This is made clear at the end, when Ruth, the non-Jew, becomes the ancestress of King David, and thus part of the "Davidic Covenant" (the agreement that God makes with King David in 2 Samuel 7).
Ruth is especially important for Christians, as the ancestress of Jesus ("the son of David" in Matthew 12:23 and Luke 20:41). Matthew shows this in his Gospel genealogy (MATTHEW 1:5).
The idealized Ruth is referred to throughout as "the Moabitess," as if to emphasize the point that a non-Jew can be as righteous as a Jew. The Moabites were enemies of the Jews. Ruth's "righteous" behavior toward her mother-in-law, Naomi, is meant to show her behavior as superior to Naomi's, who nearly curses God: "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter" (RUTH 1:20).
The point is that Ruth's submission to her alien God is stronger than that of her Jewish mother-in-law, as in Ruth's famous words, "Where you go, I will go and where you stay I will stay. Your people will by my people and your God my God" (RUTH 1:16).
The other theme of RUTH continues the Abrahamic promise of many descendents. Naomi's name would have been lost had Ruth not married Boaz, of the tribe of Judah. The Torah (legal) means for this was the Levirate law (Deuteronomy 25:5f.). But the methods used resemble the female "rape" of Lot by his two daughters (Genesis) and for the same genealogical issue. Naomi thus advises sexual seduction, when Boaz "will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing-floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do" (3:2-4).
"Feet" is commonly used as a euphemism (nice word) for "genitals" (cf. EXODUS 4:24). The remark, "He will tell you what to do" suggests sexual relations. But the text is unclear about this. We read,
"When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down. . . . Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet" (3:7-8).
Commentators dispute whether sexual relations were involved. One argument is that Bible writers were not shy about sex and would have written more clearly if sex were involved.
On the other hand, the Book of Ruth, although set in the time "when the Judges ruled" (1:1) is actually from a later period, when traditional customs had been forgotten. This is clear when "earlier times" are mentioned (4:7), as if customs had already been forgotten. It's reasonable to assume that sex, taken for granted among tribal cultures, would become a more delicate topic among a more settled culture.
Moreover, the analogy with the stories of the drunken Noah (Genesis 9:21) and Lot (Genesis 19:32) is unmistakeable, especially in the case of Lot, with its issue of insuring descendents. Also, since Noah's wife is not mentioned as having died, Noah's story too might involve Noah's drunken intercourse with his wife.
It is specifically mentioned that Ruth acts only after Boaz has finished drinking (3:3,7). Besides, how else to interpret Boaz's words, "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after younger men, whether rich or poor" (3:10)?
Finally, Boaz tells Ruth, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing-floor," which suggests, at the very least, that Ruth's conduct was morally questionable (3:14).
Yet these issues show how little Bible writers cared about sex compared to the main issues of justice, faith, and loyalty. Although some commentators paint Naomi as a scheming woman, it seems that all three characters are intended as ideals of the way people behave in a just society: each concerned with the interests of each other.
Thus Naomi tells her widowed daughters-in-law: "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you find rest in the home of another husband" (1:8-9).
True, Naomi treats them as aliens; yet she blesses them in the name of her God and seems clearly concerned about their welfare and prospects.
Ruth in turn is devoted to her mother-in-law in an alien land, a point made famous in John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale, which speaks of "the sad heart of Ruth, when sick for home, she stood in tears amid the alien corn."
Finally, Boaz himself is a model of courtesy, especially to a foreigner, a point made by Ruth (2:10). He tells her, "I have told the men not to touch you" and invites her to eat and drink (2:9), while advising his men not to embarrass or rebuke her (2:15,16) and enforcing a charity law of Leviticus (19:9).
The story thus models a perfectly just society, where each is concerned for each, in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Ruth asks Boaz to "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer" (3:9).
Boaz does so, but only because Ruth herself models ideal conduct. The theme of the story is that the just, and not only the Jews, shall be redeemed. Boaz is only the instrument of God's judgment, his cloak a type fulfilled in the wings of God:
"I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law. . . . May the Lord repay you. . . . May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge" (2:11-12).
In this reading of the carol, the "partridge in a pear tree" is Jesus Christ; the two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments; the three French hens are the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love; the four calling birds are the four gospels; the five golden rings are the Five Books of Moses; the six geese are the six days of creation; the seven swans are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, charity, leadership, mercy; see Romans 12:6-8); the eight maids are the eight Beatitudes or Blessings (the poor, the mourners, the meek, the righteous, the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, and the martyrs; see Mathew 5:3-10); the nine ladies are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; see Galtaians 5:22-23); the ten lords are the Ten Commandments; the eleven pipers are the eleven faithful apostles (the twelfth, Judas, betrayed Jesus); the twelve drummers are the twelve points of faith in the Apostles' Creed (Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the resurrection, the Last Judgment, etc.):
The Twelve Days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
...Three French hens...
