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Leadership in Israel
Introduction
- When the Israelites had settled in Canaan, they did not have an earthly King. Their unseen ruler was God.
- Such a community was called a Theocratic community.
- God ruled through some judges who were appointed.
The role of judges in Israel
- They led the Israelites into war against enemies such as the Philistines.
- They settled disputes among the people.
- They acted as spiritual leaders and officiated in worship.
- They offered sacrifice on behalf of the people.
- Some of the judges acted as the prophets of God.
- The judges foretold the future.
- The judges condemned the injustices in Israel.
- They reminded the people of Gods ways.
Reasons why the Israelites demanded for a King
1 Samuel 8:1-9
- They demanded to be given a King because: -
- Samuel had grown old.
- He had imposed his sons Joel and Abijah as judges over the Israelites.
- The two sons were not like their father for they lacked leadership skills.
- They were corrupt and took bribes.
- They wanted a King so that they would be like other nations in Canaan.
- They wanted a stable political government ruled by law and order.
- They had been influenced by political government of the Canaanites.
- They wanted a king who would lead them into war against their enemies such as the Philistines and bring back the Ark that had been taken.
- They wanted an earthly king who they could see and consult in time of problems.
Reasons against Kingship in Israel
1 Sam 8:10-20
- Samuel was very upset by the request for a King because:
1. By demanding an earthly King, it meant that they had rejected Yahweh as their king.
2. They were going to lose their identity as Gods chosen people.
3. The leaders to be appointed were going to lack leadership qualities.
4. The King would oppress them.
5. Some of their sons would be recruited to serve as soldiers in his army.
6. Others would be put into forced labor.
7. Their daughters would be put to work as cooks and perfumers.
8. The king would take the best of their flock.
9. The king would take their lands and good vineyards.
10. At that time, they would cry to God but God will not listen to them.
- The people refused to listen to Samuels warning and went ahead with their demand for a king. So the Lord told Samuel to do as they wanted.
The Choosing of Saul as the first King of Israel
1 Sam 9:10
- After the Israelites had appealed to Samuel that they wanted a King, Samuel told the Lord what the people had said and the Lord instructed him to do, as they wanted.
- Saul the son of Kish was appointed as the first King of Israel.
Achievements of King Saul
1. He was Gods choice who was to save the Israelites from the power of the Philistines.
2. He received the spirit of God, which made him to prophesy like one of the prophets of God.
3. He fought and conquered the Israelite e.g. the Amorites, the Moabites and the Amalekites.
Failures of King Saul
1 Sam 13, 15, 18:6-9, 28:3-15,
1. He offered sacrifices to God at Gilgal yet he was not a priest.
2. He spared Agag the king of the Amalekites.
3. He spared the best sheep and cattle of the Amalekites for selfish gain.
4. He cheated Samuel that he wanted to offer the animals as sacrifice to God.
5. He listened to the voice of his subjects and army to spare the animals and Agag.
6. He became jealous and plotted to kill David.
7. He consulted a medium so that he could talk to the spirit of Samuel.
8. He killed the priest of God, 1 Sam 22.
9. He committed suicide when he went to war against the Philistines.
Lessons Learnt from the Failures of King Saul
- Christians should obey Gods command and prophets.
- It is important to have faith in God.
- A Christian needs to be patient.
- Christians should not be influenced by greed for wealth and earthly desires.
- God does not value incense sacrifice instead he is more pleased with obedience.
- Leaders need not to be jealous of others Saul was jealous and plotted to kill David.
- There is need to respect every ones responsibility.
- Saul never respected the position of Samuel.
Choosing of David as the king of Israel
1 Sam 16:1-15
- David was the son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah.
- God instructed Samuel to go and anoint David to succeed Saul as a King ofg israel.
Achievements of king David
- He was chosen by God. God told Samuel to come and anoint him as king of Israel.
- He was a skilled Musician and composed the book of Psalms that is used in the church even today 1 Sam 16:14-23.
- He brought back the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Abinadab to Jerusalem with great celebration. The Ark had been taken away by the enemies. 2 Sam 6:1-5.
- He conquered the city of Jerusalem and made it its capital city. 2sam; 5:6-25.
- He was a brilliant military commander. The name David means Army Commander. He waged successful wars against Moab, Ammor, Amelekite and Aram.
- He killed Goliath who was a great warrior of the Philistines because he had great faith in God. 1 Sam 17.
- He expanded the boundaries of Israel through military conquest.
- He was a good administrator. He administered through law and justice to all people. He chose wise leaders to advise him.
- David was a humble king who was ready to repent whenever he committed a sin. He repented after taking Uriahs wife. 2 Sam: 11.
- He was publicly anointed as a King of Israel. He was made king over Judah and was later accepted by the whole Israel.
- He established good diplomatic relations with the surrounding nations for example; he signed a treaty with Syria and through the treaty Israel benefited both economically and politically.
