The thing that's striking right away about First Chronicles' approach to David is that it's lacking the heroic journey. He jumps right into being the holy warrior king. Samuel is referenced but apparently nowhere near as important, or perhaps his significance is merely implied, the way a slew of famous prophets are name-checked at the end of Second Kings. It's funny, too, but David is described very specifically as actively working against Saul, going so far as to collaborate with the Philistines. Shocking, to say the least! It's also David who uses the ark as a totem of war. This is literally a different version of the same story, although parallel in most ways, much like the gospels of the New Testament. In fact, it becomes more and more clear that the Old and New Testaments are far more structurally similar than you might sometimes think. This may have been far more obvious in times past, but now, when most Christians don't know the majority of the Old Testament, things like this can be so illuminating. The Old Testament itself is full of echoes, so it's not surprising that the early Christians wanted the New Testament to be nearly exactly like it, even in the ways where it seems to outright contradict its predecessor.
David delivers a psalm which reads like a mission statement of faith, including the phrase, "let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice," which was later adapted into a modern hymn. The name "Satan" is invoked, though not explicitly explained. This is hardly the first time that sort of thing happens. The Bible is heavy with implied knowledge, and it's always dangerous for later generations to just assume it can all be lifted directly and literally to their own time.
God actually rejects the doctrine of war as the basis for promulgating the future of Israel, even though so much of the Old Testament to this point has been filled with it. It's the reason given here for why Solomon and not David will build the temple (although there's also God's argument that he was perfectly content not to have a permanent home, almost as if he were relenting to David's logic). It's almost as if war was perceived as crucial to the story originally for the simple reason that a certain amount of chaos was considered necessary to establishing order, like our modern notion of revolution.
This account of David's era is far more sober, less crafted, more like a foundation or yes, a chronicle. If you really want to read the Bible without religious preference, this would be a good place to start. David is downright Arthurian here.
The succession of Solomon is depicted as plain and obvious in this account, which is another major deviation from what has been established previously.
David describes Solomon's role after him in much the way Jesus later conferred on his apostles the future of the Church. Another parallel.
First Chronicles ends by referencing some works that are clearly not in the Bible: the Chronicles of Samuel (which I would assume are different from First and Second Samuel), the Chronicles of Nathan, and the Chronicles of Gad. No Chronicles of Narnia, alas.
Second Chronicles begins with the rise of Solomon, and features its own marked deviations, too, starting with how Solomon is given the gift of wisdom from God. Previously he was given a choice of three gifts, and because he chose wisely (literally), he got all three. Here he outright asks for wisdom, and God still gives him everything anyway.
The temple is built in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. It's a name that evokes Tolkien' Middle Earth, which would not be surprising. Like C.S. Lewis, Tolkien built his fantasy on the back of his Christian faith, though less blatantly. George Lucas likely did the same, though still less obviously, using other sources of what would be considered more obvious inspiration, but the elements are all there anyway.
Here the ark's contents are known, unlike what appears in Second Kings to be a secret Josiah stumbles across in the ruins of the temple. It's very possible that separate traditions, perhaps from among the separate tribes, were gradually brought together. They would have been aware of each other (hence the constant references to Chronicles in Kings), drawing from the same stories, but originally and quite obviously not cohesive. It takes very brave faith for contradictions like this to exist in your holiest text. It also takes very brave faith to completely ignore this and assume you can believe all of it at face value. Both approaches are not necessarily wrong nor are they necessarily right. For the objective believer, these are records that speak to essential truths that must be carefully sifted from the bones of history. It becomes far easier when there are competing traditions right in the Bible itself, actually. Despite ignorance in the face of free knowledge, it means no one was really trying to hide this fact. This is good.
Solomon actually makes a call for universal inclusion in the Jewish faith, another presaging of the later Christian tradition. So much of the Old Testament is geared toward the purity of the Jewish line, which is why there are all those genealogies, but right there and with one of the most famous figures of the Bible, there's one of the greatest contradictions!
