Solomon-and-Prophets-agree:
-hebraicstudies.net-
Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
“This is My Name Forever, and this is My Memorial to all Generations.” Shemot - Exodus
3:15. (JPS).
“I am יָהוָה, that is My Name; and My glory will I not give to
another”. Yeshayahu – Isaiah
42:8. (JPS)
Throughout
this site I may use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS), 2. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), 3. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC).
Colour coded details of the - TaNaKh: 1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings).
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and
history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Some minor alterations have been made
relating to Names and Attributes having been corrected.
YYYYYYY
With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens,
PhD.
It is obvious that the title of this study is
unusual; however, there is a very big matter at hand, which is in need of
attention then, as well as to this very day! All that will be explained by the
end of this study!
2 Chronicles 7:12-15: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).
“And יָהוָה
- the LORD appeared to Shlomo - Solomon by night, and
said unto him: ‘I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to Myself for a house of Sacrifice. If I shut up heaven
that there be no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I
send pestilence among My people; if My people, upon whom My Name is called, shall
humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be
open, and Mine ears attend, unto the prayer that is made in this place’”.
2 Chronicles 7:13-15.
Please Note:
There is a reason for the highlighting, as will be explained below.
This passage lays out a covenantal “if” or “then” framework: as the Divine discipline is followed by divine restoration, triggered by a collective humility, and prayer in pursuit אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s presence, and moral reorientation. It shows us that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s judgment is never final when repentance occurs.
Temple Dedication:
These words came right after Shlomo - Solomon dedicates the Temple
(7:12), anchoring אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s promise in that sacred space.
“יָהוָה appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this site as My House of sacrifice’”.
Triple Warning; Quadruple Response.
The sequence we have read covers - “shut up heaven … command the locust … send pestilence” and all that sets the crisis
stage.
The people’s response is fourfold: ‘humble them-selves’, ‘pray’, ‘seek אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s face’, ‘turn from evil’.
Promise of Restoration:
The “then” clause delivers three blessings: ‘hearing’, ‘forgiving’ and
‘healing’, each of these are able to restore relationship, guilt and land.
Let us look at the Key Themes:
Conditional Mercy: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s grace hinges on genuine
repentance, underscoring human responsibility.
Only if they are worthy, He will “Heal their
land” ties national well-being to moral and spiritual health.
The phrase “Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attent”
personifies אֱלֹהִים as watchful and responsive when His Name
is invoked.
The word used -
“Attend” is an archaic English rendering
of ‘attentive’, conveying a sustained Divine focus. אֱלֹהִים stated for the people to ... וְיִתְפַּלְלוּ
וִיבַקְשׁוּ
פָנַי - “Seek
My face” (פְּנֵי). Meaning we are to crave
for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s presence, not just
blessings, nevertheless an intimate pursuit. אֱלֹהִים provided the following; a listing of multiple
verbs such as “humble,” “pray,” “seek,” and “turn” amplifying urgency and
completeness.
There are the aforementioned parallels in Deuteronomy 28 as well
Leviticus 26 regarding covenant curses and blessings.
How 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 Shapes Later Prophetic Calls to Repentance:
2 Chronicles 7:13-15 establishes a covenant pattern: אֱלֹהִים – Elohim may bring drought, locusts, or pestilence, but if “My people… humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their evil ways”, He will hear, forgive, and heal the land. This four-fold human response and three-fold divine restoration resonate powerfully in Jeremiah and Joel.
Thus let us now look at Jeremiah, who somehow echoed the above, and the Covenant’s model.
He came with a conditional promise as we see in Jeremiah 18:7-8 he closely mirrors the “if” or “then” structure”.
“At one instant I may speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; but if that nation turn from their evil, because of which I have spoken against it, I repent of the evil that I thought to do unto it. If at any time I announce that a nation must be uprooted … and if that nation … turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I intended.”
A Call to Return:
Jeremiah 3:12–14 repeats the summons to “return” and links it to intimate knowledge: “I am a husband to you.” This echoes “seek My face” by portraying repentance as relational restoration.
Beyond all the ritual, Jeremiah 4:4 urges: “Circumcise yourselves to יְהוָה - the LORD, remove the foreskins of your hearts” an intensified version of “humble themselves” and “turn from wicked ways.”
Whereas in 2 Chronicles it pictures a single awakening, but Jeremiah interweaves intercession (Jeremiah 5:1) and divine refusal (and 7:16) to highlight the necessity of genuine, sustained repentance.
I now come to Joel’s adoption of the ‘Locust Motif’ and ‘Return-Formula’.
Joel 1:4 and 2:1-11 recount’s a catastrophic locust invasion, directly recalling the “command the locust to devour the land” in 2 Chronicles.
Joel 2:12–13 condenses the Chronicler’s four verbs into a heartfelt plea:
“Even now, return to Me with all your heart; with fasting, weeping, and mourning”.