...Four calling birds...
...Five golden rings...
...Six geese a-laying...
...Seven swans a-swimming...
...Eight maids a-milking...
...Nine ladies dancing...
...Ten lords a-leaping...
...Eleven pipers piping...
...Twelve drummers drumming...
CHILDREN, GO WHERE I SEND THEE
This is another "mnemonic" or lesson song. The references are more vague than in the Twelve Days and it's possible many numbers are just nonsense. It doesn't matter, since the listener is carried along by the flow of the song sung in a spirit of faith:
Children, go where I send thee
How shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send thee one by one
One was the little bitty baby
That was born, born
Born in Bethlehem.
Children, go where I send thee
How shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send thee two by two
Two were Paul and Silas
One for the little bitty baby
That was born, born
Born in Bethlehem.
Three were the Hebrew children...
Four were the four that stood at the door...
Five were the gospel preachers...
Six were the six that never got fixed...
Seven were the seven that never got to heaven...
Eight were the eight that stood at the gate...
Nine were the nine all dressed so fine...
Ten were the ten commandments...
Eleven were the Gospel writers...
Twelve were the twelve Apostles...
Last Month of the Year
Now tell me when was Jesus born? Last month of the year! Tell me when was Jesus born? Last month of the year! Was it January, February, March, April, or May? June, July, August,
September, October, November, the 25th day of December? The last month of the year! (2)
Well, He was born of the Virgin Mary. Wrapped Him up in swaddling clothing. Well, they laid Him in the manger.
Well now God called Moses on the mountaintop! Gave him the Laws!
Adam lay ybounden
Bounden in a bond
Four thousand winter
Thought he not too long
And all was for an apple
An apple that he took
As clerkes finden
Written in their book.
Ne had the apple taken been
The apple taken been
Ne had never our lady
A-been heavene queen
Blessed be the time
That apple taken was
Therefore we mouth singen
Deo gracia!
This is similar to the misreading of the parallelism of Jacob's blessing at the end of Genesis (49:11), so that Jesus is shown in one Gospel riding both a colt and a donkey at the same time, in order to fulfill that prophecy. But then, Bible writers were human.
The Book of Isaiah is of main importance for Christians; and Handel used more quotes from the Book of Isaiah than any other Bible book for his oratorio, The Messiah, as in the famous Nativity Chorus (Isaiah 9:6):
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
[One cold Christmas Eve walking in New York City, I noticed the electric news sign above the New York Times building spelling out the headline: "The world celebrates the birthday of the Prince of Peace."]
The Messianic prophecies in both Jacob's blessing and many parts of Isaiah is shown in the Christmas carol, Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming, which refers to Jesus' birth from the "stem of Jesse" in Isaiah's prophecy, which itself can be traced back to Jacob's blessing in Genesis, and, beyond that, to Genesis 3:15, where Eve's seed (Jesus) is promised as victor over the snake:
Lo, how a rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As men of old have sung
It came a flowery bright
Amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.
Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it
The Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love aright
She bore to men a Savior
When half-spent was the night.
Judges 5
2Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
3Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
4LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
5The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.
6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
7The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
8They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
10Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
11They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
12Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.
14Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
15And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.
16Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
17Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
18Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.
19The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
20They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river of Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
22Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
23Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
24Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25He asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
26She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
27At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
28The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?
31So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
If I had my way I would tear this whole building down. Delilah was a woman, she was fine and fair. She had good looks - God knows - and coal black hair. Delilah she gained old Samson's mind. When first he saw this woman, she looked so fine. Delilah she climbed up on Samson's knee. Said tell me where your strength lies, if you please. Then she spoke so kind, she talked so fair. That Samson said, Delilah you cut off my hair. You can shave my head, cleanse my hand. My strength comes as natural as any other man.
You read about Samson, all from his birth. He was the strongest man ever had lived on earth. One day while Samson was walking along. Looked down on the ground he saw an old jaw bone. Then he stretched out his arm and his chains broke like threads. And when he got to move, ten thousand were dead.
Now Samson and the lion, they got in attack. And Samson he walked up on the lion's back. You read about this lion, he killed a man with his paw. Samson got hands up round the lion's jaw. He ripped that beast, killed it dead. And the bees made honey in the lion's head.
Well, if I had my way
If I had my way, little children!
