Ryan Conaghan Dr. Gonzales BIBL 105-C05 5 March 2015 Essay #2 God calls his people to obedient. In return for obedience, God promises to provide. During the 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. …show more content…
Although Saul met all qualifications of what the ideal king should resemble, he lacked the most important trait, obedience to God. Saul was identical to the rest of the people of Israel and wanted to reign his way. Saul’s disobedience caused his fall, “For example, his usurpation of priestly functions while awaiting Samuel to offer the sacrifices at Gilgal before the battle with the Philistines caused God to vow that he would remove the kingdom from Saul (Hindson 165).” God rejected Saul as king because of his blatant disobedience of God’s commands, and God chose David as the forthcoming king. Saul was the ideal king the Israelites desired. David was the king Israel needed. David was not tall or handsome but he was a man of God. When David defeated Goliath, not only did he fully trust God, David gave all the glory of his victory to God. David possessed the vital attribute that Saul never had, obedience to God. David trusted in God’s timing and plan. Despite David having the opportunity to kill Saul and reign over Israel , David continued to follow God's commands. In 1 Samuel 24:19-20 Saul said to David after spearing his life, “ When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands (NIV).” Unlike Saul David was obedient to God. God rewarded David for his obedience by anointing him King and later
The surrounding nations had an influence on the people of Israel and this was not pleasing to God. They wanted a king. They wanted to be like other nations and have a leaded. A king they could see.
He shows he is weak and not ready to lead. (1 Samuel 9:21). Saul even hides when he is supposed to show himself to the Israelites as the chosen King (1 Samuel 11: 22). Although Saul knows that he cannot lead, he has no choice, he has to follow the Lord’s order. At last, God realizes that Saul was indeed not a leader-type person and chooses another person. God must have known that people are not forced to be leaders, but they themselves should be aware of the ability to be leaders.
Bonnie and sherry both good post. Solomon shows us that even if you’re the wisest person in the world if you are not abiding in the Lord then the vines of the world are going to choke you out. God allowed Solomon to make this choice to disobey as he does with us. “So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.’” (1 Kings 11:11 NASB). God displayed mercy to Solomon for David’s sake “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.” (1 Kings 11:12 NASB). How faithful and patients God is with us is just amazing.
As Samuel grew in age he intended to appoint one of his sons as the king of Israel. His sons however did not follow the ways of their father or God. “They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice” (I Samuel 8:3). The people of Israel desired a king, “a king like all the other nations” (Hindson and Yates, 2012. P.164). The people had grown tired of oppression and felt that “the 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
King David was known as the successor of Saul. This story can be located in the book of First Samuel, written by Samuel during the period c.630-540BCE, with additions by prophets such as Gad and Nathan. David is introduced as the youngest of eight sons who is known to be an anointed king by Samuel to eventually replace Saul. When David later grew up, he was thought of as a good leader. David was considered an outstanding leader however, he was not perfect. As a king, David had positive and negative leadership characteristics. Throughout his reign as king of Israel, David showed remorse for his negative decisions and for straying from God. David
At the time of the historical fight with David and Goliath, Saul was the king of Israel. Saul had previously gone against God’s command to destroy the Amalekites and all they owned. Saul was more concerned with his own image rather than following what God had commanded him to do. It was a time when Israel had become a lost nation under Saul’s reign as King. Samuel mourned for Saul’s disobedience and is directed by God to anoint David as the next king of
The book of 1 Samuel contains the attempts and trials of Israel’s advances toward kingship. Chronologically, it follows the events in Judges that leave both the Israelites and the readers wondering what will become of the damage of the disobedience and oppression. Specifically, the passage of 1 Samuel 15 highlights the imperfections of this pathway to kingship and therefore exposes a need for something more. The story of Saul’s disobedience to God’s commandments and the inevitable rejection of his kingship asserts the necessary realization of the need for a savior. This assertion is strengthened by the literary nature of the passage, that which includes the apt use of literary devices and storytelling.
