Within The David Story, the Hebraic code of justice revolves around retributive justice and how it is administered by God. Simply stated, talio is the law of God. This law is a form of retributive justice, more so a punishment identical to the crime committed. All Kings of Israel must be chosen by God, and undergo a number of steps to ascend to the throne. The first king, Saul, loses the divine favor of God after his disobedience is showcased. His predecessor, David, acts out unjustly and also loses divine favor. Once God's scornful words come to fruition, both David and Saul bear the brunt of their wrongdoing. This justice creates a sense of equilibrium weighing one's offenses against one's punishment, and balances them. Within The David Story, the law of talio is defined by God, and once Saul and David disobey God's commands, the law of talio is used in a manner in which fits their crimes and sets out for justice, and like punishments for their crimes.
Before actually attaining the role of king, both David and Saul must forego a number of events to have a rightful claim to the throne. First and most importantly, they are anointed by God's power, proclaimed openly, and lastly, unanimously acclaimed by the people. Because God guarantees their power on Earth, it is highly evident that these men must still obey the Lord. Adding to this, it seems as if David and Saul have a proverbial contractual agreement with God. When the rules of this proverbial contract are broken, it is God that determines the repercussions.
As stated above, Saul undergoes the three steps of ratification for a king; he is anointed, proclaimed, and acclaimed. Soon thereafter, Saul commits three offenses against God and his kingship goes into decline. God presi...
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...nd above this, this demonstrates how talio or God’s law sets out to correct what is done wrong against his people. The punishment here was evenly distributed to fit the crime.
Overall, in accordance to the laws of talio, one who wrongs the society must be made to suffer a punishment of the same kind. In The David Story, both Saul and David disobey the lord and are made to suffer as a result. The law of talio is administered by God, and once Saul and David disobey the God's law, they are subjected to punishments that are supposed to correct the wrongs of their crimes. In a society where God presides over the manner in which justice is distributed, he enforces the laws of talio. One must commit a crime or disobey God's commandments before losing his divine favor. As a result, God's protection is taken, and one must pay for their crimes against God and the society.
Much like the laws in the Old Testament, the law is God solving a problem before it occurs (Maxwell, 2010). As Reggie Joiner reminds us: “Relationship comes before rules” (Maxwell, 2010, 176). If a relationship forms, rules are easier to embrace. Rules are a tool to keep the ship and everyone on it going in the same direction. Shared systems of values strengthen partnerships minimizing the possibility of comprise. Values determine our actions. Our conscience can be a fickle thing if not tended to. A good study of 1 Timothy 1:5 will sharpen the cause for keeping the conscience in order and know that a good conscience is the product of a pure heart. Finally, we trust fully in God’s promises to comfort us, but need to share that same comfort through an empowerment to do so from God himself. Kept promises are the glue that holds all the guidelines together and shuttles them into the heart and soul of mankind by building
The theme of these three chapters is God’s modeling of King David. This theme develops throughout the three chapters with the disobedience and punishment of David.
One huge difference between Saul and Creon is Saul is obviously more easily convinced of holding a poor opinion than Creon. When Saul declares that his son Jonathan is going to die because he didn’t follow Saul’s command of not eating until they defeated the Philistines, but the Israelites quickly come to Saul’s defense, calling him the hero of Israel. The people argued that since Jonathan has delivered the people from the Philistines on that day, Jonathan was surely working by God’s side, regardless of breaking his father's command, as the Scripture says “But the men said to Saul, ‘Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.’ So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was n...
Camus wrote, "An injustice remains inextricably bound to all suffering, even the most deserved in the eyes of man."2 Suffering and injustice should demonstrate divine indifference to any "thinking person."
Isaiah lived during the time of Saul and David’s. Isaiah was a prophet, politician, and poet. He spoke of believing in any other god, other than the one and only would bring destruction. It is only throu...
Painted in Rome in the style of Neo-Classicism, Jacques Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii is one of the better-known examples of art produced by this artist of eclectic styles. This painting was hailed as the manifesto of a new school based on the fervent study of the antique and a return to classical techniques in the late 18th century. In this painting, completed in 1785 as an oil on canvas, David (DA-VEED) successfully coalesces the nascent and confused ideology of the Neo-Classical movement in a dramatic portrayal of the Horatii brothers swearing their allegiance to the state as their father stands with swords held high for them to grasp. An analysis of the painting’s historical background, and an evaluation of the lines, colors, and subject matter, will illustrate why Oath of the Horatii represents the defining characteristics of the Neo-Classical period.
