Make a Difference

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The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

Tertullian of Carthage

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Harvard Claims Heaven is Real

Harvard Claims Heaven is Real

Dr. Eben Alexander, Harvard Professor of Neuroscience, had an out-of-body experience and now believes that heaven and afterlife are real.  His experience happened whenever his cortex was non-functioning while in a coma. Modern science claims that the cortex is responsible for consciousness, so how then could he have had this experience?  There have been many NDE reports that are usually dismissed as false, but something about a Harvard Professor of Neuroscience having a NDE makes you think twice.

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The Church of Red Bull

How do I study church history?  With Red Bull!  If only Augustine knew about Red Bull, there’s no telling what else he could have done. haha

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King Solomon: Reflections from Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Within the world of the biblical text there are often many different traditions and conflicting views about the same event within the history of Israel. In the passages of 1 Kings 9:15-20 and Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we are presented with such a dilemma.  On the one hand, we have the tradition of the Deuteronomistic Historians, and on the other hand, we have the tradition of Deuteronomy.  Both traditions provide us with two different interpretations on the reign of Solomon as King of Israel.  Was he a good king or a bad one?  Although 1 Kings presents him in a positive light, it is the argument of this paper that Deuteronomy makes the distinctive claim that Solomon was an uncovenantal king who made Jerusalem a second Egypt.

1 Kgs. 9:15-10:29 speaks of Solomon and his entire kingdom favorably, presenting Solomon as a pious, wise, and wealthy king. Solomon’s piousness is displayed in his ability to build an extravagant house for the Lord in Jerusalem, which was a seven year project. (1 Kgs. 9:15; 6:38).  His act of building the temple was not complete of course without his visits and sacrifices within the temple. The text states that Solomon would making burnt offerings and sacrifices of well-being on the altar that he had constructed for the Lord three times a year (1 Kgs. 6:38; 9:25). Not only is Solomon presented as devoted to the covenant by his piety, but every action of his is seen as a divine blessing of the wisdom that the Lord has granted him.[1] Solomon’s wisdom has helped him to create a kingdom which appears to be perfect in the eyes of a queen named Sheba. She proclaims that Solomon’s wisdom and his empire are greater than the reports she had heard, for Solomon’s wives and servants are happy! (1 Kgs. 10:7) The text presents this as true because God has delighted in Solomon and made him king to execute justice and righteousness (1 Kgs 10:9). And last but not least, Solomon’s immense wealth and copious amounts of Gold as presented in 10:14-22 are just astounding.  Surely, the Deuteronomistic Historians are trying to present him as a king which God has blessed within his covenant.

Despite the highly favorable language of 1 Kings concerning Solomon and his kingdom, in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we find a very unsolomonic picture of Israel’s king. There are two main kinds of stipulations which define what the king of Israel is supposed to look like according to the author of Deuteronomy. First, there is a set of prohibitive stipulations. Second, there is a set of imperatives stipulations. Depending on how you count them, there are around ten, all of which the king of Israel is expected to measure up to. The question becomes: How does Solomon measure up with the Deuteronomical expectations of a king?  Well, he fails, explicitly breaking at least six of the stipulations and possibly implicitly breaking more.[2] The details of 1 Kings do not provide us with definitive evidence of Solomon having a copy of the law written for him in the presence of the levitical priests, nor are we ever told that he keeps the copy with him studying it all the days of his life (Deut. 17:18-19). 

In fact, it seems as though the writer of Deuteronomy is making a distinct and sharply focused claim about the kingship of Solomon.  In 1 Kings 11 the editors of the Deuteronomistic History claim that God rejects Solomon because of his many wives and his turning to worship their other Gods, but the Deuteronomy text of 17:14-20 is making the claim that God rejects Solomon on the basis of many things.  The author or Deuteronomy 17 is indicating that Solomon did many other things wrong, in fact, he came to look a lot like Pharaoh. Deuteronomy 17 says, reminds Israel that they are to never turn back toward Egypt again (Dtr. 17:16), but that’s exactly what Solomon does in 1 Kings.

