Deuteronomistic History

Why did the two kingdoms go into exile? I believe that the DH explains this to some extent. God made a covenant with Israel. The people did not hold up their end of the relationship. They did not obey God, so God did not protect them from their enemies. Deuteronomistic theology would explain this as blessings and curses. If the people did what was right, and obeyed God, then all would be well with them. If they disobeyed the law, then God would curse them, and things would not be good for the Israelites. The whole nation had gotten so perverse that God sent them out of the land. Even though the Israelites did not hold up their end of the covenant, God still did what God had promised. God had a responsibility. So did the Israelites, even though they did not follow through with it. If they did evil, then they would be punished. This was God’s end of the covenant, and God still chose to hold Godself accountable.

It just seems like the Israelites never learned. They would worship other gods, then, once in a great while, a good judge or king would come along, and they would denounce those other gods. Almost immediately though, they would go back to idol worship. It seems like God would put them out of the land God gave them, just so maybe they would turn back to God. This would maybe remind the Israelites that God was in control.

I understand the concept of Deuteronomistic theology in the context of the Israelites, but it seems like a hard thing to apply to our lives today. After Jesus came, a new covenant was formed. Forgiveness is a part of that. This means that even if/when we displease God, we will be forgiven if we ask. This is comforting, because we all mess up and disobey God at times. We luckily will not be exiled out of our homes because of it.

Samuel

Was it good for the Israelites to ask for a king? God already knew they would ask, and that God would appoint a king for them, so God gave the people rules for how to govern themselves. In this set of rules, God gave instructions for a king (Deut. 17). In 1 Samuel 8, the people ask for a king, and God gives them a warning of what a king will do, but they still demand one.

So is it wrong for them to ask? I can understand reasons why they would want a king. All the nations around them had kings, and they could probably see the positive side of having a king. They did not have many judges that followed God, which meant at times they had a fairly perverse nation. Yet, God chose the Israelites to be a set apart people. They were not supposed to be like the surrounding nations. Knowing all God did for them, by saving them from the Egyptians and helping them conquer their enemies, I would tend to think that they were wrong, and rude, to demand a king when they should have been pleased to have God as their king.

Yet, if the Israelites had not asked for a king, then David may have never become anything more than a shepherd boy. Jesus would not have descended from the royal line of David, because David would not have been royal. Our canon would be missing a lot of what it has today because David’s stories and writings would not be known. Judas was wrong to betray Jesus, but if he would not have done that, then Jesus would not have died on the cross, and we would not be saved. It had to happen. These things are part of God’s plan. The Israelites may have been acting ungratefully toward God, but they were fulfilling God’s plan and purpose.

Joshua

Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan. He gave the people instructions on what they were to do once they entered the land. After the LORD dried up the Jordan River in order for God’s people to cross into Canaan, Joshua gave the people the instructions on how they were to take Jericho. The Israelites were to march around Jericho one time each day for six days. Seven priests were to carry seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant. The seventh day they were to march around the city seven times. The seventh time around, the priests would blow their trumpets and everyone would shout, and the city would then be devoted to the LORD. They were not supposed to take anything other than things that were sacred to the LORD.

This event is an example of what scholars would call Holy War. The army had to be pure and holy before they could take Jericho. Each man was circumcised before they were allowed to march around the city. They had to be religiously prepared for battle. The Israelites, in this Holy War, were mostly passive. They did not actually do much fighting, at least in bringing the wall down. The LORD was the one who fought and won the battle. If they had not obeyed God’s instructions, and just tried to take the city on their own, they probably would have lost badly.

The people were instructed that the whole city was to be devoted to God. This meant that everything, “men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys”, were to be “devoted to destruction” (Joshua 6.21). They burned the whole city, but then kept silver, gold, bronze, and iron and gave it to the LORD. Since God fought this battle and won, the whole city belonged to God. The people did not get anything, since they did not help defeat Jericho.