The people are seen corrupted and to be rejecting God on some level with their request to have a King like the other nations. I am not certain if the issue is so much about having Kings rather than judges, but the posture of their hearts and the motivations to have this new type of leadership. It appears to some degree that to be a unified nation that will soon become a distinguishable nation, a form of “government” was needed quite possibly to some degree. But it does appear evidently clear that the Lord was displeased with their motives. The posture of their hearts were not seeking the Lord’s will above all else. They not only rejected Samuel’s words of warning, but it appears their focus was on other nations and what they are
From the start of Judges, war is a prevalent theme. This theme is present in the first verse when the Israelites asked, “Who shall go… against the Canaanites to fight against them?” Time and time again the Lord raised up judges to deliver Israel from the oppression they faced. Even Gideon was referred to by God as a “mighty warrior’’ in chapter 6. Similar to the judges, Samuel was called by God to deliver the people. According to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, Samuel is depicted as a transitional figure leading up to the king the people asked for. Saul was appointed the king despite God’s warning that, “he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands…to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots” in chapter 8. Saul’s reign continued the theme of war present in Judges and 1 Samuel. The Philistines were still a strong force to be reckoned with. The Israelites were humbled when “defeated by the Philistines.” As a result, they went back to their roots, the Ark of the Covenant. God used the Ark to
Furthermore, before God tore the kingdom from Saul, Saul revealed a lack of repentance and humility. Saul disobeyed God’s command to obliterate the Amalekites, then tried to justify his disobedience in saying that “the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle, to sacrifice to the Lord your God” (1 Samuel 15:3; 1 Samuel 15:15) Not only did Saul fail to repent, but he also failed to honor the Lord in claiming that his sacrifice was for “your”, or Samuel’s, God. He didn’t acknowledge God as his own, making it appear that all of Israel’s successes were by his own strength. It is only after Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him that he admits that he was in sin the entire time and saved the animals because he “feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:14).
In the bible verse 1 Samuel 8: l-3 Samuel has become elderly and has chosen his sons as the judges over the kingdom. The people of Israel came to Samuel asking that they needed a new king who will follow guidelines, so they could be like other nations. However Samuel disliked their wishes, and felt as if the people of Israel wishes were of sinful thought. Samuel prayed to the lord about request the people of Israel had made. “ And the Lord said to Samuel , obey 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” ( 1 Samuel 8:7). God had selected Saul as the king of the people because of his image of head of state. God excluded Saul as the king because he did not
The Lord only answers prayers that are asked with a humble disposition and will result in greater glory for his kingdom. Unlike Saul, King Solomon comes before the Lord with humility, admitting that he is “only a little child” (1 Kings 3:7). He requests wisdom from the Lord, acknowledging that he is unable to obtain it on his own strength. Furthermore, Solomon acknowledges that the Israelites are “Your [the Lord’s] great people” (1 Kings 3:9). He gives to God what is God’s and accepts his lowly position of authority. On the other hand, Saul addresses the Israelites as “my people”, claiming ownership and kingship over God’s chosen people (1 Samuel 15:30). Like many of the Israelites, Saul craves power and control, as expressed through initially
Saul and David had a lot in common. Both were kings of Israel while Samuel was its prophet. Both men were considered attractive. 1 Samuel 9:2 describes Saul as “a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome than he among the sons of Israel.” David is described as “he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance” in 1 Samuel 16:12. While Saul was sent to find the lost donkeys, David was a shepherd over flocks of sheep. Both men were handpicked by God. God revealed his choice through the prophet Samuel who also anointed them both.
Saul was chosen by God himself to be the first king of Israel. The scripture declares
Saul was the son of Kish, and a member of the Benjamin Tribe. Saul was appointed the first king of Israel by the prophet, Samuel. Saul was ordained by God because he had good favor with God and the people of Israel. It was said that Saul was chosen by the people of Israel because he was very good looking, well built, and tall. In fact, he was the best looking man in Israel (1 Samuel 9:2). The people of Israel also chose King Saul to rule over their land because he had defeated a group of the Ammonites (11:1-15). During the first few years of his reign he won many wars, such as the Philistines. The Philistines were trying to enslave the Israelites, but Saul defeated them. Although Saul was highly favored by God and did great things, he became