Bible Overview
The Monarchy
Saul, David and Solomon
Samuel
Following
an
earnest
prayer
to
God
and
intercession
by
the
priest
Eli,
Hannah,
who
had
been
barren,
conceives
and
gives
birth
to
Samuel.
Her
son
is
dedicated
to
God
and
sent
to
serve
with
Eli.
In
time,
Eli’s
sons
abuse
their
positions
as
priests.
Eli’s
failure
to
do
anything
about
this
will
eventually
bring
about
his
and
their
downfall.
Meanwhile,
God
is
with
Samuel
and
as
Samuel
grows,
all
Israel
come to know he is established as a prophet to the Lord.
Aft
er
a
failed
battle
with
the
Philistines,
the
ark
is
taken
to
the
Israeli
camp
in
support
of
their
campaign.
However,
the
ark
is
captured
by
the
Philistines,
and
Eli’s
sons,
Hophni
and
Phinehas,
are
killed
in
the
process.
The
news
of
their
death
causes
Eli,
by
now
an
elderly and heavy man, to fall from his seat and break his neck.
The
captured
ark
is
taken
to
Ashdod
and
placed
beside
their
idol
Dagon.
The
next
two
mornings,
Dagon
is
found
on
its
face
before
the
ark,
putting
fear
into
the
people
of
Ashdod,
so
they
move
the
ark
to
another
town.
The
same
happens
at
Gaza,
Askelon,
Gath
and
Ekron.
The
ark
is
consequently
returned
by
delivering
it
to
the
borders
of
Bethshemesh
from
where
it
is
taken
to
Abinidab’s
house.
There it remains for twenty years in the care of his son Eleazar.
Samuel
gets
agreement
from
the
people
to
turn
away
from
idolatry.
Meanwhile,
the
Philistines
set
out
to
attack
the
Israelites,
but
are
hampered
by
God
with
a
great
storm
and
are
defeated.
Now
subdued,
the
Philistines
do
not
move
against
Israel
during
the
rest
of
Samuel’s life, and cities taken by the Philistines are restored to them.
Samuel now judges Israel whilst doing a circuit of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeth, then returning to his home at Ramah.
Saul
In
his
old
age,
Samuel
makes
his
sons
Joel
and
Abiah
judges
over
Israel,
but
they
are
corrupt.
Consequently,
the
people
insist
on
having
a
king
to
judge
over
them
and
to
fight
their
battles.
With
God’s
approval,
Saul
is
chosen
and
anointed
by
Samuel
in
preparation.
Saul
is
then
given
another
heart
by
God.
Samuel
gathers
the
people
at
Mizpeth
and
announces
Saul
as
their
king,
after
which
Saul
returns to his home at Gibeah.
T
here
is
a
battle
with
the
Ammonites
in
which
the
Israelites,
led
by
Saul,
are
victors.
This
seals
Saul’s
position
as
king,
enabling
Samuel to pass authority to him.
Two
years
later,
Saul
takes
it
upon
himself
to
carry
out
some
priestly
duties
prior
to
a
battle
with
the
Philistines,
which
is
unlawful.
He
then
later
fails
to
utterly
destroy
the
Amalekites
and
their
property
as
instructed
by
God.
As
a
result
of
these
acts
of
disobedience,
God,
now
repenting
of
having
made
Saul
king,
instructs
Samuel
to
go
to
Bethlehem
and
anoint
Jesse’s
youngest
son
David
to
later
succeed
Saul
as
king
over
Israel.
From
this
point,
the
Spirit
of
God
is
with
David,
but
has
departed
from
Saul.
David
becomes
Saul's
harp player to help him deal with this from time to time. He is also now his armour bearer.
When
Philistine
and
Israel
are
again
at
war,
David
steps
up
to
the
challenge
from
Goliath,
a
giant
of
a
Philistine,
to
settle
the
battle
by
a
one-to-one
combat.
David
defeats
Goliath
with
a
single
sling
shot
and
cuts
off
his
head
with
Goliath’s
own
sword.
The
Philistines
flee,
are
pursued
then
defeated
by
Saul’s
army.
David
is
now
put
in
charge
of
an
army,
is
successful
in
battle
and
wins
the
admiration
of
the
people.
This
provokes
Saul’s
anger
which
results
in
a
failed
attempt
to
kill
him
with
a
javelin.
David
is
given
greater
army
responsibilities
and
enjoys
more
success
and
greater
admiration.
He
is
given
Saul’s
daughter
Michal
as
his
wife,
and
is
successful
in
yet
another battle. Saul realises God is with David and becomes David’s enemy.
