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.
1 comment:
Comments from Brian and Ed:
1 and 2 Kings…what’s the point?
It is a big book to try to get your hands around but there are a couple of driving ideas that help to understand why the book looks the way it does. First to notice is that it is not a ‘history’ book like the ones we read about the American revolution. Numerous times the author says something to the effect of “aren’t the rest of the details written down in such and such a book?”
Why would the author do that? What could he/she/they be trying to direct you toward or away from? What kind of book are they writing?
The book both starts with and are driven by the monarchy immediately following David. The most important chapter to understand what is going on in the books of Kings (in my humble opinion anyway) is 2 Samuel 7 where God basically professes his unfailing love for David (in Hebrew is pretty much the same word for ‘beloved’ and the third type of flame, dode, in Rob Bell’s Nooma video). Who is the person who seems to be the heir to this promise? What are the problems with this?
How is Solomon a complete fulfillment of God’s promises to David?
How is Solomon a complete failure in regards to God’s promises to David?
Solomon turns out to embody the human experience we have seen thus far. He is both everything God could want, and at the same time everything that God must punish. His life begs the question, “What is real wisdom?”
1 Kings 8 brings much of the books theology together. Sure Solomon is long winded when he prays, but it seems to be the author giving us a focal point in the book. Try reading through it and jotting down any repeated themes that show up. There are two main ones you should pick out and these are unbelievably important as we turn to the poetic and prophetic books of the Old Testament as well as think toward the New Testament and Jesus.
Those themes are 1) God’s covenant and promises with his people, most importantly David and 2) God’s justice. The problem is that God has promised to love his people and punish his enemies, but what happens when his people turn out to be his enemies? For some reassurance read Hosea 11:8-11 and the any of the gospels.
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