a. Discuss at least one of David’s human sins or mistakes.
David as King was lustful and he loved women. As revealed in the book of 2 Samuel , ‘David arose from his bed and walked about on the roof of King’s house, and he saw from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired after the woman…and David sent messengers and fetched her and she came to him and he lay with her … (Alter, 2009, p. 251). David failed to care that he was married, and went ahead to impregnate Uriah’s wife. Owing to his lustful nature and lack of control, David ended up killing Uriah, in order to cover up and have Bathsheba all by himself.
b. Explain why David remained an exemplary Israelite king, despite his moral sins or mistakes.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
David remained an exemplary Israelite King despite having sins or mistakes because in all his undertakings, he sought God’s guidance. For instance, while going to face the Philistines, he inquired of the Lord saying, ‘‘shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand? And the Lord said, Go up, for I will surely give the Philistines into your hand’’ (Alter, 2009, p. 224).
c. Why did God wrest the kingship away from Saul for Saul’s sins and why did God let David’s kingship stand?
God wrested the Kingship away from Saul because he never obeyed God’s word. He looked promising as the future King of Israel, but his disobedience made God angry. For instance, he was instructed by Samuel to wait for seven days before sacrificing the burnt and peace offerings. However, he ignored and went ahead to conduct it. Samuel told him, ‘‘Seven days shall you wait until I come to you…’’ (Alter, 2009, p. 55). As required, the responsibility of burning the offering was supposed to be done by the priest, owing to the holiness and purity associated with it. God allowed David’s kingship to stand because he had faith in God, and as the Bible says, he was a man after God’s heart.
d. How are women presented in the Books of Samuel, and what is their political role?
In the books of Samuel, women are presented as reconcilers and peace makers. They play a significant role from a political perspective, as seen through Abigail the wife of Nabal. She was able to sense danger and such; she manages to handle David with wisdom and humility. She uses her wit and charm to bring David’s anger down. ‘‘ And Abigail saw David and hurried and got down from the donkey and flung herself on her face before David and bowed to the ground ’’ (p. Alter, 2009, p. 156). Her words of wisdom saved her husband, and it equally halted David’s anger.
References
Alter, R. (2009). The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel. New York, NY: W. W. Norton
