from Ben Dunson Jesus fulfills all three of these roles. This, however, does not mean that reference to kingship is limited to narrative sections of the Old Testament. He was not autonomous. This failure of the kings of both Israel and Judah to live up to the covenantal ideal provided the backdrop as Israel's prophets began to speak of a future king who would be a worthy occupant of the throne of David. He is said to have begun his career playing the lute in the court of King Saul but … In Psalm 2, this Sonship is related strongly to the Messiah’s Kingship. Nonetheless, God does not abandon His intention to rule over the earth through a human king. Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. David is thus termed a "man after God's own heart" ( 1 Sam 13:14 ; Acts 13:22 ), and the writer of Kings makes his reign the standard by which to assess the reigns of subsequent kings. In the words of the angel who spoke to Mary: "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Mos tHigh. 11, 12), but in contrast to Saul when Nathan, the prophet, confronted him, he repented and sought the Lord's forgiveness ( 2 Sam 12:13 ; Psalm 51 ). To do this requires the late dating of explicit statements of Yahweh's kingship in texts such as Exodus 15:18; Numbers 23:21; Deuteronomy33:5; Judges 8:23; and 1 Samuel 8:7; 10:19; 12:12. King. God’s people failed to rest in the fact that God was their king, and that He would protect His covenant people. Solomon was born in Jerusalem, the second born child of David and his wife Bathsheba, widow of Uriah the Hittite. In theOld Testament the most numerous references to "king" and "kingship"occur in the narratives dealing with the periods of the united and divided kingdoms of ancient Israel. All of this suggests, very clearly, that Israel recognized Yahweh as her Great King long before kingship was established in Jerusalem. Understanding kingship is essential when reading the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. In short, Adam is to rule over the whole world as a subordinate king underneath God, the true king over all. The kingdom extended in the north as far as Bethel, while in the south it … Jesus is the one who fulfilled the royal messianic promises of the Old Testament. It is important to understand the way in which the Old Testament presents the relationship between divine and human kingship. To do this also denies the close relationship that exists between the establishment of the Sinai covenant and the acknowledgment of Yahweh's kingship over Israel. He disobeyed the word of the Lord and rebelled against the Lord (1 Sam. It is not warranted to assert, as some have, that the title of king was not ascribed to Yahweh prior to the time of the Israelite monarchy. The Rights and Duties of Kingship in Israel by Marvin A. Sweeney The kings of Israel and Judah were believed to serve as Yhwh ’s agents to rule the nation. "If we patiently endure pain, we shall also share His Kingship; "If we disown Him, He … On the one hand, God blessed the monarchy, and he even chose a kingly line from which to ap- pear in human form. But more important, there is a strong and conspicuous emphasis on the kingship of God, the "Great King" who rules over his people ( Exod 15:18 ; Deut 33:5 ; 1 Sam 8:7 ; 12:12 ; 1 Chron 17:14 ; 28:5 ; Psalm 114:2 ). Soggin’s table in Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament (TLOT) provides the statistics for the verb (347x) as well as the cognate nouns “king” 9 Ibid., 224. David grievously sinned in the matter of Bathsheba (2 Sam. Saul had good favor with God and the people of Israel when he obeyed the Lord. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” Or consider King Hezekiah’s exultation in Isaiah 37:16: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” See also Psalms 93:1-2; 95:3-6; 96:10; 104; 136:1-9. In a previous post I mentioned that the exact phrase “kingdom of God” does not show up in the Old Testament (although “kingdom of the Lord” does appear in 2 Chronicles 13:8; see also the talk of God’s kingdom in Daniel [for example, Dan 6:26]). Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This had enormous significance. It also offers a nuanced understanding of how New Testament authors make use of Old Testament messianic texts in explaining who Jesus is and what he came to do. He was always obligated to submit to the law of Israel's (and his) Great King, Yahweh ( Deut 17:18-20 ; 1 Sam 12:14 ) as well as to the word of the prophet ( 1 Sam 12:23 ; 13:13 ; 1 Samuel 15:11 1 Samuel 15:23 ; 2 Sam 12:7-13 ). 