Introduction
Deuteronomistic History or D-History is an umbrella term covering the Old Testament books from Joshua to Kings. Among other things, they allow tracing the history of the ancient Israelite monarchy. The monarchic rule is central to D-History since its establishment under Saul in 1 Samuel until the destruction of both Israel and Judah. Across this plot, the office of monarchy illustrates the peril of putting political ambitions before faith: Israelites’ desire to be more like other nations politically eventually leads them to idolatry in religion.
Outline of D-History
D-history begins with the tribes of Israel marching into Canaan and conquering it with divine assistance. Having divided this land between the tribes, the Israelites settle on but quickly begin to forsake their covenant with God, who, in return, delivers them into the hands of their enemies. Each time, a God-chosen champion arises to defeat the foreign conquerors, such as Gideon (Judges 6:11 – 8:32) or Samson (Judges 13:24 – 16:30), but the cycle repeats. Dissatisfied with the collective theocracy represented by the Judges, Israelites tell Samuel they want a king “such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5). Although God is not initially pleased with the idea, He goes with it and makes Saul the first king of Israel. Saul’s preoccupation with political success over piety eventually makes him unworthy, and the mantle of leadership passes to virtuous David. However, the decline begins under David’s son Solomon, who eventually starts honoring foreign deities (1 Kings 11:4-6). The once united kingdom splits into Israel and Judah, with both giving into idolatry and eventually destroyed by the Assyrians and Babylonians (2 Kings 17:7-23, 25:1-21).
Divine Purpose of Monarchy: Maintaining God’s Order
While the monarchy is not God’s first choice for the Israelite government, it does not mean it has no divine purpose behind it. D-History hints at this purpose in a refrain reoccurring in Judges when describing troubled times: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6, 21:25). This refrain paints a picture of “religious and social anarchy” in the late pre-monarchic period. A monarch can fix it by always having the copy of God’s law on him to “read it all the days of his life” and follow God’s word (Deut. 17:19). Thus, in the absence of a king, people do whatever they want rather than follow God’s word, but a king can serve as a conduit of God’s will, which is the monarchy’s intended purpose.
Human Interpretation of Monarchy: Pursuing Political Success
However, the Israelites’ perception of monarchy and its purpose is vastly different from the divine vision. When the people ask Samuel for a king, they do it not to follow God’s will better but to be more like other nations (1 Samuel 8:5). Apparently, Israelites want their country to be a respected and feared member of the regional community more than they want to be pious. Even though God “goes along with the people in their desire for the kingship,” the fickleness of His human instruments soon shows. Saul defeats the Amalekites but retains the precious spoils of victory instead of destroying them as per God’s word, thus putting the political interest to accumulate more wealth before God’s will (1 Samuel 15:7). By putting political considerations before faith, Saul demonstrates both disrespect and short-sightedness. His disobedience offends God, and, in his concentration on military might and treasures, he forgets that it is God’s will that decides the outcome of any political effort.
While David offers an example of virtuous kingship, his descendants fail to live up to the ideal. After the glorious period of his initial reign, Solomon, influenced by his wives, turns to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11:4-6). From a secular political perspective, Solomon might have thought that honoring local deities could strengthen Israel internally. Yet, just like Saul before him, political considerations make him blind to the divine truth. It is no wonder that the D-History, while lauding the first period of Solomon’s reign, launches an uncompromised “excoriation of Solomon” after his turn to idolatry. Things only worsen from there: the once united country splits into Israel and Judah, and kings begin constructing and worshipping idols (1 Kings 12:28). Scholars may disagree whether D-History criticizes bad kings individually or the office of monarchy in general. Regardless, the outcome of the Israelite monarchy is the same: the desolation and conquest of those who have forgotten their covenant with God.
Conclusion
If one focuses on the theme of monarchy, D-History is obviously the history of failure – but it is the reasons behind this failure that matter most. When God grants the Israelites’ plea for a king, he does it so that the king might serve as a conduit of His will and replace the social and religious anarchy with divine order. However, Israelites themselves consistently demonstrate that they want monarchy for political rather than religious reasons. The desire to emulate other nations politically reaches its logical conclusion in emulating their religious practices – and, along with God’s favor, Israelites immediately lose the political power they have striven for.
Bibliography
Fretheim, Terence E. “Divine Foreknowledge, Divine Constancy, and the Rejection of Saul’s Kingship.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 47 (1985): 595-602
Knoppers, Gary N. Two Nations Under God: The Deuteronomistic History of Solomon and the Dual Monarchies, vol. 2: The Reign of Jeroboam, the Fall of Israel, and the Reign of Josiah. Leiden: Brill, 2018.
Mayes, Andrew D. H. “Deuteronomistic Royal Ideology in Judges 17-21.” Biblical Interpretation 9, no. 3 (2001): 241-258.
Miller, Geoffrey P. “Politics and Kingship in the Historical Books, With Attention to the Role of Political Theory in Interpretation.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Historical Books of the Hebrew Bible, edited by Brad E. Kelle and Brent A. Strawn, 187-200. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2020), 197.