Introduction to the Old Testament Hebrew Bible Final Study Guide Early Israel 1 Joshua a Joshua depicts an idealized conquest i Where success is easy and people are loyal to the Lord b Judges however paints a starkly different reality i Here the Israelites repeatedly failed to live up to the commandments 1 Often worship other gods refuse to come to another tribe s aid and intertribal warfare 2 Two archaeological models for Israel a Peasant Withdrawal Revolt i Hebrew s slowly left joined together and then founded their own state b Gradual Infiltration i Nomads which came to settle down in one place unlikely 3 Life in Early Israel Kingship a Judges depicts Israel as living in anarchy civil war and chaos i The Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord and worshipped the Baals 1 He punishes them 2 This leads to repentence and finally deliverance a Deliverance is provided by way of the divinely inspired judges b Kingship is also explored i Yet it is experimented and divinely rejected 1 The story of Amilbech a He is the son of Gideon who defeats the Midianites i Yet after his victory he and his family cease being model leaders ii After practicing idolatry Gideon eventually dies b His son kills his siblings and crowns himself king i Yet he quickly dies when the tower of Shechem burns down 1 This is caused by an evil spirit from Yahweh a The book is organized in a geographical way detailing the stories of the judges as tribal leaders who Judges 1 Organization ruled over their own individual domains b The stories have a cyclical pattern to them 2 Judges Paradigm a The Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord and worshipped the Baals i He punishes them ii This leads to repentance and finally deliverance 1 Deliverance is provided by way of the divinely inspired judges 3 Female Judges Deborah a The Lord sold the people to King Jabin of Canaan 1 The commander of his army was Sisera ii After hearing the people s pleas the Lord sends Deborah to judge 1 She appoints Barak to be the Israelite military commander iii However it is the Lord who actually does the heaviest fighting Page 1 of 15 1 He sends all of Sisera s chariots into a panic b Yet Sisera manages to escape defeat by fleeing i He flees to Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite 1 Yet after she feeds him milk he falls asleep 2 She kills him by driving a tent peg through his temple Samuel and Saul a Samuel s Central Conflict a The central action of 1 Samuel is the establishment of the monarchy i It gets its name from the Prophet Samuel who is chosen by God as the leader of the Israelites 1 He is a military leader that is able to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines for a while 2 He also has great national prominence as a prophet b Samuel presents a negative view of the monarchy i The events that unfold in Israel are the result of divine intercession 1 Israel is punished or rewarded for its actions in accordance with the law given to it by Moses ii While the King is divinely chosen it does not always mean that they will be model citizens 1 Such as Saul who is at first chosen but then God regrets having chosen him a His offering of the sacrifice before battle instead of Samuel b External Motivation for a Monarchy a The Israelites cry out for Samuel to anoint a king after the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the i This military threat motivates the Israelites to unite as one people in order to battle their Philistines enemies c Samuel s Birth The Song of Hannah a Samuel is born to a barren mother who had wept to the Lord for a child i God grants her a child who she promises to raise as a Nazerite a A life of devotion to the Lord No wine hair cutting or harsh food 2 Her mom sings the Song of Hannah in the Temple at Shiloh after the boy is weaned d Samuel s Role in Israel a Samuel is responsible for the anointing of Kings Saul and David b He prophesizes to Eli that his children are corrupt e Messiah Is Saul a Messiah a A king or high priest one that is anointed with the Holy Oils i Three accounts to Saul s institution as King 1 Sam 9 Saul is sent by his father to retrieve a lost donkey a While they are in a strange city he decides to consult a Seer Samuel In private he meets and eats with him and anoints him i 2 Election by Lot a Knowing that the people wanted a Leader Samuel assembles the people i Having had a vision the night before he anoints an initially reluctant 3 Popular Election Saul as King leader a Following the defeat of the Ammonites by Saul the people chose him as their Page 2 of 15 f Saul s Rejection 1 Samuel 13 a Faced with an approaching Philistine army Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel for 7 days before he would arrive to offer the burnt sacrifice to the Lord before the battle i But the army was quickly approaching and Saul grew restless 1 So he himself presided over the offerings to the Lord ii When Samuel arrived just as he was finishing he was reprimanded 1 The Lord is then said to have sent down an evil spirit over him in his divine rejection g Ichabod a Ichabod is named so as a reference to the glory of the Lord has departed from Israel i His mother was the wife of Phineas who died after labor due to the shock of hearing that her husband had died and the Ark had been captured David 1 Charcterizations of David b Shepard Boy c Musician d Unlikely Hero i Son of shepherd who rises from his humble beginnings i David s playing of the lyre when Saul was in pain soothed the King i David vs Goliath when the two face off as each other s nation s champions 1 David is small and weak compared to the giant Goliath and he is unarmored and has e Military Hero only a slingshot i A series of military campaigns that are able to push back Israel s enemies and overshadow Saul s successes i He escapes the capital after David issues a death warrant for him in doing so he eventually ends up leading a band of outlaw mercenaries who offer their services to the Philistines f Outlaw g Messiah i He is anointed with the holy oils by Samuel 1 Saul s Suspicion of David I Saul is suspicious of David he is an outsider who has rapidly risen in Saul s court and whose fame and popularity within the people worry Saul a David is given Saul s daughter Michal who loves him more than her …