...covering: Israel desiring a king, Saul being chosen as King and then getting rejected by God, David displaying attributes of a better king, Solomon choosing to continue in sin that led to the division of Israel after his death. Israel’s desire for a king was a turning point in their history. Although their desire for a king existed well before the time of Samuel. In Judges 8:22 which states “The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son and your grandson – because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” (NIV) New circumstances arose when greater order and unity was a result of Samuels labors’. The misconduct of his sons and the surrounding nations threatening Israel. Thus causing them to become stronger and more general. The elders came together and simply expressed what the heart of the people had been set upon. “So all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 8:4 NIV) The object of their desire wasn’t essentially wrong for it had been foretold that kings should rise in Israel. The fundamental principle of the theocracy was “God was their King” it wasn’t intended to supersede the Divine authority of God. The transition was in one aspect from a higher order of things to that much lower. Intending to set God in the background. The sinfulness of their hearts desire consisted in the king they sought and the spirit they manifested. Rejecting the Lord as King. “They have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel...
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...we read of Israel’s intense struggles throughout the Old Testament? What could have caused such turmoil within the chosen people of God? This essay will show how the monarchy was formed and discuss the core reason why the monarchy failed. Before looking into the monarchy, it is important to understand the criteria by which the monarchy is to be viewed or judged. House and Mitchell state that “without question the biblical writers judged Israel’s leaders and people by the covenant principles in Deuteronomy.”[1] Without a working knowledge and understanding of the writings of Deuteronomy it becomes difficult to understand the context behind the blessings and the curses in which we see the Israelites endure. It is here in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 that we read of the standards by which the Israelite kings will be measured. This passage is the backdrop to the immanent failure of the monarchy. Time and time again we read of how the kings would stray from one or more of the standards found Deuteronomy 17. So, we see that Deuteronomy is foundational for our understanding of the monarchy and how the kings are to behave and govern. One area of importance to notice in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 is that this section deals with the standards of kings. Why would Moses be discussing the standards of kings when the people are not being led by a king? According to James E. Smith, “Moses predicted that sometime after the land was settled the people would request a king.”[2] One of...
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...Essay 2 During the time of the judges, the land was full of corruption and sin. There was no king or legal authority in Israel and the people acted on what they thought was right and wrong. “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Samuel was Israel’s spiritual leader (priest), a prophet, and the last and most effective of the judges. God used Samuel to assist in the change of Israel’s government from a system of judges to kings. Samuel judged Israel until his death, saved them from the Philistines, and led them back to God. However, when Samuel grew old, he started appointing his sons as judges but they were corrupt (1 Samuel 8:1). All of the elders of Israel got together and concluded that a change in government was necessary so they went to Samuel and demanded a king. The people of Israel desired a king for several reasons: 1) Samuel was old and his sons were not fit to lead; 2) They hoped that having a king would unite the 12 tribes into one nation and one army because each tribe had their own leader and their own territory; and 3) The people wanted to be like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:4-5). Samuel was disappointed at the people’s request for a king because it showed that they rejected God as their leader and that they rejected him as their judge. God told Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected...
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...administration under the tribal judges toward the theocratic administration of the united monarchy; thus the era of the reign of kings were born (Hinson and Yates 2012:162). Samuel the righteous judge of Israel is raised up to serve during a time when the nation was declining both morally and politically. The priesthood was corrupt and the hearts of the people were far from God. The Philistine oppression was great and had wrought a great slaughter among them. It was Samuel whom God used to ultimately usher the nation back to Him. “So the Israelites put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you. So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, we have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.” (1 Sam 7:4-6 AMP). Now as Samuel began to age, he appointed his two sons as judges over Israel, but they did not possess the righteousness of Samuel. They were wicked in their dealings, were out for gain, took bribes and perverted justice. The elders of the Israel brought this to Samuels’s attention, and then asked for a king to rule over them, like all of the other nations. Although there was truth to the wickedness of the sons of Samuel, the real motive behind Israel’s request was driven by their own wickedness to be like the surrounding nations....
