...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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...lack of a strong human leader as the cause and did not realize that the reason for the oppression was a spiritual on-their failure to serve God” (Harbin, 2005, p.219). Saul was not God’s choice for the throne but “he was the people’s choice” (Hindson and Yates, 2012. P.164). Saul’s appointment as king was against the “old theocratic ideal that God alone was King of Israel (I Samuel 8:5). Saul’s reign lasted from 1029-1005BC (Roux and Williams, 2012). Saul had great military talent and garnered God’s support by reuniting the Israelites and crushing the Ammonites. Nearing the final years of Saul’s reign “he was very pre-occupied with David’s increasing fame which severely depressed him” (Roux and Williams, 2012). Saul had even gone so far as to hunt David down in order to kill him. In 1 Samuel 16:14 we see were Saul had lost God’s spirit and He had replaced it with and evil spirit. Saul had begun to suspect everyone around him of plotting against him. After God refused to bless Saul in a battle he did the unthinkable. Saul “consulted a medium at Endor” (Roux and Williams, 2012). This consultation was against the law of the land and against the laws of God. During the final battle against the Philistines Saul was so fearful of capture that he committed suicide by falling on his own sword. Unlike Saul, David was God’s choice as king for the people. Being that he was from the tribe of Judah it meant “that he was God’s choice to become the next...
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...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 same problem...
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...The nation of Israel, or God’s chosen people, had every opportunity to set themselves apart from other nations. Israel had a covenant relationship with God, which means Israelites only had to live holy lives to receive God’s blessings. The book of Judges describes the cycle of the Israelites forsaking God and then Him raising up judges to bring them to repentance. After this time of uprising, and sorrow, the cycle would begin again. Just like the situation of Israel, Christians have the opportunity to set themselves apart from others. In my opinion, it is of utmost importance to look to God for leadership, and to learn from the lives of others, like Saul, David, and Solomon. It is common, in the human experience, to look for leadership. This was the case of the Israelites during the time of the prophet Samuel, who lived during the time of the Judges. In the fifth verse of the book of 1 Samuel chapter eight, the people of Israel said to Samuel , “….Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have” (Holman Christian Standard Bible). God’s chosen people, in this verse, made it known that they desired to be like everyone else. God gave the nation of Israel what they desired and told Samuel, “Appoint a king for them” (1 Sam 8:22). The reasoning behind why peoples may choose their leader is not infallible. For example, sometimes a leader may be chosen because his physical appearance is more appealing than his competitor. This was proven during the...
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...that the Lord was looking for eventually he found Saul. At the time when Samuel was searching a man named Saul was out searching for his father’s donkeys with his servant. During this time Saul and his servant saw Samuel out and they talked with him for a while once Saul’s servant left Samuel got word from the Lord saying that Saul was the chosen King Israel. “Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?...” in 1 Sam 10:1 Samuel anointed Saul as king of Israel and after that Saul went and prophesized to the people of Israel about what he would do as their king. As time passed Saul went into many battles against other tribes but in one battle in particular God gave Saul specific instructions about what he was to do in battle that day“….Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare the; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys” (1 Sam 15: 3) When Saul went into battle he killed many but spared King Agag and kept the fat animals. Since he didn’t follow the Lords instructions Samuel went to Saul and said that the Lord has rejected you as King (1 Sam 15:23). Saul was afraid of his men so he wanted to make sure they wouldn’t get mad with him if he killed perfectly good fat animals or sparing the king and making him watch the carnage of war. Saul also thought...
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...on their behalf. Israel’s asking for a King Infuriated God because God had created the nation unique, and set them apart from all the others and he felt as though they wanted to be like everyone else. Saul was chosen by God not the people. Saul was a Godly man; he was a very good looking man of his time. In 1 Samuel 15 in the message bible we read that God had told Samuel that he would be ending a man from Benjamin. God had told Samuel to anoint Saul as prince over the Israelites. Saul had made some really poor decisions, that caused his kingdom to go down. The spirit of God had left Saul and demonic forces had come over him. Our book points out that that Saul had was, usurpation of his priestly functions (Yates, 2010). This made God unpleased so he would remove Saul from being king. Saul’s insubordinate to take out the Amalekites is what caused Yahweh to reject Saul as being king. David was God choice to be the next king. With the Sprit’s empowerment and the anointing of Samuel is what let the people know he was God’s choice. One attribute between David and Saul was that Saul began being king hiding by the baggage, David left his baggage (Yates, 2010). David did not use Saul’s armor because God had seen that the battle was won through David instead of Saul, because of how Saul had turned out....
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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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...nations and to escape the corruption of the judges. (1 Sam.8: 4-5 HCSB). Samuel saw this as a rejection of him but God told Samuel, “They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.” God allowed the people to have a king like the other nations but Samuel did convey God’s warning of the “rights of a king” (1 Sam. 8:11b HCSB) and their national “covenant of unfaithfulness.” (Hindson and Yates 2012, 165). These events subsequently lead to the coronation and reign of Saul, David, and Solomon, the first three kings, but each struggled with maintaining “covenant fidelity”. (Hindson and Yates 2012, 171) Saul was the first who was appointed to be the king. Saul was selected by the people of Israel because, “There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else.” (1 Sam. 9:2b HCSB). In the beginning, Saul follows God’s commandments. Saul delivered Jabash-gilead from the Nahash the Ammonite. However, Saul was ultimately rejected. In 1 Samuel 13: 7-9, Saul violated the “priestly functions.” (Hindson and Yates 2012, 165). “[A]ll his troops were...
