulk of this chapter to tease out all the nuances of this account of Jacob’s trickery. First off, we see that Isaac was old and without good eyesight. He called Esau to go out to hunt for venison and make him the food that he loved upon which he would bless him before his death:

1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said unto him, My son. And he said unto him, Here am I.
2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death.
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison.
4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat. That my soul may bless thee before I die.

Now we know that Esau was Isaac’s favourite son, whereas Jacob was Rebekah’s. She had overheard Isaac’s conversation with Esau and planned to get Jacob to receive Esau’s blessing in his place by tricking the poor-sighted Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau when he brought Isaac his meal. It is arguable at this point that it was Rebekah that planned the trick on her husband Isaac and that Jacob was ‘merely’ following his mother’s wishes:

5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make them savory food for thy father, such as he loveth.
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death.

However, despite this being his mother’s plan, Jacob was complicit in the scam in that he pointed out to his mother the difference in the feel of his sibling’s skin compared to his own. Whilst Isaac’s eyesight was dimmed through age, that was not the case with his sense of feeling. Again, his mother took the lead by clothing Jacob with goat skins to provide the hairy feeling of Esau’s skin compared with Jacob’s:

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me [be] thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me [them].
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought [them] to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which [were] with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. (Genesis 27 KJV)

Then we have the actual act of Jacob’s deception. First off, he tells an outright lie by declaring himself as Esau to his father. This was no deception but a deliberate attempt to fool his father. The hairy goat skins did their job in fooling Isaac into thinking that it was Esau not Jacob he was talking with. And once again, Jacob lied by confirming his identity to be that of his brother Esau. As Isaac had requested of Esau, Jacob provided the meal for his father. Jacob even goes so far as to bring Jehovah's name into the deception:

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father. And he said, Here am I. Who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God sent me good speed.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father. And he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat. And he brought him wine, and he drank. (Genesis 27 KJV)

This concluded by Isaac giving his blessing to Jacob as a result of his son’s deception:

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed.
28 And God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and new wine.
29 Let peoples serve thee, And nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, And blessed be every one that blesseth thee. (Genesis 27 KJV)

Then Esau came back to his father with the meal that he had been requested to provide. Despite his earlier agreement with Jacob, Esau still wanted Isaac’s firstborn blessing. However Isaac, whilst unhappy at Jacob’s deception, told Esau that the blessing had been given to Jacob and could not be undone:

30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also made savory food, and brought it unto his father. And he said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy first-born, Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who then is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? Yea, [and] he shall be blessed.
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing. (Genesis 27 KJV)

It is here that we understand why Jacob was named as he was, ‘יַֽעֲקֹב֒’ being translated as ‘heel-catcher’ (i.e. supplanter) as per the birth of the two brothers. Esau’s birth-right and firstborn blessing were two separate issues. Esau acknowledged that he had already given his birth-right to Jacob in their previous agreement. However, he had still expected to be given Isaac’s firstborn blessing which had now also been given to Jacob:

36 And he said, Is not he rightly name Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two time. He took away my birthright. And, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants. And with grain and new wine have I sustained him. And what then shall I do for thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. (Genesis 27 KJV)
 

Mitigating Circumstances

So, despite his mother’s proposing of the deception from the start, there is no doubt that Jacob was fully complicit in the deception to steal Esau’s firstborn blessing. Also, it is noteworthy that we have seen no sign of God’s intervention in any of this. However, God showed His approval of Jacob over Esau by blessing Jacob as the line through which His promise to Abraham would be fulfilled:

13 And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee, whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. (Genesis 28 ASV)

9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.
10 And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 And God said unto him, I [am] God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. (Genesis 35 KJV)

Let us look at God’s blessing of Jacob in more detail. While Rebekah was pregnant with her twin boys, God tells her that the elder, Esau, will serve the younger, Jacob. So, it is arguable that Rebekah was doing her bit in serving out God’s prophesy through the deception. This would certainly explain why God was silent through all the acts of deception since those acts were in place to ensure that the Word of God was proven true. We have seen elsewhere (in my War paper) that God achieves His will in ways that mankind could not morally justify. We must trust that God’s will must prevail for the ultimate good of us all:

23 And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people. And the elder shall serve the younger.
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment. And they called his name Esau.
26 And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel. And his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. (Genesis 25 ASV)

Malachi confirms God’s choosing of Jacob over Esau in very strong terms. I have to say that I find God’s hatred of Esau to be a uniquely strong and negative emotion for our loving God directed at one individual who was descended from Abraham. He must have seen something in Esau’s character that He really did not much like:

1 The burden of the word of Jehovah to Israel by Malachi.
2 I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob;
3 but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and [gave] his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness. (Malachi 1 ASV)

Paul’s letter to the Roman congregation confirms the above preference of Jacob over Esau, also reprising God’s Word to Moses in that He will chose His preferences within the ranks of mankind:

10 And not only so, but also Rebekah conceiving of one, our father Isaac,
11 for [the children] not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of the [One] calling,
12 it was said to her, "The greater shall serve the lesser;" [Gen. 25:23]
13 even as it has been written, "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau." [Mal. 1:2, 3]
14 What then shall we say? [Is there] not unrighteousness with God? Let it not be!
15 For He said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will pity whomever I will pity." [Ex. 33:19] (Romans 9 GLT)

The latter verse being a reprise from the Old Testament Book of Exodus:

19 And He said, I will cause all My goodness to pass before your face. And I will call out the name of Jehovah before your face. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. (Exodus 33 GLT)

For what it is worth, it is made clear that Jacob was Rebekah’s favourite son, which explains her actions in provoking the deception. I have to say though, as a parent of three, whilst one might have one’s favourite child, both my wife and I strongly agree that we must treat all our offspring equally. Scripture does not seem to take that position:

27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob [was] a plain man, dwelling in tents.
28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of [his] venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25 KJV)

 

Jacob Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on Jacob’s crime: Guilty.

