Week 9 Study Page - 2nd Samuel 18-24; Song of Songs; 1st Kings 1-7
Week #9 Study Page
2nd Samuel 18-24; Song of Songs; 1st Kings 1-7
Sunday - 2nd Samuel 18-21
Monday - 2nd Samuel 22-24
Tuesday – Song of Songs 1-4
Wednesday – Song of Songs 5-8
Thursday – 1st Kings 1-2
Friday – 1st Kings 3-5
Saturday – 1st Kings 6-7
Degree of difficulty: 3 out of 10 (Explanation:) This week's reading is only 22 chapters long! We'll read from three different books this week. 2nd Samuel and 1st Kings are the kind of historical account that we are so used to reading since we started in January. Each of the readings from these two books have sections that contain difficult or choppy reading. 2nd Samuel 23 contains the account of David's mighty men. While this chapter contains some really interesting sentences, most of it is a list of names that you have not heard of, and will not hear again. 1st Kings 4-7 contains descriptions of Solomon's officials and building projects, and these chapter can seem pretty dry. Song of Songs, on the other hand, will - i imagine - seem refreshing to read. we'll take a brief hiatus from reading history to check out eight chapters of poetry. the key to reading Song of Songs well, is to pay close attention to who is speaking. If you're not focused in on who is speaking (the man, the woman, or her friends) the dialog can seem a little dizzying; try to imagine a play on a stage and pay attention to which character is speaking.
About the Book(s)
1st & 2nd Samuel (refresher)
Date of Authorship: The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel are really one, continuous, historical volume, written after the divided monarchy in 931 BC, and before the exile of Israel in 721 BC
Author: The Bible gives us no real clues about who wrote the accounts of 1st and 2nd Samuel.
Purpose: The books of Samuel explain to their Israelite audience how it is that they came to have a king, as well as the qualities possessed by a bad king (Saul) and the qualities possessed by a good king (David).
Song of Songs (entitled "Song of Solomon" in some Bibles )
Date of Authorship: traditionally Song of Songs is believed to have been written by Solomon himself. Solomon's reign in Israel was from 971-931 BC. those who do not think this book was written by Solomon give a wide range of dates stretching from contemporaneous with Solomon's reign in the 10th century BC to the Hellenistic period (late 4th century BC).
Author: you'll see that SOS 1:1 says "Solomon's Song of Songs" this introduction has led most to believe that this book was written by King Solomon, David's son. However, these words do not necessarily communicate authorship, they could just as well indicate that the song was written about Solomon, was dedicated to Solomon, or placed in a collection of Solomon-like literature (Ref. Tom Gledhill, The Message of the Song of Songs: the Lyrics of Love, p91-92).
Purpose: Song of Songs literally means 'the greatest of songs." It is , simply stated, a celebration of love shared between two young lovers. They bask in each other's beauty and in their partner's ability to satisfy their need for physical love. This celebration of love and even sensuality between lovers is the primary purpose of the book, and the express purpose of the characters speaking. Traditionally, interpreters of the Bible have read an allegorical meaning into this book which imagines the male character as portraying God, and the female character as portraying his beloved Israel. This is an easy allegory to connect because the relationship between God and Israel is often described in terms of marital faithfulness and portrayed as a marriage relationship (see Hosea 1 and Ezekiel 23). However, I think it is helpful to remember that this allegorical interpretation is only secondary. Don't overlook Song of Song's purpose as a celebration of love and sexuality as God designed it.
1st Kings
Date of Authorship: 1st and 2nd Kings were (like 1st and 2nd Samuel) written as one volume, but separated to accommodate the reasonable size of a scroll. The last historical event recorded in this volume occurs in 561 BC, meaning it could not have been written earlier than that date. An incredibly important event for the Israelite people occurs in 539 BC when Cyrus the Great of Persia issues and edict allowing Israelites in exile to return to Judah, and the author of this volume shows no knowledge of this event. Therefore, it seems likely that this volume was written in the 6th century BC, sometime between 561 and 539 BC, while the Israelite people from Judah were exiled in Babylon.
Author: Jewish tradition maintains that the prophet Jeremiah wrote the books of 1st and 2nd Kings. While Jeremiah is alive and ministering during the time that these books were likely written, there is no evidence within the text or in the historical record to validate this claim. We know that the author of 1st and 2nd Kings is working from source accounts because he names them in his volume. The Book of the Annals of Solomon, The Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel, and The Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah, are all referenced by the author of Kings, and if you have a spare copy of any of these volumes in your basement, please tell someone - their texts are among the most coveted archaeological missing treasures just behind the holy grail. the fact that the author is working from source accounts is reassuring, given the fact that he is writing his volume approximately 300 years after the end of Solomon's reign which he spends eleven chapter recounting.
