It's fascinating to consider. According to Legends of the Jews, those who settled in Samaria after the Assyrians deported the Ten Tribes weren’t exactly quick to embrace the Jewish faith, even when compelled by the Almighty.
Instead, they kind of... mixed things up. They were "forced by God to accept the true religion of the Jews," as Ginzberg puts it, but old habits die hard, right? The Babylonians, apparently, held a hen sacred. The people of Cuthah? A cock. The residents of Hamath worshipped a ram. And get this – the Avvites had a thing for dogs and donkeys, while the Sepharvites revered mules and horses. Imagine that pantheon! It's a far cry from the golden calf, isn't it?
Now, let's shift gears and talk about King Hezekiah. What a character! While the northern kingdom of Israel was, shall we say, heading south, Judah was experiencing a major spiritual and material revival, all thanks to him. Talk about a turnaround!
And here's a story you won't believe: as a baby, Hezekiah was destined to be sacrificed to Moloch. Yes, that Moloch. His mother, though, she was a resourceful woman. She saved him by rubbing him with the blood of a salamander. Salamander blood, people! The result? Hezekiah became fire-proof. Seriously! You can find this tale in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews.
Hezekiah was the polar opposite of his father, Ahaz. Ahaz is remembered as one of the worst sinners in Israel's history, while Hezekiah is celebrated as one of the most righteous. His very first act as king shows where his priorities lay: honoring God above all else.
He refused to give his father a royal funeral. Ahaz was buried like a commoner, a nobody. Harsh, maybe, but Hezekiah felt Ahaz didn't deserve any better. And according to the story, God Himself signaled that Ahaz was to be dishonored. On the day of the funeral, daylight lasted only two hours, forcing the burial to take place in complete darkness. A clear message, wouldn’t you say? It's all pretty dramatic, isn't it? It really makes you wonder about the weight of legacy and the choices we make, doesn't it?