LESSON 11:

BUILDING UP
THE NATION
OF ISRAEL
WHAT IS A KING?
The Old Testament Kings

A. Saul

Saul was the first king

after the reign of Samuel
as judge of Israel.

Samuel chose his sons to

continue his mission but
they did not perform well.
The Israelites who were
dissatisfied with the way
Samuel’s sons governed
them, clamored for a king
who would restore peace
and order among the
tribes and in the land.
Samuel hesitated but
soon gave in to them
upon God’s consent.
Saul stood out for
he was a man of courage,
brilliance,
and faith.
Thus, Samuel anointed Saul
as the new king who united
the tribes of Israel.
Through his leadership, his
army won several battles which
made him a popular and well-
acclaimed leader.
But, Saul’s success made him
proud. He refused obedience
to Samuel and to God. He only
listened to the people and his
own desires.
Saul failed to meet God’s
commands.

His Saul’s kingship ended. He

died by committing suicide.
B. David

David is the youngest son

of Jesse from the tribe of
Judah. He was a
shepherd tending his
father’s flock. Known for
his musical talent in
playing the harp.
David was called
by Saul whenever he
was weary. David
became the best friend
of Jonathan, the son of
Saul, and a member of
Saul’s army.

He was legendary in
courage.
He fought against Philistines
and defeated the giant, Goliath.
His achievement made him the
general of Saul’s army.
However, David’s success
made Saul very jealous and
insecure.
Saul tried to use his son and
daughter to kill David but did
not succeed because Jonathan
was more loyal to his friend
David.
David had great
chances to end
Saul, but spared
him because David
did not want to
cause harm on
God’s anointed
leader.
The Philistines then
outsmarted Saul,
his son, and his
army. Jonathan
died and Saul who
was heavily
wounded asked a
Philistine to kill him.
After several battles,
David was crowned
king of Israel. David’s
leadership brought
prosperity, stability over
all Israel.
After several battles,
David was crowned
king of Israel. David’s
leadership brought
prosperity, reprimanded
and punished him
severely for his
grievous offenses of
murder and adultery.
C. Solomon
Is the son of king David from
Bathsheba. Before his death,
David anointed Solomon to
be the third King of Israel.
Solomon was chosen among
his sons because he showed
interest in continuing his
father’s leadership.
Unprepared for great
responsibilities, and
lack of knowledge and
skills in ruling a big and
powerful country,
Solomon asked for
God’s gift of wisdom.
Pleased by his simplicity,
God gave Solomon more
than what he asked for:
wisdom, wealth, and
influence.

Solomon asked for

wisdom so he could
rule with fairness and
justice.
Solomon was renowned as a sage.
When two women each claimed to be the mother
of the same baby, he determined the real mother by
observing each woman’s reaction to the prospect of
dividing the child into two halves; he acknowledged
the woman who protested as the mother.

Solomon was deemed wiser than all the sages of

Egypt and the Middle East—even wiser than some
ancient paragons of wisdom.
In his term, he had
constructed a majestic
temple of Yahweh,
improved Jerusalem,
strengthened his military
powers, and drafted laws
and policies that led the
country to greater
stability and prosperity.
For a while, the Israelites
marveled at Solomon’s
wealth and luxurious living.
They then realized that life
became harder and taxes
higher. The people were
dissatisfied.

Solomon’s glory and luster

faded away and left
Jerusalem a divided
kingdom.
ROLE AND TASKS
OF KINGS
God gave the Israelites a
king to make them strong
and united in their times of
hopelessness and division.
God’s power to unite,
harmonize, and care for the
people may be attested to by
the witness of the kings of
Israel.
God’s will of providence, care,
liberation, and peace was
acted though the kings. This is
why when the kings could not
live up to their calling and
mission, God sent prophets to
rebuke and chastise them.

Kings are importance symbols

of service and true leadership
toward the good of the people of
Israel.
Kings Saul, David and Solomon were chosen to rule God’s
people with kindness, integrity, humility, and justice.

-Saul exemplified courage and strength to fight enemies well. -

-David was said to be the greatest because he ruled his people
with genuine concern, courage, faith, and love of God. He
provided the poor with abundant provisions, united all the tribes
of Israel and maintained peace in the land.
-Solomon was said to be gifted with wisdom. He was looked
up to for his great mind and diplomatic abilities. He secured a
prosperous life for the people.
REASON FOR THE
DOWNFALL OF
KINGS
Saul was made proud of
his accomplishments and
did not listen to God
anymore. He started well
but ended tragically
because of pride.
David’s weakness of
desiring Bathseba who was
already married, distracted
him from doing what is right
and just.

His attempts in covering up

his adultery led to the
murder of a man(Uriah) the
husband of Bathseba.
Solomon imposed heavy
taxations and put great
burdens on the Israelite
people because of the
demands of his wives.
He turned way from God
by turning to idols
worshipped by his wives.
Solomon gave in to
temptation.

Solomon’s wisdom was

overpowered by his
attachment to power
and wealth.
PATH TOWARD
CONVERSION
Among the three kings,
David is a model of a
truly repentant sinner
because he gives us a
picture of what true
conversion is.
Nathan, the prophet
disclosed David’s sins,-
adultery and murder.
God made David understand
the gravity of his sins.

And David humbly

acknowledged his sinfulness,
accepted the consequences
that accompanied his evil
deeds, asked God’s
forgiveness and promised to
do better.
The story of kings also
teaches us that power,
wealth, and luxury
corrupt wisdom and
numb the heart of a ruler.

“Power tends to corrupt;

and absolute power
corrupts absolutely.”-
John Acton
We should be reminded
that power is not
something to covet, but
instead something to be
used for the common
good.
These are practical steps toward conversion:

- Accept humbly that you have sinned

- Repent and promise to do good
- Ask for forgiveness
- Repair the damage caused by sins
- Change your ways.
God, who is the God of justice, is
just and fair. Judges, Kings, and
ordinary people must face the
consequences of their sins against
God and his people.

But, we must also not forget that

God is understanding and forgiving
to those who repent their
wrongdoings. A repentant sinner
who sincerely comes back to God
is forgiven and will experience
God’s abundant grace again.
REFERENCES:

- AFIRE WITH GRATITUDE: WE

EXPERIENCE THE SAVING LOVE OF GOD
PAGES 114-118