You can further tell how God was perceived at the time by the way he was depicted, as a divine being who demanded perfect fealty, and when it wasn't given was ready to administer punishments and bad times at the drop of a hat, interpretations on past events that would have been natural to a people justifying their own history and continued devotion to an apparently capricious subject of faith. That he also claims steadfast love is another contradiction, though Solomon does have God promise to relent if people make apologies.
Like David, Solomon's further adventures are supposed to be able to be found in other books, of course not found in the Bible: in Nathan, perhaps the same earlier-referenced Chronicles of; the prophecy of Ahijah; and the visions of Iddo, and both of these also concern Solomon's successors.
It's funny, but not a hint of Solomon's own wrong-doing is referenced in Second Chronicles. He appears to be fairly perfect. It's those who follow him who are the fallible wretches who ruin the future of Israel, so that the phrase, "so Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day" may be uttered again, and explain how two great men are not enough to have finally settled the fate of the Jewish people even though they were for all intents and purposes the culmination of all previous Old Testament material, a fact that only seems to be emphasized in First and Second Chronicles.
Showing posts with label Solomon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solomon. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Second Book of Samuel 21-24, First Book of Kings 1-11
David attempts to solve all Israel's problems forever. It doesn't quite work. The darn Philistines appear again. David grows weary. A second Goliath, representative of a remnant of giants...
Then there's the song of David, which seems to reflect heavily on later Christian theology, not to mention love of that common Books of Samuel theme, warfare. It's very similar language to the psalms, like what they were based on. Although war itself will remain a focus of the narrative for some time, it no longer seems quite the driving force of Israel's future. Although there is, again, much love for it.
God's wrath is kindled again, although David is able to appease him after a selection of three punishments ends with classical biblical plague. No overt smiting. End of Second Book of Samuel.
The beginning of First Book of Kings sees David in old age given a concubine to help keep his increasingly frail body warm. First Kings makes it clear they don't have sex, though, in case you wanted to know. Mutinous behavior continues, this time with another son, who is also described as exceptionally handsome (I guess this is where all our modern literature gets the idea from). Nathan quickly gets Bathsheba to put Solomon under protection, because he's the clear threat to the usurper. David has a signature mule, which Solomon symbolically rides to drive the point home (reminiscent of Jesus on Palm Sunday). He's soon anointed to make it official that he's the one who's king and David successor. Like his father before him, Solomon pursues a policy of forgiveness against his rivals. David implores him to also keep his other traditions alive. Then the old king dies.
Solomon begins consolidating his power, settling old affairs such as finally dealing with Joab (read: executing him). He makes a marriage alliance with Egypt, which is growing in biblical importance again. It only figures, because this is only the start of many allusions to past events. He also begins building up Jerusalem, making it truly fit for a king.
God grants him the choice of three extraordinary favors, and Solomon famously chooses wisdom, so he gets all of them anyway. Then follows another anecdote you'll certainly recognize, the wise act of figuring out who the real mother is when a dispute arises, threatening to split the child in two. It's the example everyone uses, and I guess it's the one the Bible does, too. In short order the later psalms and proverbs are attributed to him. Preparations for the temple are made. Clearly Solomon was thought of in great terms by the later Hebrews, as pretty much everything their is to know about his reign is recorded in minute detail, far greater than even similar work that had been done in the Books of Samuel. These are the most important books after the Moses cycle to the Jewish faith, and they're also the most important ones to Christian faith from the Old Testament.
It's also perhaps significant that the extreme detail that God related to Moses concerning the ark in the first place is more than represented in explaining the temple's many opulent features.
For the record, First Kings records the amount of time since the exile from Egypt to the time of Solomon at 480 years. That's about for us modern readers the whole American continent history from Columbus to our day.
God keeps reiterating that if Solomon remains on the straight and narrow everything will be perfect for Israel. Of course he does!
