The Olmec people lived in the south central part of Mexico, the states of Vera Cruz and Tabasco. The Olmec heartland is considered to be where the land is fertile and surrounded by rivers. They were known to the Aztec people (in their Nahuatl language) as the ‘rubber people’ because they harvested rubber from rubber trees and used it in their ceremonial ball games. The Olmecs flourished in 1400 B.C. and disappeared around 400 B.C. Their uniting of Mesoamerica is recorded on the Biblical Timeline with World History between 829-804 BC.
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The Olmec culture is considered as the mother culture or sister culture of Mesoamerican civilizations including the Maya and the Aztec. They are known for their legacies which include the writing system in the form of glyphs (similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics), realistic stone carvings, and a pyramid at La Venta. The colossal heads discovered in the Olmec heartland of Veracruz and Tabasco are spectacular pieces of art that rise up to 10 feet and weigh as much as 20 tons. The heads feature helmets, wide noses, thick lips, square jaws, and wide faces.
“Olmec Head No.1, 1200-900 BCE”
The Olmecs were also master craftsmen. They carved jade face masks with almost the same features as the colossal heads, although the purpose of these masks is still unknown. Other stone statues discovered by archeologists include a life-like wrestler figure, identical statues of twins facing a Jaguar recovered at El Azuzul, giant carved stone altar thrones, chubby baby statuettes, and carvings of were-jaguar sacrifices. Their design of their plazas and their ceremonial ball games were retained later on by the Maya and the Aztec peoples.
The Olmec civilization gradually disappeared around 400 B.C. for reasons still unknown.
Absalom was the third son of David and Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3). He can be found on the Bible Timeline Chart around 1029 BC. Absalom had a sister named Tamar whose rape by their brother Amnon played a crucial role in Absalom’s rebellion.
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Absalom was one of the sons born to David in Hebron and described as a handsome man who had no rival in Israel when it comes to physical beauty (2 Samuel 14:25). Over the course of time, Absalom had three sons and one daughter also named Tamar. He was known to be a charming man who insinuated his way into the hearts of the people of Israel to gain power (2 Samuel 15:1-6).
The Rape of Absalom’s Sister Tamar and His Escape to Geshur (2 Samuel 13)
The Bible does not gloss over the mistakes and weaknesses of many of its central characters, especially the House of David. It is ironic that the meaning of Absalom’s name was “Father of Peace” when his violent deeds resulted in a struggle for the kingdom with his father David that ultimately led to Absalom’s death. The narrative started in 2 Samuel 13 when Amnon schemed with his cousin Jonadab to bring Tamar, his half-sister, and Absalom’s sister, into his quarters by pretending to be sick and have her cook for him because he lusted after her.
King David unwittingly agreed when Amnon made the request and sent his daughter to Amnon’s quarters to prepare the food. She was then raped and cast out by her half-brother. The news reached her brother Absalom and her father, David. While they both were angry with Amnon, the incident was hushed up. Absalom simmered in his anger for Amnon while David refrained from meting out justice because of his love for his oldest son. Absalom had Amnon murdered afterward. Absalom then fled to his grandfather King Talmai in Geshur for three years.
“David fleeing from Jerusalem”
Reinstatement and Rebellion (2 Samuel 14 and 17)
David longed to see his son Absalom in spite of his crime. Absalom returned to Jerusalem after a successful scheme by Joab involving a woman from Tekoa. She told the story of her two sons who killed each other. After his reinstatement, Absalom conspired to overthrow David and declared himself king over Israel in Hebron. David had to leave Jerusalem after most of the people sided with Absalom. Meanwhile, David sent his adviser Hushai back to serve and spy on his son. To add insult to injury, Absalom also slept with his father’s wives as advised by Ahithophel, David’s former counselor.
Ahithophel also promised Absalom to kill David himself so a civil war could be averted, but Hushai fooled Absalom and counseled against a direct assassination. Hushai suggested that they gather an army and go to an open war with David and his men. The news of the attack reached David, and they were able to escape. He assembled his men to prepare for a battle against his son but instructed his commanders and the soldiers not to harm Absalom.
Death (2 Samuel 18)
During the battle, Absalom got his hair caught in the branches of a tree. He was killed by Joab and was deeply mourned by David when news of his son’s death reached him. Absalom was buried in Ephraim’s Forest where Joab’s men threw his body into a deep pit and put piles of rock over it (2 Samuel 18:17).
