Chapter 6 review

1
Chapter 6 review

• Books of Samuel and Kings
• (1 Sam 11 2 Kgs 2530)
• Thomas Dereska

2
Motifs/Thesis

• Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, is the sole provider
  and protector of the Hebrew people.
• Renewal of covenant with God. This is
  characteristic of the Deuteronomistic author (D
  source).

3
Literary Terms

• Crisis Problem or situation within the story.
• Climax Height of action within the story.
• Denouement Resolution of the Crisis within the
  story.

4
Stories of Samuel(1 Sam 1183)

• Ark of the covenant stories (1 Sam 4172) hand
  on idealism of early Israel (12001000 B.C.E.)
• The villages of Early Israel depended upon Yahweh
  to defend Israelites from enemies.
• No slaves, monarchs, no taxes, no soldiers, and
  no cities in Israel at this time.

5
Annunciation to Hannah(1 Sam 11 - 211)

• Annunciation story ancestor story which teaches
  that children are divine gifts, not human
  accomplishments.
• Hannah is an infertile woman who wants a child,
  and Eli tries to prevent her from doing so.
• Eli realizes his fault, and becomes Hannahs
  patron. Hannah then conceives Samuel.

6
Trial of Eli and his sons(1 Sam 212 - 422)

• Eli and his sons Phinehas and Hophni are indicted
  for stealing sacrifices, and for having
  intercourse with the women who served at the
  entrance to the tent of meeting.
• Samuel takes Elis place as the gatekeeper of
  courtyard.
• Eli and sons suffer banishment that Eli
  implemented upon Hannah.

7
The Ark Delivers Israel (1 Sam 41-71 2 Sam
62-23)

• Three important arks in the Bible Ark of Noah,
  Ark of Moses, Ark of the Covenant.
• Ark of Noah great barge which allows his
  household to survive the flood.
• Ark of Moses basket is which Moses is placed in,
  in order to survive the waters of the Nile.
• Ark of covenant portable pedestal on which
  Yahweh stands.

8
Ark of Covenant stories

• Yahweh alone leads the Hebrews into battle.
  Yahweh lifts up chiefs like Joshua, Samuel, Saul,
  and David to deliver Hebrews from their enemies.
• Ark of covenant is brought into battle by Hebrews
  against Philistines.
• Hebrews forget that Yahweh leads Hebrews, but
  Yahweh will not be lead by them.
• Philistines retrieve Ark of Covenant to their
  divine patron Dagon. Dagon prostrates itself
  before the Ark of the Covenant, acknowledging,
  Yahweh as its patron.

9
Stories of Davids rise to power(1 Sam 84 - 2
Sam 813)

• After 1000 B.C.E., David united most Hebrew
  villages into a state.
• David is represented as a traditional chief and
  innovative monarch.
• David is portrayed not as a real person as in a
  biography, but as a silent and motionless ideal
  chief and ideal monarch.

10
Initiations of Saul(1 Sam 84-22 1 Sam 91 -
1016)

• Initiation of Saul at Ramah portrays Saul as the
  ruler who the Hebrews chose to replace Yahweh and
  who taxed the blessings of land and children that
  Yahweh had bestowed upon their households for
  himself.
• Initiation of Saul at Zuph display humility of
  Saul. He is not a man who would like to be king.
  Like David, Saul is a good herder who becomes a
  good ruler. Saul sets off in search of livestock
  and finds a throne.

11
Saul delivers Jabesh-Gilead from Ammon (4 Q SamA
1 Sam 111-1)

• The reaction of Saul the villager to the call to
  arms from Jabesh-Gilead designates him as Saul
  the chief, commissioned by Yahweh to deliver the
  people from their enemies.
• The call tests Saul who proves himself a chief by
  reacting appropriately to the crisis.
• After Saul and the Hebrews victory over the
  Ammonites, Saul grants his opponents a pardon.
  No on shall be put to death today, for today
  Yahweh had delivered Israel.
• This demonstrates that Yahweh alone leads the
  people of Israel.