It took 7 years to complete work on the temple. There's a great ceremony to commemorate the ark's journey to its final resting place in the temple. It's at this point that the reader may realize that the true main character of the Bible to this point has been the ark, which has been present from Moses to Solomon. The promise God made David that it would be Solomon who saw the building of the temple is a little like when Moses was told it would be Joshua who entered the promised land. It wasn't until David had the idea that the temple was even considered a final destination. God had been content to let the ark travel freely through Israel. There are more echoes of Moses, although it's compassion and forgiveness that God prefers these days, rather than his old policy of smiting first and asking questions later (you know, basically). It tends to read like a reflection of later New Testament theology.
I know, I keep saying that. It's there, what else can I say?
It took 20 years in all, including Solomon's own elaborate lodgings, to complete construction work.
The Queen of Sheba shows up to test Solomon, and he passes it. Although, on a related note or not, his many romantic conquests really start to take their toll on him. He starts putting other gods before, or at least alongside, God. This does not please God, who revokes his charter and then agrees to let the Hebrews keep Jerusalem but nothing else.
A new enemy (the first of several) arises, Hadad, who once had occasion to hide out in Egypt. The same is true of Jeroboam (who in his earlier days received a prophecy that he would one day inherit a part of Solomon's kingdom, which led Solomon to try and eliminate him). All this fleeing to Egypt evokes both Joseph in the past and Mary and the other Joseph in the future. A third enemy is Rezon.
There's a strong indication that Solomon, like Adam before him, was always meant to fall. Probably the Jewish people would much have preferred a permanent and considerable kingdom, but that's just not something that happened. A good thing always ends. Call it a proverb.
Solomon reigned for 40 years, and then he died.
Then there's the song of David, which seems to reflect heavily on later Christian theology, not to mention love of that common Books of Samuel theme, warfare. It's very similar language to the psalms, like what they were based on. Although war itself will remain a focus of the narrative for some time, it no longer seems quite the driving force of Israel's future. Although there is, again, much love for it.
God's wrath is kindled again, although David is able to appease him after a selection of three punishments ends with classical biblical plague. No overt smiting. End of Second Book of Samuel.
The beginning of First Book of Kings sees David in old age given a concubine to help keep his increasingly frail body warm. First Kings makes it clear they don't have sex, though, in case you wanted to know. Mutinous behavior continues, this time with another son, who is also described as exceptionally handsome (I guess this is where all our modern literature gets the idea from). Nathan quickly gets Bathsheba to put Solomon under protection, because he's the clear threat to the usurper. David has a signature mule, which Solomon symbolically rides to drive the point home (reminiscent of Jesus on Palm Sunday). He's soon anointed to make it official that he's the one who's king and David successor. Like his father before him, Solomon pursues a policy of forgiveness against his rivals. David implores him to also keep his other traditions alive. Then the old king dies.
Solomon begins consolidating his power, settling old affairs such as finally dealing with Joab (read: executing him). He makes a marriage alliance with Egypt, which is growing in biblical importance again. It only figures, because this is only the start of many allusions to past events. He also begins building up Jerusalem, making it truly fit for a king.
God grants him the choice of three extraordinary favors, and Solomon famously chooses wisdom, so he gets all of them anyway. Then follows another anecdote you'll certainly recognize, the wise act of figuring out who the real mother is when a dispute arises, threatening to split the child in two. It's the example everyone uses, and I guess it's the one the Bible does, too. In short order the later psalms and proverbs are attributed to him. Preparations for the temple are made. Clearly Solomon was thought of in great terms by the later Hebrews, as pretty much everything their is to know about his reign is recorded in minute detail, far greater than even similar work that had been done in the Books of Samuel. These are the most important books after the Moses cycle to the Jewish faith, and they're also the most important ones to Christian faith from the Old Testament.