Israel was greatly protected by God, but through disobedience, they experience many wars and hardships. This event is recorded on the Bible Timeline Chart between 1004 BC and 904 BC. It all started with exogamy or marriage outside of the ethnic group. This was generally frowned upon and even expressly forbidden in Israel in the ancient times (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). The patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob practiced endogamy, marriage within the group. They even went as far as marrying their own close relatives.
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The law against intermarriage with other ethnic groups that surround Israel was laid out to prevent them from worshiping other gods and ensure Israel’s fidelity to Yahweh. Israel was not chosen because of any special attributes it might have, but simply because of God’s love (Deuteronomy 7:7-11). This covenant was made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so the people must keep it or there will be consequences as shown in the Books of Judges and Kings.
“Solomon sinned by acquiring many foreign wives. Solomon’s descent into idolatry, Willem de Poorter, Rijksmuseum.”
The command to unconditionally obey the Lord was also passed by David to his son in 1 Kings 2:1-4, but Solomon was led astray because of his marriage to foreign women. It was said that he married 700 wives of royal birth (which included an Egyptian princess) and had 300 concubines. They led him to worship and build shrines to other gods in the Canaanite pantheon such as Chemosh, Ashtoreth (Astarte), and Molech (Moloch). The consequences of this particular disobedience were reaped by Solomon’s descendants firsthand.
God warned Solomon to turn away from worshiping other gods but the warning fell on deaf ears. As a result, God promised to tear the kingdom away from Solomon’s son and give a portion of it instead to one of Solomon’s own servants. God still honored his covenant with David by leaving a piece of the kingdom to Solomon’s son where his dynasty reigned over the years.
Jeroboam, King of Israel and Rehoboam, King of Judah (1 Kings 11:26 to 1 Kings 14)
Similar to Kings before him, Jeroboam was appointed ruler over Israel through a prophecy. Jeroboam worked for Solomon as a foreman on one of his building projects. However, a meeting with the prophet Ahijah would change his life forever. After tearing his new cloak, the prophet gave Jeroboam 10 pieces of the scraps which symbolized the ten tribes of Israel, thus fulfilling God’s warning to Solomon before he died. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam after this prophecy and Jeroboam fled to Egypt afterward.
Solomon died years later and his son Rehoboam now held the throne. As the person who threatened his life was now dead, Jeroboam was compelled to come back to Israel and fulfill the prophecy. Meanwhile, Rehoboam was not doing very well as king either. Solomon’s extensive building projects required heavy labor from the people he employed and at Rehoboam’s ascension as king, they petitioned the newly-crowned ruler to lighten their load.
Instead of following his father’s advisers who told him to grant the request of his people, Rehoboam followed the counsel of his friends and rejected the pleas of his own people. This sowed the seeds of discord in his own house resulting in a rebellion, fulfilling God’s warning and Ahijah’s prophecy. The 10 tribes which broke away from the House of David then elected to make Jeroboam as their king.
Descent into Civil War
Rehoboam mobilized an army of 180,000 men from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings 12:21) but was thwarted when the prophet Shemaiah told them not to fight their own brothers. Rehoboam’s counterpart in the northern kingdom was also busy making himself gold calves to prevent the people from worshiping in Jerusalem.
Jeroboam had made Shechem the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel and had the gold calves installed in Dan at the northern end of Israel and South in Bethel. In his insecurity, he committed a list of sins that may have surpassed or equaled Solomon in his worship of other gods.
Ahijah prophesied Jeroboam’s downfall in 1 Kings 14:1-19 while Rehoboam and the people of Judah were also busy making themselves Asherah poles and sacred pillars. The Egyptian pharaoh Sheshonq I (the Biblical Shishak) raided Jerusalem during Rehoboam’s reign. There were also constant wars between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah during both kings’ time. Jeroboam outlived two kings of Judah and the few remaining years of his reign overlapped the reign of King Asa of Judah (1 Kings 15:1 and v 9). Wars between the two kingdoms continued until the reign of Baasha of Israel and Asa of Judah.
Late New Kingdom: Ancient Egypt’s Golden Age (Dynasties 19 and 20)
The Late New Kingdom was a time of great prosperity and peace for Egypt. This is recorded on the Bible Timeline Poster between 1200 BC – 755 BC. It was also a period of expansion, although the Egyptians were not without their rivals in the region. Which included the Hittites and Libyans during this period. It was also a time of ambitious building projects and revival of great artistic styles. Egypt’s religion had been consistently polytheistic, but a brief time during Akhenaten’s reign saw the worship of a single god in the form of Aten. The 18th Dynasty ended long before the death of Horemheb, its last pharaoh. The royal family lineage of the 18th died along with Tutankhamen, who perished when he contracted gangrene after breaking his leg.