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...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 to Ed Hindson and Gary Yates, the authors of The Essences of the Old Testament:...
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...Saul reigned as king over Israel from about 1050-1011. During this time, the prophet Samuel was Gods mouthpiece. The people of Israel desired a king who could fight their battles against the aggressive tactics of the Philistines. Also, they routinely blamed its shortcomings on the lack of proper leadership; a monarchy comprised of a king (Judges, 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). These passages in the book Judges, reveals that Israel could never fulfill their divinely intended design, as long as it was under the Judges rule. The moral and civil disasters Israel was suffering at this time in history, was due to their spiritual disobedience of the Mosaic covenant. This led to the people of Israel electing Saul as their king. His election was based on his outward appearance, not his heart or regards to the Mosaic covenant. The solidification of Saul’s rule culminated at the victory over Nahash the Amorite. Due to Israel’s failure to honor the Mosaic covenant, Saul’s poor choices caused the nation of Israel to deteriorate rapidly. Even though Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was next in line to the monarchy, it was not to be Gods plan for Israel. The removal of Saul from leadership, culminated from his disobedience to Samuels wish for him to wait on God’s word to attack the Philistines at Gilgal. Saul did not heed to Samuels warning, and attacked solely on his vengeance towards them. The request of a king for Israel was ill motivated, and ill timed. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin...
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...desired a king. During that time Saul was chosen, but eventually he was rejected. David ended up becoming king after Saul and ultimately did a better job. This essay will discuss why Israel demanded a king, why Saul was rejected, as well as why David was a much better choice than Saul was for king, and after David’s reign what sin Solomon commited to divide Israel. Hindson and Yates say that a judge could only partially administer Torah, execute justice, and condemn lawbreakers, therefore a king was needed (Hindson &Yates, 2012). Israel needed someone who could so all of these principles. Samuel had two sons, Joel and Abijah, who ended up perverting justice and accepting bribes. Therefore Samuel could not make them kings, as he grew old. The people of Israel were not pleased and told Samuel to find a new king, because he was too old and his sons were no good (1 Samuel 8:1-6, New International Version). After Samuel was told that by the Israelites the Lord came to him and said that the people were actually rejecting him, not Samuel. Samuel took back everything the Lord said and repeated it to the Israelites, but they still demanded and king. With that Samuel went back to the Lord and the Lord said, “…give them a king” (1 Samuel 8:7, 19-22). With that, Samuel found Saul. Saul was from the town of Benjamin. According to 1 Samuel 9:2 Saul was a whole head taller than everyone else, so he could be seen all over (1 Samuel 9:2). As Saul was out with his servant he heard...
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...Bible 105 November 16, 2014 Covenant Obedience The first three kings of Israel were Saul, David, and Solomon and each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Each king obeyed and disobeyed God, receiving blessings and punishments as a result. At the end of Solomon’s reign, due to his disobedience, Israel was a divided nation. The rise and fall of each king depended on their covenant obedience. During the early years of Israel, the nation was looked after by judges. The Israelites were very disobedient and would continually turn their backs on God until they needed him. God used several judges to bring the Israelites from underneath the oppression imposed on them by various groups such as the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. Each judge had a specific quality that would have made them less than worthy for a great position in the eyes of the people. For instance, Ehud was left-handed, Gideon was a coward, and Samson was an adulterer but God deliberately choose the least likely candidates to prove that anything is possible when you trust in Him. According to Judges 21:25 (HCSB), “in those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted. This cycle of disobedience to God, and God raising up a judge, eventually led the way to kingship. Because a judge could only partially and imperfectly administer Torah (legislative function), executive justice (executive function), and condemn lawbreakers (judicial function), a king was needed who could...
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...time of Solomon the people 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...
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...observed in one man that would represent Israel. Samuel tried to warn them of what a King would do to their lives, and told them that God was their King, but it was ignored. Samuel took their request and repeated it to the Lord. God answered, “Listen to them, and give them a king.” (I Samuel 8:22, NIV). Instead of being set apart as a nation for God, they coveted what other nations had. They rejected God. Samuel was now searching for a man that God chose and would send to him. When Samuel caught sight of Saul the Lord said, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people” (I Samuel 9:17, NIV). Unaware that God made the choice, Israel was elated when Samuel presented Saul as their King. They were impressed with him physically, yet knew nothing of his heart. The Bible describes Saul as, “an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others” (I Samuel 9:2, NIV). The events surrounding the selection of Saul for King demonstrate that he was the...
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...Through Samuel, God told the Israelites that he pretty much had other plans. Although, like most humans, they didn’t understand why God was doing what he was doing. Why didn’t God just give them a king like all the other nations? The Israelites didn’t think God was a good enough king for them and wanted someone else to be appointed as king. Proverbs 16:9 says “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” I think this verse displace what happens perfectly. Eventually God decided to give the Israelites what they wanted but God still had a plan. Saul was the perfect king, or so the Israelites thought. He was a strong, attractive man and a brave warrior but Saul and the Israelites did not want to listen to God. The Essence of the Old Testament page 166 state “Saul’s disobedience in the following divine command of exterminating Amalekites cause Yahweh to reject him as king.” Saul was disobedient! Saul did not listen or trust God. 1 Samuel 13:8-14 says “he broke his commandment with the Lord by offering the burt offering instead of waiting for...
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