Why King Mesha Sacrificed His Son and the Wrath That Followed

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but the kindness of the peoples is a sin" (Proverbs 14:34). Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, and the Rabbis. Rabbi Eliezer said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - acts of kindness are sins for the nations, since they boast of them. Rabbi Joshua said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - it is an advantage to the nations of the world that at the time when Israel sins, they in turn subjugate them. And Rabban Gamliel said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - the kindness that the nations of the world perform is a sin for them, as Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, "And redeem your sins by righteousness" (Daniel 4:24). Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach said: "Righteousness and kindness exalt a nation" - this refers to Israel, but they are sins for the nations of the world. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said: I see the words of Eleazar ben Arach as preferable to your words, for he assigns righteousness and kindness to Israel, and sins to the nations of the world. Abin bar Rabbi Judah said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - Israel receives kindnesses from the nations of the world at the time when they sin. So Rabshakeh said to Hezekiah, "And now, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land," etc. (cf. 2 Kings 18:25). So Nebuzaradan said to Jeremiah, "And He has brought it, and the LORD has done as He said" (Jeremiah 40:3); it is written "a thing." Rabbi Nechuniah ben Hakanah said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - the kindnesses that the nations of the world perform are a sin for Israel. From whom do you learn this? From Mesha, for "Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster" (2 Kings 3:4). What is "a sheepmaster"? A shepherd. "And he rendered to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams with their wool" (ibid.). What are "rams with their wool"? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: sheep. What did he do? He gathered all his astrologers and said to them: You said of me that I would make war with all the nations and conquer them, yet with these Jews I make war and they conquer me. They said to him: It is by the merit of one elder whom they had. He said to them: And who is this elder? They said: Abraham. He said to them: And what is his story? They said to him: A single son was given to him at a hundred years, and he offered him near. He said to them: And did he offer him? They said to him: No. He said: If, when he did not offer him, miracles were performed for him, then had he offered him, how much more so! And now, this man has a single son who is destined to reign after him; he shall go and offer him near, perhaps miracles will be performed for him. This is what is written, "Then he took his eldest son who was to reign in his stead, and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall" (2 Kings 3:27); it is written "upon the sun" [as if pointing the word so], for he was worshiping the sun. And what is written there? "And there was great wrath against Israel" (ibid., ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, the nations of the world, who do not recognize My power, rebel against Me; and you, who do recognize My power, rebel against Me! Rabbi Mana said: Were it not for the merit of Obadiah's wife, Israel would already have been destroyed from that hour, on account of what she did on that day. What is the reason? "And a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband," etc. (ibid. 4:1). Rabbi Ze'ora sent to Rabbi Ze'ir: You have heard the pearl that Rav Huna would expound upon this verse, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but the kindness of the peoples is a sin" (Proverbs 14:34)? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - the kindness that the nations of the world perform is prepared for them like the belly of the lizard. From whom do you learn this? From Merodach. Merodach Baladan was accustomed to eat at the sixth hour and to sleep until the ninth. And when the sun's orb returned in the days of Hezekiah, he slept and arose and found it morning. He sought to kill all his servants. He said to them: You let me sleep all the day and all the night! They said to him: My lord, in your proper time you ate and in your proper time you slept, but it was the day that turned back upon itself. He said to them: And which god turned it back? They said to him: The God of Hezekiah turned it back. He said to them: And is there a god greater than my god? They said to him: The God of Hezekiah is greater than your god. Immediately he sent letters with a gift to Hezekiah. This is what is written, "At that time Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah" (Isaiah 39:1). What was written in them? Peace to Hezekiah, peace to his God, peace to Jerusalem. And once the documents had gone out, his mind settled upon him and he said: I have not acted properly; I placed the peace of Hezekiah before that of his God. Immediately he rose from his throne and took three steps and brought back the documents and wrote other documents in their place. What was written in them? Peace to the God of Hezekiah, peace to Hezekiah, peace to Jerusalem the holy city. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You rose from your throne and took three steps for the sake of My honor; by your life, I am destined to raise up from you three world-ruling kings, sovereigns from one end of the world to the other. And these are they: Nebuchadnezzar, and Evil-Merodach, and Belshazzar. And once they arose and blasphemed, the Holy One, blessed be He, rooted out their stock from the world and set up others in their place. And the Rabbis said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - through the freewill offering that Israel brought for the work of the Tabernacle and the Tent of Meeting, a raising of the head was given to them through Moses, and He said, "When you take the sum of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12).