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Horemheb, the last Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt’s New Kingdom, died without an heir and handed the throne to his vizier Paramessu. Upon ascending the throne, this military man became Ramesses I who began Egypt’s 19th Dynasty. He reigned only one year due to his old age and was succeeded by his son Seti I after his death.
“Reliefs from the Abydos chapel of Ramesses I. The chapel was specifically built and dedicated by Seti I in memory of his late father.”
Seti I is credited with restoring traditional temples that were partially destroyed by Akhenaten when he established the monotheistic worship of the god Aten. He also built temples in Memphis, Thebes, Abydos, and Heliopolis, and continued the construction of the ambitious Great Hypostyle Hall. These projects were made possible because of his mining and quarrying in the Sinai. Raids against the Nubians who provided cheap labor also contributed. His reign was marked by skirmishes with the Hittites and the first appearance of nomadic Libyan tribes which will later play a considerable part in the formation of the Third Intermediate Period.
He was followed by Ramesses II, who went to war against the Hittites for territories in the Levant. The Battle of Qadesh with the Hittites led by King Muwatalli II resulted in a truce between the Hittites and the Egyptians. Further treaties produced relative peace between two peoples. Ramesses II was then able to concentrate on dealing with the invading Libyan tribes from the west. He also undertook grand building projects and employed skilled craftsmen from the Hittites as a result of the peace agreement between the two regional powers. After his long reign (c 1279-1213 BC) his son, Merneptah succeeded him as pharaoh.
Several cities of Palestine were under Egypt’s rule during Merneptah’s reign. He was also famous for the stele with which he proclaimed his victory over the rebellious Canaanites. The Merneptah stele may have been the first instance when the word ‘Israel’ was mentioned in an Egyptian inscription. The Libyans who allied themselves with the Sea People were also making headway in their invasion of the Nile Delta. However, they were defeated by Merneptah and the succeeding years of his reign were peaceful. The captured people, however, were settled in the Nile Delta and through assimilation, they became powerful in the Egyptian political sphere.
Merneptah was followed by three more kings and one queen, Twosret or Tausret, who became one of Egypt’s few female rulers. She died without an heir and was succeeded by Sethnakht, who reigned for only two years. He started Egypt’s 20th Dynasty and was succeeded by his son, Ramesses III. He has constant battles with the Libyans, but a greater threat loomed in the Mediterranean with the victories of the Sea Peoples. The Hittite kingdom had been destroyed by the Sea Peoples, and they turned towards Egypt as their next conquest. Ramesses was prepared, and he successfully repelled their invasion. He was followed by eight more pharaohs (all named Ramesses) including Ramesses XI, who was the 20th Dynasty’s last king.
Third Intermediate Period (Dynasties 21 and 22)
By the time of Ramesses XI’s death, the kingdom’s funds had been depleted by numerous military campaigns. Droughts, low Nile floods, and civil unrest also affected the kingdom. Egypt was also a divided country at that time as the 21st Dynasty kings ruled in Tanis in the Nile Delta while the religious center was ruled by the high priests of Amun in Thebes.
The 21st Dynasty was established by Smendes I whose origin was unclear. He may have been related to the High Priests of Amun and married to Tentamun, a daughter of Ramesses XI. His reign, as well as his successor’s, were uneventful. A pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty, Siamun, may have given his daughter in marriage to Solomon. This signified the weakened state of Egypt in the region as royal princesses were never permitted to marry the ruler of neighboring kingdoms (although Pharaoh can and had married foreign princesses).
The Third Intermediate Period was marked by a weakened economy, fragmented society, and the increase of immigration by Libyan tribes. Libyans who were captured in the past wars initiated by the 19th and 20th Dynasties, as well as those who have immigrated in the Nile Delta, increased in number. These immigrants also consolidated power through intermarriage with Egyptian royal families from Lower Egypt and the high priests of Upper Egypt. Shoshenq I, the chieftain of a Libyan tribe called Meshwesh, had his own son Osorkon I marry Maatkara, the daughter of Pharaoh Psusennes II, making the transition from an exclusive Egyptian rule to a Libyan rule easy.