From this point, David spends much time effectively in exile whilst Saul pursues him with the intent to kill him.
David
flees
to
see
Samuel,
has
an
emotional
meeting
with
Saul's
son
Jonathan,
is
later
joined
by
his
relations,
then
by
four
hundred
men and becomes their captain. He travels on to Mizpeth where he obtains permission from the king for his parents to stay there.
Later,
when
Saul
is
pursuing
David,
he
spends
a
night
sleeping
in
a
cave.
This
gives
David
the
opportunity
to
kill
him,
but
he
chooses
to simply cut off the skirt of his robe, enabling him to later prove to Saul he is not his enemy.
Soon after, Samuel dies and is buried in his house at Ramah. David then goes to the wilderness of Paran.
On
a
later
occasion,
when
Saul
is
again
pursuing
David,
David
has
another
opportunity
to
kill
Saul
at
night.
This
time
he
takes
Saul’s
spear and a cruse lying near his head to again prove his innocence. Convinced, Saul returns home.
Still
in
fear
of
Saul,
David
takes
his
two
wives
and,
by
now,
six
hundred
men
to
the
land
of
the
Philistines.
Here
he
is
able
to
find
favour
with
Achish,
king
of
Gath,
and
is
permitted
to
live
in
Ziklag.
After
about
fourteen
months
David
invades
the
Geshurites,
Gezrites
and
Amalekites,
not
sparing
any
least
Achish
should
hear
of
it.
When
Achish
enquires,
David’s
response
leads
him
to
believe
he
had
invaded some parts of Israel, effectively making David Achish’s servant.
Prior
to
another
battle
with
the
Philistines,
Saul
seeks
guidance
from
God,
but
none
is
forthcoming.
He
then
resorts
to
the
help
of
the
witch
of
Endor
who
calls
upon
Samuel,
only
to
learn
that
he
and
his
sons
will
die
the
next
day
at
the
hand
of
the
Philistines,
and
Israel will be defeated.
When
the
Philistines
are
gathered
at
Aphek
to
do
battle
with
the
Israelites,
the
captains
question
why
David
and
his
men
should
be
with
them.
Consequently,
Achish
tells
David
and
his
men
to
return
to
Ziklag.
There
he
finds
the
city
burnt
and
all
their
wives,
sons
and
daughters
carried
off
by
the
Amalekites.
They
come
across
a
young
man,
left
behind
because
he
was
sick,
who
agrees
to
lead
them
to
the
Amalekites.
They
find
them
celebrating
their
victories
and
attack
and
kill
them
all,
with
the
exception
of
four
hundred
young
men
who escape on camels. Everyone of their brethren are recovered, including David’s two wives.
In
the
battle
against
the
Philistines
many
are
slain,
including
Saul’s
sons
Jonathan,
Abinadab
and
Malchishua.
Saul
is
wounded
by
an
archer
and
asks
his
armour
bearer
to
put
a
sword
to
him,
but
he
refuses
and
Saul
takes
his
own
life
rather
than
die
at
the
hands
of
a
Philistine.
With their king dead, his army flees and several cities are taken and inhabited by the Philistines.
David
David
is
now
able
to
go
to
live
in
Hebron,
taking
all
his
men,
and
is
anointed
king
of
Judah.
Nevertheless,
wars
continue
between
the
house of Saul and the house of David, but with David growing ever stronger and the house of Saul growing ever weaker.
During this time, David has six sons by six wives, the third of whom is Absalom.
Abner,
once
commander-in-chief
of
Saul’s
army,
makes
a
treaty
with
David
in
which
he
would
be
actively
involved
in
bringing
all
Israel
under
David’s
reign.
Eventually,
all
the
tribes
of
Israel
come
to
Hebron,
accept
David
as
their
leader
and
anoint
him
king
over
all
Israel.
David
is
thirty
years
old
when
he
first
becomes
king.
He
had
reigned
over
Judah
seven
years
and
six
months,
and
is
to
reign
over all Israel and Judah for a further thirty three years.
David
goes
to
Jerusalem
and
first
takes
the
stronghold
of
Zion,
then
Jerusalem
is
later
taken
by
Joab,
a
nephew
of
David
and
his
commander in chief. Here David builds his house, takes more wives and concubines and increases his offspring.
The
Philistines,
hearing
David
is
now
king
over
all
Israel
and
all
the
more
of
a
threat
to
them,
come
to
fight
him
on
two
occasions,
but are defeated.
David
takes
thirty
thousand
men
and
fetches
the
ark
from
Baal
of
Judah,
but
an
incident
along
the
way
discourages
him
and
the
ark
is left at Obededom’s house. There it remains for three months before it is finally taken to Jerusalem with great joy.