12
Jonathan delivers Israel from Philistia(1 Sam
1315 - 1423)

• The stories of Davids rise to power incorporate
  the stories of Jonathan which demonstrate that
  anyone who would be chief must be competitive.
• Jonathan is Davids twin and trusted adviser.
  Twins are a motif in the Bible. New worlds are
  founded by twins, who reflect that this new world
  is both fertile and flawed.
• In Genesis, light and darkness, earth and sea,
  day and night, sun and moon, and Cain and Abel
  are twins.
• Jonathan demonstrates the power of Yahweh in
  battle by going to battle with only his
  shield-bearer. Jonathan believes it is the power
  of Yahweh that delivers Israel.

13
Trial of Saul(1 Sam 1424 1535)

• Saul is indicted for endangering the land and the
  children.
• The rulers could not reach a decision in the
  trial, and the priests used two rituals to
  resolve the crisis. The two rituals were ephod
  apron and the urim and thummim.
• The urim and thummim were dice that were kept in
  the ephod apron that priests wore. The dice were
  rolled to answer a question put to Yahweh. The
  dice are considered to be similar to a modern day
  Ouija board.

14
Inauguration of Samuel(1 Sam 161-13)

• Inauguration story establish the credentials of
  prophets to advise the monarchs of Israel and
  Judah.
• The inauguration begins with the denouement,
  which elaborates Samuels demurral to and then
  compliance with Yahwehs commission.
• Samuel demurs because Saul would consider
  anointing a new chief as treason.
• Yahweh tells Samuel here that human beings should
  not try to understand how the divine patron of
  Israel works. Yahweh does not choose or reject
  leaders according to the standard that humans
  use.

15
Saul adopts David as his musician(1 Sam 1614-23)

• David is a shaman whose music treats Saul for
  spirit possession.
• The spirit of a chief is trapped inside the body
  of a man who is no longer a chief. David draws
  the spirit out of Saul and into himself.
• Saul adopts David as his Shield-Bearer.
• David undergoes a transition of keeper of sheep,
  to keeper of state.

16
David delivers Israel from Goliath(1 Sam 171-58)

• Here David is portrayed as fearless.
• Goliath taunts the warriors of Israel. Taunts
  are a common strategy in making war in the world
  of the Bible. Tiamat taunts Marduk, Gilgamesh
  taunts Ishtar, etc.
• David taunts Goliath by calling him
  uncircumcised. Essentially, David is calling
  Goliath an impotent child.
• David is unarmed in battle, which emphasizes his
  faith in Yahwehs deliverance.
• David slays Goliath.

17
Jonathan adopts David(1 Sam 181-5 191-7
201-42)

• Jonathan adopts David and becomes his patron,
  advising him how to succeed in becoming a chief
  in Israel.
• Jonathan adopts David by clothing him. The same
  ritual was used by midwives and husbands.
• When Saul decided to execute David for treason,
  it is Jonathan who convinces Saul that David is
  and always has been loyal to Saul, and that if it
  were not for David, Saul would never have
  defeated Goliath or the Philistines at Azekah.

18
Saul adopts David(1 Sam 1817-30 241-22
261-25)

• There are three traditions that describe how Saul
  adopts David as his heir.
• Saul allows David to marry his daughter Michal.
• Saul is hiding in a cave dishonorably, and David
  finds him. David refuses to kill Saul, but
  ritually castrates him by cutting off the tassels
  which are the symbol of his status off his cloak.
  David then touches Saul, thus making Saul a
  client of David.
• In another tradition, David finds Saul asleep,
  and instead of killing Saul, David takes Sauls
  spear and his water gourd, which symbolize Sauls
  genitalia. When David is safely out of camp,
  David shouts to Saul and displays his stolen
  items.

