Today's Scripture Reading (February 9, 2023): Amos 1
Tiglath-Pileser III rose to
power in Assyria in 745 B.C.E., although there isn't enough information to tell
us how he came to power. Still, there is some evidence to suggest that he took
the kingdom from the descendants of his predecessor Ashur-nirari V. Some think
that he was part of the Royal Family but that he jumped to the head of the list
of succession through violent actions. In contrast, others believe he had no
familial connection to Ashur-nirari and his family. Even Tiglath-Pileser states
in his inscriptions that he received the throne of Assyria by divine selection
rather than royal ancestry. But by whatever method he used to get there, after
the death of Ashur-nirari V, Tiglath-Pileser III became King.
The other thing that is known
about Tiglath-Pileser III is that he didn't lack confidence. Among the titles
that Tiglath-Pileser claimed were King of Assyria, King of Babylon, King of
Sumer and Akkad, and then Tiglath-Pileser added King of the Four Corners of the
World and King of the Universe. But the reality was that Tigleth-Pileser III
was the bully on the block of the known world. While the King of the Four
Corners of the World and the Universe might have been a bit of a stretch, in
729 B.C.E., he became the first person to claim to be both the King of Assyria
and the King of Babylon.
But his reign began with a
revolt by Rezin of Aram, who conspired with other Levantine Kings to try to rid
themselves of Assyrian rule. According to the biblical Book of Kings, King Ahaz of Judah saw the conspiracy
and evidentially believed he had a choice. Ahaz could stand alone and risk
being attacked by the Levantine kings, join with Rezin and the other Kings in
revolting against Assyria, or lead Judah in a subject nation of Assyria and
rely on them for defense from the other kings. Ahaz chose the last option and
sent offerings from the Temple and the treasury to Tigleth-Pilesar III,
volunteering Judah as a subject nation of the Assyrian empire. It seems likely
that at the same time, Ahaz told the Assyrian King of the rebellion that was
brewing against him. As a result of this news, Tigleth-Pilesar attacked Aram
and the other Levantine Kings, sacking Damascus and executing Rezin in 739
B.C.E.
But maybe the bigger question
is, did Ahaz have to sell himself into a subject relationship with Assyria to
calm the threat presented by Rezin and the other Levantine Kings? In 766 B.C.E.,
Amos had already prophesied that exactly this would happen. God would break
down the gate of Damascus and destroy the King who is in the Valley of Aven.
And you have to think that God could have done that, whether or not Ahaz
decided to bribe the King of the Universe.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Amos 2
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