Covenant Renewal At Gilgal

Covenant Renewal at Gilgal handles one of the points at which the integrity of the Old Testament has been most sharply attacked. Dr. Vannoy has examined all the widely scattered discussion bearing on the Bible verses with which he deals, and has carefully and fairly examined all the arguments presented by German, Dutch, French, and English scholars. --Allan A. MacRae, President and Professor of Old Testament Biblical School of Theology "In Covenant Renewal at Gilgal Dr. Vannoy has subjected a controversial section of narrative to close exegetical and form-critical analysis to bring into helpful new light the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. by illuminating the special function of the Gilgal assembly as a covenant renewal ceremony called by Samuel to insure covenant continuity at a time of transition in leadership and in theocratic administration, and after Israel's rebellious abrogation of the covenant in asking for a king, this study brings important new light to covenant history. In doing so, it contributes significantly to our knowledge of the history of redemption, and should lay to rest a number of negative critical judgments that have been around for a long while. --John H. Stek, Associate Professor of Old Testament Calvin Theological Seminary In Covenant Renewal at Gilgal Dr. Vannoy provides a very solid and valuable treatment of the key historical-literary problem of the origin and significance of the monarchy as an institution within the Old Testament theocratic kingdom, developing a sound solution through a valid application of the insights arising from the illumination of the divine covenants of the Bible by ancient treaty statecraft. --Meredith G. Kline, Professory of Old Testament Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

David and Goliath, the call of Samuel, the witch of Endor, David and Bathsheba — such biblical stories are well known. But the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, where they are recorded, are among the most difficult books in the Bible. The Hebrew text is widely considered corrupt and sometimes even unintelligible. The social and religious customs are strange and seem to diverge from the tradition of Moses. In this first part of an ambitious two-volume commentary on the books of Samuel, David Toshio Tsumura sheds considerable light on the background of 1 Samuel, looking carefully at the Philistine and Canaanite cultures, as he untangles the difficult Hebrew text.

While the canonical scriptures were produced over many centuries and represent a diverse library of texts, they are unified by stories of divine covenants and their implications for God's people. In this book, Scott Hahn shows how covenant, as an overarching theme, makes possible a coherent reading of the diverse traditions found within the canonical scriptures. Biblical covenants, though varied in form and content, all serve the purpose of extending sacred bonds of kinship, Hahn explains. Specifically, divine covenants form and shape a father-son bond between God and the chosen people. Biblical narratives turn on that fact, and biblical theology depends upon it. The author demonstrates how divine sonship represents a covenant relationship with God that has been consistent throughout salvation history. --From publisher's description.

In this study, Brian A. Verrett argues that 1-2 Samuel contains a serpent motif by practicing biblical theology and literary criticism. This motif derives from the serpent in Genesis 3, and its function within the Samuel narrative is to heighten the reader's anticipation in the coming messiah, who is the son of David and the seed of the woman from Genesis 3:15. This messiah will defeat the serpent and inaugurate his glorious reign over a renewed world. When 1-2 Samuel is read in this way, one appreciates previously unnoticed features of the text, understands aspects of the text that were formerly confusing, and rightly sees that the whole of 1-2 Samuel is a messianic document.

The Lord's Service is a description and defense of covenant renewal worship.

Scholars studying the ANE have noticed that Canaanite kings ruled as a representative of their god and served in a priestly role. Yahweh allows Israel to have a king "like all the nations" (Deut 17:14), but he shapes the monarchy according to his covenant. A key question remains, does God's allowance for a king "like all the nations" include a king-priest model? This study presents a synchronic view of the king as a priest within the MT of Samuel, analyzing the motif and considering how the narrator heightens the hope for the coming anointed one, whom the narrator describes as both king (1 Sam 2:10) and priest (2:35-36). This study will argue that, from the monarchy's inception, Yahweh considered Israel's kingship a sacral task. My study examined the king as a priest through a synchronic literary-theological approach.