19
David delivers Gath from Amalek(1 Sam 271
282)

• Saul rescinds his adoption of David and drives
  him into exile.
• David courts Sauls opponent Achish, Philistine
  ruler of Gath by delivering Gath from Amalek.
• David is appointed ruler of the Philistine
  province of Ziklag.
• David governs Ziklag to the advantage of the
  Hebrews and the Philistines.
• When David eventually becomes king of Israel, he
  annexes the province of Ziklag.

20
Covenant between Abigail and David(1 Sam 252-43)

• A covenant between Abigail and David seals his
  takeover of the household of Nabal.
• Abigail abrogates her marriage covenant with
  Nabal, and negotiates a marriage covenant with
  David. Abigail becomes Davids covenant partner
  against Saul, and joins Davids campaign to be
  the commander over Israel.
• The covenant between David and Abigail gives
  David a significant advantage over Saul.

21
Creation of the city of David(2 Sam 56-16)

• The crisis is a declaration of war. The conquest
  of Jerusalem is an achievement of the household
  of David, and not the legacy of Israel. David is
  summoned by Yahweh to do so.
• The climax David predicts a decisive victory
  over the people of Jebus and boasts of his
  unorthodox tactics that he will use in order to
  defeat the enemies of Israel.
• The denouement begins with the construction of
  the millo, which is a name for the Great House
  that David constructs in order to ratify his
  victory as the divine warrior over Jebus, and
  ratify his right to rule.

22
David delivers Israel from Baal-Perazim(2 Sam
517-25)

• Yahweh imposes sentence on Baal-Perazim which
  David then executes.
• Priests normally serve as intelligence officers
  for the chief and speak for Yahweh to the chief.
  The priests interpret their intelligence to the
  chief who then makes the final decision.
• The Hebrews never lead an attack. They fight
  only in support of the divine warriors commanded
  by Yahweh. The Hebrews listen for the wind
  created by chariots of the divine warriors as
  they rush into battle as their sign to move
  forward.

23
Stories of Davids successor(2 Sam 91 2026
1 Kgs 11 1143)

• The Stories of Davids successor were developed
  by the household of David to authorize Solomons
  right to rule Israel.
• The stories begin with a Trial of David which
  indicts the king for failing to protect and
  provide for the land of Israel and for its people
  by abusing his power in taking over the household
  of Saul.
• David is no longer considered a chief ruling with
  the consent of Yahweh since David uses force in
  lieu of negotiating an effective covenant for his
  succession.

24
Stories of Merib-baal(2 Sam 91-13 161-4
1924-30

• The stories of Merib-baal begin when David
  decides to review the status of the household of
  Saul.
• David interrogates Merib-baal to determine if he
  is supporting Absalom or another of Davids sons
  for the throne.
• Merib-baal answers Davids call which pledges the
  household of Saul to support only the heir
  designated by David.
• David then confirms Merib-baal as the heir to the
  household of Saul.
• Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah try to overthrow
  David. David retreats thinking only those who
  remain loyal to him will follow. Merib-baal
  stays in Jerusalem but detests that Ziba tricked
  him into staying. The house of Saul was then
  split between Ziba and Merib-baal.

25
Trial of David(2 Sam 101 1231)

• The trial indicts David for abuse of power in
  conducting foreign policy and in conducting
  domestic policy.
• Davids foreign policy bungles his negotiations
  with Ammon and leads to war. Davids Ammon
  policy was seen as an unnecessary and costly
  failure.
• David was charged with failed domestic policy as
  well. David sleeps in his own bed in his palace
  instead of with his soldiers in the field. David
  also sleeps with the Bathsheba who was a woman of
  honor of the house of Uriah. David not only
  destroys the house of Uriah in doing so, but also
  threatens the land and children of every
  household in Israel.
• Since the covenant obligations of Yahweh have
  been broke, Yahweh has sentenced Israels foreign
  and domestic policies to failure as a result.
  The household of David will continually be at
  war, and Yahweh will take your wives before your
  eyes, and give them to your neighbor.