In terms of mankind’s moral view of these goings on, it is difficult to find any mitigating circumstances for Jacob’s deception on Isaac and Esau. While much of the conniving was provoked by his mother, Rebekah, she was likely acting to fulfil God’s Word to her. It is by no means clear that she shared her divine revelation with Jacob. In fact, I would argue that he was not aware of this since God made the point abundantly clear in revealing His blessing on Jacob, some considerable time after these machinations. Once again, however, God’s view is at odds with that of mankind on these shenanigans. God’s will be done. Again, we do not yet have God’s Law in place at the time of the deception, so this could not be broken. Anyway, who am I to question God’s judgement on this matter?

In this case and, as I have had cause to mention several times in recently published papers, one needs to start thinking like God. It is not easy since it seems to be counterintuitive on occasions like this, but it seems to be a necessary ingredient in progressing in one’s spiritual life. One needs to look at the big picture from God’s viewpoint. Amen.

 

King David

Comment: King David was both a murderer and a cheat, killing a soldier because he fancied his wife.

David’s Crimes

The relevant account is covered by the whole of Chapter 11 of the second Book of Samuel. For brevity we will only look at the key verses therein. This tale starts out with David seeing a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing. He asked about her and discovered that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Despite that, David slept with the woman he knew to be another’s wife (check out my earlier Fleshly Desire paper). So he committed adultery, an additional crime not mentioned by Anne Atkin unless this is what she meant by cheat. This act resulted in Uriah’s wife becoming pregnant: 

2 And it happened at evening time, David rose up from his bed and walked up and down on the roof of the king's house. And [he saw] from the roof a woman bathing. And the woman [was] very good of form.
3 And David sent and asked about the woman. And one said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 And David sent messengers and took her. And she came to him, and he lay with her. And she purified herself from uncleanness, and she returned to her house.
5 And the woman conceived, and sent, and told David. And [she] said, I [am] with child. (2 Samuel 11 GLT)

A little afterwards, David wrote to Joab, the commander of his army, that he should place Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, in the most dangerous part of the upcoming battle. This was with the express purpose of causing Uriah’s death which did in fact occur:

14 And it happened in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Place Uriah in the front of the strongest battle, and withdraw from him, that he may be struck, and die.
16 And it happened, as Joab watched the city, that he sent Uriah to the place where he knew [would be] mighty men.
17 And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab, and [some] of the people fell of David's servants. And Uriah the Hittite also died. (2 Samuel 11 GLT)

Joab was totally complicit in David’s intentions since he clearly ran the battle in a way to deliberately get Uriah unnecessarily killed along with many of his other best soldiers. I think you can get the sense of this from the instructions that he gave to the messenger who was to deliver the news of the battle back to David. This message effectively described an incompetent attack on the enemy’s city with the ‘mitigating factor’ that it ensured Uriah’s death:

18 And Joab sent and told David all the matters of the war.
19 And [he] commanded the messenger, saying, As you finish all the matters of the war, speaking to the king,
20 then it shall be, if the king's fury rises, and he says to you, Why did you draw near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from off the wall?
21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerub-besheth? Did not a woman throw a piece of a riding millstone on him from the wall, and he died in Thebez? Why did you draw near to the wall? Then you shall say, Also your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.
22 And the messenger went and came and told David all that which Joab had sent him to [tell],
23 and the messenger said to David, Surely the men have been mighty against us, and came out to us into the field. And we were on them to the entrance of the gate.
24 And those shooting shot at your servants from off the wall, and [some] of the servants of the king are dead. And also your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead. (2 Samuel 11 GLT)

After the period of mourning for Uriah’s death had passed, David took Uriah’s wife for his own wife. Her child was thus born to David. This all seems entirely criminal to my mind and it looks like God thought so too:

26 And Uriah's wife heard that her husband Uriah [was] dead. And [she] mourned for her husband.
27 And the mourning time passed by. And David sent and gathered her to his house; and she became his wife, and bore a son to him. And the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. (2 Samuel 11 GLT)
 

David’s Punishment

Chapter 12 goes on to talk about God’s punishment of David. To do so, Jehovah sent His Prophet Nathan to David to tell him a parable that reflected David’s own bad behaviour in the matter of Uriah and his wife:

1 And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. (2 Samuel 12 ASV)

Without needing to go into the detail of the parable, Nathan confirms to David that he is represented by the man who did evil in the parable. He gives David Jehovah’s judgement on him, which is severe to say the least, given God’s blessings on him up to this point. David is told that ‘the sword shall never depart from thy house’ and that he will have to suffer the same fate as Uriah in the adulterous acts of other men with his wives. Salt will be rubbed in David’s wound by making this behaviour open to the world rather than in secret such as David planned for Uriah’s wife:

7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 and I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the word of Jehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. (2 Samuel 12 ASV)

However, Jehovah falls short on David’s treatment of Uriah by forgiving his sin and not taking his life. God clearly loved David very much for his faith and his role as His people’s king:

13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said unto David, Jehovah also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. (2 Samuel 12 ASV)

A further element of God’s punishment upon David was the death of the child that Uriah’s wife bore to him:

14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. (2 Samuel 12 ASV)

This was fulfilled seven days after Nathan’s judgment:

18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. (2 Samuel 12 KJV)

Notwithstanding all these prophesied punishments, God gave David another son Solomon via Bathsheba to continue the royal lineage:

24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him; (2 Samuel 12 ASV)

Apart from Solomon, David had six sons:

2 And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
3 And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
4 And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
5 And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. (2 Samuel 3 KJV)

Nathan said the sword would never depart from David’s house. Arguably, this was fulfilled in the successive violent deaths of at least three of his sons. Firstly, Amnon, his first-born:

28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
29 And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)

But hang on a minute, Absalom was David’s third son. So, what gives? Why did Absalom arrange the murder of his own half-brother? A few verses later we discover the motive being punishment for Amnon’s earlier rape of Absalom’s sister Tamar:

1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name [was] Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)

10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought [them] into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11 And when she had brought [them] unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)

Next up we have the death of the murderer Absalom, David’s third son. Clearly David was upset about Amnon’s murder by Absalom but David’s nephew, Jonadab, explained his motive to the king:

31 Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.
32 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose [that] they have slain all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)

Given the unsurprising reaction from David for Amnon’s death, Absolom fled to Geshur:

37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And [David] mourned for his son every day. (2 Samuel 13 KJV)

Joab, the commander of David’s army persuaded David to allow Absalom to return  to Jerusalem. David agreed to this but on the basis that they were not to meet face to face:

21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face. (2 Samuel 14 KJV)

Eventually Joab further persuaded David to meet up with Absalom and ‘bury the hatchet’ between them:

33 So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom. (2 Samuel 14 KJV)

However, Absalom still had a grudge against his father and plotted to overthrow David. David was warned of this and fled from Jerusalem:

10 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.
11 And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, [that were] called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing.
12 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, [even] from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
13 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.
14 And David said unto all his servants that [were] with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not [else] escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. (2 Samuel 15 KJV)

There then followed an effective civil war in which Absalom attempted to take the crown from his father. This ended with the death of Absalom at the hands of David’s army commander, Joab:

14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he [was] yet alive in the midst of the oak.
15 And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. (2 Samuel 18 KJV)

Despite the enmity between them, Absalom was still David’s son so David mourned for his loss:

33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! (2 Samuel 18 ASV)

Adonijah’s death (he was David’s fourth son) was, once again, full of intrigue within the king’s household. This particular saga begins with the provision of Abishag to comfort the aged King David with her warm body, albeit without any sexual activity being involved:

2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel [was] very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not. (1 Kings 1 KJV)

Given, David’s ailing health, Adonijah believed he would succeed his father for the crown, given the prior deaths of his elder brothers Amnon and Absalom. Also, there is no further mention in scripture of Chileab, David’s second son, so one can only assume that he had also died but from natural causes:

5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also [was a] very goodly [man]; and [his mother] bare him after Absalom. (1 Kings 1 KJV)

However, Jehovah had previously intervened and had chosen Solomon to be king after David. He repeated this promise to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba as David lay on his deathbed:

5 And of all my sons (for Jehovah hath given me many sons), he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah over Israel.
6 And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. (1 Chronicles 28 ASV)

30 verily as I sware unto thee by Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; verily so will I do this day. (1 Kings 1 ASV)

Given his being the rightful heir to King David as the eldest remaining son of David, Adonijah approached Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, to ask her son, King Solomon, for the hand of Abishag who had effectively become one of his father’s concubines resulting from her having laid with the king:

13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's; for it was his from Jehovah.
16 And now I ask one petition of thee; deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king (for he will not say thee nay), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. (1 Kings 2 ASV)

This was seen by Solomon as a striving for his kingship upon which he ordered the death of Adonijah:

22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon sware by Jehovah, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah hath not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore as Jehovah liveth, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
25 And king Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, so that he died. (1 Kings 2 ASV)

Having got all of David’s first four sons out of the way (literally), let me remind the reader that Nathan also prophesied to David that his own wives would be humiliated before all Israel:

11 This is what Jehovah has said, 'Here I am raising up against you calamity out of your own house; and I will take your wives under your own eyes and give them to your fellowman, and he will certainly lie down with your wives under the eyes of this sun.
12 Whereas you yourself acted in secret, I, for my part, shall do this thing in front of all Israel and in front of the sun.' (2 Samuel 12 NWT)

Looks like this was yet another dig at his father by Absalom prior to his demise as this prophesy was fulfilled when Absalom “lay with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel”:

21 And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that [are] with thee be strong.
22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. (2 Samuel 16 KJV)

It should be noted that Bathsheba conceived Solomon later on, in a rather more legitimate manner.

David’s repentance of his sinful behaviour in this matter of his relationship with Uriah’s wife is the subject of Psalm 51. Here David confessed his sin and prayed for forgiveness. Despite his highly sinful behaviour, God knew what was truly in David’s heart towards Himself, Jehovah. Whilst He deemed it necessary to punish David severely, He nonetheless spared David’s life since God knew what a successful leader of His people David would be. Here are the first three verses of that Psalm to set the scene:

1 {To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.} Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me. (Psalms 51 KJV)
 

New Testament Writings of David’s Behaviour

So, what does the New Testament (NT) have to say about David’s bad behaviour? Paul, in his letter to the Roman congregation, references Psalm 32 in which David states that a righteous man, in God’s eyes, will be forgiven his sins. In David’s case this was clearly the forgiveness in what, under the Law of Moses, were the two capital offences of murder and adultery. These, however, were sins against his fellow man, not sins against Jehovah, of which God would have taken even more punitive measures I think (again check out my earlier papers on War and Idolatry if you have not already done so):