If I had my way
I’d tear this building down!
Great God!
If I had my way
If I had my way, little children
If I had my way
I’d tear the building down!
Well you read in the Bible, you will understand
That Samson was the strongest man
They tell me God moved on the wings of the wind
He saw old Samson and he called to him.
He whispered low into Samson’s mind,
Saying, “Deliver the children from the Philistines.”
{Chorus} Well if I had my way . . .
Great God! Then Samson went down and he wandered about.
Tell me that his strength was never found out.
They tell us down in Chapter 9
That he killed 3000 of Philistines
Then Samson’s wife she sat on his knees
And said, “Samson, tell me Samson, where your strength lies, please."
Samson’s wife, she talked so fair
That Samson told her to cut his hair
Said you shave my head as clean as your hand
Then my strength gonna go like a natural man
Chorus
He said, If I had my way. . .
Great God!
They shaved his head just as clean as the hand.
They took him on down to a strange land
They led him on down to the judgment hall
Blind him and chained him to the wall
But he called on God, he called on the Lord
They tell me that his hair begins to grow
Then he called a kid about three feet tall
He said you place my hands up against the wall
Then he placed his hands up against the wall
Then he tore that building down!
Chorus
Never turn back! I'll keep on till I reach the other shore. Rain may fall, floods may roll, storms may rise, winds may blow, but I'll never turn back no more! I started for Heaven a long time ago. In this world of temptation I found only pain and woe. Til I turned my back on pleasure I found only pain and woe. Now I'm back on the road to the city and I'll never turn back no more.
NEVER GIVE UP
Visions that can change the world trapped inside an ordinary girl. She looks just like me: too afraid to dream out loud. And though it's simple your idea, it won't make sense to everybody. You need courage now if you're gonna persevere to fulfill divine purpose, you gotta answer when you're called. So don't be afraid to face the world against all odds
Chorus: Keep the dream alive: don't let it die. If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don't stop. And never give up, don't ever give up on you. Don't give up. Every victory comes in time, work today to change tomorrow. It gets easier. Who's to say that you can't fly. Every step you take you get, closer to your destination. You can feel it now, don't you know you're almost there. To fulfill divine purpose, you gotta answer when you're called. So don't be afraid to face the world against all odds
Chorus: Keep the dream alive don't let it die. If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don't stop. And never give up, don't ever give up on you.
Sometimes life can place a stumbling block in your way
But you've gotta keep the faith, bring what's deep inside your heart to light. And never give up don't ever give up on you, Don't give up
Bridge: Who holds the pieces to complete the puzzle
The answer that can solve a mystery. The key that can unlock your understanding. It's all inside of you, you have everything you need yeahhhh
Sooooo, keep the dream alive don't let it die. If something deep inside, keeps inspiring you to try don't stop. And never give up, don't ever give up on you
Sometimes life can place a stumbling block in your way
But you're gotta keep the faith, bring what's deep inside your heart yeah your Heart to the light and never give up Don't ever give up on youNooo don't give up. No, no, no, no don't give up. Oh, no, no, no, no don't...give...up!
Well now, roll Jordan roll, roll Jordan roll, I want to go to heaven when I die to hear old Jordan roll. Well now, roll Jordan roll, roll Jordan roll, I want to go to heaven when I die to hear old Jordan roll.
Oh brother you ought to been there, yes, my Lord, while sitting up in the Kingdom to hear old Jordan roll.
Well now, roll Jordan roll, roll Jordan roll, I want to go to Heaven when I die to hear old Jordan roll.
My sister, you ought to been there a-sitting up in the Kingdom to hear the preaching of the Elders talking about the river of Jordan. You've got to live right, and you got to stay right, then you will die right to cross the river of Jordan.
Well now, roll Jordan roll, roll Jordan roll, I want to go to Heaven when I die to hear old Jordan roll.
You can hear them preaching in the morning, hear them preaching in the evening, and if you sit and listen they will surely help, help you to live right, help you to stay right, help you to die right and cross the river of Jordan. Well now roll Jordan roll, roll Jordan roll, I want to go to Heaven when I die to hear old Jordan roll.
Readings in 2 Samuel include
Chapters 1, 5-7, 11-15, 18, 23 (1-7), 24 (1-10).
During class sessions we discussed some of the following issues (remember, "Samuel" refers both to the 2 Books of Samuel and (sometimes) to a person):
1. Samuel belongs to the class of what may be called prophetic (or theological) histories. I like the phrase "exemplary histories"; that is, histories that teach.
2. As in all Bible stories, some of this is doubtless based on fact, but changed with a purpose in mind (to teach God's salavation history).
