The Three Kings: Saul, David, and Solomon

This is a paper I wrote for one of my classes recently 

SECTION 1

We Want a King

In the book of Samuel in chapter 8 the elders begin to go to Samuel and tell him that they wanted a king. Samuel told them by wanting a king they were rejecting God (Hindson 2012, 165) . God through Samuel warned the people of all the things a king would do. “But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."” (NIV) 1Sa 8:19-20. The Elders of Israel wanted a king like the other nations (Hindson 2012, 165). Even though what they wanted was not the king, they needed the Lord gave them what they wanted in Saul. Sometimes we want something so badly that we convince ourselves that it is a need not a want. The Israelites looked around at the nations around them and saw that they all had kings and thought that the reason they suffered so much in the past was because they didn't have a king. They surely felt this was the reason for their suffering in the hands of their enemies. In truth, by asking for a king they were rejecting the One True King that they already had “GOD”.

SECTION 2

The King They Received

The Lord told Samuel to anoint Saul as the king of Israel and so the people got the king they wanted. Saul was a great warrior. Saul saw victories over the enemies of the Israelites was a good start, but he began to stop listening to God Saul’s desire for vengeance against the Philistines, coupled with insensitivity to the physical needs of his men caused him to make a rash vow that almost cost him the life of his own son. (Hindson 2012, 167). The continued disobedience of Saul to the commands of God, let to the Lord rejecting him as king. This cause the rapid deterioration of the kingdom. (Hindson 2012, 167). This leads to the people in the end rejecting the king they had wanted so badly. This shows us that sometimes because of our own stubbornness the Lord will give us what we want even though he know it will end badly. We will learn more from defeat that we might have in victory. Now the People were open and more excepting when the Lord provided them with the king they needed in David.

SECTION 3

The King That Israel Needed

David was always the king that God had planned for Israel to have. “The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."” (NIV) 1Sa 16:1 David was only around 16 with this occurred. David even at a young age was a man after God’s own heart. We see the evidence of this early in his life when he fights Goliath. Because David was a man of God, chosen by God for God’s people. He was kept safe during the entire reign of Saul, despite Saul’s effort to kill him. David was a godly ruler and was able to accomplish great things for the nation of Israel. David passed the monarchy on to his son Solomon.  

SECTION 4

The Reign of Solomon

Solomon followed in the footsteps of David. In First Kings 3: 4-9 we see that the Lord is pleased with Solomon and tell Solomon to ask for whatever he wants. Instead of asking for wealth or power Solomon asked for wisdom. The lord was pleased with Solomon’s we see the Lord’s response in 1Kings 3:13 (NIV) “Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.” Unfortunately, it was that very wisdom that caused the eventually led to the downfall of Solomon. Solomon chose to marry the daughters of the kings of other nations to avoid wars and establish peace with them. His many wives were of different religious faiths. This caused him to turn away from serving God wholeheartedly. (Hindson 2012, 181). Because of Solomon’s covenant disobedience a rebellion that eventually led to the division of the kingdom of Israel (The Northern Tribes and Judah).

CONCLUSION

It is easy for us to take away a lot of insight from what was we see occurring in the lives of these three kings. One of the lessons I saw that I have seen in my own life occur that I now have a better understanding of is that sometimes the Lord may give us what we want even if it is not the right thing for us. Later when the Lord gives us what we really needed, we value the Lord’s gift and hopefully learn that it is better to wait for the Lord to give us what we need rather than plead for what we want.

Bibliography

Barker, Kenneth, and undefined Zondervan. Zonderervan NIV Study Bible. United States: Zondervan, 2002.

Hindson, Ed: Yates, Gary. The Essence of the Old Testamnet: A Survey. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2012.