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ISRAEL UNDER THE KINGS

+ + + Samuel + + +

There lived in Israel a man who was called Samuel. He was a prophet and a judge who ruled over Israel. His people had faith in him and he was a friend of God. When Samuel was an old man, the Israelites said to him, "Give us a king, such as other nations have, to rule over us.'"

Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to him, "It is My rule they are casting off, not yours. They are always forsaking Me. Grant their request, but warn them that a king will tax them and make them slaves." Samuel told the people this, but they still wanted a king.

+ + + King Saul + + +

The Lord told Samuel that a man from the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Saul, was to be anointed king. Saul began his reign well, but soon he began to disobey the Lord's commands. Samuel told him that because of this, his son would not rule after him. And the Lord sent Samuel to a man named Jesse, of the tribe of Judah, who lived in Bethlehem. Samuel saw seven of Jesse's sons, but he knew none of them was the man God wanted.

Samuel asked Jesse, "Are these all your sons?" "There is one more," said Jesse, "the youngest. He is out herding sheep in the fields." "Send for him," said Samuel. And Jesse's youngest son, David, was brought in. As soon as David entered the room, Samuel heard the Lord say, "Anoint him. This is My choice."

For the time being, nobody knew about this. David was called to Saul's court, because he could play the harp so well. When Saul was sad and unhappy, David would play for him, and the music would bring Saul peace. David wrote many of the songs we call the Psalms.

The Israelites were still fighting the Philistines, and one day both armies gathered for a battle. The Philistines had a champion, a huge and powerful giant called Goliath. Goliath came out from the ranks of the Philistines and challenged the Israelites. "Choose one of your men," he said, "to fight with me in single combat. If he wins, we will be your slaves. But if I win, the Israelites will be our slaves."

None of the Israelites wanted to fight this giant. Then David said to Saul, "I will fight the Philistine." Saul said, "You are too young, and not even a trained soldier." "The Lord," said David, "will protect me, as He always protected me against lions and bears while I was herding sheep."

Saul offered David his own armor to wear, but David refused it. Instead, he took the staff he always carried, five smooth stones from the river bed, and a slingshot; this was how David was armed when he went out to do battle with Goliath, the Philistine.

When Goliath saw that the champion of the Israelites was only a boy, he laughed and laughed. But David said, "I will strike you down. God will give me the victory."

Goliath was furious and came toward David to attack him.

David quickly took his slingshot, put a stone in it, and shot it from his sling. The stone struck Goliath right between his eyes and killed him. The Philistines ran away.

Many times after that David fought the Philistines. People said, "A thousand men fell by Saul's hand, but ten thousand by David's."

David married a daughter of Saul's, called Michal. He and Saul's son Jonathan were very good friends. As a sign of his friendship, Jonathan gave David his robe and his sword. But Saul began to be jealous of David. All the people of Israel praised him. At last Saul became so jealous that he wanted to kill David. David discovered this and ran away.

Once Saul stopped in front of a cave where David and his men were hidden. David could have easily killed Saul, but he only cut off the edge of his cloak. When Saul was leaving the cave, David called after him and showed what he had done.

Saul said, "You could have killed me! You have returned good for evil, David, and have shown yourself a true friend. I know that after my death you will be king over Israel."

+ + + King David + + +

After a time, in one of the battles with the Philistines, Saul was killed, and with him his son Jonathan. David was made king. He and his army conquered Jerusalem, and it was made the chief city of all Israel. David had the Ark of the Covenant brought to Jerusalem and there was great rejoicing. Israel now had a capital city and the Ark was in its rightful place.

David was a good man and was a good king over Israel.

However, one spring evening, when David's armies were out fighting, but he himself was in Jerusalem, David went out for a walk on the palace roof. He looked down and saw a very beautiful woman, whose name was Bathsheba, bathing. He had her brought to him, and slept with her. Then she went home again. After a while, Bathsheba sent David a message: "I am with child," it said.

Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, was one of David's soldiers. David sent an order to the commander of his unit to place Uriah in a place where the fighting was worst. The commander did this, and Uriah was killed in the battle. When Bathsheba learned of this, she mourned for her husband. After her mourning was over, David sent for her and she became his wife.

Bathsheba bore David a son, but God was not pleased at all with what David had done.

There was a prophet in Israel at this time named Nathan. God sent him to David. Nathan told David a story:

In the same town, there were two men, one rich, one poor. The rich man had many herds. The poor man had only one little lamb. He fed his lamb, and it grew up with his children. His lamb shared his bread, drank from his cup, slept on his breast; it was like a daughter to him. One day a guest came to the town. The rich man would not take any animal from his own herds, but took the lamb of the poor man and made a dinner for his guest.

David was very angry with this rich man. "This man must die!" he said. "And he must pay four times over to the poor man for doing this thing!"

Nathan said to David, "You are the rich man. God is very angry with you for this. He has delivered you from the hand of Saul, given you victory over your enemies, and many riches besides. But you struck down Uriah and took his wife for your own. Because of this, God will not bless you."

David answered, "I have sinned against God." Nathan told him, "God forgives your sin. But your child will not live." Then Nathan went back home.

The child of David and Bathsheba became ill. David prayed and prayed to God for his child. He fasted and would eat nothing; he would not sleep in his bed, but slept outside on the bare ground. On the seventh day the child died. Those around David were afraid to tell him his child had died. "If this is what he did when the child was sick," they thought, "he will do something even worse to himself when he knows the child is dead." But David saw them whispering to each other, and asked, "Is the child dead?" "He is dead," they answered.

David got up from the ground, bathed himself and put on fresh clothes. Then he went to the tabernacle and bowed down before God. When he got back home, he asked that a banquet be served. "Why are you acting like this?" they all asked. "When the child was sick, you fasted and wept; now he is dead, and you want a banquet."

"When the child was alive," David said, "I fasted and wept because I kept thinking: who knows? Maybe God will pity me and the child will live. But now he is dead, so why should I fast? Will this bring him back again? I will go where he is when I die, but he will never come back to me."

David comforted his wife Bathsheba. She gave him another son, whom she named Solomon. God loved him, and told David and Bathsheba so through the prophet Nathan.

One of the most beautiful of the Psalms is about this:

Ps 50

Have mercy on me, Oh God, because of Your great love

Because of Your great mercy,

Blot out my sin.

Wash me completely and cleanse me from my sin.

I know my many faults; always I see my sin.

Against You, only You, I have sinned.

I was born in sinfulness.

You desire truth in the inmost being,

Teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Hide Your face from my sins; blot them all out.

Create a clean heart within me,

Put a new and right spirit in me.

Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Then I will teach others of Your mercy,

And sinners will return to You.

Oh Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will praise You.

Sacrifice gives You no pleasure,

My sacrifice is my humble spirit.

A tender and sorrowful heart You will not turn away.

One of King David's sons was Absalom, whom he loved dearly. But Absalom wanted to be king himself. He began to tell everyone he would be a much better king than David.

Absalom gathered an army around him, to win the throne of Israel.

There was a battle between David and his army and Absalom and his army. David's forces won the battle and Absalom, fleeing on his mule, rode under a low branch of a tree and got his hair caught in it. One of David's soldiers found him hanging there, helpless, and killed him.

When David heard the news, he wept and said, "Oh, Absalom! Absalom, my son! I wish I had died instead of you!"

+ + + The Psalms of David + + +

Some of the most beautiful of the Psalms attributed to David were sung by the pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem, which is on Mount Zion, to worship in the Temple there. We are pilgrims on our way to the heavenly Jerusalem, so we still sing them today.

Ps 119-133

When I am in trouble I cry to the Lord, and He answers me.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains; where is help to come from?

Help comes to me from God, Who made heaven and earth.