Shoshenq I (the Biblical Egyptian king Shishak) modified the function of the theocracy, reducing the regular consultations in policy-making and reestablishing central authority under the king. For the first time in many years, Egypt was once again unified, and he reasserted Egypt’s rule in the Levant. His inscriptions in Karnak record his expeditions in Israel and Judah. He died shortly afterward, and the succeeding kings of the 22nd Dynasties were not as effective as Shoshenq was.
The independence and growing power of the high priests of Amun threatened the unity of Egypt as the priesthood once again became hereditary. The decentralization of the government continued, and the succeeding pharaohs’ authority weakened. The Neo-Assyrian Empire under Shalmaneser V was a regional threat at that time. This external threat plus the weakening of the pharaohs’ rule ended the Libyan reign in Egypt. Osorkon IV, Egypt’s last Libyan king, may have been king So mentioned in the Bible (1 Kings 17:4).
Some nations conquer weaker ones through intimidation and war while some thrive on and extend their influence through commerce. This is what makes Phoenicians stand out among other groups of people in the Fertile Crescent in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.Their trade along the coasts is recorded on the Biblical Timeline around 1254 BC.
Master seafarers and traders sum up the legacy of the Phoenicians who flourished in the Mediterranean and beyond in 1500 BC-300 BC. The Phoenicians occupied territories or city-states that spanned through the coast of the Levant from Syria to Lebanon to Israel. Their major cities were Tyre (present day Sur), Sidon, Baalbek, Byblos, and Arwad. Among others, but their superb trading skills took them to the far reaches of the Mediterranean Sea and even the Atlantic Ocean.
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The main trading ports of the Phoenicians were scattered all over the Mediterranean, including Algiers, Cyprus, Sardinia, Sicily, Leptis Magna, Carthage, Tripoli, Malta, Algarve, Cadiz, and Phoenicus (modern Finike, Turkey). Apart from the valuable purple dye they traded for and other resources their seaside towns could not produce, the Phoenicians also traded with the famed cedars of Lebanon, glass, ceramics, and weapons. Their most important legacy, however, was their invention of the modern alphabet and their innovations in shipbuilding.
“Phoenician ship Carved on the face of a sarcophagus. 2nd century AD.”
At that time, venturing out of the Mediterranean was unheard of, but it has been said that Phoenicians reached the Atlantic coast of Africa and even northward to the British coast. Herodotus mentioned a Phoenician expedition commissioned by Pharaoh Necho II to navigate the entire coast of Africa. The Phoenicians left via the Red Sea, sailed the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, and came back through the Pillars of Heracles in Gibraltar.
Bronze was a highly prized metal in the ancient world and is created by mixing copper with tin. The Near East and North Africa regions were not known to have major tin mining operations during the Bronze Age, which may have pushed the Phoenicians to look for this highly prized metal elsewhere. Their search may have taken them past the Gibraltar and northwards to Britain where tin mining in Devon and Cornwall were at its height since the early Bronze Age. Britain is one of the proposed Tin Islands or Cassiterides mentioned by Greek historian Herodotus and geographer Strabo.
The name Israel first appeared in Genesis 32:28 after Jacob wrestled with God at Peniel and reiterated in Genesis 35:9 with a promise of great blessings. Jacob was given the name Israel which in Hebrew means ‘he struggles with God’ and the group of people descended from him were called Israelites. The Twelve Tribes of Israel is recorded on the Biblical Timeline Chart between 1254 BC – 1004 BC.
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The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the Sinai desert before they were allowed by God to defeat the Canaanites who had already settled in the land. By mid-1200 BC and under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites had conquered most of the Promised Land, and the displaced ethnic groups included the following:
Joshua 14 gives us a detailed account of the division of lands between the tribes of Israel. With the exemption of the tribe of Levi, who received only towns for their livestock to graze in due to their duty as priests (Numbers 18:24). Joseph received his inheritance through his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, who were claimed by Jacob as his.
This geographical division of land among the Twelve Tribes of Israel existed from the period when judges ruled the land and into the reign of Israel’s kings. Some of the tribes or nations that remained in the area and bordered the land of the Israelites were the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites who most of the time opposed and made war with the Israelites.
The years of Israel’s three first kings fall into the late Bronze Age collapse. This is listed on the Bible Timeline between 1104 BC, and 979 BC. It was at a time of great upheavals and their combined reigns span more or less 122 years. During this, the Sea People raided the coasts of the Mediterranean. The Mycenaean, and Hittite kingdoms had also collapsed, and trades routes across the Levant were disrupted. Few kingdoms remained intact during this period, but it also saw the rise of Israel as a unified nation.
