David And Solomon Essay Research Paper David

David And Solomon Essay, Research Paper

David and Solomon

King David proved to be a wise and effectual leader for Israel. However, it can be said that his boy, Solomon, made several errors during his reign. Many of his jobs originated from his Temple, a stucture that was conceptualized by his male parent to be a hindrance against the pagan religion, which infested the land. Yet, it seemed as if several of Solomon s policies really encouraged pagan religion instead than discourage it.

King David, a member of the folk of Judah was chosen by God to take his people. As everyone knows, he proved by his wise picks to be a really effectual leader. As a great military strategian David united the folk and extended the national boundaries so that in his clip Israel enjoyed a greater fraction of the land promised to Abraham than has of all time since been the instance. David ruled as male monarch for seven old ages and Hebron, so established his throne in Jerusalem after get the better ofing the ancient Jebusite community at that place. His reign continued at that place in Jerusalem for the following 32 old ages. Secure on his throne and home in a brilliant castle of cedar and rock, David began to be concerned that he, the seeable male monarch, dwelled in a brilliant house, but the unseeable King of male monarchs still dwelt in an aging impermanent collapsible shelter, the Tabernacle of Moses. At first the prophesier Nathan gave David blessing to build a temple, but the undermentioned dark God intervened. Talking to Nathan in a dream God laid out for David an astonishing compact whose promises continue to this present twenty-four hours. God committed himself to set uping the house of David everlastingly, to a specific land and people, Israel, and to a temple.

David, a adult male of war, was non, nevertheless, to construct the First Temple. That undertaking was given to his boy Solomon, although David drew up the programs. The fact that other states had temples and Israel did non is non the ground The First Temple was to be built. The Temple was to be a memorial to Israel to turn her bosom off from the graven images of the environing states. The Temple would supply them for an inducement non to pattern the same evil things as the Canaanites. However, every bit good as the original purposes for the Temple were, Solomon proved to be a less effectual leader than his male parent. Some of his determinations proved to be unwise and weakened the stableness of Israel for along clip to come.

Much of the problem which occurred in Solomon s reign was straight related to his Temple. First of all, his demand to showcase the power and wealth of Jerusalem required the building of munificent castles and other constructions, such as the Temple. The income from commercialism and revenue enhancement was deficient to back up all of his edifice undertakings, so he decided to yield 20 metropoliss in Galilee to Tyre in order to raise auxiliary income. Other indicants that his imperium was weakening was the successful rebellions of Edom and Aram against Israelite regulation. Furthermore, the increasingly weakening province of personal businesss allowed Jeroboam to interrupt away from Solomon s regulation. He was able to achieve leading over Solomon s opponents- those that were frustrated with his policies of terrible revenue enhancement and forced labour.

Refering the existent Temple, one must be reminded that King David s original purposes were to make a memorial against the Canaanite divinities

and pagan religion. However, when Solomon was given duty of the building, he seemed to hold forgotten this. Some of the symbolism on the alter was derived from Phoenicia, and can be traced back to older Canaanite symbols from Mesopotamia. A serious religious failing was get downing to happen in the Temple during this clip. Its luxuriant organisation and its heavy liability to Syro-Phoenician spiritual architecture and pattern. The danger of syncretism became really great- so great that the undermentioned centuries were characterized by acrimonious intermittent struggle between spiritual learners and spiritual separationists ( Albright 150 ) . In other words, the representation of both heathens and Judaic beliefs complicated the attempt to make spiritual integrity. Solomon really allowed the building of heathen shrines and communion tables within the locality of Jerusalem itself. His grants likely ensured the continuation of pagan religion and encouraged the backslidings into pagan religion that would happen during the following two coevalss.

One of the major backslidings into pagan religion that occurred during the following two coevalss was due to the spiritual reforms of Jeroboam I. In the North, Jeroboam I tried to counter the political influence of Solomon s temple by advancing earlier Israelite spiritual patterns which bordered on pagan religion. He founded two shrines of Yahweh at Bethel and Dan. At these two shrines he set up graven images that were representative of Yahweh. In 1 Kings 12:25-33, Jeroboam said:

If these people go up to offer forfeits at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will once more give their commitment to their Godhead, Rehoboam male monarch of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam. After seeking advice, the male monarch made two aureate calves. He said to the people, & # 8220 ; It is excessively much for you to travel up to Jerusalem. Here are your Gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. ( I Kings 12:25-33 )

Attempts to stop the heathen worship would eventually be assumed by male monarchs such as Josiah and Hezekiah, who undertook to unclutter away all heathen objects and patterns.

After the brilliant reign of King David, which laid the foundation for a centralised cult, the reign of Solomon stimulated a arrested development back to pagan beliefs and patterns. The temple was built for aesthetic and personal grounds, it seemed, while its spiritual significance was compromised. The deductions of this via media was that it triggered backslidings into pagan religion and besides a sense of spiritual synchretism which lasted approximately two coevalss. This period of spiritual uncertainness was eventually ended by progressive male monarchs, such as Hezekiah and Josiah, that implemented policies that would purge the land of pagan religion and centralise the cult.

Plants Cited

Rosovsky, Nitza, erectile dysfunction. City of the Great King. Boston: Harvard UP, 1996.

Alt, A. The Monarachy in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Essaies on Old

Testament History and Religion. New York: Oxford UP, 1966.

Albright, William Foxwell. Archeology and the faith of Israel. Baltimore: John s

Hopkins Press, 1968.

May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. The Book of Kings. New Oxford Annotated

Bible. New York: Oxford UP, 1973.

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