Page 49 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised
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Chapter 6: The United Monarchy
(1 and 2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1-11; 1 Chronicles; and 2 Chronicles 1-9)
Connect…
As the Israelites settled in the land, they began to look at other nations and wanted to copy their form
of government. 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 chapter, 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.
Objectives…
1. Students should be able to describe the important background points of the location, government,
religion, and social and commercial backgrounds for this period in the Old Testament.
2. Students should be able to name the kings of the United Monarchy and the approximate dates of
their reign.
3. Students should be able to identify what ended the United Monarchy in Israel.
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 who 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 will reference here are taken from it. The
first map is the borders of Israel during the reign of Saul.
89
89 Norris, D. Thaine. “Palestine in the Time of Saul, 1000 B.C.” Logos Deluxe Map Set. Oak Harbor, WA: Lexham
Press, 1997.
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