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...Israel and its Kings Introduction Israel demands a king. * An aged leader was one of the reasons for demanding new leadership (1 Samuel 8:1). Samuel had grown old, and apparently his age was beginning to affect his ability to lead the nation. It appeared he would not live much longer and the people feared that the nation might slip back into the lawless days. A corrupt leadership and judicial system was a reason for demanding a new system of government (1 Samuel 8:2-3). Because of his age, Samuel had appointed his two sons to succeed him: Joel, which means "the Lord is God," and Abijah, which means "my father is the Lord." With Samuel as their father, they had received a godly upbringing. But they lived hypocritical lives: they did not follow in the steps of their father. They turned away from God and became greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. In determining controversial cases, they accepted bribes and ruled in favor of the oppressor or guilty party. This wickedness reminded the people of Eli's two sons, and they feared returning to the lawless, corrupt days of the judges. Thus, a desire arose within the people for new leadership, the leadership of a king. A desire to be like the surrounding nations was another reason the Israelites requested a king (1 Samuel 8:4-5). Note that the tribal leaders of Israel gathered together and traveled to Ramah. In conference with Samuel, they laid out their three reasons for desiring a king: Samuel was old...
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...The First Three Kings of Israel God heard the people of Israel when they cried out for a king. Saul was the “people’s choice.” He was tall and handsome, but he didn’t have what it took to be a great king. David was known as the “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, NKJV). He was a much better king than Saul. Solomon was one of the wisest people in entire Bible, yet sin crept in and brought the downfall of Israel. God answered His people’s prayers for a king but none could have been more different from one another than Israel’s first three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. The desire for a king was not new to the people of Israel. The Israelite people had cried out for a king in the past. Judges 8:22 says, “The Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, you, your son and your grandson, because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.’” Gideon had just wiped out the army of Midian. When his people asked him to be king, he wanted nothing to do with it, saying, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23, NKJV). Their desire for a king was not necessarily wrong either. It had been foretold numerous times in the past that a king would rise up. In Genesis 17:6, God told Abraham that kings will come from him. Numbers 24:17 says, “I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel. I will crush the foreheads of Moab, ...
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...the Lord Yahweh was, and still is, the ultimate King of Israel, the nation desired a human king to rule over them.1 God desired for the nation of Israel to be set apart and for He, Himself, to be their King (Leviticus 20:26). At the people’s insistence, God relented, stepped outside of His will, and allowed them a human king.2 Desiring a king outside of God’s will and the covenant disobedience of those kings would come at a price for both Israel and her kings of the United Monarchy Period. Near the end of his life, the aging prophet, priest, and judge, Samuel, appointed his sons, Joel and Abijah, to be judges (1 Samuel 8:1). They were corrupt and unjust (1 Samuel 8:3). The people of Israel, wanting to be like her neighbors, thought having a king to rule over them would be better than having corrupt judges.3 Israel also wanted a king to lead them in battle. Good looking, tall, with even a regal air, Saul possessed many kingly traits and appeared to be the embodiment of what a nation would want in a king. He was from a wealthy family, with a good name, from the tribe of Benjamin, and he showed strong military leadership. For these reasons he was the people of Israel’s choice as king. God knew Saul’s appearances, however, hid many character flaws.2 With Israel pressing for a king even after Samuel gave them God’s warning, God relented, stepped outside of His divine will, and allowed Israel to have Saul as their first king. Saul’s poor ability to lead quickly became...
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...Banquo and his son, Fleance. This event recalls another Biblical story, one that corresponds to the story of Adam: the story of Israel's first king, Saul. The link between the story of Adam and Saul lies on the surface for an advanced reader of the Bible. Every new leader is an Adam in some sense. For example, in the book of Genesis, Noah and Abraham are identified as new Adams through repetition of instruction given to Adam in their stories. This Adam theme that was defined clearly in Noah and Abraham becomes an undertone for the rest of Scripture. It finds it's ultimate fulfillment in Christ, the last Adam. However, Saul, the first king of Israel, can be seen only in the new Adam framework. Shakespeare noticing the relationship between Saul and Adam is seen both in subtle and explicit allusions to the story of Saul. An example of an...
