Samuel/Kings

Samuel: Israel Transformed into a Kingdom
Reading: 1 Sam.8-15, 2 Sam.5-8

-The need for a king
-God’s kind of king
-Saul rules unfaithfully
-David rules faithfully

A Faithful King
-Establishes temple life of Israel
-Defeats Israel’s enemies
-Enforces obedience of law

Why does Israel demand a king? Why is this demand a sign of Israel’s
rejection of God (I Samuel 8:7; cf. Deuteronomy 17:14–20 for “legislation”
concerning kingship).

How does the “prophetic” role of Samuel provide a “check and balance”
against a possibly overreaching kingship?

What, in terms of the flow of Biblical history, is the significance of the
“anointing” of the kings?

Saul is a failure as a king, and provides a contrast to David. In 2 Samuel 7 God
makes a covenant with David. Read especially vv. 8–16. What are the
promises of this covenant (see B&G p. 92), and why are they significant (B&G,
p. 93)?

Davidic Covenant
-Kingship grafted on to Abrahamic covenant
-David’s failure
-Hope for a future descendant of David

David is the central character in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible narrative runs to David or from him. He is the high point and climax of the story.

1 Sam--> Rise and Fall of Saul 2 Sam--> Rise and Fall of David

Why was the request for a human king a problem?
--> See 1 Sam 8:19-20; 10:17-19; 12:12-15

Ch. 8--> God they have rejected me not you
--> People want a king to go out before them in battle not God or the Ark
What is irony in this? They say this even though they have a tradition of God winning their battles.
--> They didn’t defeat all the nations (their problem).
*The problem is not that they wanted a king but why they wanted a king, namely, they rejected God and feared their enemies. They wanted a visible leader to go with them into batter.

Davidic Story line- 2 Samuel 5-20

Ch. 5--> Anointed king of all Israel conquering Jerusalem
Ch. 6--> Brought Ark to Jerusalem
Ch. 7--> Davidic Covenant: Song of God; “House” of God
Ch. 8-10--> Conquering surrounding Nations (esp. Moab and Edom. See Num. 24:14ff.)
Ch. 11-12--> Fall of David
Ch. 13-19--> The humiliation and exile of David. The Death of his son
Ch. 20 --> The return of the King with the remnant of Judah to the city of God (Jerusalem) *Center/Climax of the Hebrew Bible.

* This story line provides an outline for the prophets to describe the story of the people of God and also Jesus. What God does for David he will do in the future.”

Looking Ahead:

1st Problem of the Hebrew Bible:

The Fall of Jerusalem --> Physical center of the Hebrew Bible

Torah + Former Prophets--> Fall of Jerusalem <-- Latter Prophets + Writings
(Before Exile) (Post Exile) (Lamentations
Central- Fall)
What happened to the word of God?
Answer: From the beginning Jerusalem had to fall.


Kings: Covenant Failure
Reading: 1 Kings 1-9; 2 Kings 17

Three Fold Division

I. Kingdom under Solomon 1 Kings 1-11
II. Divided Kingdom 1 Kings 12 – 2 Kings 17
III. Judah from Hezekiah to exile 2 Kings 18-15

Judgment cycle- Everyone did what was right/wrong in the eyes of the Lord
--> Based on obedience to Torah

-Solomon begins his rule wisely
-Solomon establishes the temple in Zion
-The kingdom is rent in two
-Elijah and Elisha confront an unfaithful Israel
-Israel’s slide into disaster and exile

Why did this happen?
-Covenant rebellion and God’s judgment
-Led by unfaithful kings
-Rejected prophets


Solomon begins his rule wisely—he contributes much of the “wisdom
literature” of the Bible. He builds a magnificent temple for God, and the
kingdom reaches its peak of prosperity and blessing under him. It seems that
by the middle of his reign all God’s covenant promises have been fulfilled:
great nation, extensive land, and Covenant relationship. Yet Solomon falls
into idolatry and disobedience, and Old Testament history slides into ever
worsening decline.
· The kingdom is rent in two (northern kingdom of Israel and southern Kingdom of Judah)
· Idolatry is rampant, in general more seriously and rapidly in the Kingdom of Israel
· Elijah and Elisha confront ever-deepening idolatry and apostasy in Israel.
· The deportation of the Kingdom of Israel by Assyria in 722 BC. Read 2 Kings 17:7–23 for an assessment of this. Does this mean that God has abandoned his covenant?


