LESSON 6
The Monarchy. Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon. The prophecy of Nathan. Jerusalem and the Temple. Fall of Samaria. Reform of Josias. The voice of God: the prophets. Kingdom of the North (or Israel) and Kingdom of the South (or Juda): covenant, election and promises.
The two books of Samuel begin with the miraculous birth of Samuel, the last of the judges, up to the end of David's life. During this period, the twelve tribes were transformed into a nation led by a king.
How did Israel come to have kings?
With their arrival in the Promised Land, the Israelites were threatened by the Philistines, who captured the ark of the covenant. The Philistines later returned it (I Samuel 4-6), but nevertheless, Israel felt threatened by them. Samuel rescued Israel from the Philistines, but Israel demanded a king who would lead them (I Samuel 7-8), just "like all the nations" (I Samuel 8:5).
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds which they have done to me, * from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, hearken to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." ... 19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No! but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Hearken to their voice, and make them a king." (I Samuel 8:6-9,19-22)
Peter Kreeft (You Can Understand the Bible, pp 49-50) comments:
They chose Saul as their king, not for his wisdom or holiness but for his "image", as we would put it today: "There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he ... he was taller than any of the people" (I Samuel 9:2).
...
But Saul was not the answer to the departed glory. Though for a time he gave Israel military glory and victory, he proved to be an evil king (I Samuel 13:8-14; 15:10-23; 28:3-17). He was envious of David and sought to murder him, even though David was God's anointed.
David was protected from Saul by his friend Jonathan, Saul's son and heir. The friendship between David and Jonathan is a classic, model friendship. Jonathan gave up to David his legitimate claim to be king (I Samuel 20:30-31) because of his loyalty to David and because of his loyalty to God, for he knew God had chosen David to be king (chapter 18).
The crisis and culmination of Saul's dissolution and self-destruction came when he played with the occult--something God had forbidden with frightening strictness (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:9-12). Once Saul conjured up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel through the mediumship of the Witch of En-Dor (chapter 28), it was too late: Saul lost his kingdom, his life, and probably his soul. Samuel told him, "The LORD has turned from you and become your enemy" (I Samuel 28:16; compare Matthew 7:23). Saul's story is a story of crime and punishment, a moral tragedy.
The following is an excerpt from New Advent's Catholic Encyclopedia Online:
In the Bible the name David is borne only by the second king of Israel, the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:18 sqq.). He was the youngest of the eight sons of Isai, or Jesse (1 Samuel 16:8; cf. 1 Chronicles 2:13), a small proprietor, of the tribe of Juda, dwelling at Bethlehem, where David was born. Our knowledge of David's life and character is derived exclusively from the pages of Sacred Scripture, viz., 1 Samuel 16; 1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 2, 3, 10-29; Ruth 4:18-22, and the titles of many Psalms. According to the usual chronology, David was born in 1085 and reigned from 1055 to 1015 B.C. Recent writers have been induced by the Assyrian inscriptions to date his reign from 30 to 50 years later. Within the limits imposed it is impossible to give more than a bare outline of the events of his life and a brief estimate of his character and his significance in the history of the chosen people, as king, psalmist, prophet, and type of the Messias.
The history of David falls naturally into three periods: (1) before his elevation to the throne; (2) his reign, at Hebron over Juda, and at Jerusalem over all Israel, until his sin; (3) his sin and last years. He first appears in sacred history as a shepherd lad, tending his father's flocks in the fields near Bethlehem, "ruddy and beautiful to behold and of a comely face". Samuel, the Prophet and last of the judges, had been sent to anoint him in place of Saul, whom God had rejected for disobedience. The relations of David do not seem to have recognized the significance of this unction, which marked him as the successor to the throne after the death of Saul.
It was David who integrated the northern tribes of Israel and the whole territory of Judah into one nation. For several reasons, he is one of the primary figures or symbols for Christ. Peter Kreeft (You Can Understand the Bible, p 30) enumerates the features which make him so.
For more details on David's life, click here: Catholic Encyclopedia Online.
Upon his ascent to the throne, David transferred his seat from Hebron (to avoid accusations of favoritism towards Judah) to Jebus (Jerusalem), which he had attacked and subdued, and called it "the city of David". He was able to expel the Philistines from the surrounding areas, thus securing the capital. Aside from making Jerusalem his political centre, he also made it into a religious centre by transferring the ark of the Covenant from Kiriath-yearim (Cariathiarim) to Jerusalem.
Once the ark was in Jerusalem, David desired to build a house for it. But God told him through the prophet Nathan that God would instead build a house--that is, a perpetual dynasty--for David. This pledge of God is called the Davidic Covenant.