16). Second, the Old Testament portrays God as king over Israel in a special way. The Greek word translated "Christ" in our English versions of the Bible is a translation of the Hebrew term for Messiah (the anointed one). In fact, significant sections of the writings of the prophets and poets also involve the actions of the various kings of Israel and Judah. Kingship was subordinated to covenant.Israel's king was to be a covenantal king. Because of this the Lord rejected him from being king ( 1 Sam 15:23 ), and sent Samuel to annoint David in his place (1 Sam. show that in the Sinai covenant Yahweh assumes the role of the Great King, and Israel, that of his vassal. Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. As the profile of this king slowly develops it is clear that he will come as the fulfillment of the promise of an eternal dynasty to David ( 2 Sam 7 ; 23:1-7 ; Psalm 89 ; 132:11-12 ; Isa 55:3-5 ). Saul of the Old Testament, King. David is revered as the most powerful and important king of Israel during biblical times. After warning them about what it would be like to have a king like the nations ( 1 Sam 8:11-18 )Samuel defined how kingship was to function in Israel ( 1 Sam 10:25 ). In general, the words melek [J,l,m] (Heb. The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of kingship in the Ancient Near Eastern civilizations, understand the implications of the office and the function of kings before to see its application to the time of the Old Testament world. This recognition has caused other contemporary scholars (Mendenhall, McKenzie) to suggest that the establishment of human kingship in Israel was a rebellion against divine rule and represented an alien paganizing development in the social structure of ancient Israel. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the Lord. In fact, God built human kingship into creation itself. Kingship in Israel and other ancient Near Eastern societies is a major focus of modern scholarship and has produced fascinating results. HCSB, ISV, NET, LEB 2 Timothy 2:12. All of the kings of the north are said to have"done evil in the eyes of the Lord" because they continued the worship of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan that had been begun by the northern kingdom's first king, Jeroboam 1 ( 1Kings 12:26-33 ). So it is clear that in God's purpose it was right and proper for Israel to have a king. He reigned for 40 years (970 – 931 BCE) after King Saul and King David (1 kings11:42). is in Scripture very generally used to denote one invested with authority, whether extensive or limited. Late in his reign he sinned again in taking the census of his fighting men, but again he sought theLord's forgiveness ( 2Sam 24 ). David’s Successors: Kingship in the Old Testamentargues for a new reading of kingship in the Old Testament. He is given control over all plant life (1:29) and again over every animal on the earth (1:30). Sacred kingship, religious and political concept by which a ruler is seen as an incarnation, manifestation, mediator, or agent of the sacred or holy (the transcendent or supernatural realm). in all its fullness to as many people as possible. How was Israel to understand the relationship between their obligation to Yahweh, the divine King, on the one hand, and their obligation to the human king on the other? until 721 b.c. in the south. The issue here is not whether kingship in itself was right or wrong for Israel. Contrary to the idea of certain scholars (e.g., Vatke, Gressmann, von Rad), the Old Testament does not suggest that the idea of the kingship of Yahweh was a projection derived from the human institution. In 1 Samuel 12 the prophet Samuel rebukes Israel for desiring a king that would be just like the greedy, self-serving kings of the nations surrounding Israel. The vast majority of uses involve human kings and kingdoms. Unfortunately Saul fell far short of living up to the requirements of his office. This juxtaposition of divine and human kingship in the Old Testament period presented ancient Israel with a duality of sovereigns. But Old Testament Judaism did know that God had a Son, for both David and Solomon spoke of Him. Even among the kings of Judah, only Hezekiah and Josiah receive unqualified approval ( 2 Kings 18:3-7 ; 22:2 ). That just a few of the evil kings of Israel. On the one hand Samuel said that Israel had sinned in asking for a king ( 1 Sam 12:17-20 ).On the other hand the Lord told Samuel to give the people a king ( 1 Samuel 8:7 1 Samuel 8:2 1 Samuel 8:22 ).Later, after Saul was chosen by lot, Samuel said, "Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?" In the New Testament the kingship theme is carried forward and its ambiguities resolved. To question this erodes the institutional basis of the messianic hope that arose in connection with the failure of Israel's kings to function as God had instructed. At issue was the kind of kingship Israel desired, and her reasons for wanting a king. Jacob said that royalty would arise from the tribe of Judah ( Gen 49:10 ). This approach, however, does violence to the many positive biblical statements concerning God's design for the institution of kingship in the context