The Problem of the Good/Bad Kings
--> Bigger problem then the sins of the people
--> The Good Kings are not good enough (Like Joshua/Judges Contrast)

Solomon 1 Kgs. - v. 12 None like Solomon in wisdom. Fell into sin (wives and treaties).

Ahab (1 Kgs 21) – Non like Ahab in wickedness, yet Jehoshaphat allied himself with him and there was no difference eventually.

Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18, 20) – None like Hezekiah in faith, yet he showed his wealth to Babylon. Did not devot himself to the next generation.
-->20:16 The Crux of the situation- Manasseh is a result of Hezekiah’s failure to teach him to walk in the ways of the Lord.

Josiah (2 Kgs) – Deut 6 type of leader. None like him in loving God, yet it was too late.

As the Kings go so do the people.

Bigger Point

Joshua-Kings shaped by Deuteronomy and Torah
The purpose of the Primary Narrative--> Torah and Deuteronomy:
Creation of the world --> Fall of city of God
What does God do? What about the promises?

Fall of Jerusalem was inevitable--> The righteous remnant was swept away with the wicked. The rest of the Hebrew Bible is about this problem. Answered by the rest of the Hebrew Bible (Latter Prophets and Writings) and the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Joshua/Judges

Joshua
Reading Joshua 1-8; 23, 24

Read Joshua 1:1–9 and compare Deuteronomy 31:7–8. What promise and
what exhortation is given to Joshua at the beginning of the campaign to
possess the land

Joshua 3 and 4 is the wonderful story of the crossing of the Jordan River.
Consider the following aspects of that story:
-The fact that there is a river (at flood stage) to cross (3:14)
-The fact that the ark of the covenant is to lead the procession
-The command to step forth into the river before the waters are miraculously stopped
-The twelve-stone memorial that is built to commemorate the crossing (4:20–24)

Joshua 5:13:15 records Joshua’s encounter with “the commander of the Lord’s
army.” What is the significance of this encounter?

The destruction of the city of Jericho and its inhabitants (except Rahab) is a
military high point for God’s people, but it is also one of many acts of war and
annihilation that troubles many Christians (and others) today. Is this simply
an “OT” vs. “NT” issue, or is there a way in which such acts can be seen as
morally justified?

God’s people are expected to define their lives upon God’s Word. The Biblical narratives focuses in on whenever this is done or not done.
-The story of Rehab: Not all Canaanites are “Canaanites”. Converts are always welcome.

-People then read the Deut 7 and 20 too literally. Joshua explains that is isn’t ethnic cleansing; but ethical cleansing.

The story of the book of Joshua is a story of victory (Jericho and other
settlements), disobedience and defeat (Ai), crime and execution (Achan),
deception (the Gibeonites), failure to strictly obey God (Joshua’s treaty with
the Gibeonites), battles against native populations (where the sun stands still
—Joshua 10), possession and allotment of land, the institution of cities of
refuge (Joshua 20). But there are also moments of consecration:

Joshua 8:30–35 (fulfillment of Deuteronomy 27:1–8): renewal of the Sinai covenant after entering the land

Joshua 23 and 24: Joshua’s “farewell address” and exhortation (Joshua 23) and the renewal of the covenant after possessing and settling the land (Joshua 24). The “choice” of Joshua 24:15.


Judges
Reading: Judges 2; 13-16

The Book of Judges sees the twelve tribes of Israel settled in the land of
promise, but there is no “happily living ever after.” There remain more
Canaanites to drive out, but the Israelites fail to drive out pockets of
indigenous people. Read the following passages:
· Judges 2:1–5: Disobedience to God’s covenant and punishment
· Judges 2:10–15: Apostasy of the new generation, and God’s judgment
· Judges 2:16–19: God raises up judges, and the cycles of judgment (See Drama p. 86)
· Judges 2:20–23: God’s purpose in leaving remnants of indigenous peoples.