It's also perhaps significant that the extreme detail that God related to Moses concerning the ark in the first place is more than represented in explaining the temple's many opulent features.
For the record, First Kings records the amount of time since the exile from Egypt to the time of Solomon at 480 years. That's about for us modern readers the whole American continent history from Columbus to our day.
God keeps reiterating that if Solomon remains on the straight and narrow everything will be perfect for Israel. Of course he does!
It took 7 years to complete work on the temple. There's a great ceremony to commemorate the ark's journey to its final resting place in the temple. It's at this point that the reader may realize that the true main character of the Bible to this point has been the ark, which has been present from Moses to Solomon. The promise God made David that it would be Solomon who saw the building of the temple is a little like when Moses was told it would be Joshua who entered the promised land. It wasn't until David had the idea that the temple was even considered a final destination. God had been content to let the ark travel freely through Israel. There are more echoes of Moses, although it's compassion and forgiveness that God prefers these days, rather than his old policy of smiting first and asking questions later (you know, basically). It tends to read like a reflection of later New Testament theology.
I know, I keep saying that. It's there, what else can I say?
It took 20 years in all, including Solomon's own elaborate lodgings, to complete construction work.
The Queen of Sheba shows up to test Solomon, and he passes it. Although, on a related note or not, his many romantic conquests really start to take their toll on him. He starts putting other gods before, or at least alongside, God. This does not please God, who revokes his charter and then agrees to let the Hebrews keep Jerusalem but nothing else.
A new enemy (the first of several) arises, Hadad, who once had occasion to hide out in Egypt. The same is true of Jeroboam (who in his earlier days received a prophecy that he would one day inherit a part of Solomon's kingdom, which led Solomon to try and eliminate him). All this fleeing to Egypt evokes both Joseph in the past and Mary and the other Joseph in the future. A third enemy is Rezon.
There's a strong indication that Solomon, like Adam before him, was always meant to fall. Probably the Jewish people would much have preferred a permanent and considerable kingdom, but that's just not something that happened. A good thing always ends. Call it a proverb.
Solomon reigned for 40 years, and then he died.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Second Book of Samuel 1-20
The second book in the grand history of Hebrew warfare begins with David learning of the deaths of Jonathan and Saul. The bearer of the news claims he killed Saul, which contradicts the ending of First Samuel. Stupid mistake on his part, anyway. David quickly has him put to death. David goes on to produce a lament/poem about his fallen comrades, which includes the refrain, "how are the mighty fallen," which would be interesting if it's the origin of the phrase "how the mighty have fallen," since the two would have very different meanings. David, as Second Samuel quickly makes very apparent, is very fond of both Saul and Jonathan in death. The latter phrase is a common derogatory utterance for people you have not admired.
God is being used as a consultant these days.
The kingdom becomes divided rather than united under David. Weird that this would be the case, since in a lot of ways David was supposed to be the epitome of the Jewish dream. One of Saul's sons rules part of the kingdom, while David's divided reign lasts 7 years. The in-fighting keeps evolving, and fittingly around the house of Saul and the house of David. David's grows stronger. It only figures. It's Abner who flies the banner of Saul. They eventually make peace. And then Abner is assassinated. It's funny, David maintains his tradition of lamenting the death of his enemy. He knows true rivals when he sees them. He respects them, and honors them in death. He insists on the inherent goodness of both Saul and Abner, angry when those beneath him say their deaths were good for Israel.
David was 30 when his reign began, and in total it lasted 40 years, a telling (as in how many years Jesus lived) 33 years under the united crown.
David's city is variously reported as Zion or Jerusalem.
Unlike Jesus, David doesn't much care, usually, for the blind or the lame. He makes an exception in the latter case for Jonathan's son.
