Micah Goodman on Samuel 1

Q - Two linked themes in Samuel? and two models?

 Religion and politics

- Religion - relation to KBH
- politics - relation to power
 models
- at start: Saul - failure of tabernacle at shiloh and its destruction
- At end: David - permanent temple in jeru

The broad sins of Shiloh

Q - Who are the Shiloh priests in the story? What went wrong?

- Eli, hofni, pinchas, descended from itamar

- priests exiled to Nov, where they were later killed, bc they did rituals wrong and

Q - Yorshev cruvim?

- Kbh’s presence on the cruvim on the ark in tabernacle

- to which the temple rituals are a response

Q - Link to jer 7?

 The person
o from Anatot, to where sol exiles eviatar, last descendant of eli
o ezekiel had said only Elazar and tzadok’s descendants would be priests
 his sayings
o points to Shiloh to demonstrate that KBH can destroy his own temple in
response to over-valuing ritual

Q - jer 3 on the ark?

- in the redemption times the ark is forgotten and disappears

- suggests ritual is a concession to human weakness, with ethics and religiosity the
true purpose of Judaism

Q - When does religion become magic? Link to politics?

- when ritual creates an illusory shield against uncertainty

- tyranny does the same

Eli’s sins
Q - Eli’s 4 sins?

1) believing the Ark would save them against phils, rather than behaviour
2) sayings to his sons
3) asking Hannah if she is drunk
4) response to news of the military loss

Q - Elaboration 1?

- Phils thought the ark would save them too

o Means the Israelites were imitating pagan phil way of thinking

Q - Elaboration 2?

- When Eli learns his sons are not performing rituals properly,
- saying there is forgiveness for sins against man but not against KBH
- Belief in the sufficiency of ritual without ethics

Q - Elaboration 3?

- Priest can’t perceive an authentic religious experience not within framework of

formal rituals
- Belief in the sufficiency of ritual without religiosity

Q - Elaboration 4?

- Eli falls of his chair only when learning about the capture of the ark, not the death
of soldiers or his sons

Lecture 2

Q - What happened to the ark?

- Those who thought it gave them power were harmed e.g. uza dying when saving it

Q - Link king and ark?

- Jews used ark to ‘save them from the philistines’

- KBH gives Jews king to ‘save them from the philistines’

Q - Sam 8 consequences of king?

- King will use his power to take things away from jews
- All that will be left is to pray to KBH, but He won’t listen
- Exchange of liberty for security
Q - Paradox of power?

- Only useful if he has enough power to protect his subjects, but then he can use that
power against them

Saul being Good

Q - Donkey episode?

- Saul lets himself be guided by his assistant

- Shows that he is insecure, a pushover and was not expecting kingship

Q - Mitzpah lottery episode in sam 10?

- Also shows he is shy, insecure and lacks confidence

Q - Saul’s response to the group which rejects him?

- Saul accepts the rejection, which is not what a king would normally do
- And after the yavesh hagilad battle, he bans people from killing the rejectors

Q - Sig of yavesh hagilad battle in sam 11?

- Successfully unifies the people against the ammonites

- Which gave him legitimacy
- And Saul shows his virtues in crediting his successes to KBH

How power changes Saul

Q - How saul interprets the victory song? And the consequence?

- As the people liking David more, and undermining his power

- made Saul want to kill David in jealousy and kills the priests of Nov

Q - what does that show about power?

- It is an addiction, and once you have it you need more

Q - Link between power of the ark and political power?

- Using it as a means of control makes the one using it weak

Lecture 3

Q - Samuel’s mismatch between worldview and task? Link to other parts of bible?
 - Samuel is anti-monarchy and must appoint a monarch
- Jonah, Jeremiah

Q - Saul’s sin?

- Not killing all of Amalek as KBH ordered through Sam

Q - 4 windows into Sam’s mind regarding Saul?

1) When anointing saul

2) When firing Saul
3) When reminded of Saul
4) Names

Q - Reaction when anointing saul?

- Calls saul treasure of Israel

- Compared to David, with whom he is silent

Q - When firing Saul?

- Very upset such that KBH tells him to stop grieving

Q - reminder of Saul?

- Thinking the king amongst jesse’s sons will be Eliav, based on his appearance and
height

Q - Names?