of this sovereign plan for the redemption of his people, and ultimately for the uNIVersal triumph of peace and justice on the earth. The concept originated in prehistoric times, but it continues to exert a recognizable influence in the modern world. For usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement. Simply put, God is the sovereign ruler of the universe. God had even provided for it in antecedent revelation. You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Much of 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles describes matters pertaining to the lives and reigns of these kings. This is seen most clearly in the commission that God gives to Adam in Genesis 1:26-30 (and repeated in Gen 2:15-17): Kingship is at the heart of the commission that God gives to Adam: he is granted dominion over all animal life on the earth (1:26); he is told to have many children in order to subdue the earth and take dominion over it (1:28). The Kings of Judah 1 Kings 12:17 - But [as for] the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. He is to spread God’s own dominion outside the boundaries of the ordered garden of Eden so that it branches out to the farthest reaches of creation. 377-96. Yet in the course of time Israel also had her own human kings, the rulers in Jerusalem or Samaria who exercised their royal power to govern the nation. Stevens teaches biblical studies at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This is a list of every battle in the OT. And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king.” Israel’s desire for a powerful earthly king was driven by fear and earthly-mindedness (see 1 Sam 8:4-9). 40:9,10). Most of its authors knew no other political system and it influenced their work greatly. Answer: There are three main “offices” spoken of in the Old Testament—prophet, priest, and king. While he is king over his people in a special sense, by virtue of his covenantal relationship to them, his kingship is at the same time universal, extending to all nations and peoples and even the natural environment. Parallels in literary structure between the Sinai covenant and certain international treaties drawn up by the kings of the Hittite Empire in the fourteenth century b.c. Arthur E. Cundall, “Sacral Kingship―The Old Testament Background,” Vox Evangelica 6 (1969): 31-41. Fix that problem! Jesus replied, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the rights hand of the Mighty One and coming with the clouds of heaven" ( Mark 14:62 ). For the most part the history of the kings of Israel and Judah is a history of failure to live up to the covenantal ideal. God was the great King who ruled the universe as well as his people, Israel. Copyright © 2020, Bible Study Tools. Kingship in Israel was not unanticipated. Jesus Declares His Kingship by Cleansing the Temple (Isa. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. King, Kingship The terms "king" and "kingship" are common biblical words, occurring over 2, 500 times in the Old Testament and 275 times in the New Testament. This request betrayed their rejection of the kingship of Yahweh ( 1 Sam 8:7 ; 10:19 ; 12:12 ) and denial of the covenant. In this sense, God reigns over His creation in and through Adam. This description was a supplement to the "law of the king" given by Moses ( Deut 17:14-20 ).Samuel then inaugurated the reign of Saul, Israel's first king, in the context of a renewal of the covenant with Yahweh ( 1 Sam11:14-12:25 ). There are no records of his life or reign outside the Bible — odd, if he was that important. concept of kingship and kingdom throughout the OT. In the next post we will look at how God’s kingdom develops in the Old Testament, beginning with Abraham, moving on to kingship in Israel, and ending with the exile of the northern and southern kingdoms. Category: Articles. Remember: Jesus simply announces that the kingdom is “at hand” (Matt 3:2), assuming that His hearers had some grasp of what He meant, even if He knew that they did not fully understand Him. Dr. Ben C. Dunson is professor of New Testament at Reformation Bible College. Rather than presenting the kings as monsters—with the occasional angelic ruler—this study seeks a more nuanced version of kingship. Adam, of course, fails to take dominion over the earth. While it is true that God alone is the ultimate king of Israel and over all of creation, human kings have a key role to play in God’s kingdom. Forms of this root occur 3,154 times in the Hebrew Bible. Proud member All rights reserved. Saul, David, and Solomon were kings who ruled over a united Israelite kingdom. The rights of kingship in Israel and other ancient Near Eastern societies is a major focus kingship in the old testament scholarship! Edwin R. Thiele ’ s people failed to rest in the Old Testament text lives! 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