A HISTORICAL RECORD: KINGDOM, EXILE, RETURN
Home
Preface: Some Explanations
Unit 1. What is the Bible?
Unit 2. A Record
Unit 3. How to Write a Record
Unit 4. A Complete Written Record
Unit 5. A Selective Record
Unit 6. A Historical Record Part 1
Unit 7. A Historical Record Part 2
Expanded Sections
Definitions
Resources
Lists & Tables
Basic Introduction To The Bible
UNIT 7. A HISTORICAL RECORD: KINGDOM, EXILE, RETURN
Kingdom, or theocracy?
Saul: Establishing The Monarchy
David: Setting The Standard
Solomon: The Golden Age

Part of the reason for that is the way the ancients approached dating of events. Remember there were no "BC" and "AD" to link to, so dating was linked to individuals and/or generations and/or events. That's why we often read "in the days of..." or something similar – in which case we first have to date "the days of", before we can attempt to date the event in question relative to "the days". A classic example can be found in 2 Kings 3:1:
Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel...in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah..."
KINGDOM, OR THEOCRACY?
When Israel settled in Canaan, they were a loose league of the 12 tribes, each with their own leaders, and no centralised government. Reading their history, it seems that God's intention was for them to be a theocracy, a nation ruled directly by God. In fact, when their leaders insisted to Samuel that they wanted a king, it "displeased Samuel", who then prayed to the Lord,
and the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. (1 Sam 8:6-9, emphasis added)
Samuel warned them,
but the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us" (1 Sam 8:19)
It is very clear that the whole idea of a king also greatly displeased the Lord.
Yet it seems that God forsaw a king for Israel, giving laws for the king in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. How do we reconcile this with God's (and Samuel's) reaction?
It seems to me that the Israelites were just too eager, in a sense "jumping the gun" on God. It is clear that they have not thought through the whole idea: at first their reason for wanting a king was
"Behold, you [Samuel] are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us [="rule over us"] like all the other nations"
but later the true reason comes out
"...there shall be a king over us, that we also might be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles" (1 Sam 8:5,19,20, emphasis added)
the one thing God (and Moses) have warned them about repeatedly, to not be like the nations around them! And apparently they had also forgotten that it was God who repeatedly "fought their battles" in various ways.
They were not saying that a king (as in other nations) seemed to be a good method of governance, but that they wanted to be like all the other nations. And in that they were rejecting God.
Could it be that God was waiting for a man after His own heart, to raise him up as king and start off the kingdom on a different footing? We can't be sure, but how often are we today too eager to wait for God's time? The prescriptions regarding a king in Deuteronomy 18 seems to foreshadow that Israel would indeed have a king one day, focusing on the heart of the future king, who had to have his own copy of the law, so that
he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers (verses 19 & 20)
As the first king, Saul was impatient, not willing to wait on God's timing, not living out the law, and not obedient to God's instructions. How different might the kingdom of Israel have been if it had started with David?

SAUL: ESTABLISHING THE MONARCHY
Israel wanted a king like the nations around them, they got a king like those of the nations around them: a dashing figure, attractive, energetic, exciting, towering head and shoulders above everyone else. At first he was humble too, hiding among the baggage when the people wanted to crown him, but it didn't last long. Unfortunately his kingship soon went to his head, as God warned could happen: his heart was indeed "lifted up above his brothers" and he became a haughty man - vain, self-important, arrogant, contemptuous towards the instructions of God to the point where it grieved the Lord, and Samuel, that he became king.Initially he was charismatic and popular, an excellent military leader who achieved important victories against Israel's enemies and secured the nation's borders. He brought the tribes of Israel together under a central authority for the first time and provided a sense of unity and stability, establishing the foundation of a united monarchy and paving the way for future kings like David and Solomon.
His failures, particularly disobedience, failure to lead spiritually, and jealousy fuelled by ego, marred his legacy and underscored the need for a ruler who would fully follow God's will. But despite these, Saul's reign marked a significant transition in Israelite history from a loose tribal confederation to a united nation under a king.
[Click here for an overview of Saul's achievements, and here for an overview of his interactions with the prophet Samuel and his successor David.]
DAVID: SETTING THE STANDARD
Saul established the monarchy, but David set the standard against which all future kings were measured. God's evaluation of these kings often included a comparison with David, and although some got good remarks, none ever lived up to Israel's greatest king. His reign was marked by immense achievements, but also by personal failures that had lasting consequences.
David had a deep, personal relationship with God, as reflected in his psalms. He sought God's guidance in decisions and made worship central to Israelite life, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. His humility, bravery, and devotion endeared him to his people, and his early triumph over Goliath and his rise from shepherd to king made him a symbol of God's providence.
Unfortunately, David also had some moral and personal failures, most notably his adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah. To put David's audacity into some perspective, Uriah was one of David's "Mighty Men" (as was his father!), the ones who stuck with him through everything, and led and inspired his armies! This brought personal and national consequences, including family strife and divine judgment. From this moment the "fairytale" started falling apart for David, to the point where he had to flee from his own son usurping his throne.
David struggled to manage his family. His failure to administer justice consistently with his own children, revealed his struggle to balance personal emotions with kingly duties and led to tragic consequences.
Some of his actions, like conducting a census of Israel, were against God's will and led to punishment for the nation.
But in spite of his failures, David was "a man after God's own heart". When he sinned, he repented and sought forgiveness, unlike Saul who tried to justify his actions. He wrestled with God and his own sinfulness, and left a legacy in his psalms that still inspires and comforts people today.

His legacy, particularly the Davidic Covenant, shaped Israel's identity until today, and further developed the promise of a Saviour who would re-establish the relationship between God and humanity.
In terms of this whole study of the Bible, this covenant that God established with him (2 Samuel 7), is the key event in David's life and reign. It is very important to note that this began, not with David looking for a blessing, but wanting to honour God:
After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent".
Nathan, probably very happy about David's devotion, replied
Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.
But God intervened and changed everything:
That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day...did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" '
And then God extended absolutely undeserved grace to David and his descendants – as with Abraham, He chose to make a covenant with David - he didn't earn it, and he accepted it with faith and humility:
"Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture...I have been with you wherever you have gone.... Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
" 'The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' "
" 'The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' "
"I want to build a house for you, Lord... No, David, I will build a house for you, a lasting dynasty", and right in the middle of everything comes the central promise of the Bible, the master key (as we will see later in the study) to the relationship between God and humanity
I will be his father, and he will be my son.
Obviously it firstly came true in Solomon and the Davidic dynasty, but this promise finds its highest and complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the ultimate Son of David, through whom all who believe in Him becomes sons and daughters of the Living God.
Little wonder then, that a stunned David
went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
"Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant – and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
"What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant....
"Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
"Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant – and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
"What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant....
"Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
Later in this study we will look in a lot more detail at this covenant, and its place in God's plan in human history, but for now, simply take a moment and be overwhelmed by the grace of God.