He takes the fight back to the Philistines. Cherubim are referenced for the first time. This is theology evolving. Some poor schlub touches the ark and is smited by God, a policy David seems to disagree with. He finally brings the ark to a permanent home. Nathan is soon asking for what amounts to the first temple. Michal, David's wife who is also Saul's daughter, is not pleased to see David return, probably upset at his surviving and her father not their conflict. It's an attitude that's similar to David's brother's earlier, and may confirm my suspicion that dissent from the common opinion may stem from jealousy.
God makes a new covenant with David that's similar to what he made with Abraham, except instead of providing for a whole slew of descendants he speaks of making David's specific line very special. The New Testament interprets this as indicating Jesus. God includes the line, "I will be his father and he shall be my son," which in the Christian perspective is made very literal. If it's meant to refer to Solomon, well...like (that) father like (that) son.
The Philistines are finally eliminated from their perennial threat, as David celebrates. More enemies are eliminated. As David continues to show extreme loyalty to the legacies of Saul and Jonathan, it may be seen as resembling God's devotion to his people, and the loyalty/forgiveness of it to the whole Judeo-Christian tradition from the fall of Adam onward. We screw up and God (no matter how much he really wants to) never truly gives up on us.
So, enter Bathsheba, the famed bathing beauty. David falls hard for her, starts thinking like Samson and Saul before him ways to get her husband out of the picture. He eventually sends the poor guy into the front-lines of battle. God is displeased. Nathan has the occasion to deliver the first parable of the Bible. God isn't upset so much because of the adultery of it (which was one of the big no-nos outlined in the books of Moses) but because David tried to keep it a secret. He and David patch up their differences, and only Bathsheba's resulting child is punished. David grieves while it struggles toward death, and then to the confusion of everyone around the king, stops as soon as the child dies.
How is Bathsheba really important? She's the mother of Solomon!
One of David's son rapes his own sister. This is the start of a whole bloody affair. The son quickly rejects the sister, and another son, Absalom, wreaks terrible vengeance. It marks the first time he plots a conspiracy. Like a regular Shakespeare character, or as Second Samuel increasingly seems, a Greek tragedy.
On the plus side, like his son Solomon later, David is spoken of as possessing great wisdom. Absalom is described as uniquely handsome in the land, like Saul and David before him. He seems to almost be a new Saul, like the predecessor so the successor goes.
David visits the Mount of Olives. The New Testament looms. The conspiracies of Absalom, in fact, start sounding a lot like Judas and Jesus. There is even a betrayal with a kiss at one point.
The phrase, "long live the king!" is uttered.
David goes into hiding, "even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits," which evokes the much later Saddam Hussein and his rat hole. I guess that was a thing a long time ago, too. David in exile is like Moses after guiding the Hebrews out of Egypt. Those with him complain of starving.
Absalom eventually ends up caught in a tree during the decisive battle with David. Some debate (not involving David) follows as to what to do with him. He ends up dead. David, of course, still mourns him, even though he's just tried to usurp the kingdom, after all the weird twists that followed Absalom's murder of his brother. David's men are jealous of this grief. More tumult follows. A place called Abel is referenced, with no reference to the son of Adam, although it certainly evokes the most famous circumstances of his life. This time the troublemaker is Joab, who has replaced Absalom in every sense. He's the guy who killed him, and then took on the rivalry with David, apparently just for the taste of power for finding himself all of a sudden significant.
If you didn't know all this was essential to a lot of people's faith, you could easily read this for no particular religious reason at all...
God is being used as a consultant these days.
The kingdom becomes divided rather than united under David. Weird that this would be the case, since in a lot of ways David was supposed to be the epitome of the Jewish dream. One of Saul's sons rules part of the kingdom, while David's divided reign lasts 7 years. The in-fighting keeps evolving, and fittingly around the house of Saul and the house of David. David's grows stronger. It only figures. It's Abner who flies the banner of Saul. They eventually make peace. And then Abner is assassinated. It's funny, David maintains his tradition of lamenting the death of his enemy. He knows true rivals when he sees them. He respects them, and honors them in death. He insists on the inherent goodness of both Saul and Abner, angry when those beneath him say their deaths were good for Israel.
