A Chamberpot Story (II)
In my previous post on the famous chamberpot, I mentioned Jeroboam son of Nebat who was hardworking, talented, successful and thoroughly corrupt. The rest of the story extends into the Second Book of the Kings; whenever a particular king was said to be evil, he is described as 'walking in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin' and is threatened with 'make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat'.
Curious about all this, I decided to look up all the references... 1 Kings 15:25-26, Nadab son of Jeroboam; 1 Kings 15:33-34, Baasha son of Ahijah (who killed Nadab and took the throne); 1 Kings 16:19-20, Zimri the chariot-captain (who assassinated Baasha); 1 Kings 16:25-27, Omri the captain of the host (who succeeded Zimri); 1 Kings 16:30-33 Ahab son of Omri (who apparently made God angrier than any other person and gets another six chapters, together with Elijah his nemesis, until Ahab dies by cowardly accident); 1 Kings 22:51-53, Ahaziah son of Ahab; 2 Kings 3:1-3, Jehoram son of Ahab; 2 Kings 10:29-31, Jehu the captain of the host (who killed all of Ahab's sons); 2 Kings 13:1-2, Jehoahaz son of Jehu; 2 Kings 13:10-11, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz; 2 Kings 14:23-24, Jeroboam son of Jehoash (yes, a second Jeroboam!). Yes, there are a lot of them.
It's amazing, actually. This Jeroboam was a greater villain than any other, a kind of benchmark of evil. In the list above, we finally get another Jeroboam, and the son of Jeroboam II is described as one Zachariah who "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." Poor Zach isn't even compared to his own father of the same name. There are three more kings after Zach who are also compared to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
And then you read the last chapters of the Second Book of the Kings, and you realise that the whole thing has become about Jeroboam son of Nebat. It's like reading books on modern history and realising that everybody is compared to Hitler, Stalin, or Mao (and even the Patriarch of Atlantis!) — which is actually true in some schools out there.
Curious about all this, I decided to look up all the references... 1 Kings 15:25-26, Nadab son of Jeroboam; 1 Kings 15:33-34, Baasha son of Ahijah (who killed Nadab and took the throne); 1 Kings 16:19-20, Zimri the chariot-captain (who assassinated Baasha); 1 Kings 16:25-27, Omri the captain of the host (who succeeded Zimri); 1 Kings 16:30-33 Ahab son of Omri (who apparently made God angrier than any other person and gets another six chapters, together with Elijah his nemesis, until Ahab dies by cowardly accident); 1 Kings 22:51-53, Ahaziah son of Ahab; 2 Kings 3:1-3, Jehoram son of Ahab; 2 Kings 10:29-31, Jehu the captain of the host (who killed all of Ahab's sons); 2 Kings 13:1-2, Jehoahaz son of Jehu; 2 Kings 13:10-11, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz; 2 Kings 14:23-24, Jeroboam son of Jehoash (yes, a second Jeroboam!). Yes, there are a lot of them.
It's amazing, actually. This Jeroboam was a greater villain than any other, a kind of benchmark of evil. In the list above, we finally get another Jeroboam, and the son of Jeroboam II is described as one Zachariah who "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." Poor Zach isn't even compared to his own father of the same name. There are three more kings after Zach who are also compared to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
And then you read the last chapters of the Second Book of the Kings, and you realise that the whole thing has become about Jeroboam son of Nebat. It's like reading books on modern history and realising that everybody is compared to Hitler, Stalin, or Mao (and even the Patriarch of Atlantis!) — which is actually true in some schools out there.
Labels: Bible, Evil, I Kings, II Kings, Persistence
etched with acid at 12:39:00 am
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