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Man this is one harsh way to end a book! I've complained that some of the previous books had weak endings. 1 Samuel makes up for it in spades!
Saul goes to a witch/psychic to talk to the dead Samuel. Even though this is a parable, it says allot about what the Israelites believed.
A) They believed that people survived in some form after death.
B) They believed that the living could communicate with the dead.
C) The dead could predict the future.
Saul doesn't like what Samuel has to say but his fate is sealed, along with his sons and the army of Israel in general.
Meanwhile, David isn't allowed to fight the Israelites with the Philistines, lest he become a turncoat during the battle. To make matters worse, the previously "utterly destroyed" Amalekites have invaded and taken David's wives. David chases them down and destroys them once again (except for the 400 that escape on camels).
We finish with Saul and his sons being defeated in battle, Saul, not wanting the Philistines to have the honor of taking his life does it himself. Is this the first literary instance of someone "falling on his sword"? The Philistines don't treat the dead very well.
Again, I have to comment that this feels very Shakespearian to me. I think it would be a safe assumption to say that he used the Bible as an influence. I've also seen pieces that say the Bard helped translate the KJ Bible but there seems to be debate on the amount of involvement.
The sequel starts tomorrow. David's revenge?
@Bruce,
ReplyDeleteSome questions:
Even though this is a parable
How did you come to believe that this is a parable?
A) They believed that people survived in some form after death.
How do you know they don't survive in some form? Luke 16:20-31; Mark 9:4
B) They believed that the living could communicate with the dead.
Depends on what you consider dead. There is a death of flesh, and then a death of spirit. Matthew 22:32; Revelation 21:8
C) The dead could predict the future.
Sorry no reference on this one. :-D Some think this was Samuel that God allowed to come back with this message. Others think it was a demon that took the likeness of Saul to deliver the message (II Corinthians 11:14,15). Either way i believe that the message was from God.
I had to do a little searching on Barb... :-D On one site i was reading they stated in Psalm 46 counting 46 words down from the top, we find "shake", and counting 46 words up from the bottom, we find "spear". Don't count Selah. And Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564. It is widely assumed that he was born that year. The Authorized Version was being revised in 1610, by which time Shakespeare would have been 46.
What first came to my mind was the Bible code. Thanks for mentioning that Bruce.
I was struck by several things reading these chapters
ReplyDelete- the Philistines have treated David pretty damn well, all things considered. Granted they won't let him go into battle with them, but Achish defends him. Considering David's past history with these folks, I'd say that's pretty generous.
- Thankfully the spurned David finds some Amalekites to slaughter soon thereafter. (whew!)
- The Amalekites don't seem to be as bloodthirsty as the Israelites. They didn't kill ANYONE? Do they NOT know how this works?? You slaughter the men, women and children and then, your god permitting, you can keep the livestock or the occasion virgin for fun. What idiots!!
- I still feel bad for Saul. He got a raw deal all in all.
Saul underperformed in the role. Saul killed thousands, while David killed tens of thousands.
ReplyDelete"Even though this is a parable
ReplyDeleteHow did you come to believe that this is a parable?"
Parable or not, this is a very weird passage. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Of course I've always felt that Saul's story was odd.