No letting our footsteps slip!

This guard of yours, He does not doze!

The guardian of Israel does not doze or sleep.

The Lord guards you from harm, He guards your lives.

He guards you leaving and coming back, now and unto ages of ages.

+ + +

How glad I was when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!"

And now our feet are standing in your gateways, Jerusalem.

+ + + Jerusalem means “city of peace, and so the Psalmist sings: + + +

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Peace be within your walls!

For the sake of all my friends and brothers, I say: "Peace be within you!"

Since the Lord our God lives here, I pray for your happiness.

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To You I lift up my eyes, to You Who are enthroned in heaven.

As the eyes of a maid look to the hands of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, for Him to have mercy on us.

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If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side - let Israel repeat it - if it had not been the Lord Who was on our side, when they attacked us, they would have swallowed us up alive.

Blessed be the Lord, who let us escape like birds from a net.

He tore the net, and we escaped.

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Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, unshakable, standing forever.

As the mountains encircle Jerusalem, so the Lord encircles His people, now, and unto ages of ages.

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If the Lord does not build the house, those who build it work in vain.

In vain you get up early, and go to rest late, sweating in anxious toil to make a living, for He gives to His beloved in sleep.

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Blessed are those who love the Lord and walk in His ways.

You will eat the fruit of your own labor, you will be happy, and it will be well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your house, your children like olive shoots all around your table.

May you see your children's children.

Peace be to Israel!

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Out of the depths I cry to You, Oh Lord!

Lord, listen to my cry for help!

If You never forgot our sins, God,

Oh Lord, could anyone survive?

But You do forgive us,

and for this we revere You.

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I wait for the Lord,

my hope is in His Promise.

More than the watchman waits for the dawn,

Oh Israel, hope in the Lord!

For it is in God that mercy is found,

it is He Who redeems Israel from all their sins.

+ + +

Lord, I am not concerned with great affairs

or marvels beyond my scope.

It is enough for me

to keep my soul peaceful and quiet

like a child that is quiet at its mother's breast.

Oh Israel, hope in the Lord,

Now and unto ages of ages.

+ + +

How good, how pleasant, it is

for all to live together like brothers.

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord!

Lift up your hands to the holy place,

and bless the Lord!

May the Lord bless you from Zion,

He Who made heaven and earth.

+ + + King Solomon + + +

When King David was very old, he chose another of his sons, Solomon, to be the next king. Solomon was anointed, and there was great rejoicing among the people. When King David died, he had reigned over Israel for forty years.

Solomon was very wise. Once two women came to him with a baby. One woman said, "This is my child. This woman's child died last night and she has taken my child and put the dead one in its place. I want my child back."

"That is not true," said the other woman. "This is my child. Her child is dead."

King Solomon said to one of his servants, "Bring me a sword." When the sword was brought, the king said, "Cut the child in two and give each mother half."

"Oh, no! Don't do that!" cried the baby's real mother. "Give her the child if you must, but don't kill him."

"The woman who is willing to give up her child to keep it from being killed is the true mother," said King Solomon. "Give the child to her."

This story spread throughout Israel, and everyone praised King Solomon's wisdom.

480 years after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of his rule, Solomon started to build the Lord's Temple.

The Ark of the Covenant was to have its own resting place.

He wanted to make the Temple as beautiful as he possibly could. Skillful workmen built it of the finest cedar wood. In the inner shrine where the Ark rested, the walls were plated with pure gold and all the altar vessels were made of pure gold.

Solomon also built a palace for himself. Israel had never been so rich as when Solomon was king.

People came from far away to see King Solomon and to listen to his wisdom. The Queen of Sheba came to visit him, bringing rich gifts, spices and gold and precious stones, and she paid him homage for his wisdom and riches. But King Solomon in his old age lost the Lord's friendship because he worshipped idols.

Solomon reigned forty years. When he died he was buried with his father David.

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