Page 46 - Biblical Backgrounds

(1 and 2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1-11; 1 Chronicles; and 2 Chronicles 1-9)

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As the Israelites settled in the land, they slowly, like the Philistines, drifted toward a monarchy. This
means that instead of remaining a theocracy, where God rules His people, they wanted a king. This is
both an implicit rejection of God’s rule and a slide toward what was normal in surrounding nations. In
this section, we will survey the backgrounds of this transition. We will again look at the location,
government, religion, and social and commercial backgrounds of the period. From there, we will
investigate some other important background aspects of the period for biblical interpretation.

The Lesson ...

The United Monarchy.

The location of the United Monarchy altered over
time. This is because various wars, both with
other people groups and civil unrest within Israel,
led to constantly changing borders. So it is
difficult to describe the borders of Israel without
carefully delineating the borders for each ruler
and at different stages in the rule. Rather than
going to this level of detail, we will note various
details. The kings of the United Monarchy reigned
from around 1030 BCE to 930 BCE. Saul was the
first king who ruled all of Israel. He was the king
whom God placed over the people when they
demanded a king. The Logos Deluxe Map Set is an
invaluable tool for illustration. The two maps we
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will reference here are taken from it. The first map is the borders of Israel during the reign of Saul.

The next major ruler of the period was David. David expanded the borders of the kingdom to their
largest extent. It is important to remember that these boundaries still do not fulfill the boundaries
promised to Abraham in Genesis. David and his son Solomon are still considered the golden age rulers of
Israel. Notice that, as we said in the last chapter, even at this level of expansion, the Philistines and the
Phoenicians were never conquered.
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89 Norris, D. Thaine. “Palestine in the Time of Saul, 1000 B.C.” Logos Deluxe Map Set. Oak Harbor, WA: Lexham
Press, 1997.

90 Norris, D. Thaine. “The Kingdom of David and Solomon, 10 Century B.C.” Logos Deluxe Map Set. Oak Harbor,
th
WA: Lexham Press, 1997.
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