...covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5) This was saying that as long as the Israelites had Gods as their king and followed His commands then they would prosper. That is why, during the time of Samuel, God was angered when the people wanted a king on earth; God knew none of the kings chosen would guide the Israelites as they should be and would eventually bring on destruction. Throughout Israel’s history God had provided for them, such as when He provided mana for them to eat while they wandered through the desert. Time and time again the Israelites had chosen to go their own way instead of following the orders God gave. This cycle occurred again during the time of Samuel. During this time the people said, “Give us a king to judge us.” (Samuel 8:6) Even after Samuel had advised the people against having a king appointed, they decided that their way ultimately better than God’s way. God did not fight them, even though He knew the destruction that it would bring, instead He did what they asked. God had a plan for Israel, but the people had decided that God’s way was not efficient enough and that they knew how to govern themselves more efficiently. Saul was everything the Israelites could have wanted in a king; he was tall, good looking, and would triumph in many battles. When Saul first became king he followed God’s...
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...BIBL 105-B41 Essay 2 11 Feb. 2013 The Kings of the Old Age The thought of Monarchy, in the United States of America, would not be such a bad idea. We would be contradicting the same reason our fore fathers before us came and settled on this land, but it seems much better in the sense of a political stand point compared to what many people are going through with the government today in the United States. In the time when the Old Testament was written, almost, if not, every nation or people group was led by some sort of Monarchy. There were many well-known kings that the authors of the Bible wrote about such as King Saul, King David, and King Solomon. But there are many questions we have to ask ourselves before we can truly understand these kings. Some of the questions we should ask ourselves are “During the time of Samuel, why did the people of Israel desire a king?”, “Why was Saul chosen, and ultimately, why was he rejected?”, “What attribute did David display that made him a better king than Saul?” and “What sin did Solomon commit that ultimately led to the division of Israel after his death?” These questions can help us understand the positives and negatives of these kings. When someone desires an object or a person they have a deep want or need for that person or thing. In the time of Samuel, Israel as a nation desired for a king, but why? Why did they want someone who told them how to live and what to do? They already had Samuel as a ruler, but they wanted more. According...
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...Essay 2: Saul, David, and Solomon Micheal Coffin September 18, 2015 1 Introduction This essay will examine the transition period in Israel, going from judges to kings. 1 We will look at the four questions asked here. These arise during the time of Samuel, the prophet, priest, and last of the judges in Israel. The four questions we must answer are: 1. Why did the people of Israel desire a king? 2. Why was Saul chosen, and, ultimately rejected? 3. What attribute did David display that made him a better king than Saul? 4. What sin did Solomon commit that ultimately led to the division of Israel after his death? 1. Why did the people of Israel desire a king? Under the reign of the judges, Israel had many troubled times. They had battles with the Philistines and even lost the ark of God (1Sam 4:10-11). To the Israelites, this meant disobedience to God and a total disconnect from God’s presence and the mosaic covenant.2 With all the confusion and turmoil in the land, the Israelites decided they should have a king “to judge us like all the nations” (1Sam 8:5). This action is contrary to the divine will for Israel and the result of the worldly desire of Israel to be like other peoples. 3 The basic difficulty is the nature of the kingship that the elders have in view. Kingships like that of the other nations would be dynastic, bureaucratic, tightly regulated, and thus in direct 1. Ed Hindson, Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey (Nashville, TN: B&H...
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...discussing why the people of Israel desired a king, it is important to go back in time and get an understanding of the background and history. Samuel was, at birth, chosen by God. He was a prophet and served under Eli, the high priest. By the power of God and Samuel’s leadership, the Philistines (Israel’s enemy) were defeated. Eli’s sons had been killed, Eli had died and, Samuel became judge over Israel. When Samuel was an old man, he appointed his sons as judges to Israel. His sons, however, were corrupt (Swindoll 2). “Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice” (1 Sam. 8:3). So the people of Israel felt let down and they wanted something done…they wanted a king. However, this was not the only reason they wanted a king. Samuel was not only old and his sons were corrupt, the people wanted to be like other nations (Dale). They told Samuel they wanted him to appoint a king to judge them. “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5). People have always wanted to be like everybody else. Israel was to be different and distinct from all other nations. Israel was to be a covenant people by whom God would reveal Himself and His plan of redemption. “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all...