3. As in many Bible books, Samuel begins with rivalry (between Penniniah and Hannah) and a need for offspring. We have followed this theme from the beginning: Will she (can she?) bear children in time?
4. As usual, God allows the birth of a child (Samuel).
5. Note how in this theological history, everything comes from God ("God had closed Hannah's womb"). Today we would say that Hannah was "infertile," because our histories are biological instead of theological.
6. We studied Hannah's Exultavit (her praise of God) and compared it to Mary's "Magnificat" (Mary's praise of God) in the New Testament book of Luke 1:47). (The Magnificat is especially famous because it has been set to music by great composers, such as Bach.) Since Mary is called "full of grace" and Hannah's name means "grace," the relationship is even closer.
7. Both prayers advance a common Hebrew theme of the changes of time and how God controls those changes (not man, kings, or Fate).
8. Samuel, we know, was a Nazarite, among other Nazaries (Samson, John the Baptist in the New Testament).
9. In 1:13 we pointed out an historical oddity of silent reading. We take silent reading for granted, but it seemed very strange at one time. Hannah was not silently reading, but silently praying; however praying and reading were both vocal acts in "olden days." In a famous passage in St. Augustine's Confessions, he tells how strange it looked when he saw a man named Anselm (later a Saint) reading a book but no words came from his mouth!
10. In 1:18 we read that Hannah's "face was no longer downcast," after her prayer, suggesting the power of relying on God.
11. In 1:19, "the Lord remembered her" advances the theme of God's providence (or will) in human fortune.
12. The "weaning" of Samuel is also interesting historically, showing that weaning a child (taking the child from the mother's breast) occurred much later in the child's life than it does today.
13. We showed the link between Samuel and Jesus in two references to their "growth." In Samuel we read, "And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men" (2:26); while in Luke we read of Jesus, "And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him" (3:40).
14. 2:29 is a key text, where God rejects Eli because Eli betrays God. Texts like these, which become more common in the prophets, is a warning that God's favor is "conditional." The history of the "divine right of Kings" (a right claimed to come from God) at first relied mostly on the "right" and less so on the responsibilities to Law. Later challenges to this "divine right of Kings" used the Bible more carefully to argue that if a king disobeyed the law as it was understood (justice, etc.) then the king had no right to rule. This of course can be applied, as it is today, to elected officials. So the Bible has always had a "radical" as well as a "conservative" agenda, depending on how one interprets the Bible and which texts one uses. Clearly, however, the texts about justice far outnumber the other texts (the privilege of the "king's anointed," or "chosen one" as David will later phrase it).
15. Chapter 4 is often called part of an "Ark story." The belief is that the Ark story was put in Samuel from another source (Chapter 4 is only part of the Ark story, which continues, as you know, in other chapters). The point of the Ark story is to oppose "idolatry." That is, to oppose the belief in "idols" apart from justice and obedience to God. This becomes a BIG theme in the prophets, as in Micah 6:8: He has shoed you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Another such passage (among many) is from Amos, 5:21ff.: "I hate, I despite your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even yough you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! [hymns] I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-ending stream!"
Naturally, even with the Ark, the Israelites lose the battle, because God is not with them.
Compare the story of Micah's Idols (no relation to the prophet Micah). Micah thinks by having an idol in his house God will be closer to him! He even "buys" a priest, and the priest in turn allows himself to be "bought" by the highest bidder! That was the point of that story, when everyone took the law in his own hands, as the chapter ends, sarcastically: "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest" (JUDGES 17:13)!
16. Another point to be made about the Ark story is that it may have been written during the Exile (after 582 BCE or so. In other words, it was written (as so many stories in the Bible were) for "comfort" while the people and their ark had been captured. In the form of a fable it assured the Jews that God was still in control. These words of comfort would soon become more loud in the words of the prophets. (Although the prophets had to criticize the people when they had power, they had to comfort them when they lost their land.)
17. I pointed out a Deuteronomic theme in the Ark story too. As in the Balaam story of the wise ass, here even the cows know how to go "straight," turning neither to the left nor right," which God's people are unable to do themselves (6:12). By the way, the point of the calved cows (mother cows with young) seems to be that the cows have a stronger reason not to go straight, since they naturally would think about their young. So the image of obedience is even stronger.
18. The text in 6:19 simply warns about a foolish curiosity concerning God. This is another type of "exemplary" (example) stories, exaggerated to remind common people that God is special (uncommon).
