1 Kings 16:32, The Rise and Fall of the Cult of Baal
And [King Ahab] reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
//A great deal of the book of Kings seems to be a comparison of good kings versus evil kings in Israel. First one king does evil in the sight of the Lord, then the next king does what is right, then the next king does evil again. For the most part, the “evil” pertains to idolatry or cultic worship of the wrong god.
The Baal cult receives the most prominent mention. It lasted only about 40 years, but it gets a disproportionate amount of attention, from 1 Kings 16:23 to 2 Kings 12. Eighteen chapters devoted to the rise and fall of Baal in Israel, placing blame on the Omride dynasty, which includes notable baddies Ahab and Jezebel.
The time period spans Elijah’s commission to anoint leaders who will remove the cultic locations, and Elisha’s execution of this task. Halfway through these chapters, Elijah ascends to heaven, handing the mantle to Elisha.
This dark time period in Israel’s history probably explains the crabbiness of these two great prophets.
Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
(Bloggers: you may be eligible for a free review copy! Just contact us.)
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The God Show
Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
Contact me here.
About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
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