11 "'... Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14* I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; 15 but I will not take* my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'"(II Samuel 7:11-16)
David's descendants will remember this promise till the coming of Jesus Christ. Nathan's prophecy and its fulfilment in Christ is mentioned in the New Testament on a few occasions:
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33* and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:32-33)
29 "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30* Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne..." (Acts 2:29-30)
18* "[A]nd I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (II Corinthians 6:18)
5* For to what angel did God ever say, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? (Hebrews 1:5)
Indeed, David's line, descended from Judah, endured to the time of the Messiah. The northern kingdom of Israel was composed of nine family dynasties. In the end, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin survived. The other ten were dispersed.
David ushered in the golden age of Israel, a time of peace. Aside from the Philistines, he also subdued the Moabites, the Edomites, and the Arameans (See II Samuel 8). This gave David great confidence, and a certain complacency, a certain pride. A fall was in the offing.
1* In the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. (II Samuel 11:1-2)
David was supposed to be out fighting, but no, he let the others do the fighting and he stayed behind, and he fell (see the rest of chapter 11). Though he tried to hide his sin, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to accuse him of his sin, and to mete out punishment (chapter 12).
7 Nathan said to David, "You are the man. Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; 8 and I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.'" (II Samuel 12:7-12)
David repented, but everything that Nathan foretold were fulfilled.
The First Book of Kings narrates the story of Solomon, son of David with Bathsheba. It speaks of the division of the two kingdoms of Israel in the North and Judah in the south. The story continues in the Second Book of Kings, beginning with the time of Eliseus until the disappearance of the kingdom of the north and the exile of the king of Judah in Babylon.
Solomon was not the oldest of his brothers, but was chosen to take his father's throne. From there he proceeded to eliminate all opposition (I Kings 2:12-46). Solomon is best known for his petition for wisdom:
7 "And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people?" (I Kings 3:7-9)
So God gave Solomon wisdom, and he also gave him wealth, power and fame. He was able to expand trade outside Israel. His most important and outstanding achievement is the building of the Temple. (Click here for an illustration of the Temple.)
Since the Temple was meant for God, the Solomon did everything to make it the most magnificent edifice ever built. He overlaid the stone walls with carved wood paneling. Inside the sanctuary were two rooms: an outer one, where one could find the altar, lamps, and a table for ceremonial bread; and an inner one which was perfectly symmetrical in its dimensions. Here could be found the ark of the covenant. It took seven years to build the Temple; it was finished around 950 BC.
Since the ark of the covenant signified Yahweh's presence among his people, the Temple was considered the most sacred of Israel's buildings.
Solomon's pagan wives (his marriages were part of political maneuvering), however, turned his heart away from God. Kreeft (You Can Understand the Bible, p 57) comments:
He had a harem of three hundred wives by one count, seven hundred by another. Solomon made three mistakes: (1) too many women, (2) too many gods, and (3) most importantly, he let his women choose his gods rather than letting his God choose his women.
Kreeft adds:
After Solomon's death, civil war split the nation in two under his unwise son Rehoboam. (Unfortunately, wisdom is not hereditary.) Never again would Israel attain peace, glory, riches, or even unity as it had under Solomon. It was split forever, and eventually taken captive and enslaved. Like Camelot, Israel's golden age was like one brief summer.
First Kings is not a biography of kings, nor is it a political history, but a spiritual history. Politically important kings, like Omri, are sometimes passed over quickly. Like First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings are a prophetic interpretation of the invisible spiritual causes that led to the visible political decline and fall of Israel. They are a historical commentary on the first, greatest, and most practical commandment (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:38). Once Israel favors other gods, God favors other nations. Nations can no more escape the moral and spiritual order than individuals can. God has no double standard.
The First Book of Kings ends with a divided nation. How did it happen?
Rehoboam (922-915 BC) inherited his father's throne. At this point, the people of the north were already sick and tired of the onerous taxes of Solomon, forced labor on his projects, and his division of the territory into administrative districts (I Kings 4). So when Rehoboam went to the north to receive their allegiance, he was faced with a revolt led by Jeroboam I (922-901 BC).
Thus the kingdom was divided and the Second Book of Kings, from chapter 1 to 17, tries to narrate the history of these two kingdoms in parallel. The northern kingdom of Israel had ten tribes, and lasted until it fell to the Assyrians in 721 BC (II Kings 17). The southern kingdom of Judah (composed of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah) was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC (II Kings 25).
(Click here to see a high-resolution map of the divided kingdom.) (Map of Assyrian Empire--9th-8th century BC.) (Map of Babylonian Empire--early 6th century BC.)
