1 Samuel 20-31
I'm going to give you a broad outline here rather than a detailed rendition of the story. Come with your questions about the details of what is going on here for our discussion next week.
Characters in David's story:
Saul: King of Israel
His sons: Jonathan and later Ishbaal
His daughter: Michal
Commander of Army: Abner
David: Rival and soon to be King of all Israel
His wives: Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba
Command of the Army and councilor: Joab
sons: Absalom, Amnon, Solomon
daughter: Tamar
Important prophets: Samuel, Nathan
David is on the run. He has gathered around him a band of loyal, effective fighters. Saul chases him constantly, trying to end this dangerous rival to the throne.
David, however, again and again passes up the opportunity to kill Saul. He also remains friends with Jonathan. During this time the Philistines are a constant threat, likely due to Saul marching out with his army against David.
David has several adventures, acting insane in Gath, getting a wise wife in Abigail. There is a lot of foreshadowing of David's kingship throughout these passages. Joab, the commander of David's army, is also introduced. He will have a lot of influence on what goes on during David's life.
In the end, Saul turns out to be his own worst enemy. He seeks the witch of Endor for dubious purposes and when he finds himself surrounded, he falls on his sword. His sons die with him, and they are all made a spectacle by the Philistines.
David has a rival to any claim of the throne, Ishbaal. David can be ruthless, but he also often lets Joab do his ruthless work for him.
Looking back at this part of David's story: what kind of person is David? What kind of relationship does he have with God? Is this an overly rosy picture of the man written by scribes hundreds of years later, or do you think this might be a fairly accurate picture of David?
Psalms
34: Deliverance by Yahweh
36: Wisdom psalm about Yahweh as vindicator and provider for the righteous
52: God punishes the evildoer and preserves the righteous
57: Yahweh preserves the psalmist in the midst of danger
142: Another prayer for deliverance
54: Yahweh delivers the psalmist from foes
Luke
22 - 23: The Passion of Jesus we celebrate during Holy Week. Luke's version is often seen as a portrayal of Jesus as the Holy Martyr - a slightly more Greek spin on the story than Matthew. Pilate is also seen in a slightly more positive, or at least less bloodthirsty, light than in Mark.
24: This is the single chapter devoted to the resurrection stories told in Luke's community. Notice that they are all connected starting with Emmaus. The women report the empty tomb, but nobody believes. He then appears first on the Emmaus road. While the two pilgrims tell their story to the disciples, Jesus appears once again. The Luke appearance to the disciples shares several elements with the non-synoptic John.
The story of Jesus ascension is retold in a different way in the sequel to the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles.
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