5 But to the [one] not working, but believing on Him justifying the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as also David says of the blessedness of the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 "Blessed [are those] whose lawlessnesses are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed [the] man to whom [the] Lord will in no way charge sin." [LXX-Psa. 31:1, 2; MT-Psa. 32:1, 2] (Romans 4 GLT)

1 [A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.] Blessed [is] he whose transgression is lifted, whose sin [is] covered.
2 Blessed [is] the man to whom Jehovah does not charge iniquity, and in whose spirit there [is] no guile. (Psalms 32 GLT)

The NT tells us why God spared David his life. The Gospels, Paul’s epistles and John’s Revelation all make the consistent comment that Jesus was in the line of David. So, if that is the case, God must have thought very highly of David’s heart towards Him together with the heart-felt contrition for his sins and the strong leadership of God’s people:

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1 KJV)

42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was? [Mic. 5:2] (John 7 GLT)

2 which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures,
3 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (Romans 1 ASV)

8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: (2 Timothy 2 KJV)

5 and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5 ASV)

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22 KJV)

Luke, in the Book of Acts, also references the Book of Psalms to confirm that Christ, the anointed one, will be raised to sit on David’s throne:

30 Being a prophet, then, and knowing that God swore with an oath to him that of [the] fruit of his loin, as concerning flesh, to raise the Christ to sit on his throne, [see Psa. 132:11] (Acts 2 GLT)

10 For thy servant David's sake Turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 Jehovah hath sworn unto David in truth; He will not turn from it: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. (Psalms 132 ASV)

In a further reference in the Book of Acts, Luke recalls the removal of Saul as King of Israel to be replaced by a man, David, who will do according to God’s own heart. It will be through David’s line that Jesus will be raised. Again, this references the Old Testament text of the Book of Psalms together with the First Book of Samuel:

22 And removing him, He raised up to them David for a king, to whom He also said, witnessing, "I found David" the [son] of Jesse "[to be] a man according to My [own] heart, who willdo all My will." [1 Samuel 13:14; Psa. 89:20; LXX-Isa. 44:28]
23 Of the seed of this one, according to promise, God raised up to Israel a Savior, Jesus; (Acts 13 GLT)

13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of Jehovah thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would Jehovah have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Jehovah hath appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee. (1 Samuel 13 ASV)

20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: (Psalms 89 KJV)

Luke has more to add to his comments on the legacy of David. There are numerous Old Testament references throughout the following verses from Acts Chapter 13. I reproduce some of the more relevant ones after the text from Acts. If we look at the translation from Psalms 2:6-7, it is arguable as to whether David is referring to himself or Jesus Christ. The LW view, from the True Bible Code, would be that he is referring to both, according to The Ambiguity Principle. Luke, however, literally conveys the meaning that the reference is to Jesus. 

Luke, together with David in Psalm 16, states that God’s Holy One will not see corruption. This is a clear reference to Jesus who never sinned. Luke then goes on with a comparison of David and Jesus. Jesus was resurrected whereas David died and slept with his fathers. Also, unlike Jesus, David knew sin, as we have clearly seen in this paper. But how highly was David regarded by Jehovah that he is even being compared to Jesus? It is worth adding that this is one of several NT references to the Psalms of David. The fact that numerous Psalms have been recorded in the OT demonstrate that God’s inspired Word was given to David, a privilege not afforded to many men:

33 that this God has fulfilled to us, their children, raising up Jesus; as also it has been written in the second Psalm, "You are My Son, today I have begotten You." [Psa. 2:7]
34 And that He raised Him from [the] dead, no more being about to return to corruption, so He has said, "I will give You" "the holy things of faithful David." [Isa. 55:3]
35 So He also said in another, "You will not give Your Holy One to see corruption." [LXX-Psa. 15:10; MT-Psa. 16:10]
36 For having served [his] own generation by the counsel of God, David truly fell asleep and was added to his fathers and saw corruption. [1 Kg. 2:10]
37 But [He] whom God raised up, [this One] did not see corruption. (Acts 13 GLT)

6 Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee. (Psalms 2 ASV)

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. (Psalms 16 ASV)

 

David Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on David’s crimes: Guilty on both counts as charged m’lud.

There is no doubt as to David’s guilt on the charges of the two capital offenses of murder and adultery. However, Jehovah knew David’s faithfulness towards Him and his strength of character in fighting for God’s people. God knows our innermost personality and judges us on that basis more than on our physical works:

12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4 KJV)

So, God punished David’s household as a result but withheld the Lawful punishment of taking David’s own life. Whilst to many of us this may not seem a just punishment, this once again requires us to perceive the mind of God (take another look at my War and Idolatry papers) and not our own human sense of justice. It is only faith in our Lord which can give us that knowledge. Amen:

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Corinthians 2 KJV)

NB. As a final note on David’s punishment, I would have thought it to be a worse punishment to see the demise of his own household rather than to face his own death penalty. Perhaps that was also in God’s mind in His treatment of David, although David would, no doubt, have expected the resurrection of his entire family come the Kingdom of God. I make a similar observation in The Trials of Job paper.
 

Solomon

Comment: David’s son Solomon had a harem of 1,000 wives.

I have to say that I had not thought that having a harem, as unwise as it might be, was a crime under the Law of Moses. However, check later on in this paper and you will see that it was. Anyway, 1.000 wives are a bit excessive to put it mildly, especially for a king as wise as Solomon was. I expect the real crime here is where that harem of foreign ladies led the poor old king. Let us have a look at what the scriptures tell us of King Solomon’s harem.
 