David was 30 when his reign began, and in total it lasted 40 years, a telling (as in how many years Jesus lived) 33 years under the united crown.
David's city is variously reported as Zion or Jerusalem.
Unlike Jesus, David doesn't much care, usually, for the blind or the lame. He makes an exception in the latter case for Jonathan's son.
He takes the fight back to the Philistines. Cherubim are referenced for the first time. This is theology evolving. Some poor schlub touches the ark and is smited by God, a policy David seems to disagree with. He finally brings the ark to a permanent home. Nathan is soon asking for what amounts to the first temple. Michal, David's wife who is also Saul's daughter, is not pleased to see David return, probably upset at his surviving and her father not their conflict. It's an attitude that's similar to David's brother's earlier, and may confirm my suspicion that dissent from the common opinion may stem from jealousy.
God makes a new covenant with David that's similar to what he made with Abraham, except instead of providing for a whole slew of descendants he speaks of making David's specific line very special. The New Testament interprets this as indicating Jesus. God includes the line, "I will be his father and he shall be my son," which in the Christian perspective is made very literal. If it's meant to refer to Solomon, well...like (that) father like (that) son.
The Philistines are finally eliminated from their perennial threat, as David celebrates. More enemies are eliminated. As David continues to show extreme loyalty to the legacies of Saul and Jonathan, it may be seen as resembling God's devotion to his people, and the loyalty/forgiveness of it to the whole Judeo-Christian tradition from the fall of Adam onward. We screw up and God (no matter how much he really wants to) never truly gives up on us.
So, enter Bathsheba, the famed bathing beauty. David falls hard for her, starts thinking like Samson and Saul before him ways to get her husband out of the picture. He eventually sends the poor guy into the front-lines of battle. God is displeased. Nathan has the occasion to deliver the first parable of the Bible. God isn't upset so much because of the adultery of it (which was one of the big no-nos outlined in the books of Moses) but because David tried to keep it a secret. He and David patch up their differences, and only Bathsheba's resulting child is punished. David grieves while it struggles toward death, and then to the confusion of everyone around the king, stops as soon as the child dies.
How is Bathsheba really important? She's the mother of Solomon!
One of David's son rapes his own sister. This is the start of a whole bloody affair. The son quickly rejects the sister, and another son, Absalom, wreaks terrible vengeance. It marks the first time he plots a conspiracy. Like a regular Shakespeare character, or as Second Samuel increasingly seems, a Greek tragedy.
On the plus side, like his son Solomon later, David is spoken of as possessing great wisdom. Absalom is described as uniquely handsome in the land, like Saul and David before him. He seems to almost be a new Saul, like the predecessor so the successor goes.
David visits the Mount of Olives. The New Testament looms. The conspiracies of Absalom, in fact, start sounding a lot like Judas and Jesus. There is even a betrayal with a kiss at one point.
The phrase, "long live the king!" is uttered.
David goes into hiding, "even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits," which evokes the much later Saddam Hussein and his rat hole. I guess that was a thing a long time ago, too. David in exile is like Moses after guiding the Hebrews out of Egypt. Those with him complain of starving.
Absalom eventually ends up caught in a tree during the decisive battle with David. Some debate (not involving David) follows as to what to do with him. He ends up dead. David, of course, still mourns him, even though he's just tried to usurp the kingdom, after all the weird twists that followed Absalom's murder of his brother. David's men are jealous of this grief. More tumult follows. A place called Abel is referenced, with no reference to the son of Adam, although it certainly evokes the most famous circumstances of his life. This time the troublemaker is Joab, who has replaced Absalom in every sense. He's the guy who killed him, and then took on the rivalry with David, apparently just for the taste of power for finding himself all of a sudden significant.
If you didn't know all this was essential to a lot of people's faith, you could easily read this for no particular religious reason at all...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)