 In light of Deuteronomy 17, parallels between Solomon’s reign and Pharaoh become very explicit.   It may not be too much of a stretch that Solomon is rejected theologically because he is so much like Pharaoh who is the enemy of God. Two very obvious parallels are as follows: The Pharaoh and Solomon were rulers over massive empires with massive building projects.  Pharaoh forced his resident aliens (Hebrews) to make bricks and do forced labor (Ex. 1:14).  Solomon, likewise, forced the resident Canaanites to build his vast empire (1 Kgs. 9:21).  Secondly, Pharaoh ruled and fought with a vast army of charioted soldiers (Ex. 14:23). Solomon is also attributed with have a vast army of chariots and horses to the extent that he has cities built for his chariots (1 Kgs 10:26-29)!  And not only are there direct parallels, but there are two direct connections with Egypt and the Pharaoh in 1 Kings. First, 1 Kings 9:16 in parenthetical notation adds that Solomon is married to the daughter of Pharaoh. Secondly, Solomon does direct business with the king of Egypt to get his horses and chariots (1 Kgs. 10:29).

In conclusion then, it is very easily inferred from the writings of Deuteronomy 17:14-20 that the author did not approve of king Solomon’s reign.  1 Kings presents Solomon as a grand king who is revered throughout the entire known world. Solomon is the wisest and richest and most honorable of them all, but the writer of Deuteronomy sharply disagrees.  It appears as though he actually uses Solomon’s rule as an example of what a covenantal kings should not look like.  The irony of the Deuteronomy text is that although Solomon is a king from the nation of Israel he does not rule like a king of Israel; rather, he is more akin to the ruler of Egypt, who was the very enemy of Israel.  In an odd way, the author of Deuteronomy is claiming that Solomon has brought Egypt to rest upon the holy place of Israel in Jerusalem.

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[1] Solomon’s Wisdom is a large theme throughout chapters three through ten.  In 3:12-14 God promises wisdom, riches, and honor beyond all other kings to Solomon as long as he keeps the “statutes and commandments” of the covenant. In 3:28 the wisdom of God is said to be within Solomon. 4:29-34 tells of Solomon’s wisdom as greater than the sand of the seashores and that people from all nations will come to him because of what the wisdom that the Lord has given him. 5:12 God gives him wisdom which creates peace. 10:3 states that Solomon’s wisdom is endless. Lastly, 10:24 says, once again, that God has given him wisdom.

[2] The six that he breaks are: 1) He acquires many horses (1 Kgs. 10:25-29). 2) He returns to Egypt for horses (1 Kgs 10:29). 3) He acquires many wives (1 Kgs. 11:1-2). 4) He collects copious amounts of gold and silver (1 Kgs 10:14-22). 5) The very structure of his kingship exalts him above all of Israel and even above all other kingdoms. 6) He does not observe all the words of the law and its statues as is clear by the first five stipulations that he breaks.

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A Free Blog

I am not new to blogging, but I am new to free blogging.  The purpose of this blog is not  necessarily to be “orthodox” or stick to beliefs that my faith tradition holds. The purpose of this blog is to let me write and freely explore the ideas that pass through my head on a weekly basis.

That being said, the things written in this blog are not meant to critically reflect the things that I adopt in my own theology and concepts of faith and religion. And when I say religion, I do mean a religion, not a self-centered spiritualism that seeks only to gratify some inner sense of spirituality. I mean a communal body of worshiping people–ekkleisia.

I freely invite any response to my blogs. As I said, this blog is a free thinking ground.  I am reluctant to give out personal information, because I wish not to necessarily be tagged with a label by peers and fellow worshipers as x or y.  Though this does not always happen, sadly, it does.  This is a free blog in reflection of the free God.

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Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!

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