The Wisdom of Solomon

In looking at the overall context of Solomon’s reign, we start out with the dream in which God asked him what he wished for. In a very humble manner, Solomon replied that he wanted the ability to provide a just regime for God’s people. God was well pleased with this response and not only gave him the wisdom he sought but also the material wealth that he did not seek:

5 In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great lovingkindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great lovingkindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern justice;
12 behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee, all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. (1 Kings 3 ASV)

God was as good as His Word in Solomon’s dream. What is noteworthy in all this is the inspired Word that God gave Solomon as He did for his father, David. He gave him several Bible Books written by his own hand: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and The Song of Solomon:

29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that [is] on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. (1 Kings 4 KJV)

As examples, a couple of key verses within all his writings are to be found in the Book of Proverbs Chapter 4 and the Book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 23:

7 Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (Proverbs 4 KJV)

26 For [God] giveth to a man that [is] good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to [him that is] good before God. This also [is] vanity and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 2 KJV)

As well as His inspired writings, Solomon also undertook the building of God’s temple, a mighty and divine undertaking. So I think it fair to say that thus far God was well pleased with the king that replaced his favoured David:

4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This is [an ordinance] for ever to Israel.
5 And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods. (2 Chronicles 2 ASV)

5 And, behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the house for my name. (1 Kings 5 ASV)

1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Jehovah.
2 And the house which king Solomon built for Jehovah, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty [cubits], and the height thereof thirty cubits. (1 Kings 6 ASV)
 

The Downfall of Solomon

One might well wonder why someone with Solomon’s wisdom and faith might fall a cropper. Let us look at the part that his harem played in his downfall. Like his father, David, Solomon certainly liked comely young females. I guess he should have read my Fleshly Desires paper, except I wasn’t around just then LOL. Solomon’s problem was not the large size of his harem. His problem was the quality of the ladies who came from numerous idol-worshipping nations that Jehovah had expressly forbidden His people from having relations with. With age, Solomon began to follow the worship of those foreign gods. Unsurprisingly this did not go well with Jehovah (my earlier Idolatry paper is once again relevant here). Despite David’s sins, he stayed faithful to Jehovah. Solomon did not:

1 Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites;
2 of the nations concerning which Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1 Kings 11 ASV)

One question in my mind is why we are told that Solomon only had his head turned away from God in his dotage. One would have thought that would more likely occur in a younger man who would be rather more able to perform his manifold marital duties. One must consider that it was not dementia at play since God considered that Solomon had sinned and I cannot think that God would have taken this view if Solomon had not fully realised what he was doing.

I have to say that this is puzzling; how can an exceedingly wise young man turn into a stupid old codger in his latter days if not from dementia? This would seem to be the very opposite of a man’s normal journey through life so long as his sanity is maintained. Whilst I do not provide answers to this specific question, I refer the reader to the section entitled ‘Mankind's Decreasing Abilities with Increasing Age’ in my Old Age paper.

The only real conclusion I can come to is that Solomon always fancied a beautiful woman (check out my Fleshly Desires paper again) and effectively fell to that desire as did his father with Bathsheba and Adam when presented with the naked Eve. Perhaps in his later years Solomon’s defences against that desire, which he was previously able to resist, came tumbling down. I leave the reader to reach your own conclusions on the matter. Sometimes the scriptures leave one with questions to ponder over rather than provide definitive answers. I think this is one such example.

Notwithstanding the above conjecture, Jehovah’s punishment of Solomon was severe as far as his royal heritage was concerned. God would take away the majority of the Kingdom of Israel from his line, leaving the tribe of Judah only for his father’s sake. Solomon effectively caused the split between Israel and Judah due to his idolatrous behaviour:

11 Wherefore Jehovah said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
14 And Jehovah raised up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. (1 Kings 11 ASV)

Ironically, it was Solomon himself that wrote these final two verses from his Book of Ecclesiastes:

13 [This is] the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12 ASV)

As was the case with his father, David, Solomon is compared with Jesus Christ in the New Testament. This time, however, it was specifically his wisdom in the earlier days of his life that was compared to that of Christ:

42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here. (Matthew 12 KJV)

There are also NT scriptures that give credit to Solomon for having built God’s temple:

23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. (John 10 KJV)

47 But Solomon built him an house. (Acts 7 KJV)
 

Solomon Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on Solomon’s crime: Guilty. He was found guilty of the charge of Idolatry which is the greatest crime that a man can commit against Jehovah, especially for one who is covenanted to stay faithful.

So why not guilty of having a large harem of 1,000 wives? First off, the Law clearly allows for a man to have more than one wife:

10 'If another {woman} he take for him, her food, her covering, and her habitation, he doth not withdraw; (Exodus 21 YLT)

However, if one looks a little deeper into the Law, God specifically considers the position of the future kings of Israel. He dictates that they should neither acquire numerous wives or great wealth for themselves. Clearly God had prophesied the demise of Solomon well in advance of his reign:

17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17 KJV)

So li t looks like Solomon was also guilty of having a large harem, given the risk this brings of turning away from Jehovah.
 

Elijah

Comment: Elijah brought down fire on his enemies. 