19. In 7:3, Samuel again warns against idols.
20. Samuel 8 shows that the book is very "ambivalent" (of two minds or two wills) about kingship. Clearly one writer opposed kings and Chapter 8 is a powerful warning about abuses by people in power (God should be king in Hebrew thought). By the way, the idea that God is above kings has always been a powerful tool of all social and political revolutions. The first day of class I spoke of "empowerment" (givng people power and a feeling of power) and this is where it comes from. Study 8 very carefully.
21. Saul is "a head taller" than others (9:2), which shows that height was important even then! But then, note that God rejects the taller brothers of David for the second king, showing that God does not look at outside appearance, but in the heart. It's also a warning to others not to be fooled by outside appearances.
22. Saul also comes from the Benjamite tribe (the least of the tribes, 9:21), again advancing the theme that God chooses the lowly (as in Hannah, Mary, and so many others).
23. Note that sacrifices are still not centralized (in one place), as in 7:17 and 9:12, showing that the centralization of the priesthood, such as preached in Leviticus and Deuteronomy was still not in effect (if private sacrifice was wrong, then how explain the prophet Samuel doing so?). This again shows how texts have been redacted from different time periods. But we know from the Book of Samuel, that centralization of worship occurred only during the United Kingdom (with David as King), roughly 1000 BCE).
24. In Chapter 10, Samuel anoints Saul as King. This authority of kingship, that comes from God, will be repeated throughout the history of the European kings (the pope crowned the kings). Napoleon rebelled and put the crown on his own head! Even today we swear in the American president with the Bible, as if all worldly authority comes from God.
25. In 10, God changes Saul's heart. This is like the scenes where God hardens Pharaoh's heart in Exodus. The point is, God is always in control. Saul seems a tragic figure in the Bible, since he disobeys just a few times and is doomed (his punishment far outweighs his offence, and this is the definition of tragedy). But the point is that religious authority is above worldly authority (Saul did not do what Samuel asked him to do).
26. Note that the question, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" is repeated twice, with two different reasons given, again showing "redaction" writing. (See 10:11 and 19:23ff.) This is another example of a "doublet." (Note that Saul is also crowned twice too.
27. "God save the King" (10:24), better translated as "Long live the King," became a famous phrase in European history and also the name of the British national anthem.
28. Note the reference to "regulations of kingship" in 10:25.
29. In 12:3, Samuel sets high standards of justice.
30. In 12:4 we hear the voice of the "Deuteronomist" who wrote (or revised) Deuteronomy as well as the prophetic histories (Samuel, Kings, Judges, Joshua).
31. The reference in 12:21 to "useless idols" might refer to kings as well as other idols.
32. Note the contempt for worldly power, where even kings will be "swept away" if they act unjustly. Once again, the Bible has empowered countless generations to goals of justice.
33. "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings?" (15:22) is a text later repeated by major and minor prophets.
34. Note that Saul says, "I was afraid of the people" (15:22), which shows that social pressure to do evil never changes.
35. In 16:17 we learn how God looks at the inside of a person, not the outside.
36. As usual, in 16:11, we find out that David is the youngest, again placing God's choice above worldly prejudices, such as primogeniture.
37. In 16:23 we learn how music has always been a comfort!
38. The story of David and Goliath is a triplet. In 1 Chronicles 20.5 another person is credited with killing Goliath, while the "son" is used to separate the doublet in 2 Samuel 21.19.
39. Note how, unlike in classical culture (Iliad, etc.) David gives credit only to God in his battle with Goliath.
40. As in 17:16, the number "40" is often a round and symbolic number, not necessarily literal (we use "100" in the same way): "I killed hundreds of them!"
41. Note in 17:55 that Saul does not know David, even though David has played harp for him! Another sign of redaction.
42. 18:2 and 16:22 also tell different stories of how Saul kept David at court, while there are also two spear stories (Saul tries to kill David with his spear), as in 18:11 and 19:9.
43. The warning not to lift one's hand against "God's anointed" (chosen), in 24:10 and other places seems "self-serving" on the writer's part. Obviously, by having David say not to kill God's anointed, the Deuteronomist is warning people not to kill the later kings (David and his house). Thus the very strong defense of Saul's "right" even when he's wrong.
44. Chapter 28 and the Witch of Endor (En Dor) shows Saul's tragic fall, from warning against mediums, Saul ends up consulting a medium, to his own doom.
45. Chapter 31 shows, in Saul's suicide, that suicide was not "ungodly," although it later became a serious offence in Christian belief.
46. The two stories of David able to kill Saul are also examples of "doublets" in that book. Remember, "doublets" are stories that seem to be repeats of each other, as if two different writers wrote about the same story, but with different details.
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