1 the Kingdom of Israel

8/4/2019 1 the Kingdom of Israel

1/12

Prepared by:Richard G. PazcoguinUST Institute of Religion


2/12

The Israelitesworship other

gods

God allowsforeigners to

attack the

chosen people

The Israelitesrepent and askfor Gods help

God appoints aJUDGE to

deliver them

from oppression


3/12

The JUDGES were charismaticmilitary leaders appointed by God to

set the Israelites free from theirenemies, that the chosen peoplemay live in peace again.

Judges were appointed by God intimes of crisis. They were not kings,and hence were not permanentrulers. There was no line ofsuccession. This was because ofthe prevalent belief that God alonewas the king of the chosen people.


4/12

The Israelites, not realizing that theirweakness as a nation was a consequenceof their being far from God, thought that aking was the key to economic and politicalstability.

The Prophet Samuel, regarded as the last

judge of Israel, was coerced by the peopleto anoint a king to govern Israel. Despitehis resistance, the people had their wayand God eventually permitted theestablishment of the monarchy.


5/12

The government of the new kingdom wasTHEOCRATIC. The kings were regarded ashaving been directly appointed by God.

Religion and state were one and the same. TheKing was both a political and religious leader.He was acknowledged as Gods vicar.

The people were obliged to pay taxes to theking, and to give him the best fruits of their labor.The men had to work in the kings army, and theladies would have to be the kings servants.


6/12

Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, was the firstking of Israel.

His reign was a total failure:He exhausted the resources of the nation forhis wars.He failed to defeat the perennial enemy of the

Israelites: the Philistines.He disobeyed God, refused to listen to Samuel.

Because of these, God rejected Saul as king.Eventually, caught in a hopeless situation, Saulkilled himself.


7/12

David, from the tribe of Judah, was secretly anointed bySamuel as the second king of Israel while Saul was stillreigning. He became famous for defeating the Philistinegiant, Goliath. His popularity rapidly rose, and king Saulwas jealous, and even attempted to kill David. AfterSauls death, David took possession of the throne,

defeated the enemies of Israel, and expanded hiskingdom. His reign was the beginning of the golden

age.

Nonetheless, David had his own share of weaknesstoo. He committed the sin of adultery. But unlike Saul,David repented and listened to Gods messenger, that

time, it was the Prophet Nathan.


8/12

King Solomon, known as the wise king, was Davids

son. His reign was the peak of Israels golden age. He

engaged in international trade, Israel was relatively

prosperous during his reign, and he had his way ofpreventing wars with rival kingdoms. His greatestachievement is the construction of the Temple ofJerusalem. His reign was not a glittering successthough.

He had many wives.He imposed heavy taxes on the people to sustain hisluxurious lifestyle.He implemented the practice of forced labor.His foreign wives made him build shrines for pagan

gods.


9/12

Many believed that the division of the kingdom wasa consequence of Solomons sins.

The king after Solomon was Rehoboam.Jerusalem, being the nations capital, was the city

where the king resided. It was in the south,Rehoboam told the north that he will rule them withharshness. In response to this, the north, led by

Jeroboam, lead a rebellion, resulting into a schismand an eventual division of the kingdom. The Northretained the name Israel with Samaria as itscapital, and the south was called Judah retainingJerusalem as its capital.


10/12

During the time after the kingdoms

division, the Israelites could no longerrely on their kings for spiritualleadership. The monarchs have eitherbeen to engrossed with worldly things,or have fallen into idolatry. The kingsled the chosen people far from God.

To remedy the situation, God sentprophets to convey His messages toHis people and to serve as spiritualleaders.


11/12

Through the years of oppression whichfollowed the division, the chosen peopleonly hoped for one thing the re-

establishment of the Kingdom.

The prophets spoke or wrote about:

CONVERSION AND FIDELITY TO THE

COVENANT JUSTICE FOR THE POOR AND THE

OPPRESSED MESSIANISM a Spirit-filled emissary

will come to proclaim the coming of the

KINGDOM.


12/12

Simon Jenkins

THE BIBLE FROM SCRATCHQuezon City: Claretian Publications, 1989

Fr. Luc Colla, CICM

THE LOVE STORY OF GOD AND HIS PEOPLE

Baguio City: St. Louis University, 1984

James Finley and Michael Pennock

JESUS AND YOU: DISCOVERING THE REAL CHRISTInd.: Ave Maria Press, 1977

Documents

1 the Kingdom of Israel