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...of Israel lacked obedience. God as king was no longer good enough. Israel’s lack of obedience caused them to anoint a king that also lacked faith in the Lord. Man is broken and even great leaders have flaws. Israel’s demand for a king ultimately resulted in the division of the kingdom. During the time of Samuel, the people of Israel desire a king. God had promised to provide for the Israelites and in return God asked for obedience and love. Throughout the Old Testament God always provided for the Israelites yet God’s people regularly rejected him. God was no longer valued as king, and the people of Israel asked God to give them a King. In 1 Samuel 8:5 the elders came to Samuel and said “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have (NIV).” Samuel warned the people of Israel that a king would reign over them and claim the people as rights, yet the Israelites neglected to listen. Israel desired a king in flesh to lead them into combat and keep them accountable. All other nations had a King, therefore Israel wanted a king. Samuels spoke to the people, “When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day (1 Samuel 8:18)” but his warning fell on deaf ears. God granted the Israelites wish, which was to lead themselves. An ideal king is attractive, tall, strong, with an outstanding battle resume. Saul possessed all of these attributes. Ultimately...
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...The book of Judges introduces us to the long years of Israel’s struggle to maintain control of the Promised Land and serves as the transition from the conquest to the kingdom. It deals with events following Joshua’s death (c. 1380 BC) The main body of the story revolves around six cycles of apostasy, repentance, and deliverance. God intervenes time and again to rescue the struggling Israelites from military oppression, spiritual depression, and ethnic annihilation. The book of Judges derives its title from the Latin Liber Judicum, but the Hebrew title is shophetim. The verbal form (“to judge”) describes the activity of the various deliverers whom God used despite their personal challenges, oddities, or inadequacies Most of the biblical judges were heroes or deliverers more than legal arbiters. They were raised up by God and empowered to execute the judgment of God upon Israel’s enemies. The sovereignty of God over His people is seen in these accounts as God, the ultimate Judge (11:27), judges Israel for her sins, brings oppressors against her, and raises up human judges to deliver her from oppression when she repents. I. Reason for the Judges (Judges 1:1–2:23) The period of the judges followed the death of Joshua (1:1) when Israel was left with no central ruler. While the book of Joshua represents the apex of victory for the Israelite tribes, the book of Judges tells the story of their heartache and struggle to maintain control of the land. While the conquest of the land...
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...Moses to be the author, however, controversy arose in the 19th century. It is now thought that it could go back as far as the 6th century during Babylonian exile that the first draft occurred known as the Yahwist. Some key themes, purposes, events, and personalities in Exodus is Moses was born, Moses chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, and the Ten Commandments where written on two tablets by the hand of God himself. At the birth of Moses Pharaoh feared the growth rate of the Hebrews and ordered all male Hebrew children to be thrown into the Nile. Moses’s mother hid him for three months but when she could no longer hide Moses she constructed an ark and placed it by the river bank. Moses was found by Pharaoh’s own daughter, which she had compassion for Moses, and later adopted him. Later when Moses was 40 years of age (40 years in the wilderness) he encountered God through a burning bush. God spoke to Moses through the burning bush telling him that he was chosen to lead his people, the Israelites, out of Egyptian slavery. The center account master piece regarding Moses is the events that took place at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments being the only commandments spoken straight from God, all others came through prophets, were inscribed by the hand of God on two tablets. The first two tablets did not last long due to Moses anger when he came down from Mount Sinai observing his people worshiping a golden calf resulting in the tablets being broken. Aaron...
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...11/13/2015 King David Introduction King David is one of the most popular leaders of Israel in the Old Testament. Also, King David was a skillful warrior who killed Goliath the most feared fighter on the Philistine side. At the age of thirty David ruled the great nation of Israel for forty years between the years 1010 and 970 BC. King David revolutionized leadership, worship as well as the lifestyle of the Israelites. His wisdom was admirable, and it is disputed that he got it from reading various books in the Old Testament including 1st Samuel, 1st Kings and Chronicles (Wolpe, 2014). These books were written by the prophets that lived before him. King David was the last born to his family, and his father Jesse was from the tribe of Judah. Leadership was in his blood as he came from Ruth's lineage who was a Moabite. The Lord chose him to be king after he was anointed by Prophet Samuel. This paper gives a comprehensive evaluation of some of the key events in King David's life chronologically. Background King David's ascent to power was difficult as he faced major challenges for the first part of his life running away from King Saul. This being said, his faith in God was strong and saw him conquer all the difficulties he faced. His life struggles made him one of the most liked opeople in Israel way before he was chosen as king. When he was sixteen, he killed Goliath in the war against the Philistines. This made him popular with the masses as it was believed that it was his...