The fast and weeping stand in for “humble themselves” and “pray,” while “turn” is underscored by rending hearts rather than garments.
Joel 2:18–19 echoes:
“I will hear… forgive… heal their land” אֱלֹהִים declares He will “pity, meaning to “repent” of the locust plague and “restore the years the swarming locust has eaten.”
Joel 2:15–17 institutes a sacred assembly: “blow the trumpet” “consecrate the fast”, and “gather elders” reframing the Temple-centred response of 2 Chronicles into a prophetic summons.
Let us look at a comparative snapshot - so far:
|
Element: Divine Discipline. |
2 Chronicles 7:13–15: Drought, locusts, pestilence. |
Yirmyahu -Jeremiah: Exile threats, siege, famine. |
Yo’el - Joel: Locust plagues, drought. |
|
Human Responses. |
Humble, pray, seek אֱלֹהִים Elohim’s face and turn. |
Return/rend heart, circumcise heart. |
Fast, weep, mourn, return |
|
Divine Restoration. |
Hear, forgive, heal the land. |
Relent, restore covenant bonds. |
Repent of disaster, pour out rain. |
|
Liturgical Frame. |
Temple dedication. |
Temple critique, altar warnings. |
Sacred assembly, trumpet calls. |
Why does all this matter:
By tracing 2 Chronicles into Jeremiah and Joel, you’ll see how the Chronicler’s covenant blueprint becomes a prophetic refrain. The stakes remains a real national catastrophe but the call to repentance gains deeper urgency through heart-focused language, communal fasts, and vivid agricultural imagery.
Think about it, “what resonates the most for you: Jeremiah’s emphasis on the ‘circumcised heart’, or Joel’s ‘communal fast before אֱלֹהִים - Elohom’s mercy’?
We now turn to Amos, followed by Zechariah:
Of course there is also this to compare with Amos 5:4-6 and its critique of hollow worship against 2 Chronicles’ true repentance checklist.
We can also examine Zechariah 7:5-7, where “fasting for fifty years” is reinterpreted as “justice and compassion”.
In this study, we have really done, a pictograph of each prophet’s response rituals, looking back to Shlomo - Solomon’s Mishkan four-fold model!
I pray that we will return unto יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Elohim, and uphold the Torah’s Mitzvoth’s, and double check the truth regarding all those books written by so many men, such as the evil ‘Zohar’, witch so much later became the mystic and occultic ‘Kabbalah’, which then sadly influenced the “Talmud”.
YYYYYYY
In Conclusion, a Question to Deepen
the Conversation:
Which part of this Tanach study or possibly a
particular line or statement within it has touched you the most? And how
do you feel about spending more time studying our beloved Tanakh? I pray that
you are doing well as a faithful Hebrew, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim willing you are
upholding as many as possible of our blessed Mitzvoth’s?
I am well aware that the modern world sadly
contains too many deviations as well as problems that seem to get in the way of our Hebrew
lifestyle. Yet worse than that, these days there are far too many enticements,
which can so easily throw many off track, and I know that has happened far too much.
Thus, if there are struggles that are taking place in your life, be it at this
or at any time, I am well aware that sadly it can often have a terrible and a
cruel effect upon your life?
Dear reader, please remember this, pray for
peace and solitude in your life, and then work on keeping as calm as possible
and learn to improve your life, for בָּרוּךְ
אֱלֹהִים - Bless Elohim, He is always there and
ready to help and guide you!
This site was originally set up for those who
needed to return to our blessed and wonderful faith, thus be wise and work on
your faith and pray at least three times a day, and always seek אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via a number of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD
of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. MEC).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your
Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה
(the LORD your Elohim); walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be
a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - YaHVaH
Elohim”. Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
YYYYYYY
“Hebraic Studies” motto
is as follows;
“The More
Torah, the More Life”,
For our Elohim is the One who gave us our ... Life!
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom (Peace)
of צְבָאוֹת-
יְהוָה(the LORD of hosts) be with you, and please always uphold our
blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat,
as well as the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Te’fee’lah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!
PLEASE NOTE:
If you need help I can email you special items to help you with whatever you
may need, etc! Just email me (using the link further below) and I will send it to
you, without any follow up whatsoever, nor any
requests from me!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom aleichem - Peace be
with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
iiEnter the Main Site IndexI
Or ...
http://www.hebraicstudies.net/Site-Index.htm
0Or Return to
the FRONT PAGE0
Or ...
https://www.hebraicstudies.net
-hebraicstudies.net-
Email the Rabbi
If the email link does not open - You can also copy the link and use it.
Although the author does not believe in having to copyright “Hebraic
Studies” which commenced in the mid 1980’,
but there have been occasions where there parts of his studies have been taken and quoted out of context
under his Name, and thus he has been misquoted by those who have their
own reasons for doing so.
Thus, it is only for this reason these works are covered under strict ...
Copyright © 2025 - “Hebraic
Studies” - All rights reserved.