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After the death of Joshua, the Israelites were a confederation of tribes which had no central authority. They were beset by hostile neighbors, and on one occasion, descended into civil war, as shown in the last chapters of Judges. This continued until the time of Samuel, Israel’s last significant judge, and the appointment of Saul as their first king. This was after the leaders of the tribes asked for someone to rule over them.
Samuel, however, warned them against forming a kingdom and having a king rule over them (1 Samuel 10). He cautioned them that installing a king would mean conscription (1 Samuel 8:11-12), enslavement (1 Samuel 8:12-13), and taxation (1 Samuel 8:14-18).
Samuel’s ambivalence toward the kingship was evident in the succeeding chapters (1 Samuel 10:17-19 and chapter 12), and his warnings would ring true during and after Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 12). But the Israelites were adamant on having a king and Saul was later on proclaimed as such. Making the nation’s structure of government similar to Canaan, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.
“Saul threatening David, by José Leonardo.”
Saul (42 or 40 years; 1 Samuel 13:1 and Acts 13:21)
Saul was first anointed as king by Samuel and acclaimed as king by the drawing of lots at Mizpah. Then proclaimed as king by the people after the battle with the Ammonites.
His reign started out as promising but went downhill after his disobedience during the war with the Philistines and Amalekites. It was marked with constant skirmishes and all-out wars against Israel’s neighbors, as well as a struggle between him and the future King David.
He was undoubtedly a courageous leader in battle and a good military strategist, but he was also known as someone who was mentally unstable. His erratic behavior and paranoid tendencies caused him to lose kingship. He reigned approximately 42 years (or 40 years), and it ended when he, along with his sons, died in the battle of Mount Gilboa against the Philistines.
David (40 years; 2 Samuel 5:4)
Saul was rejected by the Lord for his disobedience after he failed in purging the Amalekites by sparing King Agag and keeping the booty. Samuel mourned for Saul, but the Lord commanded him to anoint David as a replacement. The shepherd boy from Bethlehem was also a talented harpist and started out in Saul’s court playing for the tormented king to soothe him during his irrational fits.
David became well-known when he killed the giant Philistine warrior Goliath. A struggle for power between David and Saul ensued after David’s military successes and growing popularity. Saul made repeated attempts at ending David’s life. David also had many opportunities when he could easily have killed Saul but did not. David was proclaimed as king of Judah after Saul’s death, but the northern tribes of Israel remained loyal to the house of Saul until the assassination of his son Ishbosheth.
David first ruled in Hebron for seven years and six months. He also ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-three years after capturing the city from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5). He made significant military victories against the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, and Arameans (2 Samuel 8). These military victories paved the way for economic prosperity which heightened during the time of Solomon’s reign.
However, he was also known by civil war and strife in his own household. Such as his adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, Amnon’s rape of his half-sister Tamar, and two of his sons’ attempt at usurpation of the throne. David’s legacy was his poetry, music, military skills, and political shrewdness. Solomon, with the help of his mother Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan, was appointed as king when his father died.
Solomon (40 years)
Israel experienced a golden age during Solomon’s reign. Which he reaped from the military victories of his father. His period was marked by prosperity and relative peace. Solomon was known for his wisdom and writings which were recorded in Proverbs and Song of Songs. His kingdom’s success meant that he could afford to build great architectural projects, and he did this by building lavish palaces for himself and a temple for the Lord.
Solomon was known to have taken many wives including the daughter of the Pharaoh. This formed an important alliance with Egypt and Israel. In 1 Kings 11, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines from Israel and neighboring nations who led him to worship other gods. This angered the Lord, prompting Him to break the covenant He had with David and dividing the kingdom during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. Solomon also had minor adversaries in Hadad of Edom and Rezon king of Damascus.
Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officials, rebelled against him during the last years of the king’s reign. After Solomon had attempted to kill Jeroboam and the latter’s exile in Egypt, Jeroboam returned and successfully ruled over the 10 tribes of Israel, leaving Rehoboam to rule over Judah.
The Book of Judges chronicles the time between the chaotic period after the death of Joshua up to the appointment of Israel’s first king, Saul. This is listed on the Bible Timeline Poster between 1254 – 1104 BC. Israel, under Joshua’s leadership, had conquered much of Canaan. Except the territories of the Philistines, the Geshurites, and territories of the Canaanites “extending from the stream of Shihor on the border of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron” (Joshua 13:3). A full text of territories yet to be conquered can be read in Joshua 13:1-6 and the division of land among the tribes follows that.