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...lead and rule over land and people. For centuries people have been intrigued and captivated by the stories of powerful leaders throughout the history of the world. Powerful leaders such as The Great Pharaohs of Egypt and Chinese emperor Qín Shǐ Huáng continue to capture our attention. Even mystical stories or legends about great kings, such as the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, still have an incredibly firm grasp on our curiosity. One of the most popular and powerful kings ruled over 3,000 years ago. The story of the great ruler of Israel, King David, has continuously been a measuring stick by which leaders are measured and compared to. King David’s impact was not only present during his time period but is still evident now, in our very lives. What about David makes his life so interesting? What made him such a great leader that people still study his life in order to learn more about affective leadership? These are just a couple of the questions people ask to try to understand the cause of the impact that King David made then, and is still making today. One of the very important aspects of King David, that is typically overlooked, is that of his Spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts include; Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Administration or Ruling, Prophecy, and Mercy. At first glance one would automatically assume that King David’s spiritual gift would obviously be Administration or Ruling. He was a king after all, but maybe it could...
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...most of it to the Babylonian exile, and put it with people rewording of both the Tetrateuch and Jeremiah. The principles of Deuteronomy are that Israel must follow the Law, and gain God’s blessing or ignore it, get cursed, and be forced out of their homeland by Israel’s enemies. 4. In the book of Joshua, how is Joshua presented as the successor of Moses? Compare Deuteronomy 27 with Joshua 8.30-35. - Throughout the book, there appears to be continuity between Moses’ leadership and Joshua’s, with proof that God was developing this succession, and he had chosen the people as leaders. It kind of seems like before his death, God showed Moses into preparing Joshua to be his worthy successor, because Moses had picked Joshua to lead the Israelite army to battle. The reason was to receive the Ten Commandments up the mountain with him. It was also to guard the tent during the meeting of God and Moses. On the night prior to his death, Moses asked nearly begging God to provide a successor to take his place. God led Moses toward Joshua. When comparing Deuteronomy 27 to Joshua 8.30-35, the book of Joshua said that Joshua was obedient and that ‘There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel’. It also says how Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal, and wrote the laws God was telling him into stones. Deuteronomy appears to be a lot more detailed, it is instructing the people of Israel that they must do these actions, like in Joshua. ...
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...Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………1 Thesis……………………………………………………………………………………………1 King David’s Raise to Fame……………………………………………………………………2 Bathsheba the Wife of Uriah…………………………………………………………………2-4 Uriah a Man of honor………………………………………………………………………….4-5 King David Fall to Shame……………………………………………………………………..5-6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...6-7 Introduction We have heard the story of David and Bathsheba many, many times before; but have you ever thought of King David (man after God’s own heart) as being a sinful and wicked man; or Bathsheba as being a scheming and conniving woman. This Old Testament Research paper is based on the biblical story of David and Bathsheba with the researcher giving an analytic point of view. The paper will examine the context of the setting of the story; and David’s raise to fame during his reign as King of Israel. The researcher will also investigate the role of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah played and her involvement with King David. This paper also will provide evidence to the reader confirming Uriah’s loyalty to God and to King David. Then the researcher will examine the chain of sinful events that turns David’s household into a place of corruption and shame. Thesis This paper will analyze the story of David and Bathsheba coming from 2 Samuel 11; and the various points of view or arguments pertaining to the different stages of this story. This story will be dissected and examine based on the topics of this paper; King David raise to fame, Bathsheba the wife of Uriah...
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...Chris Newman Michael Ritter REL124 16 December 2012 David: Hero, King and Prophet There is no doubt that King David is one of the most outstanding biblical and historical figures, who also inspired artists of all epochs to make him a hero of their work. His role was special as the second King of Israel and as a human ancestor of Jesus Christ. Thus, one can state for sure that this personality is of great importance both for Judaism and Christianity and embodies devotion to God and the idea of authority blessed by God as well. Most of information on David can be found in the Books of Samuel and Ruth. Historically, David was one of eight sons of Jesse, who in his turn descended from Judas. In the Old Testament books, it is mentioned that he was handsome, physically strong, had red hair and was an outstanding musician. He started by helping his father to care about the herd and quite succeeds in doing so. Even at a young age, he demonstrates courage as a shepherd when a lion and bear attack the herd. He conquers in the battle with beasts, for which he gains his first glory. In fact, it should be mentioned, that being a shepherd is more than a narrative element which is mentioned in the Bible. In fact, this role of David is foreshadowing his future position of Israeli ruler. In the scriptures, a shepherd is often a positive idea that implies being in charge of people. Even God has been compared to a shepherd not once like for instance in the following passage: ‘Then he blessed...
