Two weeks ago we looked at the changing nature of Israelite worship. We noted that it was moving from being a locally based faith (worship in various places with a wide variety of leaders) to a more centrally based worship in Jerusalem. This was occurring around 1000 BCE as King David was consolidating both political and religious power. This centralization of worship became even more pronounced when Solomon, David's son and heir, constructed the First Temple. Depending on whether one is reading the books of Kings or Chronicles, this building project was a vision given directly to Solomon (I Kings 5) or to David who passed it on to his son (I Chronicles 17). Regardless of who first got the orders the Temple was built and the sacrificial regulations of the Torah were fully instituted. Unfortunately for Israel, Solomon, as he grew older, began to incorporate the idols of other cultures into the Temple. He did this in order to ameliorate his many foreign wives (married for political purposes) and their desires to worship their gods.
The focus of worship at the Temple for all Israelites lasted only a single generation. Following Solomon's death (931 BCE) the nation was divided between north (Israel) and south (Judah). While the southern kingdom continued to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, the northern kingdom knew that in order to maintain its independence it needed worship locations of its own. Thus the new northern king, Jeroboam, had two golden calves made (sound familiar) and placed one at Bethel and one at Dan (I Kings 12). In addition he constructed Temples for worship, appointed priests and set a new calendar for offering sacrifices. Over time worship in both Judah and Israel vacillated between faithful and unfaithful practices. Some kings (Josiah and Hezekiah) made efforts to purify worship while others (too many to name) worshipped the gods and goddesses of their neighbors. In addition both worshipping communities came to see the offering of sacrifices not as a way to be in relationship with God, but as magic. In other words if the people gave their sacrifices it meant that God would automatically give them everything they wanted.
During this period there arose prophets who were tasked with maintaining right worship of YHWY, the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God who had self-revealed to Moses. The Bible contains their stories and for many, their proclamations. The prophets came from a variety of occupations; some were priests and while at least one was a shepherd. For many of them, all we know about them is their names. Most prophets worked in only one of the two kingdoms. Their task was to remind the leaders about what faithfulness in worship meant; meaning not merely giving the correct sacrifices but living according to the Law of Moses. This is a point that needs to be made clear. Worship for Israel was never simply about sacrifices and singing Psalms. Worship was a complete life orientation. Worship was what one did on a day by day basis. Appropriate worship meant that one loved God and neighbor. Appropriate worship meant that one tried one's best to obey all of the Law.
Centralized worship began to vanish in the northern kingdom when it was conquered by Assyria in 720 BCE. Most of the Israelite population was carried off and vanished from history. The area was settled by peoples brought in by the Assyrian government. What is interesting however is that remnants of worship of YHWH survived and would ultimately influence religious development in that area. Centralized worship in the southern kingdom initially came to an end when Judah was conquered by Babylon in 582 BCE. This conquest brought about the destruction of the Temple and the deportation of the leaders of the nation. The destruction of the Temple forced the people of God to begin to ask how they could still be a worshipping community with a sacrificial system. The results of this struggle would ultimately serve the nation well when the second Temple is destroyed by the Romans. But more about that next week.
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