HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH INSIGHTS #30
OLD TESTAMENT Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona
Weekly E-mail Reminder
<< COME TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD >>
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(1.) Hezekiah, Highly Favored among the Jews:
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We also know that several things in his life were powerful metaphors of the
Savior. Bringing "Living Water" to Jerusalem and another was bringing the
people to the Lord and the Temple by awakening the scriptures to them.
"Hezekiah is remembered as a great king by Jews, both for his religious virtue
and his political and military skill." ". . . a king who purified the religion
of the people of Judah by eliminating idolatry . . . Through his piety, Hezekiah
was responsible for a national awakening in Judah." (Encyclopedia Judaica
Jr.)
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(2.) Hezekiah's Tunnel:
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Hezekiah reinforced the walls of Jerusalem, repaired the temple and extended the
short tunnel from David's time and built a longer water tunnel capable of
supplying the city in times of emergency. He covered the Gihon spring outside
the walls "sending" the water to the
pool of Siloam, the name meaning "sent" (Shiloah in Hebrew).
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(3.) Presently Judaism has No Immersion for "Forgiveness of Sins"
Like Red Heifer of the Past:
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Prayers asking for forgiveness are always required prior to immersions. In the
past, ". . . from the Siloam pool . . . water was taken for the Red Heifer
ceremony in Temple times." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) As stated in the
Book of Numbers (19:1-9), the Red Heifer ritual was for forgiveness of
sins. Jews have a tradition that this red calf offering had to be high on the
Mount of Olives, above the Temple itself and opposite the Gate Beautiful. Those
who have had the experience of sitting on the upper part of the Mount of Olives
opposite of the present day Gate Beautiful can attest to the spirit of
Gethsemane (well away from the traditional Church of
Gethsemane on the lower part of the mount).
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(4.) Scriptures Discovered, Call to Repentance:
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During the renovation of the temple, the book of Deuteronomy, a distinctive part
of the "Torah" was discovered in one of the storage chambers. "When the Book
was read to Josiah he was deeply shocked by its prophesies of doom. He
immediately sent a delegation to the prophetess Hulda to ask her advice. The
answer was forthright and not reassuring --- Jerusalem and the Temple were
doomed, but Josiah himself would not live to see their destruction. Josiah led
the people to the Temple in repentance." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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