Peter Kreeft (You Can Understand the Bible, p 58) explains:
Nineteen consecutive evil kings rule in Israel. All worship idols at Bethel. There are nine separate dynasties, and eight of them came to power by murdering the previous king.
In Judah there is only one dynasty, the house of David, which God promised would last until the Messiah. Eight of Judah's twenty kings are good, and Judah lasts 136 years longer than Israel. These two facts are interpreted as cause and effect by the prophetic author (who, by the way, may have been the great prophet Jeremiah; the literary styles are similar).
But even Judah's good kings did not abolish idol worship. Therefore God abolished temple worship by allowing Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the temple and the holy city of Jerusalem. Once the temple no longer hosted the worship of the true God, it was no longer divinely preserved.
The remnant of the Jews, having lost their nation, their freedom, their holy city, and their temple, are marched 900 miles away into exile in Babylon. Read Psalm 137 to see how they felt.
Second Kings 18:9-12 narrates the fall of Samaria:
9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it 10 and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded; they neither listened nor obeyed.
The following summary is taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia Online. Josiah (or Josias) was a
pious King of Juda (639-608 B.C.), who ascended the throne when he was only eight years of age. He was the son of Amon and the grandson of Manasses. His mother's name is given as Idida, the daughter of Hadaia [IV (II) Kings, 22:1]. Of the actual influences under which he grew up nothing isknown for certain. His reign of thirty-one years is recorded in the parallel and slightly divergent asccounts of IV (II) Kings, 22-23:30, and II Paralipomenon (Chronicles) 34-35. The following is a summary of Josias's public acts as they are set forth in the former of these accounts.
In the eighteenth year of his rule, the Jewish king undertook to repair the Temple with the help of the high-priest Helcias. During the course of this work, Helcias found "the Book of the Law", and handed it to the royal scribe, Saphan, who read it to Josias. The threats made therein against the transgression of its contents frightened the monarch, who well knew how often these had been disobeyed in the past, and who sent to consult the prophetess Holda then living in Jerusalem. Holda declared that the threatened punishments would indeed take place, but only after Josias's death. Whereupon the king assembled the people, published the Law in their hearing, and they all united with Josias in a solemn vow of obedience to its commands. This was followed by a drastic reformation of worship not only in Juda and in Jerusalem, but also in Northern Israel, which was not strictly a part of Josias's kingdom, but in which the Jewish prince could easily intervene, owing probably to the feeble hold of Assyria at the time upon this distant portion of its territory. The work of reform was concluded by a magnificent celebration of the Pasch.
Peter Kreeft (You Can Understand the Bible, p 58) tells us:
During the period between Solomon and the exile (the period of the divided kingdom), most of the great prophets lived and taught: Elijah, Elisha, Amos and Hosea in Israel; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Obadiah, Micah, Nahumm , Zephaniah, and Habakkuk in Judah. The nation's spiritual health depended on heeding the Word of God through these divine mouthpieces, and the nation's bodily, political health, in turn, depended on its spiritual health. The same must be true today of the Church and the world--unless the Church is not God's mouthpiece, God's public prophet.
Here is a summary of the distribution of prophets between the two kingdoms.
Israel
Elijah
Elisha
Amos
Hosea
Judah
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Joel
Obadiah
Micah
Nahumm
Zephaniah
Habakkuk
The Book of the Twelve is a collection of twelve prophetic books that covers the period from the Israelite kingdoms to the exile and restoration. (Bandstra has more details. Click on this link.)
1. Assyrian Period
a. Amos
b. Hosea
c. Micah
2. Babylonian Period
a. Zephaniah
b. Nahum
c. Habakkuk
d. Obadiah
3. Persian Period
a. Haggai
b. Zechariah
c. Malachi
d. Joel
e. Jonah
Reproduced below is a timeline of the kings of the two kingdoms taken from Reading the Old Testament
Barry L. Bandstra writes (see Judah Alone)
Meanwhile, Nebuchadnezzar was extending Babylonian influence westward. Defeating the combined forces of Assyria and Egypt at Carchemish in 605 BC, he now had access to Canaan, including Judah. Nahum gloated over the destruction of once mighty Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 597 BC, deported its king Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with many of Jerusalem's influential citizens, and placed Zedekiah on the throne expecting him to be cooperative. When Zedekiah made an alliance with Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem in 587 and destroyed Jerusalem, including its temple. Zedekiah was blinded and taken away captive. In a second deportation, Nebuchadnezzar took even more of Jerusalem's citizenry to Babylon, and rendered Judah incapable of challenging him again. Habakkuk agonized over a divine justice that could employ wicked Babylonia to punish God's chosen people.