Reflections on the Life and Period of King Saul Essay

Reflections on the Life and Period of King capital of Minnesota - render ExampleThe bible narrates that when the Prophet Samuel grew old, the elders of Israel demanded a king for Israel because the sons of Samuel were not walking in the ways of Samuel and also because they need a leader like other nations (1 Samuel 8.5). At first, Samuel attempted to dissuade his multitude from having a king. Samuel was also displeased and prayed to theology. In response, God communicated to Samuel that it was not Samuels leadership that the populate was rejecting but Gods kingdom (1 Samuel 8.7). God asked Samuel to tell his people what a king would do draft citizens for army service, get a tenth of the harvest, and turn people to slaves (1 Samuel 8.10-18). However, the people remained steadfast in asking Samuel for a king and God at long last conceded (1 Samuel 8.21). The Israelites wanted a king like the other nations to lead them, go with them, and fight their battles (1 Samuel 8.20). Accord ing to the biblical account, God told Samuel that he has chosen Saul to be king and to lead in the delivery of Israel from the Phillistines and God also told Samuel that the cries of the people of Israel has reached him (1 Samuel 9.15-17). biblical accounts describe Saul as a Benjamite who was the tallest Israelite during his time. In revealing Gods choice for Saul to become king, Samuel reminded the Israelites that God has been protecting Israel and that by demanding a king, they were rejecting God (1 Samuel 10.17-19). It is important to note that the bible reported that Samuel explained to Israel the regulations of the kingship (1 Samuel 10.25) but nowhere in the bible were the regulations of kingship described or documented. Interestingly, when Saul was anointed king, 1 Samuel 12.1-25 told us that Samuel made a farewell speech, indicating that Saul was to fulfil many functions that Samuel used to fulfil. This indicates that in the movement from Samuel to Saul leadership, there w as a movement from theocracy to monarchy. At the same(p) time, in that monarchy, particularly in the Israeli monarchy under Saul, religious figures like Samuel continued to play an important role such in 1 Samuel 13, Samuel rebuked Saul and that Samuel continued to play a role in the military affairs of the Saul monarchy. Eventually, however, in 1 Samuel 15, Samuel after declaring earlier or in 1 Samuel 15.1 that he was the one sent by the Lord to anoint Saul as king declared later that the Lord has rejected Saul as king over Israel in 1 Samuel 15.26. Samuel and Saul parted ways and Samuel anointed David to succeed Saul as king (1 Samuel 16.1-13). David entered Sauls service (1 Samuel 16.13-23). David eventually succeeded Saul as the king of Israel even when the former became the object of Sauls jealousy and liquidation plots. Sauls death is recorded in 1 Chronicle 10. III. The Literature on the Life and Period of King Saul In 1928, in an article published in the Journal of Biblical Literature, E.G. Kraeling described the real religion of ancient Israel (133). According to Kraeling, Yahweh or God is never compared to a king because God is the king (152). God is the one who sits (enthroned) on mount Zion