David
expresses
a
desire
to
Nathan
to
build
a
house
for
the
ark
of
God,
which
meets
with
Nathan’s
approval.
But
that
night
Nathan
receives
a
word
from
God;
he
is
to
tell
David
that
God
had
dwelt
in
a
tent
for
many
years,
and
never
gave
instruction
to
build
Him
a
house.
Neither
should
David
build
Him
one
because
he
is
a
man
of
the
sword,
but
his
son
who
will
succeed
him
is
the
one
who
will
build
the temple.
A
promise
is
given
from
God,
through
the
prophet
Nathan,
that
Israel
will
live
forever
and
in
peace
in
the
land
promised
to
Abraham,
Isaac
and
Jacob,
and
that
the
establishment
of
David’s
throne
and
kingdom
will
last
forever.
This
is
the
Davidic
Covenant.
David
then
prays to God expressing his own unworthiness, his recognition of God’s greatness, and faith in the promises made.
After
having
had
some
rest
from
his
enemies,
David
again
has
to
deal
with
them.
He
is
victorious
over
the
Philistines,
Moabites,
Syrians,
Edomites
and
others.
During
these
victories
much
spoil
is
taken,
including
brass
and
gold
that
will
later
be
used
in
the
construction of the temple. Also, many gifts are brought to David.
With
all
his
enemies
subdued,
and
having
established
his
principal
officers
under
him,
David
now
reigns
peacefully
over
all
Israel
and
administers judgement and justice to all his people.
For
the
sake
of
his
covenant
with
Jonathan,
David
sends
for
Jonathan’s
lame
son
Mephibosheth
and
restores
all
his
grandfather’s
land
due
to
him
that
was
lost
during
Ishbosheth’s
rebellion.
From
that
time
on,
Mephibosheth
is
always
to
eat
at
David’s
table
as
one
of
his own sons.
Unexpected
problems
arise
with
the
Ammonites
who
prepare
for
war
and
hire
the
Syrians
as
allies.
Both
are
defeated,
initially
by
Joab and Abishai. then when the Syrians regroup they are defeated by David who makes servants of them.
From
his
rooftop
one
evening,
David
sees
Bathsheba
washing,
has
her
brought
to
his
house,
commits
adultery
with
her
and
conspires
to
have
her
husband
Uriah
killed
in
battle.
He
is
reproved
by
Nathan
and
bitterly
repents.
Bathsheba
has
conceived,
but
the
child
becomes
sick
and
dies.
Bathsheba
conceives
again
and
bears
David
a
son
whom
David
names
Solomon.
He
also
calls
him
Jedidiah, which means ‘beloved of the Lord’.
Joab
now
goes
against
the
city
of
Rabbah,
then
David
takes
all
his
men
and
conquers
the
city.
He
takes
a
large
amount
of
spoil
and
puts all the people into servitude, as he does with all the cities of Ammon before returning to Jerusalem.
David’s
son
Amnon
falls
in
love
with
his
brother
Absalom’s
sister,
Tamar,
and
contrives
to
have
sex
with
her.
His
advances
cause
Tamar much grief. David gets to know about it but does not punish Amnon.
Two
years
later,
Absalom
is
able
to
set
up
a
situation
that
enables
him
to
murder
Amnon,
after
which
he
flees
to
Geshur
where
he
remains for three years.
With
Joab’s
help,
Absalom
is
able
to
return
to
Jerusalem,
but
is
not
reconciled
to
his
father
for
two
years.
Absalom
rebels
against
his
father,
and
over
an
extended
period
gains
the
support
of
the
people
and
conspires
to
become
king.
Fearing
for
the
safety
of
his
household
and
the
city,
David
flees
over
the
Jordan
river.
Absalom
pursues
David
but
is
defeated
by
David’s
army
and
killed
by
Joab.
After
he
expresses
considerable
grief
over
Absalom,
David
is
encouraged
to
return
to
Jerusalem.
There
is
a
further
revolt
from
Israel
against Judah under Sheba the Benjamite, but this is quelled by Joab. Sheba is executed and Israel’s allegiance returns to Judah.
David
makes
atonement
for
Saul’s
slaughter
of
the
Gibeonites,
with
whom
the
Israelites
had
made
a
treaty
when
conquering
the
Promised Land.
On
four
occasions
the
Philistines
go
to
war
with
the
Israelites,
each
time
having
a
son
of
a
giant
(of
the
nephilim)
challenging
David.
On each occasion, because of his age, another goes to David’s aid and kills the giant.