Elijah’s Crime

Ahaziah, the King of Israel, was a worshipper of the false God Baal. Consequently, God had a dim view of him:

51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
52 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherein he made Israel to sin.
53 And he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done. (1 Kings 22 ASV)

Now, Ahaziah had an accident whereby he became sick. As a result, he sent messengers out to enquire from Baal whether he would recover from his injuries. However, the Angel of God intervened by requesting that Elijah meet the messengers asking them why their king made this request of Baal rather than of Jehovah. So, Jehovah answered the king’s question by telling the messengers, via Elijah, that he would not recover:

2 And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this sickness.
3 But the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. (2 Kings 1 ASV)

When the messengers returned with this message to Ahaziah, he sent a troop of fifty soldiers to Elijah. It is not made explicitly clear why he sent those troops but it could certainly not be on a friendly mission, I think. In response to a request from the captain of the troop, Elijah called fire down from heaven which consumed the whole troop. Now, whilst it was Elijah that did the calling, it was Jehovah that let the fire rain down on the troops. One might argue that this was a matter of self-defence from Elijah:

9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I [be] a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (2 Kings 1 KJV)

Ahaziah then sent a second troop of fifty which suffered the same fate as the first:

11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I [be] a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (2 Kings 1 KJV)

Ahaziah then sent a third troop of fifty. This time, however, the captain of the troop knelt before Elijah and begged for his troops’ lives. At this point the Angel of God intervened and told Elijah not to be afraid of this captain and to go down with him to deliver God’s message to Ahaziah. Given the Angel’s words to him, it would seem that Elijah had every reason to be fearful for his life from the first two encounters with Ahaziah’s captains:

13 And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in thy sight.
15 And the angel of Jehovah said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. (2 Kings 1 ASV)
 

New Testament Writings on Elijah

During the transfiguration of Jesus, the disciples saw a vision of Moses and Elijah talking with Him. Clearly, Elijah was a most beloved and esteemed prophet of Jehovah:

2 And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothing became white as the light.
3 And, behold! Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. (Matthew 17 GLT)

The Gospels also equate Elijah with John the Baptist first prophesied by the Prophet Malachi. So again, we are seeing the importance of the Prophet in God’s plan. More on this a little later:

12 but I say into you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.
13 Then understood the disciples that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17 ASV)

17 And he will go out before Him in [the] spirit and power of Elijah "to turn [the] hearts of fathers to [their] children," and disobedient ones to [the] wisdom of [the] just, to make ready a people having been prepared for [the] Lord. [Mal. 4:5, 6] (Luke 1 GLT)

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come. (Malachi 4 ASV)

The power that Elijah was able to summon from God is stated in the letter of James where we see He could bring rain on the Earth not just fire:

17 Elijah was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again; and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James 5 ASV)

The above verses equate John the Baptist with Elijah. This demonstrates a powerful Lords’ Witnesses’ (LW) understanding that the Archangel Gabriel possessed both the men Elijah and John the Baptist. Check out the LW view of Elijah at Introduction 18 - Gabriel was John the Baptist.

 

Elijah Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on Elijah’s crime: Not guilty.

It is not clear to me whether Gabriel had possessed Elijah’s body when he brought fire down on Ahaziah’s troops, but I do not think this matters too much in terms of Elijah’s guilt. If Gabriel had possessed Elijah at that time, then it was Gabriel that called down the fire from heaven. Even if Elijah had not been possessed at that time, it was not he that caused fire to come down from heaven. He ‘merely’ gave that decision to God if He wished to prove that Elijah was indeed a man of God. 

 

Elisha

Comment: Elisha set a bear on a bunch of children, at best described as a gang of adolescents. N.B. Err Anne, it was actually two bears! 

Elisha’s Crime

I have a confession to make. This is one of several scriptures that have caused me much mirth over the years. The prospects of a bald Prophet of God being mocked by a gang of youths for his bald head and then have a large number of them torn apart by two she-bears has always struck me as a very strange scripture. It is an account completed in just two verses and appears to be apropos nothing at all:

23 And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead. (ASV)
23וַיַּ֥עַל מִשָּׁ֖ם בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל וְה֣וּא | עֹלֶ֣ה בַדֶּ֗רֶךְ וּנְעָרִ֚ים קְטַנִּים֙ יָצְא֣וּ מִן־הָעִ֔יר וַיִּתְקַלְּסוּ־בוֹ֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ ל֔וֹ עֲלֵ֥ה קֵרֵ֖חַ עֲלֵ֥ה קֵרֵֽחַ: (Chabad)
24 And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them. (2 Kings 2 ASV)
24וַיִּ֚פֶן אַֽחֲרָיו֙ וַיִּרְאֵ֔ם וַֽיְקַלְלֵ֖ם בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהֹוָ֑ה וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה שְׁתַּ֚יִם דֻּבִּים֙ מִן־הַיַּ֔עַר וַתְּבַקַּ֣עְנָה מֵהֶ֔ם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנֵ֖י יְלָדִֽים: (2 Kings 2 Chabad)

Apart from amusing yours truly, it raises numerous questions. Why is this in the Bible? Why did it need two she-bears; I thought bears would not normally attack humans unless they felt threatened (female bears might attack if they felt their cubs were under threat - https://iere.org/do-bears-attack-humans/). Why did they kill the specific number of 42 youths of a somewhat larger group? Why did these lads pick on Elisha in the first place? I can understand that Elisha might have cursed their action but why did God set two bears on the unsuspecting youths?

The only explanation for all these imponderables can only be that we have here a symbolically coded verse with some presumably important message for the successful decoders. However, notwithstanding any greater meaning, the literal sense of these verses would still have applied. Perhaps God perceived that this gang of youths meant Elisha real harm so this could be seen as the means to protect His Prophet. But why use a couple of she-bears rather than fire from heaven as for Elijah? Perhaps God was being kind in only having 42 of the youths killed?