26
Trial of Amnon(2 Sam 131 1433)

• Amnon fall in love with Tamar, and loves her as
  David loved Michal the daughter of Saul. Amnon
  finds Tamar marvelous to admire, but difficult to
  possess. Amnon is consequently portrayed like
  the pharaoh who cannot have intercourse with
  Sarah or Abimelech who cannot have intercourse
  with Rebekah.
• The second crisis episode portrays Amnon as a
  fool. Absalom dispatches Jonadab the trickster
  to the house of Amnon to seed it with bad advice.
• The third crisis episode portrays Amnon as a fool
  who cannot negotiate a covenant for the land and
  children. Amnon tries to gain Absaloms
  resources for his campaign to Davids throne by
  forcing Tamar to have intercourse with Absalom.

27
Trial of Absalom(2 Sam 151 2023)

• Absalom is indicted for failing to honor David
  his father.
• Absaloms goal is to try to trick David into
  believing that the people of Israel already
  accept him as their king.
• Absalom challenges David into battle.
• David attacks Absalom in a forest, and Absalom is
  captured.
• The Obituary of Absalom shames Absalom for
  seeking power illegitimately. Absalom shares the
  fate of Abimelech, Eglon, and Sisera. Each seeks
  power that belongs to Yahweh alone.

28
Trial of Adonijah(1 Kgs 11-53)

• Davids impotence and old age allow Adonijah to
  attempt to usurp Davids authority as father of
  the household, and appoints himself heir.
• In the face of Adonijahs direct challenge to his
  authority, David remains helpless. Bathsheba and
  Nathan convince David to adopt Solomon.
• Solomon consumates his adoption by demanding the
  resignation of Adonijah, who complies.

29
Trial of Solomon(1 Kgs 21 1143)

• Solomon makes a house for the divine patron of
  Israel. By building a temple for Yahweh, Solomon
  officially take possession of the land that
  Yahweh promised to Abraham and Sarah.
• Yahweh has a house, and Israel is a state.

30
Review of the Annals for the Monarchs of Israel
and Judah(1 Kgs 1144 2 Kgs 2530)

• The review tries to explain the reasoning behind
  a tragedy such as the twentieth century
  holocaust, or the Babylonian conquest of the land
  promised by Yahweh to Abraham and Sarah.
• The review investigates whether or not each
  monarch limited the worship of Yahweh to the
  temple in Jerusalem.

31
Indictment Annals for Ahab and Jezebel of Israel
(1 Kgs 1629-34)

• Ahab and Jezebel are indicted for negotiating a
  covenant between Israel and Tyre.
• Ahab and Jezebel considered the negotiation of
  covenants for food and for protection to be their
  responsibility as the heirs of Yahweh.
• The Review of the Annals for the monarchs of
  Israel and Judah considers negotiating covenants
  with other states to be a complete lack of
  confidence in the ability or in the willingness
  of Yahweh to feed and protect the people of
  Israel and Judah.
• Ahab and Jezebel were charged with renovating the
  sanctuaries to Yahweh.
• Ahab and Jezebel were charged with constructing a
  new temple to Yahweh in Samaria.
• Ahab and Jezebel were also charged with
  reconstructing the ancient city of Jericho to
  fortify Israels borders to the south and to the
  east.

32
Stories of Elijah(1 Kgs 171 2240)

• Elijah is considered a prophet.
• Stories of Elijah highlight important moments in
  his campaign to abrogate the Covenant between
  Israel and Tyre, and to recommit Israel to
  economic self sufficiency.
• Elijah believed that the temple to Yahweh that
  was built in Samaria to be sacrilegious.

33
Stories of Elijah(1 Kgs 171 2240)

• The stories of Elijah argue that only widows and
  orphans will survive the drought, because only
  the poor in Israel recognize that Yahweh is our
  Creator, which is the meaning of the name
  Elijah.
• Ahab is not considered a pagan. Ahab and Elijah
  are both followers of Yahweh. They disagree
  about how Israel should honor Yahweh.