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...Introduction There seem to be some incidents that are difficult to understand in the Bible, so Thomas G. Long questions whether every biblical text can be preached. The mysterious death of the man named Uzzah is one of these incidents, described in 2 Samuel 6:1-10. The passage is about David and his soldiers’ moving the ark to Jerusalem. As the ark processional arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, oxen stumbled, the cart bearing the ark tipped, and the man named Uzzah reached out to steady the ark. Then God struck Uzzah dead. David became angry and named the place Perez-uzzah. On one hand, it is believed that this incident is caused by Uzzah’s violation of the divine directives, which are that the ark should be handled correctly according to God’s instructions. As Ingrid M. Haase, “scholars have always stressed the inherent sacredness of the ark and that it did not need puny man’s attention to survive.” Since the sanctity of the ark was so extreme and its violation so serious, when Uzzah had reached out to the ark, this alone was reason enough to be put to death. On the other hand, David F. Payne analyzes Uzzah’s death in the following manner, providing a somewhat naturalistic cause: “Uzzah, with the best of intentions in the world, instinctively put out a hand to steady the ark, and having done so was horrified at his own action, and overcome by fear suffered a heart attack or something of the sort.” According to Eugene H. Maly, Uzzah slipped and fell on the rocky...
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...Adam and Eve disobeyed GOD, introducing sin into this world. As mankind multiplied, so did sin. GOD confirmed his power over all things in flooding the earth to rid it of sin, choosing only to keep Noah and his family. Abraham, descendent of Noah, and his lineage was then chosen by GOD in a covenant to be His new nation called Israel. Abraham’s son, Isaac, and Isaac’s son, Jacob continued to be chosen people, kept by GOD throughout trials and tribulations. Jacob’s son, Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers only to rule over them and the rest of his family in Egypt during a great famine of that time, closes out the book of Genesis. Exodus The book of Exodus is primarily narrative scripture. This book focuses on the oppression of GOD’s chosen people in Egypt, their departure and journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land led by Moses, and GOD’s covenant with them. Exodus begins where the book of Genesis ends with the 12 tribes of Israel now in Egypt given that Joseph, one of the 12, was there in a position of authority. The original 12 have all passed and their lineage suffered oppression under new Egyptian leaders, Pharaohs. GOD called upon Moses, born in the family line of one of the 12 tribes, Levi, to lead his people out of bondage. Through Moses, GOD demonstrated his power over all things by inflicting Egypt with plagues when Pharaoh refused to let Israel go. The...
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...1 Kings 12 - Rehoboam and Jeroboam A. Rehoboam and the division of Israel. 1. (1-5) the elders of Israel offer Rehoboam the throne of Israel. And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt), that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." So he said to them, "Depart for three days, then come back to me." And the people departed. a. Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king: This was a logical continuation of the Davidic dynasty. David was succeeded by his son Solomon, and now Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was assumed to be the next king. i. Rehoboam was the only son of Solomon that we know by name. Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines, yet we read of one son he had to bear up his name, and he was a fool. This demonstrates that sin is a bad way of building up a family. ii. Shechem was a city with a rich history. Abraham worshipped there (Genesis 12:6). Jacob built an altar and purchased land there (Genesis 33:18-20). Joseph was buried there (Joshua 24:32). It was also the geographical center of the northern tribes. All in...