Why were the Israelites attracted to the worship of Baal? See Drama p. 87.
Ch. 2 Israel is seen committing the same sins Joshua predicted and the sins they swore they would never committee.
· Fertility Religion Committing “Fertility” acts to get the gods to bless them with fertility.

Deborah and Gideon are the two most remarkable of the judges, and their
stories are told in full in the Book of Judges. How are they models of godly
leadership? (Deborah: Judges 4 and 5; Gideon: Judges 6–8).
· Israel’s victory came through women. Introduces gender theme in Judges

13-16 Samson and Delilah (Samson’s name means Sun, Delilah’s name mean Night)

The most colorful of the judges is Samson, who is a Nazirite. What is a
Nazirite and what was important about being a Nazirite? How is Samson’s
career a “mirror to the behavior of Israel itself”? (See Drama pg. 87).



General Notes:

Characters: Comprehensive in nature.
-God does everything he said he was going to do.
-The people do almost everything
-Judges is written out of the “almost”
-The book will show that for God “Almost is not enough”

Joshua --> Good
--> The two narratives play off one another
Judges --> Bad

Success and prosperity is about living your life in conformity with the Word of God/scriptures. “Biblical” success is not to be confused with American “success”.

Joshua

Occupation: 1-12
Distribution: 12-22
Speeches: 23-24
· Speeches act as a Commentary on Campaign

The Gift of the Land
· The Lord leads Israel to the land (1-5:12)
· The Lord gives Israel the land (5:13-12)
· The Lord allocates the land (13-22)
· The Lord renews the covenant (23,24)

Conquest: Lord’s work
The Lord leads Israel into the land (Josh. 3,4)
The Lord comes as commander (5:13-15)
The Lord brings down Jericho (6)
The Lord gives victory (9-12)

Covenant Options on Land
Jericho: Blessing on faith/obedience
Ai: Curse on unbelief/disobedience
Mt. Ebal (Josh. 8:30-35)
Shechem (24)

‘Holy War’
Why complete destruction?
Judgment on wicked nations (Gen. 15:16)
Danger of idolatry
God’s redemptive beachhead


Victory and Responsibility in the military campaigns
· Extraordinary victory of Jericho 2-6
o Failure at Ai because of individual sin 7-8
o Failure with Gibeon because of corporate lapse 9
· The sun stood still for southern campaign
- YHWH fought for Israel (10:14, 42; 23:3, 9-10)
- Israel had corporate responsibility for obedience that extended to every person
- Not enough to obey the “letter of the law”; true obedience is based on faith and humility.

Confrontation with Gibeon
They are far away- (Deut 20)
Can make a treaty with them.
· *Eventually these people take care of the ark because the treaty was made.
Israel deceived by not consulting God.
Obedience isn’t going through the motions, but it is about doing it with the right heart attitude.
Not blind literalness to the text, but a true loyalty to God.


Judges

Not just a book about personal moral stories as they are often taught in churches as individual isolated events. As a whole we must look for the theological agenda in the book of Judges.
Narratives are not a story for those involved, but those who would hear and read the story later.

Often times the stories are formulated in these ways:
3:7 --> Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord
3:12 --> same story
3:9 --> often there is placement of “The people cried out to the lord”

Typical structure:
* In the second part of the book the people cease to rest. Also see Drama of Scripture pg. 86.Evil
Oppressed
Delivered
Rest
Evil etc…

Failure to Be Display People
Israel fails to take land (Ju. 1)
Covenant court case (2:1-5)
Judgment pronounced: Cycles (2:11-23)
Cycles elaborated historically (3-16)
Corruption illustrated (17-21)

Judges is a downward spiral until you reach the end of the book and realize it was always bad.

Othniel Abimelech--> Anti-Judge
Ehud Good
Deborah Judges Jephthah Problem
Gideon Samson Judges