King Saul

King Saul is based on the Biblical story of the first king of Israel. It retells the story in a fresh way, offering new looks at the three major characters--Saul, Samuel, and David--and the events that brought them together at the very foundation of the nation of Israel three millennia ago. Holbert's retelling reveals how this old story is surprisingly modern as it turns its gaze on power politics, personal rivalries, and religious use and abuse as the life of early Israel unfolds.

David M. Gunn wrote The Fate of King Saul to inspire a renewed interest in the study of the Old Testament as well as the study of Saul. He explores the study of Saul and researches the narrative aspect of the books of Samuel. Additionally, he also researches the narrative that is a part of the Old Testament since the content can be complicated and difficult to understand.

The Old Testament recounts the story of King Saul, a charismatic and righteous man chosen by God to be king over his people. Though favored by God, Saul turns rebellious and mad, driven by an obsession to kill his most loyal and faithful servant, David, who doesn't stop honoring Saul. Like David, Marine finds herself loving and fearing a man who is set over her to guide and protect her. Like King Saul, her husband Loammi turns from a charming leader to a rebellious, mad, narcissistic, and victim-playing abuser. This is my story, mirrored in the Word of God, providing me with answers I have sought for years and helping me understand what was wrong with my husband, as I walked as a child of God praying for a miracle to heal our abusive marriage. This book is for all the women who know the pain of domestic abuse and seek to understand what a loving wife, a partner, should do. As I share my story, my hope is to encourage you to search your unique story and answers in the Bible.

Who should lead us? Who should we, as a community, look to for guidance? These questions, as old as humankind, followed the Israelite community upon their return from the Exile: Should they return with Davidic kingship or without it? Their answer was King Saul. Reading Israel's first king as a riddle or the epitome of Israel's experience with kingship, King Saul's Asking explores the characterization of the figure Saul, the question of the apparent silence of God, the multiple complexities of responsibility for kingship, and the readers'opportunities for transformation. It provides a new approach to the Old Testament, supplying the reader with not only an in-depth character study but also an interesting, insightful read, and opportunity for transformation. Chapters are "Asking a Child (1 Samuel 1-3)," "Seeking a Refuge (1 Samuel 4-7)," "Request for a King (1 Samuel 8-12)," "Obedience Wanted, Wanting (1 Samuel 13-15)" "Suspecting the Dreaded (1 Samuel 16-19)" "Futile Searching (1 Samuel 20-23)," "Sensing the Silent (1 Samuel 24-26)," and "Final Questions." Receive From Earth's Creation to John's Revelation FREE with the purchase of two or more Interfaces volumes. Mention this offer in the comment section of the order form when placing your order or call 1.800.858.5450. Barbara Green, OP, PhD, is a professor of biblical studies and a member of the core doctoral faculty at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Editor of the Interfaces series, she also wrote Like a Tree Planted, published by Liturgical Press.

"A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

Saul (Edomite king) in the Bible.

King Saul is based on the Biblical story of the first king of Israel. It retells the story in a fresh way, offering new looks at the three major characters--Saul, Samuel, and David--and the events that brought them together at the very foundation of the nation of Israel three millennia ago. Holbert's retelling reveals how this old story is surprisingly modern as it turns its gaze on power politics, personal rivalries, and religious use and abuse as the life of early Israel unfolds.

The following pages, begun several years ago, and now, in the mercy of God, completed, are an effort to give a brief series of notes upon the first book of Samuel. The title, "King Saul: the man after the flesh," shows us the central figure of the book, a type too of the fleshly condition of the nation as a whole. The lessons connected with the rise, reign and end of King Saul are many, and all point to the utter unprofitableness of the flesh in its greatest excellence to be aught that is acceptable to God. The subject in one sense is a depressing one, and the proper effect should be to turn us from the contemplation of the man after the flesh to the man after God's own heart, David, who comes upon the scene in the latter part of the book and shows the contrast between faith and nature. As a type of Christ, he is the antidote to the baleful example and influence of poor Saul, and thus shows how God would ever lead, even through the knowledge of sin in ourselves and of the evil about us, not to occupation with that, but with Him who is the Deliverer of His people. May the Lord use this effort to trace the workings of the flesh and the triumphs of His grace to the blessing of His people! A word of explanation may not be out of place as to the character of Jonathan spoken of in the body of the book. The matter is one of great delicacy, and the writer shrinks from taking the edge off any wholesome lessons that have been connected with the character and position of Jonathan, but would only call attention to what is said in the body of the book and leave each reader free to draw his own conclusions.