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...Their Time and Viewing God through a Chaplain’s Eyes - Reflections of Student Chaplain Joseph P. Lalka October, 22 2014 Classical Prophets are the spoke persons of the Lord. They have a collection of works attributed to them. After the Prophets of Abraham, Moses, Miriam, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah and Elisha we are presented with what are called the Classical Prophets. They speak for Yahweh and are not future predictors but admonish and encourage about the present day. They remind the established leaders of the reason they were the leaders of their people. Remind the Establishment why they are the establishment. Eight century Prophets are most notable, and the start of the Classical Prophets. Their writings are collections in a separate book of the scriptures. Amos Amos is the first prophet I want to discuss. The theme that runs through all of the material is one of protest against the social injustices that prevailed in northern Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II. Along with this protest is the warning that Yahweh will surely punish the nation for violating the demands of justice. He declares, "Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again." He is caustic and abrasive in his delivery. He is from the southern kingdom but preached to the northern kingdom. He up holds the Mosaic Covenant. Amos was a herdsman who lived in the region of Tekoa, not many miles from the city of Jerusalem. As Amos pondered the situation that prevailed in northern Israel, he...
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...from this first book of the Old Testament: God’s creation of everything we have come to know as existence, sin (of Adam & Eve, Sodom & Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, etc.), God’s promises (of love, acceptance, and forgiveness), Joseph’s coat of many colors, and plenty more. After God’s creation of existence, Adam and Eve were disobedient, and therefore were punished. Over time, the human race had become so sinful that God washed everyone except Noah and his family in a global flood Noah's descendant, Abraham, was chosen by God to create a chosen people. Abraham's twelve grandsons from Jacob (who was later renamed Israel) became the “founders” of the land of Israel's twelve tribes. One of Jacob/Israel's sons, Jacob, was sent to Egypt by his brothers (or so they thought- God had planned this for His own reasons, which were good). Joseph's father and family were saved by a newly powerful him. Exodus Exodus’ basic genre is a narrative as well. Key themes and events include: Oppression of the Jews from the Pharaoh, Moses' characterization as the Jews' rescuer, God's plagues sent upon the people, the first passover, Moses parting the red sea, and the fall of Egypt's army. After all of this, the Jews were searching in the wilderness for the promised land, and although God provided them with necessary means (“bread from heaven, bitter water turned into sweet water, water from a rock, victory over those who would destroy them, His Law written on tablets of stone by His own...
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...Thomas Paine was written during a time of friction between America and Great Britain – the Revolutionary War. He described the problems of a monarchical government, as well as suggestions for how the new government of the United States of America should be run, in light of the criticisms of the government of Great Britain. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine supported an elected government over hereditary succession due to the lack of guarantee of the success of the nation’s leaders, the diminished right of the people to choose their leader or have a political voice and perpetuated ignorance of the issues of the common people. The practice of hereditary succession is an element of a monarchical government. This practice can pose a problem because this puts all authority in one person – the monarch. The nobles are also “elected” due to lineage. However, when a person...
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...Catechism Bible Quiz 1. Who created the heavens and the earth? A. Adam B. God C. Eve D. Abel 2. What did God create on the first day? A. Trees B. Animals C. The moon D. Light 3. What did God do on the seventh day? A. Made Eden B. Rested C. Made plants D. Made man 4. From what material did God make Adam? A. Plants B. Monkeys C. Water D. Dust 5. What did God take from Adam to make the woman? A. A lip B. A rib C. His brain D. A muscle 6. Who was the first woman? A. Eden B. Ruth C. Eve D. Elisabeth 7. Who called the woman "Eve"? A. The serpent B. God C. Adam D. Eve 8. Why was she called Eve? A. She was the first woman B. She liked the name C. Eve means wife D. She was the "mother of all living" 9. Where did Adam and Eve live? A. Garden of Gethsemane B. Mt. Sinai C. Utopia D. Garden of Eden 10. Who tempted Eve? A. Adam B. The serpent C. God D. Abel 11. What did Eve eat? A. Banana B. Fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil C. Apple D. Fruit from the tree of life 12. With what did God clothe Adam and Eve? A. A cloud B. Skins C. His hand D. Fig leaves 13. What guarded Eden? A. Soldiers B. Snakes C. Seraphim D. Cherubim 14. Who were Adam and Eve's sons? A. Jacob and Esau B. Cain and Abel C. James and John D. Aaron and Moses 15. Who Killed Abel? A Athol B. Cain C. Eve D. God 16. Who...
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