- Samuel was so named bc he was lent=shaul to KBH, so the names are a link
between them

Q - Saul’s first sin? And his flawed excuse?

- Saul keeps the spoils of war against Amalek and lets the king live

Q - Samuel’s rebuke? And what saul’s response shows?

- Rebuke: Saul sinned bc his self-perception did not match his actual role
- Saul’s response - out of fear of his soldiers, he did not tell them not to enjoy the
spoils

Q - The nov episode? And link to first sin?

 - Killed the priests who hosted David
- Both out of insecurity, for which Samuel had to fire him

Q - Illustrations of Saul’s dependence on Samuel?

1) Clinging to Samuel’s robe until it tears, when Samuel won’t accompany him
2) Conjuring samuel’s ghost

Q - Why saul is dependent on Samuel? Sig when Samuel rebukes him?

- Bc first person to believe in Saul

- Samuel describing David as better than him starts his downfall

Lecture 4

Self-fulfilling prophecy?

- Everything saul does to escape the prophecy realises the prophecy e.g.
- did, drew attention to and strengthened him e.g. enlisting him against phils

David and Goliath

Q - Sig of sword v slingshot?

- Sword - only works from proximity

- Slingshot - works from a distance

Q - Alter’s reading of the goliath episode?

1) Moment of deception - David hides his weapon, approaches Goliath which makes
Goliath think he can use his sword, and slings the stone
2) Defeats him with stone, kills him with sword

Q - Sig of how David kills goliath?

- Uses goliath’s sword

- Characteristic of David, he uses enemy’s strength against him
o As with Saul, who loses from his own insecurity
o As with goliath’s size and lack of mobility

David and Batsheva

Q - Sig of cover-up?

- Cover up is worse than sleeping with batsheva, which is worse than staying at home
over the battle

Q - Sig of Nathan’s prophecy that KBH will takes wives and give them to re’echa?

- Sleeping with a king’s wife, in the cultural context, signified a claim to future kingship
- (as in kings 2:22, 2 samuel 3: 7)
- Which is why David feels threatened

David and Avhsalom

Q - David’s strange behaviour in response?

1) David doing nothing as Avshalom rebels

2) Escaping as avshalom as he attacks Jerusalem
3) Leaving only the concubines to protect the palace as avshalom invades

Q - Avshalom’s rebellion?

- heart of the people and claiming kingship dressed in king’s uniform outside palace
gates, which is an act of rebellion

Q - 2 revealing comments whilst he is escaping? And sig for strange behaviour?

1) Telling Tzadok to leave the ark in Jerusalem for when he comes back
o Faith that he will be back
2) Telling avishai to leave Shimi ben gera, who is publicly taunting him
o expresses acceptance of the prophecy and KBH’s punishment, in contrast to
Saul

Lecture 5

Sites at beginning and end of Samuel?

- Altar at Shiloh
- David’s altar on the field of Ornan = mt Moriah, where his sacrifice stopped the
plague
- Second represents all of Judaism

Akeidah

Lech lecha?
 - Link to tests
- Was said before when KBH told abr to leave Ur

Meaning of akeidah for Judaism (according to Buber and yesh Leibowitz)?

- Judaism about sacrifice = giving yourself up for KBH

- Bc Abraham gave up everything he had ever worked towards

David’s Sacrifice

Goodman’s methodology in comparing Samuel to chronicles?

- Chronicles censors David’s sins so discrepancies reveal a sin

- E.g. Samuel II 24 KBH enticing David to make Yoav count Jews vs devil

Milgram on imagery of different sins and Goodman on David’s sinful apology?

- Kaparah - dirt to erase

- Aveirah - weight to move elsewhere,
- David chooses averah, which is why Gad’s message is about moving the punishment
on am Israel
- Link to sin of counting, because both are about using the people for his benefit,
instead of the opposite
o Chronicles changes David’s apology from niplah-na to eplah-na
o Why David’s second apology says I have sinned

Q - similarity Akeidah and and David’s sacrifice? And sig of animal sacrifice?

- willingness to self-sacrifice is what is important, not actual self-sacrifice

- Ibn ezra - when we sacrifice an animal, we think that it could have been me

Difference akeidah and david’s sacrifice?

- Sacrifice for KBH vs am Israel

- Shows being a good jew requires both