Purpose: 1st and 2nd Kings first tell of the grandeur of Israel under Solomon, and then recount the sad story of division, evil, and unfaithfulness in the period of the divided kingdom. The author spends very little time on the most important political and military kings like Omri, Jeroboam II, and Uzziah, choosing instead to focus on accounts of faithful and unfaithful kings, and the consequences that their reigns bring on the peoples of Israel and Judah. this volume would explain to the Israelites in exile how it is that they got there, and show them the one quality that marks a successful Israelite leader - faithfulness to Yahweh.
As you read Notes
2nd Kings 19: An Update on Three Characters: Ziba, Shimei, and Mephibosheth
Ziba, a servant in Saul's household had been paired with Mephibosheth, the lame grandson of Saul, and made manager of Mephibosheth's lands and household. For being supportive of David during the rebellion of Absalom while his master was not, Ziba was given possession of all that belonged to Mephibosheth. That all occurred in last-week's reading. This week. Ziba meets and supports David as he returns from the trans-Jordan (east of the Jordan river) to Jerusalem. However, when David reaches Jerusalem, Mephibosheth claims that Ziba lied about Mephibosheth's rebellious intentions and David makes Ziba and Mephibosheth divide the land (presumably in half).
Mephibosheth, Saul's lame grandson who was graciously kept alive, given wealth, and a seat at the king's table by David, reportedly (according to Ziba) stayed in Jerusalem so that he could ascend to his grandfather's throne and usurp David in last week's reading. This week, when David returns, Mephibosheth claims that he had no such intentions and shows David some dirty clothes and an untrimmed mustache to prove it. David restores to Mephibosheth some of the land that he had given to Ziba.
Shimei, a relative of Saul who had hurled insults at David as he fled from Absalom last week, now meets David as he crosses back across the Jordan river and begs for forgiveness. David promises Shimei on an oath that he would not kill him. Shimei's name will appear again this week in 1st Kings 2. There, David warns Solomon to now hold him accountable for his sin. Solomon puts Shimei on no-fly list which Shimei violates, so Solomon has him put to death.
2nd Samuel 22 - David's Song of Praise
David is always singing. not only did he write, or have ascribed to his name, dozens of psalms, but when the authors of Samuel and Kings record his story they include a number of times that David sings. When Saul and Johnathan die, David sings, when Abner dies, David sings; it was a song about slaying philistines that made Saul so angry at David, and now - as David approaches the end of his life and reign - again, he sings. This song is longer than the others and sounds much like many of the psalms that bear King David's name. One section of this song particularly draws my interest:
“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight. (2 Samuel 22:21-25)
These words come from the man who slept with Bathsheba, murdered her husband, and, in doing so, was also responsible for the death of Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth among others. Punishment for this grave transgression involved a family in turmoil, with his daughter disgraced by his son, and another son leading a rebellion which temporarily expelled David from Jerusalem. so how can we reconcile that story with these words? Psalm 51 is the story of David's plea to God after he was convicted of his sin by the prophet Nathan. That prayer can help us understand these words of David, to a degree. as we continue to read the account of the Israelite kings over the next few weeks we will see a trend that should further illuminate these words of David. Over and above every other matter of transgression, import, or success, God values the faithfulness of these character's worship more than anything else. In that category, David was blameless; he never worshiped another God, or encouraged the people of Israel to do so. I believe that David's covenant faithfulness primarily, and his forgiveness and restoration from the sins of 2nd Samuel 11 secondarily are the factors that allow him to proclaim his innocence before the Lord in this song.
Song of Songs - A Love Song
Song of songs is about romantic love. The title of this book tells us that it is the greatest song, and as we know from our itunes playlists, the greatest songs are about love. It is explicit, even when we read our English translations. which admittedly useb euphemism to moderate this graphic song. Here is a note from the IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament about the text of Song of Songs
"Most English translations disguise some of the most blatant erotic imagery with euphemism and metaphor, as is appropriate considering the poetic nature of the literature and the need to preserve a certain propriety for a general audience"
In addition to praising the delight and joy of romantic love, Song of Songs also comes with a warning. Three times the "Daughters of Jerusalem" are warned to not "arouse or awaken love until it so desires" (2:7, 3:5, and 8:4), and after this warning is repeated the third time we get this warning:
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away. (SOS 8:6b-7a)
in these passages, Song of Songs provides a warning about the power of love. A love, like the one described in this song, is so intense and jealous, that it carries with it a strong and enduring destructive power. This warning is especially meaningful to the allegorical reading of Song of Songs.
Song of Songs - An Allegory
First, I need to say that the book of Song of Songs makes no claims or attempts to be understood as anything other than a reflection on romantic love. However, throughout the history of both the Jewish and Christian faiths, this book has been assigned an allegorical meaning in addition to, or beyond its locutionary content. if Song of Songs has an allegorical meaning, what is it?
Song of Songs has been traditionally been interpreted as a depiction of the love between God, and his beloved bride. In the context of the Old Testament, the bride is the people of Israel, in the New Testament era, from the collective perspective, that bride is the new-Israel, the Church, and from the individual perspective this poetry could depict the love exchanged between God and you - his beloved.