34
Stories of Elijah(1 Kgs 171 2240)

• In the stories of Elijah, Elijah and Moses are
  parallel.
• Moses leads the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt
  into freedom at Mt. Sinai.
• Elijah leads the Hebrews from slavery in the
  Israel of Ahab and Jezebel into freedom at the
  Carmel Mountains.

35
The Stories of Elijah(1 Kgs 171 2240)

• The story of how Elijah Feeds a Widow and Her Son
  is an example of a miracle story.
• Miracle story A story about an event which
  occurs in the natural world but which is contrary
  to the conventional understanding of what is
  normal, and hence is attributed to divine
  intervention.
• Miracle stories are intended to demonstrate that
  Yahweh feeds and protects Israel with ease, in
  contrast to the monarchs whose covenants for food
  and soldiers are labor-intensive and ineffective.
  

36
Stories of Elijah(1 Kgs 171 2240)

• Yahweh is seen as the cause of all things good
  and bad.
• Elijah does not cry out as an admission of sin,
  as the term is used in hero stories.
• Elijah calls on Yahweh as a covenant partner to
  carry out the responsibility of protecting Israel.

37
Stories of Elisha(2 Kgs 21-25)

• Elisha is seen as a prophet.
• An inauguration of Elisha at the Jordan River
  stresses that the triumphant foreign policies of
  Ahaziah are powerless to protect the royal
  household of the land of Israel.
• The policies of Elisha and Elijah are a powerful
  deterrent to both famine and war.
• The prophets are absolutely confident that
  Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, will feed and will
  protect Israel.
• The transfer of authority from Elijah to Elisha
  is parallel to the transfer of authority from
  Moses to Joshua.

38
Stories of Elisha(2 Kgs 21-25)

• Yahweh designates the prophets to effortlessly
  use divine power to feed and protect the people
  virtually without cost.
• Characteristically Elisha will use divine power
  to once again demonstrate that Israel does not
  need warriors to protect itself, it needs a true
  covenant with Yahweh.
• Yahweh, and Yahweh alone will protect Israel.

39
Stories of Elijah and Elisha

• Reflect how villagers in ancient Israel
  worshipped Yahweh as a Good Shepherd.
• The miracles performed by Elijah and Elisha
  demonstrate the simplicity with which Yahweh
  feeds and protects the land, and its people.
• The miracles are in direct contrast with the
  destructive and labor-intensive economy of the
  rulers of Israel, who worship Yahweh as a great
  king.
• Prophets participate in society in order to
  improve it, not to destroy it. They are not
  silent or compromised, they are outspoken and
  committed.

40
Stories of Elijah and Elisha

• What the Hebrews learned from listening to these
  stories, and what they taught in telling them,
  was that, as often as humans remember that only
  Yahweh can feed and protect, a new world is born.
  The word and deeds of Elijah and Elisha captured
  the essence of what it meant to be the people of
  Yahweh.

41
Significant contributions

• Benjamin places the biblical texts into
  historical context for the reader. It is
  important to understand the time period of the
  events within the text.
• Benjamin provides definitions to words within the
  biblical texts which might confuse the reader.
  E.g., tsinnor water shaft. David explains
  that his warriors will crawl through the tsinnor
  in order to defeat the Jebusites.
• References allow the reader to better comprehend
  Benjamins analysis of the texts. This allows a
  reader who might be confused about a simple
  concept to compare it to a similar concept within
  the text that they understood.

42
Points of conflict/limitations

• Although Benjamin does a good job at helping the
  reader to place the biblical writings into
  historical context, I found that he is too often
  consumed with the historical aspect of the
  biblical writings rather than the true meaning of
  the word.
• Independent reading of the biblical texts seems
  to open the door to greater spiritual
  interpretation.

43
Clarify

• Do the people of Israel truly understand that it
  is Yahweh (not Kings and statesmen) that
  ultimately protects and provides for the people?
• Could Benjamins descriptions and illustrations,
  if somehow strengthened, ever compensate for a
  lack of spiritual interpretation?

44
Literature Cited

• Benjamin, Don C. The Old Testament Story.
  Minneapolis Augsburg Fortress, 2004.