Topical Bible: Chariots: Consecrated to the Sun

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In the ancient Near Eastern context, chariots were not only instruments of war and symbols of power but also held religious significance in certain cultures. The Bible provides an intriguing reference to chariots that were consecrated to the sun, highlighting the syncretism and idolatrous practices that infiltrated Israelite worship at various times.

The primary biblical reference to chariots consecrated to the sun is found in 2 Kings 23:11. During the reign of King Josiah, a significant religious reform took place, aimed at purging Judah of idolatry and restoring the worship of Yahweh. The text states: "He removed from the entrance to the temple of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melech. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun."

This passage indicates that the kings of Judah had adopted the practice of dedicating horses and chariots to the sun, a practice likely influenced by neighboring cultures such as the Assyrians or Egyptians, where solar worship was prevalent. The sun was often personified and deified in these cultures, and chariots, as symbols of speed and power, were associated with the sun's daily journey across the sky.

The presence of these chariots within the temple precincts underscores the extent to which idolatrous practices had penetrated the religious life of Judah. The association of chariots with the sun god would have been seen as a direct affront to the worship of Yahweh, who alone was to be revered as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Josiah's reforms, as described in 2 Kings 23, were comprehensive and aimed at eradicating all forms of idolatry. By destroying the chariots dedicated to the sun, Josiah was not only removing physical objects of idolatry but also making a theological statement about the exclusivity of Yahweh's worship. This act was part of a broader effort to restore the covenantal relationship between God and His people, as outlined in the Law of Moses.

The mention of Nathan-Melech, an official in the royal court, suggests that the practice of sun worship had official sanction and was integrated into the state's religious practices. Josiah's actions, therefore, required significant political and religious courage, as he was challenging entrenched systems of idolatry that had been established by previous kings.

The destruction of the chariots consecrated to the sun serves as a powerful reminder of the constant struggle against idolatry faced by the people of Israel. It highlights the need for vigilance in maintaining the purity of worship and the dangers of allowing cultural and religious syncretism to dilute the worship of the one true God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 23:11
And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Now as to the Kind of Performances Peculiar to the Circus ...
... In regard to the team, they have consecrated the chariot and four to the sun; the
chariot and ... But as chariots had such inventors, the charioteers were ...
/.../tertullian/the shows or de spectaculis/chapter ix now as to.htm

National Apostasy
... a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? ... Idolatrous temples and consecrated
groves, wherein were worshiped the ... who sacrificed to the sun, moon, and ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 8 national apostasy.htm

Elijah's Translation and Elisha's Deathbed
... they were near another of the sites consecrated by his ... rust, are flaming and flashing
there in the midday sun. ... life when we read of these chariots and horses ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture f/elijahs translation and elishas deathbed.htm

Mahanaim: the Two Camps
... fain go; and many an hour consecrated to devotion ... and over bare moorlands, where
the sun beats down ... inspiration; to another shall appear with chariots of fire ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/mahanaim the two camps.htm

Absolute Surrender
... and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he ... God has created the sun,
and the moon, and the ... or at a convention, and I have consecrated myself to God ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/absolute surrender/absolute surrender.htm

The Unsatisfied Life and Its Remedy
... So with our MASTER: He takes His now fully consecrated bride aside, to taste and ...
Because the sun hath scorched me ... To a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. ...
/.../taylor/union and communion/section i the unsatisfied life.htm

The Lord's Supper
... to the saints.' For, as in the sun, light and ... so we must labour to have our hearts
consecrated before we ... When Jacob saw the wagons and the chariots which were ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 5 the lords supper.htm

The Memorable Hymn. "And when they had Sung an Hymn, they Went Out ...
... to be mocked, and despised, and scourged, and that tomorrow's sun would see ... how
perfectly consecrated! ... they sang of the Red Sea, and of the chariots of Pharaoh ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/till he come/the memorable hymn and when.htm

Holy Song from Happy Saints
... him; he has made my soul like the chariots of Ammi ... and eventide has come, and as
the sun goeth down ... than my your moroseness, more by your consecrated joy than ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 61 1915/holy song from happy saints.htm

The Alarum
... The dew of dawn should be consecrated to devotion. ... he would call up the day, and
bid the sun arise from ... up into heaven with horses of fire and chariots of fire ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the alarum.htm