The people of Israel are frequently depicted as the bride of God in the Old Testament.
"For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:5
"Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. (Jeremiah 2:2)
(even in romantic terms) "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her(Israel). (Hosea 2:14)
When this analogy is understood, Song of Songs should underline and highlight the intensity of feeling that God has for his people and the intensity of devotion and desire that God wants from his people in return. This function is why we are reading Song of Songs now in our reading plan. The reigns of David and Solomon represent the height or pinnacle of the love affair between God and Israel. This period of intimacy is due to David's faithfulness to, and worship of, God. However, as we continue reading the story of the kings of Israel, God's people will scorn their lover, and the warnings about the intense jealousy of love in Song of Songs will become reality.
As you read the account of Solomon and the many kings that will come after him, you, as a reader of the Bible, need to understand the intense love, affection, desire, and jealousy that God feels for his people. you need to be able to see the depth of the treachery perpetrated by Israel when they are unfaithful to God. To that end, there is no greater tool than the love poetry found in Song of Songs.
This is a picture of the remains of a "high place" located about one mile away from Shiloh in Israel. Remains excavated at this location clearly indicate that this stone altar was used for animal sacrifice.
1st Kings 3: High Places
A high place was a localized or regional worship center dedicated to a god. Worship at these local shrines often included making sacrifices, burning incense and holding feasts or festivals (1 Kgs 3:2–3; 12:32). Some of these high places contained altars, graven images and shrines (1 Kgs 13:1–5; 14:23; 2 Kgs 17:29; 18:4; 23:13–14). The Canaanites, Israel’s enemy who worshiped Baal as their chief deity, also used them. The term conjures up images of remote hilltops, but in the biblical context, it wasn’t limited to mountaintops; Jeremiah 7:31 locates a high place in a valley and 2 Kings 23:18 at a city gate.
High places in Israel were sometimes used to offer sacrifices to Yahweh before the temple was built (see 1st Samuel 9:12-25). However this is not what God wanted. Sacrifices were only to be made in the Tabernacle and then the Temple. Remember the near-civil-war that was stoked when the Trans-Jordan tribes set up an altar (high place) at Geliloth on their way back home from the conquest of Canaan in Joshua 22 (they didn't even sacrifice anything on it). Later in the history of Israel, the high places would be centers of pagan idolatry hated by God.
It would be extremely normal for people in the Ancient Near East to have a local altar on which they could sacrifice to their God. However, Yahweh, the God of Israel is not like the other gods. he did not desire frequent, local sacrifices to him on hills all over the promised land - they were to only be offered at the Tabernacle/Temple. We think of the Old Testament religion as one centered on sacrifice, but consider how much the Israelite religion limited* or reduced the practice of animal sacrifice compared to the religions of their culture / neighbors. People in Dan, Megiddo, Hazor, and Shiloh. would have to go to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, and they could not do so frequently. They were not allowed to offer sacrifices in their home towns whenever they wanted. Of course the Israelites struggled to accept this practice, and they disobediently offered sacrifices to all manor of Idols on high places until the period of the kings ends with exile.
1st Kings 4-6, Solomon's Kingdom and Temple
Solomon's reign represents the height of Israel's power and wealth. 1st Kings 4:21 tells us that
"Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land o the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt"
this territory sounds very much like the land promised to Israel in Joshua 1:4
Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
In addition to taking possession of nearly all of the land promised, Solomon builds a temple to the Lord in Jerusalem just forty years after David conquered that city. The Temple is identical in form to the tabernacle, but permanent and much more ornate. One feature of Solomon's temple that is different in form from the tabernacle is the side rooms described in 1st Kings 6:5. these were like areas of storage for the temple treasury. Artists' renditions of the exterior and interior of Solomon's temple can be seen below.
Study Questions:
In 2nd Samuel 20:8-10, Joab, the commander of David's army murders Amasa. Joab is later condemned for this crime by David. What did Joab do wrong? what is different about the way that David treated Saul from how Joab treated Amasa?
In 2nd Samuel 22, David composes and sings a song to God. Imagine yourself with such an assignment, what would be found in your song to God?
In Song of Songs, The lovers are always longing for each other's presence, and seeking eachother. In the love that you have for God, do you possess that same desire? how can that desire be fulfilled?
In Song of Songs 6:6, we are told that love's jealousy is as unyielding as the grave. What does it mean (what are the consequences) that God's love for us is jealous?
In 1st Kings 1:6, we are told that Adonijah tried to make himself king at-least in part because "his father had never rebuked him by asking, 'Why do you behave as you do?'" What does this failure of David teach us about parenthood or friendship?
In 1st Kings 3, Solomon asks for wisdom from God after he was told that he could request anything. What rationale did Solomon provide for asking for this particular gift? Why was God pleased with Solomon's request? What does this teach us about the things that we should ask God for?
Compare the dimensions of Solomon's temple in 6:2 to the dimensions of his palace in 7:2? was Solomon wrong to build the latter larger than the former? does this tell us anything about Solomon?