David’s
eldest
son
Adonijah
attempts
to
usurp
the
throne
with
Joab’s
help.
This
is
prevented
by
Nathan
getting
Bathsheba
to
bring
the
matter
to
David’s
attention.
David
announces
Solomon
as
his
successor
and
orders
Nathan
and
Zadock
to
anoint
him.
Adonijah
is
then pardoned by Solomon on the promise of good behaviour.
David
orders
a
census
of
all
Israel
which
takes
nine
months,
but
it
transpires
that
his
motive
for
doing
so
was
sinful,
an
act
for
which
he is punished by God.
David
declares
the
site
of
the
threshing
floor
of
Ornan
as
being
the
place
where
the
temple
is
to
be
built.
He
makes
abundant
preparations
for
craftsmen
and
materials,
then
tells
Solomon
that
it
will
be
his
responsibility
to
build
the
temple
and
that
God
will
be
with him in his task.
David
assigns
the
Levites
their
various
temple
duties
and
organises
Israel’s
civil
government.
The
government
is
formally
passed
to
Solomon
and
he
is
given
the
design
and
instructions
for
building
the
temple.
Solomon
is
then
anointed
by
David
and
made
king
for
the
second
time,
then
all
Israel
submit
themselves
to
Solomon.
David
now
charges
Solomon
to
walk
in
the
ways
of
God
and
gives
him
instructions concerning particular persons he should show favour to, or execute justice on.
David passes away after reigning over Israel for forty years.
Solomon
Solomon
soon
establishes
his
authority
as
king
by
dealing
with
certain
individuals
as
instructed
by
his
father.
He
then
makes
an
alliance
with Egypt by marrying the Pharaoh’s daughter
Go
d
appears
to
Solomon
in
a
dream
and
offers
him
anything
he
desires.
Because
of
his
young
age,
Solomon
asks
for
an
understanding
heart
to
judge
his
people.
This
is
granted
along
with
the
addition
of
riches
and
honour.
Wisdom
is
quickly
demonstrated
when
he
judges
a
case
between
two
harlots
arguing
over
who
is
the
mother
of
a
baby.
All
Israel
hears
of
this
judgement
and
respect
Solomon, for they can see the wisdom of God is in him.
God’s
promise
of
riches
and
honour
is
soon
realised
and
the
extent
of
Solomon’s
wisdom
and
fame
becomes
recognised
by
all
nations
around
him.
Solomon
is
to
speak
three
thousand
proverbs
and
composes
one
thousand
and
five
songs.
People
are
sent
by
kings from all nations to hear his wisdom and knowledge first hand.
After
securing
the
assistance
of
King
Hiram,
work
on
building
the
temple
begins.
It
takes
seven
years
for
the
work
to
be
completed.
The ark is then brought into the temple and placed in the most holy place, which is then filled with the glory of God.
Solomon
had
imposed
taxes
on
the
people
to
help
fund
the
temple
and
his
other
building
works,
but
with
the
temple
completed,
this
levy now only pays for places that Solomon chooses to build or repair.
Solomon maintains a standing army and builds a navy. With this navy he is able to trade and bring great riches to his kingdom.
Hearing
of
Solomon’s
greatness
and
wisdom,
and
intending
to
test
his
wisdom
with
questions,
the
Queen
of
Sheba
visits
Solomon.
During this visit, all her questions are answered and there is an exchange of extravagant gifts.
Year
after
year,
people
come
to
hear
Solomon’s
wisdom,
known
to
be
from
God,
and
bring
him
presents.
His
riches
continue
to
grow
and he amasses an army of chariots and horsemen.
Solomon
has
seven
hundred
wives
and
three
hundred
concubines,
as
well
as
princesses.
In
his
old
age,
some
of
these
women
begin
to
turn
his
heart
away
from
God,
leading
him
to
worship
other
gods
and
build
places
for
his
wives
to
worship
them.
For
this
evil,
God
tells
Solomon
his
kingdom
will
be
taken
from
him,
not
in
his
time
for
the
sake
of
his
father
David,
but
in
his
son’s
time.
So
God
raises
adversaries
against
Solomon
in
Hadad,
Rezon,
and
in
the
person
of
Jeroboam,
who
receives
a
prophecy
that
he
will
rule
ten
tribes
of
Israel. Solomon gets to know of this and seeks to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam goes into exile until Solomon’s death.
Solomon had reigned for forty years in Israel when he dies, and is buried in Zion.
It is probably towards the end of his life that he wrote Ecclesiastes and ‘Song of Solomon’
Solomon is succeeded by his son Rehoboam.