OK, let’s wind back a bit. You may have wondered why I have included the original Hebrew text for these verses. I wanted to focus on the Hebrew word ‘וַתְּבַקַּ֣עְנָה’. This is invariably translated as ‘tore’ in every English translation that I have seen, the American Standard version (ASV) above being typical with the more ancient 'tare'. However, a closer examination of this word’s meaning reveals that ‘divide’ might be a better translation. So, I would argue that the bears ‘merely’ frightened the lads causing 42 of them to be separated from the rest of the gang. If so then no serious crime was committed here.

Whilst this answers the charge of criminality, the primary purpose of this paper, it does not explain the symbolism represented in these verses. For what it is worth, the True Bible Code website does have an understanding of this account at Understanding 650 - 2Kings2: Elijah, Elisha and the 2 she bears. This is a highly esoteric greater meaning of the whole account in Chapter 2Kings 2, which I do not necessarily subscribe to. However, it does agree with my translation point above and makes the further point that bears have 42 teeth (check out https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/many-teeth-bear-5d94d5a89f20de78).

I believe that these verses are showing us a numeric element of the The 10th Generation Bible Code. Bears are mentioned often in Bible verses. Where there is a greater meaning in which a bear appears, I believe that meaning will include the number 42. A similar representation could also be made of other animals and body parts. Whilst we do use this principle in our Bible interpretations, I do not believe this is a defined element of the TBC at the time of writing. Having discussed this with the LW Church President, Gordon, he has agreed to incorporate this notion as an extension to the TBC. 
 

Elisha Guilty or Innocent?

Verdict on Elisha’s crime: Not guilty.

The evidence from a witness for the defence queries whether a crime was committed at all. If anybody was actually ‘torn apart’ then this would have been an act of God to protect His Prophet. Alternately perhaps, this was a case of ‘time and circumstance’ in which two bad-tempered bears just happened on the scene at the appropriate time and scared off the lads. I rest my case for the defence. 

 

Saint Paul

Charges: Saint Paul (Anne put the accent on the word ‘Saint’) was intent on murder and even after conversion comes across as tetchy and arrogant.

Saul’s Crime of Intent to Murder

So, let us make a start by looking at the scriptures that give evidence to the charge of ‘intent on murder’, whatever that means. First off, we have the stoning of the Christian martyr Stephen. According to chapters 7 and 8 of the Book of Acts, whilst Saul (Paul’s Hebrew name) approved of Stephen’s murder, he does not appear to have had a direct hand in the act. However, if we then move on to Acts 22:20, we have the confirmation from Paul’s own admission that he approved of Stephen’s murder and was looking after the outer garments of those who carried out the stoning. An accessory to the act of murder perhaps:

58 And after throwing him outside the city, they began casting stones at him. And the witnesses laid down their outer garments at the feet of a young man called Saul.
59 And they went on casting stones at Stephen as he made appeal and said: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 Then, bending his knees, he cried out with a strong voice: Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them. And after saying this he fell asleep [in death]. (Acts 7 NWT)

1 Saul, for his part, was approving of the murder of him. On that day great persecution arose against the congregation that was in Jerusalem; all except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Acts 8 NWT)

20 and when the blood of Stephen your witness was being spilled, I myself was also standing by and approving and guarding the outer garments of those doing away with him.' (Acts 22 NWT)

Some time after Stephen’s murder, Saul became much more directly involved with the Pharisees in seeking out other Christian followers in an official capacity. So, Saul became responsible for taking them prisoner and bringing them to ‘justice’ which no doubt meant jail time or execution. Again, whilst Saul would have had significant responsibility for any ‘slaughters’ that took place, it does not look as if he committed murder by his own hand, although morally he would have held that sin:

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. (Acts 9 KJV)
 

Saul’s Conversion

We then have the account of the vision of Jesus that occurred to Saul on his journey to Damascus and his following meeting with the disciple Ananias. It is in this encounter that we see God’s plan for Saul. Clearly there was something in Saul’s character that placed him centre stage to continue the work of evangelising in Jesus’ name. Here we have Jesus telling Ananias that Saul will suffer in His name (more on this later) and the famous verse of the literal and spiritual scales falling from Saul’s eyes:

13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
18 And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized; (Acts 9 ASV)

After his conversion and into his ministry, Saul acknowledged his zealous Jewish spirit and that he was guilty of the deaths of many of Jesus’ followers:

3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day:
4 and I persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. (Acts 22 ASV)

9 I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 And this I also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. (Acts 26 ASV)

It is probably worth saying a few words about Saul’s name being ‘changed’ to Paul. This was not actually a change of name such as when God renamed certain of his holy ones, e.g., Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel. Saul was a Jew but was also a Roman citizen, so he effectively had two names, the Hebrew Saul and the Roman Paul. Whilst certainly a blessed man, given his vision of Christ, he was not renamed by Jehovah:

9 But Saul, who is also [called] Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, (Acts 13 ASV)

27 And the chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? And he said, Yea.
28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am [a Roman] born. (Acts 22 ASV)

Let us consider Paul’s punishment for his murderous crimes. As I mentioned a little earlier, Jesus would see Paul suffer in his name as witnessed by Paul’s second letter to Timothy:

10 And thou -- thou hast followed after my teaching, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, endurance,
11 the persecutions, the afflictions, that befell me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of all the Lord did deliver me, (2 Timothy 3 YLT)

And further detail on those sufferings in his second letter to the congregation at Corinth:

24 Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 [In] journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11 KJV)

Certainly. Paul suffered many afflictions during his ministry. But was this punishment or a blessing for his changed ways?
 

Saul Guilty or Innocent of The Charge of Intent on Murder?

Verdict on Paul’s crime of ‘being intent on murder’: Guilty as charged m’lud.

