1 Samuel 4-19/Psalm 23, 59; Luke 18-21

1 Samuel
4-6: The story of the losing and regaining the ark. Here the prophecy given to Eli earlier is fulfilled and his evil sons get their comeuppance. The real story here, however, is about the ark. The question is, "Is God in the box, or not?" If the box (the ark) brings a curse to Philistines, why doesn't it help the Israelites in their battle?

7: Samuel's main entry into the story. He takes on a role as priest, then prophet and now judge, forming a bridge to the monarchy.

8: Like Eli, Samuel's sons are not great. The people want a king like the other nations. Yahweh sees this as a rejection of his kingship over them. Samuel warns about the demands a king will make on the people. They want one anyway. When the monarchy is established, the downside of having a king is made clearer and clearer.

9-10: The anointing of Saul. There are almost two stories here, one the story of the gathering of the people in chapter 8 and the choice of Saul by lot at the end of 10, and the story of Saul chasing the donkeys and running across Samuel in 9-10a. These stories have been connected. Saul is first anointed in private, then publicly installed in front of the assembly of Israel. David too is first anointed in private and later takes over kingship. Notice that Saul is handsome and also tall (David was short). Notice also that the method Saul uses at the assembly to select the king is by lot, that is, by chance, kind of like flipping a coin or throwing dice.

10:27b - 11: we start with a restored section from the Dead Sea Scrolls setting the stage for Saul's first great triumph over the Ammonites. The territory of the Ammonites overlapped with the Gadites and Reubenites - it was disputed territory. Now the King is moving north to Jabesh. The news comes to Saul, who by the way, as king, is still plowing his fields. He does what no judge before him has done, he musters the entirety of the Israelites to come and fight. He does so with a threat - but it finally works.

Mustering an army was nothing like it is today. Each city state had it's own rulers and territorial governors. They each had to agree to either send or go with troops to a battle, which usually occurred in the spring after the planting. There was not always a strong motivation to do this for the local leaders. They might just say - the Gadites problems are the Gadites - let them deal with it. So one of the jobs of a king is to be able to motivate the other local lords/kings to send troops to his muster. This will become more and more important as the history unfolds.

The defeat of the Ammonites secures Saul's rulership.

12: Samuel steps down from being a judge. The people receive a warning to stay faithful to Yahweh. The rain, coming during the wheat harvest, would have been a threat. Yahweh and his people seem to have come to a compromise. Notice the responsibility is laid upon the king and the people together.

13: Conflict with the Philistines and Saul's rejection. Saul, in making an offering, is supplanting the priest and taking on that role. Because of that the kingship will not continue with his children. Remember: Saul is the first king, chosen by Yahweh and by lot - there is no established method for selecting the next king. It might be assumed that it would pass to his heir, but that is an assumption.

14: A continuation of the conflict. If you watched the documentary, this battle was recounted. The troops are lined up with a ravine dividing them. Jonathan takes his armor-bearer (a great warrior himself) and attacks a garrison by means of a hidden pass. This throws the ranks into confusion. The confusion spreads throughout the Philistine camp. The Israelites who were in hiding come out and even the Hebrews (likely some mercenaries and not related to the Israelites) turn against their employers. Saul asks the priest to inquire of the Lord (likely using the ephod, not the ark). This would have been a small box with two sticks - one saying yes/another no - that was used to determine the will of God. The furor grows however, and Saul interrupts the priest and joins the attack.

There is some complications around food. Remember the ritual importance of eating. Saul takes a vow to win God's favor that Jonathan runs afoul of. There is also the problem of eating meat with the blood in it, which has been forbidden since the time of Noah. These get resolved and Saul establishes the borders of his kingdom which is demonstrated by his defeating the tribes on his borders - East, South, West and North.

We get his family and a summary of his military skills - hard fighting. The Philistines become the primary rivals of the Israelites through David's reign.

One thing to remember: a "thousand" when it relates to armies is not an actual number but a company or division of the army. They were divided into "hundreds" and "thousands." So when it says three hundred thousand, it doesn't really mean that many people. The population wasn't large enough for that.

15: Saul is rejected because he disobeyed the outright command of God. He was to utterly destroy the Amalekites - the first herem commanded by God since Joshuah. He holds back and we hear a refrain that will echo later from the prophets - it is better to obey than to sacrifice - God is not fed - he does not need the fat of bulls and rams - he wants devotion - and someone after his own hearts (the later description of David). The kingdom will be torn from his hands. Samuel is upset by this rejection, and he grieves over Saul's fall. Saul returns to his capital city Gibeah. This is the turning point - for the next chapter begins the story of David and his ascent to the throne.

16: David is chosen by God who looks on the heart, not just the outward appearance. David makes his way to Saul's court (though the next chapter seems to tell another story of how this occurred). David becomes an armor bearer, who is a skilled warrior who fights beside the king. Saul loses the Spirit of God and is afflicted, likely with a mental illness.

17: David and Goliath. There are some ancient manuscripts which vary the story here - from Goliath being 9 1/4 to 6 1/2 feet. Also whether the name of the Philistine was really Goliath or whether this was a later addition. Nevertheless, David meets the heavily armored Philistine with his lighter armaments and his sling, a common weapon for the poorer warriors, but an effective ranged weapon. He catches Goliath in just the right place, fells him, relieves him of his head, and routes the Philistines.

18: Jonathan and David become friends, but Saul becomes jealous of David because the people sing, "Saul has killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands." He tries to get David killed by sending him into battle again and again, but David prevails and is given Saul's daughter Michal as a prize. He is now a part of the royal family. Jonathan's lending of his royal cloak, weapons and armor prefigure David's ascent to the throne.

19: Saul plots to kill David again. There is a real love-hate relationship developing here. Saul wants to be friends and then becomes jealous and tries to kill him. Saul's own children try to convince him to lay off; Michal even lies for David. She helps him flee and David goes to stay with Samuel. Every time someone tries to take David, they fall into a frenzy. Saul comes, and he himself falls naked into a frenzy at the feet of Samuel. Even the king is powerless before the prophet of Yahweh.

Psalms:
We will be reading various psalms during the story of David. They have a tradition of being attributed to David, but who actually composed them is a matter of debate. Some are thought to be from David, but many are doubtful.

23: Yahweh the shepherd. Shepherd was also a common metaphor for King.

59: A psalm of deliverance, supposedly when David was hiding in his home.


Luke

18: Jesus continues to tell surprising stories and do amazing works. How is one persistent in prayer? Whose prayers are heard? What is it to be good? How can we be saved? How will the Son of David, the heir to the throne, be received in Jerusalem?

19: Jesus meets Zacheus - a hilarious story; then he tells a parable about what we do with the gifts we are given. We have the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. He enters triumphantly, like a king, and welcomed and proclaimed a king, yet he weeps and grieves over Jerusalem and its fate. He foretells of its destruction (which happens in 70 AD) and cleanses the Temple

20: All about his confrontation with the religious leaders. What is his authority - and what is authority? Who will welcome the Son who brings the kingdom? The leaders try to trick him and bring him into divisive arguments - Jesus outwits them and warns his disciples about those who carry religious power.

21: Jesus warns again of the coming destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Now that he has arrived, it becomes his primary message to the people there. He offers himself as an alternative way into the kingdom.