I. Intro: it develops late.

1. History: other nations have kings by 2450 BCE. Egypt even by 3000 BCE.
2. Other nations surrounding Israel
   • Edom: Gen 36:31
   • Moab: Jud 3:12
   • Ammon: Jud 11
3. Creation myths of the other nations portrays kingship as ordained at creation. Instead of arising as a result of a something in history, kingship is introduce by the gods at the beginning of creation. Israel has an opposition to kingship that become apparent in the change from the old to the new order.

II. Religious Opposition to Kingship

1. Gideon: Jud 8:22-23: "I will not rule over you."
2. Son of Gideon: Jud 9:8ff: story of bramble bush
3. Question of dating
   • idea of kingship of Yahweh early: Ex 15:18; Deut 33:5; Num 23:21
   • Shiloh cult has Yahweh enthroned on cherubim-- this is kingship
   • surrounding nations had kings, so Israel could know they didn't want it.

III. Political Opposition to Kingship: rulers are chosen from lowly status

1. Gideon.
2. Abimalech
3. Jepthah
4. Saul

IV. Kingship of Saul

1. length of kingship given as two years in 1 Sam 13:1
   • 1 Sam 14:47: summary of wars against nations
   • wars with Amalekites far to south. Saul must have enjoyed freedom to move around, and he must have had time to establish a strong kingdom. Yet, there is trouble when he dies (weakness), so there needs to be time for a decline in his kingdom.
   • this also implies a Judean loyalty, so there needs to be time for disloyalty to develop.
   • time for his children to grow up. When Samuel meets Saul, he is portrayed as a young man, but 1 Sam 31:2 reports that he has grown sons that die with him in battle.
   • time for David to grow up and marry a daughter of Saul
   • time for David to fall out of favor with Saul.
2. Political nature of kingship: new order with kingship
   • 1 Sam 13:8ff Saul sacrifices himself instead of waiting for Samuel
   • 1 Sam 13:8ff: invokes oaths liberally
   • 1 Sam 14: at Gibea he can't wait on an oracle.
3. Dynasty presupposed: Jonathan seen as the next ruler.

V. Non-political (theological) aspect of David's Kingship

1. Establishment of a dynasty:
   • 2 Sam 7: God will be David a house
   • 2 Sam 23:1-7: rule righteously-- sort of criteria for kingship
   • Ps 132: political propaganda for kingship: Yahweh establishes Davidic monarchy and this inacts that establishment.
2. Status of King:
   • divine descendant (Ps 2:8)
   • chosen by God: (Psalm 45) so all people will praise the king
   • supporter of the cult: then God will fight for the king (Ps 20:4)
   • trusts in God (Ps 21:8): then God will fight for the king
   • just and righteous (Ps 72): then other kings will serve Israel's king
   • confession / oath of obedience (Ps 101): parallels the action of the king to ward off plague at Ugarit.
3. This is interpretation of the past and not necessarily a factual representation of past events. Again, think about difference between biblical history as "true" because it's factual or "true" because of a good interpretation of the past and past events.

VI. The Kingship of David

1. Military career: Saul, Philistines
2. consolidation
   • treaty with North
   • ark to Jerusalem
   • control of priests
   • kills of Saul's sons except the cripple.

==> political rise to power and political move to consolidate