Week Two - Summer Reading Challenge 2024

For this second week, we continue our story from the time the Israelites arrive in Caanan until the end of Solomon’s reign. The people were ruled first by a series of ‘judges’ and then there were three kings who ruled over the whole Israel – the undivided Israel. After Solomon, as we shall read next week, the kingdom was divided into two.

Our reading for this week consists of the book of Judges, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11, 1 Chronicles, 2Chronicles 1-9. You may want to register in your mind that the context of the book of Ruth is the period of Judges and you may browse through it this week if you can.

When you come to 1 Chronicles, you will find that the story starts with Adam! Chronicler’s history is parallel to Deuteronomistic history (1st and 2nd Kings are part of this history) and it goes back to the very beginning of the biblical story and you get a summary of the time between Adam to King Saul in the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles.

Let’s continue reading the story.

D. THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES c.1220 - 1040 B.C ( JUDGES, 1 SAMUEL 1-7).

JUDGES 2:1-3:6 gives the editor's theological summary and 'programme' for the period which is also called "the dark ages". The theological presuppositions and language of Joshua - 2 Kings are very familiar to Deuteronomy. So Scholars call this section of the OT, the Deuteronomistic history. The period of Judges comes in the beginning of Deuteronomistic history.

Judges 2:7-16;31 tells us the story of Judges: Othniel (3:7-11) Ehud (3:12-30), Shamgar (3:31), Deborah and Barak (Chs.4-5), Gideon (Chs.6-8), Abimelech (Ch.9) Tolah (10:1-2), Jair (10:3-4), Jephthah (10:6-12:7), many minor Judges (12:8-13), and Samson (Chs.13-16). Samuel also was a Judge (1 Sam.1-7).

Disunity, disloyalty and deliverance are the main features of this period. We may see a typical pattern summarised in 3:7-11:

i) Israel forgets YAHWEH.

ii) YAHWEH gets angry.

iii) YAHWEH gives Israel into the power of some enemy.

iv) Israel cries out under the oppression.

v) GOD raises up a deliverer, a Judge.

vi) The deliverer saves Israel and then 'judges' them.

vii) The land has peace ('rest') for a period (usually for a generation, 40 years or two, 80 years).

Judges were GOD's agents, i.e., GOD was the real King. They carried out the justice of GOD: they acted in the power of the Spirit of YAHWEH and so became 'types' of the coming righteous deliverer.

The story described in the book of RUTH happened during the time of Judges.

E. THE PERIOD OF UNITED MONARCHY c.1040 - 922 B.C.

1 SAMUEL 7 - 1 KINGS 11; 1 CRONICLES 10 – 2 CHRONICLES 9

1 SAMUEL 1-4 describes the last two great figures of the Judges period: Eli and Samuel. The time of Eli and Samuel is between 1075 - 1050 B.C. Eli was the elderly priest at Shilo the religious centre of the time, and also a judge for 40 years (4:18). Samuel was the last of the judges and anointer of the first king - a man who spans both the eras.

Circumstances that led to monarchy may be summarised as follows:

i) External pressures, e.g., Philistines.

ii) Weak leadership. Samuel's sons did not follow their father's ways.

iii) Demand of the people (1 Sam.8). People's demand looks reasonable as it points out the need for leader and justice (8:5, 20, 3) but it is seen as arising from sinful desire, for (a) it amounted to the rejection of theocracy (8:7-9) and (b) it meant losing their distinctiveness (8:5, 20). Samuel warned about this (8:10-18). But upon people's persisting demand GOD grants it. In Chs.8-12, there is a double concept of kingship in Israel:

a) It is portrayed as arising out of sinful human desire, against God’s desire for his people,

b) It is also portrayed as GOD's gift. 12:13, "You...... the LORD". GOD in his sovereignty weaves sinful human initiatives into his own design and uses them.

There were three powerful kings in the undivided or united kingdom of Israel.

1. Saul (c.1040 - 1000 B.C.) 1 Sam. 9-31; 1 Chron. 10. A powerful dictator. Wanting to be like the kings around him, he did not act as a representative of GOD nor sought GOD's guidance.

2. David (1000 - 961 B.C.) 2 Sam. 1-24; 2 Chron. 11-29. For 7 years his reign was in Hebron, as a 'local' king over his own tribe (chs.1-4). Then as the king over the whole Israel he reigned in Jerusalem for 33 years. GOD's covenant with David (7:14ff) was interpreted as referring to Messiah later. The unity of Israel as a nation achieved. Full possession of the whole territory promised to Abraham took place.

3. Solomon (961-922/1 B.C.) 1 Kings 1-11; 2 Chron. 1-9.

His achievements:

i) The building of the temple (1 Kgs.6-8).

ii) Flourishing of culture and wisdom.

iii) Economic and political stability; prosperity (9:26ff; 10:11-29)

There were shadows also attached to his achievements:

i) Heavy taxation (5:33;9:15).

ii) Influx of wealth led to inflation (10:27) and a new rich trader class grew.

iii) Religious compromise especially via his foreign wives.

iv) Bitterness among the people who felt the economic burden heaviest.