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...Saul 1. He was the youngest son of Kish. 2. Saul was also a shepherd. 3. He was the first king of Israel. 4. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel. 5. He was the son of Kish. 6. Saul, his first army, and a miracle from God, defeated the Philistines in their first battle. 7. After David killed Goliath, Saul made David his special assistant, and as David succeeded in everything he did, Saul grew extremely jealous. 8. His first test came when he successfully rallied the men of Israel against the Ammonites, proving himself to be an able soldier. 9. David gained fame as a warrior and Saul became jealous and tried to kill him. 10. One of his four sons was Jonathan. Jonathan 1. He was the eldest son of King Saul, and the best friend of the future King David. 2. Although Jonathan was fiercely loyal to his father, they gradually grew apart because of Saul's increasingly foolish and erratic behavior 3. Saul's command to have Jonathan killed for eating honey after he won a major battle, which would have been carried out if the troops hadn't refused the order and Saul's repeated attempts to kill David, who Jonathan knew would become Israel's next king. 4. Jonathan became a supporter and ally of David. 5. The end came for Saul and Jonathan in battle against the Philistines. 6. David and Jonathan had a very good relationship. 7. Jonathan fought for the Philistines 8. He was a heroic figure of the Kingdom of Israel. ...
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...desired a king in the time of Samuel, Saul was initially chosen for king, but David became succeeded him, while Solomon committed a sin that ultimately led to the division of Israel. Israel’s desire for a king Until Samuel got old and did not have a son to lead, Israel operated as a Theocracy, following God and His Law, but Israel desired to be like other nations. In 1 Samuel 8:5, the elders of Israel discussed their displeasure with Samuel, and they not only expressed their distrust in God, but also their desire to be like the adjacent nations. The people of Israel had been continuing to worship foreign gods since they left Egypt, and now they saw an opportunity, which they thought they could justify asking for a king. The Israelites were fallible humans, and they did not put their trust in God. They put their trust in what was tangible and did not require faith, which led to Saul becoming the first king of Israel. The Choosing and Rejection of Saul First Samuel 9 describes Saul as not just a handsome man, but a head taller than all other men: He physically fit the profile of a worldly leader but did not live a life above reproach. In the article Looking Good or Looking Competent? Physical Appearance and Electoral Success in the 2008 Congressional Elections, Rodrigo Praino outlines how physical appearance does make a difference in how humans elect candidates for public office. The people of Israel wanted a king, and God gave them one that met their human profile. Saul had the...
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...Key Terms Chapter 3: * Heilsgeschichte – “salvation history” * JEDP – suggests multiple authors for the Pentateuch as opposed to only one * Deuteronomistic History – the idea that Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings were all one text * Retribution Theory – good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished * Covenant – conditional promise * Hazor – northern kingdom that God told the Israelites to defeat when they entered the promised land * Transjordan – “beyond the Jordan” * Jericho – * Rahab: Israel sent two spies into Jericho who were protected by Rahab. The spies then promise her that if she distinguishes her house from the others, her family will be spared just as she spared their lives. * The Battle: Israel marched around the city every day for six days. On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times, the priests blew their trumpets, and the walls fell down. * Joshua – * Main character of the book of Joshua * About 60 years old * Loyal, obedient, committed/courageous * Amphictyony – a league of states or tribes that took part in a cult (Delphic League) * Othniel – First judge, model leader * Deborah – female judge, prophetess, settled disputes * Gideon – succeeds despite being fearful * Jephthah – made a foolish vow to the Lord before going to battle, had to sacrifice his daughter to God because of his victory * Samson – arrogant/self-centered ...
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