Whatever that charge means ('accessory before the act' would seem to fit?), there is no doubt that Paul was guilty of bringing about the deaths of many of Jesus’ followers who ultimately became his fellow Saints. However, it was no doubt the zealous following of his Jewish faith that lead Jesus to make him one of His leading evangelical supporters. Paul was punished through his trials in spreading the Word but he was also blessed by his conversion through his vision of Christ. Amen.
 

Paul’s Crime of Being Tetchy and Arrogant

Now what of the charge of ‘ being tetchy and arrogant’? There are several scriptures, the writings of Paul himself, in which he might be described as tetchy and arrogant. These are writings in which he, at first sight, appears to take over the Gospels of Christ as his own. Elsewhere he glorifies his own ministry, states that he has made sure of the Word himself and asks his audience to be ‘his’ followers. All of these could be seen as his taking Christ’s glory for himself and over the twelve apostles. Some examples of these ‘boastings’ can be seen in the following scriptures:

25 Now to him that is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, (Romans 16 ASV)

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (2 Corinthians 4 KJV)

13 Now I speak to you who are people of the nations. Forasmuch as I am, in reality, an apostle to the nations, I glorify my ministry, (Romans 11 NWT)

19 Consequently we have the prophetic word [made] more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and a daystar rises, in your hearts. (2 Peter 1 NWT)

16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. (1 Corinthians 4 KJV)

I have to say that I often have those same feelings of arrogance about myself and the Church of the Lords’ Witnesses in that we believe our understanding of the scriptures is far in advance of any other church of which we are aware. However, in reading on we find that Paul fully acknowledges his God-given mission. Whilst he may have sounded to be glorifying himself in the previous scriptures, I think the reality is that he was representing his reflected glory from our Lord:  

16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9 KJV)

These next verses from Paul’s epistle to the congregation at Galatia convey the same message but also much more. Here he confirms his Jewish zealotry, which I suggested previously being used, after his revelation, as a force for good rather than the previous evil. Also, he confirms his not encroaching on the territory already covered by his predecessor apostles by going out on his ministry specifically to the gentile nations:

11 And, brothers, I make known to you the gospel preached by me, that it is not according to man.
12 For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught [it], but by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you heard my way of life when [I was] in Judaism, that with surpassing [zeal] I persecuted the church of God and ravaged it.
14 And [I] progressed in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my race, being much more a zealot of the traditions of my ancestors.
15 But when God was pleased, He having separated me from my mother's belly, and having called [me] through His grace, [Isa. 49:1]
16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the nations, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia and returned again to Damascus. (Galatians 1 GLT)

Here Paul quotes a verse from the prophet Isaiah in which he perceives his calling was predestined well before his birth:

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49 KJV)

To the Ephesian congregation, Paul further confirms that his ministry was God-given and that he is passing on Christ’s glory according to his own understanding. Again, I compare that more humble demeanour of Paul to my own and that of the LWs. Whilst we cannot compare Paul’s revelation to anything that has been visited upon us, I believe that we have indeed been blessed and motivated rather more surreptitiously by the Holy Spirit to enable us to perceive God’s truth as well as we are able. Again, we acknowledge that our understandings may still not be correct, which is why they are under constant review and amendment:

2 if, indeed, you heard of the stewardship of the grace of God given to me for you,
3 that by revelation He made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief,
4 by the reading of which you are able to realize my understanding in the mystery of Christ, (Ephesians 3 GLT)

Paul’s humility is further emphasised in his writings to his mentee Timothy in recognising his own sinfulness:

15 Faithful [is] the Word and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1 GLT)

Furthermore, in his epistles to the congregations at Ephesus and Corinth, he considers himself the least of all the saints and apostles:

7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; (Ephesians 3 KJV)

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15 KJV)
 

Paul Guilty or Innocent of Being Tetchy and Arrogant?

Verdict on Paul’s crime of ‘being tetchy and arrogant’: Not Guilty.

Some of Paul’s writings may be seen to be arrogant on a first reading. When one reads the full set of his epistles, however, he is anything but. He acknowledges that he is not good with words so this could offer some explanation for this view:

4 And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: (1 Corinthians 2 KJV)

However, he fully recognises the grace that God has shown him in converting his power for evil into a force for good. This is a lesson that we should all consider as being relevant for our own salvation. Amen.

The fact of the matter is that Paul wrote 14 Books of the New Testament. That is far more than any other Bible writer. From The 10th Generation Bible Code, the LWs can confirm all his writings to be inspired by the Holy Spirit so he must clearly have a special place in God’s heart.
 

Conclusion

Well, what I thought was going to be a short sharp analysis of a three-minute audio file turned out to be anything but. It became an extensive piece on some of God’s heroes with a thorough education for me into the natures of the individuals that God chose to represent Him in this system of things. Several of them were guilty as charged in my view but that almost always came with mitigating circumstances. Notwithstanding this, it is of fundamental importance to try to understand God’s decision-making in selecting His servants. God sees, in every one of us, the qualities that he appreciates, even if those qualities are used against His purposes to start with. Once again, we have a case of trying to think like God not man. All will be forgiven us if we show genuine contrition for our sins and a desire to follow the path that God wants us to take.

The one exception to this appears to be the wise King Solomon. Solomon started out with a solid relationship to Jehovah. Unfortunately, this turned sour in his later years and the wise king became a foolish old man. I have no view as to whether he will be saved in the Kingdom or will spend time in Gehenna come the day of God’s judgement. Time will tell, but I have a horrible feeling that it may be the latter. 

Date of Publication: 23rd December 2025

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