- He laid foundation of building the great temple which was later completed by Solomon.2 Sam 7:1-17.
- God promised to establish an everlasting kingdom for David where his descendants would live in peace. Jesus is a descendant of King David.
- He united the Northern and Southern kingdom and made it into one nation.
David as the ancestor of Jesus
2 Sam 1:29, Luke 1:26-33
- Nathans prophesy about the Messiah is seen as having been fulfilled in the work of Jesus Christ in the following ways: -
- Jesus Christ who was the Messiah is seen as being born from Davids lineage.
- Mathew in the Genealogy of Jesus tells that Jesus was a descendant of King David.
Matt 1:1.
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which was referred to as the city of David.
Luke 2:4.
- In their sermons, the early apostles like Paul and Peter made a number of references to Jesus as a descendant of King David. Romans: 1:3-5.
- The blind man at Jericho hailed Jesus as son of David and looked to him to restore his sight. Lk 18:35-36.
- During Triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was hailed by the crowd as the Messiah descendant from the house of King David. Math. 21:9.
- Angel Gabriel told Mary that the son would be great and will be called the son of the Most-High….Lk. 1:26-33.
- Jesus foster father was a direct descendant of king David.
Qualities of a Good Leader drawn from David
- Modern rulers should be courageous and ready to die with and for their subjects like David was a strong Military Commander.
- Modern leaders should have faith in God and realize that authority comes from God.
- Leaders should be thankful to God. David was thankful not only to God but also to his people.
- Modern leaders should be loyal to their oath of office. David kept his without favoring some people.
- Leaders should be kind. David was a kind leader. He pardoned many of those who had offended him.
- A good leader should be humble. David was a humble person. He consulted Gods prophets.
- A leader should be able to admit his mistakes. David realized his mistakes and asked for forgiveness.
- Modern leaders should be willing to delegate duty as David did. David had a team of advisors and administrators.
Achievements and Failures of king Solomon
1 Kings 4:29, 3:16, 4:20-27, 10:14, 11:3
- After David died, his son Solomon took over as king in Israel. His achievements were;
- He was considered to have been a wise ruler. The wisdom was given by God.
- He built the great temple and dedicated if for the service of the Lord.
- He brought the Ark of the Covenant into the temple.
- He established trade links with the neighbouring communities and made Israel a prosperous nation.
- Solomon wrote several Proverbs still being used in our churches today.
- He is regarded to be one of the richest men who ever lived. He had 1000 women in his palace.
- He is remembered for his great administrative skills. He had soldiers, officers, commanders and chariot captains.
Failures of king Solomon
1 kings 9:10-14, 9:15-19, 11:1-13, 11;9-1
- He sold a piece of land of Israel to Hiram King of Tyre, which was against the will of God.
- Solomon introduced forced labour in Israel.
- He married many foreign wives, which was against Gods command.
- He allowed the foreign wives to introduce idolatry in Israel.
- He built high places for the worship of the foreign gods and offered sacrifices to them.
- He built his palace for 13 years while built the temple for 7 years.
- He used foreign materials to build the temple.
- He taxed the Israelites heavily to maintain his large number of wives.
- King Solomon lived lavishly.
- He made treaties with foreign nations, which was against Gods Command.
- After becoming king, Solomon killed his own half-brother Adonijah on the suspicion that he could rival him for the throne; this was against Gods Command.
The schism between Judah and Israel and the spread of idolatry in Israel
2 Kings 12
- Schism refers to the division that occurred in Israel that brought up the formation of the Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam and the Southern Kingdom under Rehoboam.
- The Southern Kingdom remained with only two tribes i.e. Judah and Benjamin and the Northern kingdom had ten tribes.
- After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam became the king of the Israel. The people therefore approached him to relax his rules from the dictatorship that his father had practiced.
- Rehoboam told them to go and come after three days.
- He then went and consulted the elders who told him to do as the people had said.
- He ignored the advice of the elders and went to his fellow young men who advised him to be even harsher than his father was.
- When the people went back to him he said he refused to relax his rule. When the people heard this, they rebelled against him and established the Northern kingdom that came to be known as Israel with Jeroboam as the king.
Importance of the Temple to the Jewish People
- The temple symbolized Gods presence among the Israelites.
- It was a house where the Israelites offered prayers to God.
- It was the place where the first-born male children were dedicated to God.
- The temple was a place where the Israelites offered sacrifices to God.
- The Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized Gods presence, was kept in the temple.
- It was a place where the priests and prophets resided.
- The rites of purification were carried out in the temple.
- It acted as a symbol of unity in Israel.
- The Jewish ceremonies such as the Passover feast and the feast of the Tabernacle were formed in the temple.
- The temple also served as a commercial centre. The animals for sacrifice were brought in the temple.
- The temple acted as a court. The Jewish elders sat in the temple to judge cases. the Sanhedrin
- It acted as a training place for the priests, Rabiis and scribes. It was where the people were taught the Mosaic Laws.
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