This phrase is later repeated three more times, in Judges 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25. Since the phrase is repeated several times, it emphasizes the need for a king to govern the people and lead them in better ways. The Davidic covenant also exemplifies this positive view, since God showed favor on David and his descendants. God said that King David’s descendants are God’s sons, and that the LORD will establish a “royal throne forever”, as in a line of kings until the end of time (2 Sam. 7:13). God also promises to give David “rest from all your enemies” (2 Sam. 7:11) and a place for his people to live (2 Sam. 7:10). Just like Abraham, King David is promised descendants, blessings, and land. Hezekiah, another good king of Judah, was also viewed favorably. In the LORD’s sight, Hezekiah did what was right, just like David (2 Kgs 18:3). 2 Kings 18: 5 also states that “and neither before nor after [Hezekiah] was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah.” Unlike Solomon, Hezekiah observed the commandments and thus, “the LORD was with him, and he succeeded in all he set out to do” (2 Kgs 18:7). Therefore, the Deuteronomistic History looks favorably upon kings, since the need for a king is stated multiple times in Judges, and kings like David and Hezekiah are looked upon with favor by God and the people
...hard to understand fully because of its comprehensive metaphoric language and the difference in culture from present day. It is also sometimes hard for us to understand God's actions because we think of him simply loving and caring rather than ruthless and violent. We need to understand that the creation of mankind is taking place in the recordings of these scriptures and so things may not be as customary as we would like to think. I believe that God has a plan for everyone. And, in the case of Saul, he had a plan to take away his kingdom in order to pass it on to David so the formation of history could continue. I also think this passage, like many other passages from the Bible, has a message linked to it, a lesson to the story if you will. The lesson is to prove that God's unlimited power must never be taken for granted or there surely will be hell to pay.
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed
When Stephen dared to say in public that the days of the Jewish religion and its Temple were finished, Paul and his fellow Pharisees knew that the time had come for action. [Stephen did not say this. He ministered under the program that still involved the Temple and Law. That was no rescinded until Paul’s ministry later. Stephen proclaimed Jesus as the long awaited but rejected Christ of Israel.] No longer was it enough to regard these followers of “the Way”, as they called themselves as amiable cranks. They posed a dangerous threat to the Jewish religious system. Saul of Tarsus first appears in the biblical record as a witness to the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr to the cause of Christ – even ‘consenting’ to his death (Acts 7:58); 9:1. Paul was more than just a coat – minder. He was a crafty man and an influential Pharisee. When he saw the Christians were beginning to move out of Jerusalem to other places, he realized that, far from having solved the problem, the way the Jews were persecuting Stephen and the others was only helping the Christian cause to spread to other parts of the Roman Empire.
Before discussing justice in the epic, it is important to establish the meaning of the term. For our present purpose, justice will specifically apply to the social system of moral checks and balances. Acts that are valued in society are rewarded materially or emotionally. Acts that are devalued lead to punishment. Also, recipients of unmerited punishment receive compensation for their injuries.
So powerful is the compulsion of the law, that even if a man slays one who is his own chattel [i.e., his slave] and who has none to avenge him, his fear of the ordinances of god and of man causes him to purify himself and withhold himself from those places prescribed by law, in the hope that by so doing he will best avoid disaster.
In order to arrive at an understanding of justification, it requires us to first understand the concept of biblical righteousness. In the Old Testament righteousness have two basic meanings. Pertaining to one of its usages, Erickson states, “In the Old Testament, the verb (tsadaq) and its derivatives connote conformity to a norm.” The norm does vary with the situation. For example, in Genesis 38:26 Judah states the Tamar is more righteous than himself since he had failed to fulfill his obligations as her father-in-law. Here the norm is the family relationship. In the situation with David and Saul, David is deemed more righteous in that he refused to kill Saul (1 Samuel 24:17; 26:23). Here David is honoring the standards of monar...
The bible recounts the story of the great King Solomon, the son of the notable King David. By following God and his commandments, David had built his empire into a legacy, which was then passed on to Solomon. Soon after Solomon’s reign began, the Lord appeared to him in a dream, offering him anything he desired. Solomon’s request was wisdom and knowledge, so that he may govern his people fairly, and know the difference between good and the bad.
Free will of mankind is a gift from God. Nowadays, it is difficult for us to distinguish what is right from wrong. Free will sometimes eradicates values. In our country, different crimes and unjustified acts of human beings because of excessive freedom destroys one another’s life. In the old days, the very popular barbaric law was “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” which it is a vengeful nature of compensating justice that a person who has injured another person is penalized to an equal or similar degree of damages the victim received. Everyone feared for their lives. Today, many people firmly believe that, it is against the law of God especially with the modern Christians and the moral standards of the society. Thus, laws are promulgated