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As the time of Joshua’s death approached, he gathered all the tribe leaders and reiterated God’s commandments to them. That they were not to deviate from the laws given through Moses, worship other gods except Yahweh, and intermarry with the remaining people in the land who may lead them astray. These were explicitly and repeatedly stated in Joshua 23:6-16 and 24:14-19. As shown in the Book of Exodus, as well as the succeeding books, the people of Israel were prone to be led astray. There were also several complaints and sporadic bursts of rebellion. Such as the instances when they worshiped the Gold Calf (Exodus 32), their complaints about the manna (Numbers 11:4), and the report of Canaan by the scouts (Numbers 13 and 14).
Confederation of Tribes During the Judges’ Time
The cycle of Israel’s apostasy and deliverance continued to the time of the judges when the tribes of Israel had already settled in most of the conquered lands. These territories, however, were surrounded by hostile peoples and the tribes’ failure to purge them completely was a source of the problem. The condition set out by God through Moses and Joshua was for Israel to follow the Lord and refrain from worshiping other gods, but more often than not this condition was violated, and hostile people soon took over.
Samuel is last of the major judges including his sons (1 Samuel 8:1-7)
This period of chaos also produced some of Israel’s most courageous leaders and put a spotlight on Deborah, the lone female judge. It also highlights the accomplishments of Gideon, who slew thousands of Midianites and their allies with the help of just 300 Israelite men. One of the most outstanding judges was Samson, who led Israel for 20 years and delivered them from the oppression of the Philistines. He was one of Israel’s last great judges before Samuel.
The succeeding chapters after the heroic sacrifice and victory of Samson in the temple of Dagon (or Dagan, ancient Semitic deity) was of several notable stories about the life of the Israelites. Including the idolatry in the tribe of Dan and Israel’s war with the tribe of Benjamin. The time of the judges ended with the death of Samuel and the appointment of Saul as the first king of Israel.
Around 1229 BC, Israel found itself under the rule of the Midianites where it is recorded on the Biblical Timeline Chart. The years following the conquest of Canaan and the death of Joshua saw Israel without a ruler. The book of Judges chronicles Israel’s cycle of worshiping other gods such as
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The book of Judges chronicles Israel’s cycle of worshiping other gods (such as Baal and Asherah) to repentance during times of oppression. This led to deliverance through the leadership of various judges until the appointment of Saul as king over a unified Israel. Various nations, such as Syria or Aram Naharaim (Judges 3:8), Moab (Judges 3:12), Ammon, Amalek, Philistia (Judges 3), and Canaan (Judges 4) took turns in conquering and oppressing the people of Israel. Each time they were delivered by God when they repented. He also appointed judges who led them to victories, such as Othniel (Judges 3:7), Ehud (Judges 3:12), Shamgar (Judges 3:31), and the prophetess Deborah (Judges 4).
“An angel announces Gideon his victory against the Midianites.”
This cycle of turning away from God and repentance continued till the time of Gideon, the son of Joash from the tribe of Manasseh. He helped deliver them from the oppression of the Midianites. The Midianites and the Israelites had a long, intertwined history as Midian was one of Abraham’s son by his third wife, Keturah. The Midianites settled in the area of the Sinai peninsula and may have also settled across the Gulf of Aqaba on the west coast of Arabia.
Moses, later, moved to Midian into voluntary exile after killing an Egyptian. He then and married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, priest of Midian. The relationship between two groups of people teetered between alliance (such as in the case of Moses’ father-in-law Jethro and his son Hobab [Numbers 10:29]) and much of the time, hostile aggression.
In Judges 6, Israel once again turned away from God and worshiped other gods. They were handed over to the Midianites. Then they suffered from economic sabotage when Midianites and allied peoples such as the Amalekites destroyed their crops. The livestock was also taken away, reducing the Israelites to starvation.
Raiding and stealing of Israelite crops and livestock was so severe that when God sent an angel to Gideon, he was found “threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites” (Judges 6:11). This went on for seven years.
The Israelites were successfully delivered from the oppression of the Midianites through the leadership of Gideon. Other judges followed, delivering the people of Israel from their enemies after Gideon’s death. It even seemed that the Midianites were completely subdued after the time of Gideon and soon faded into obscurity.
Saul’s dethroning is recorded on the Bible Timeline Chart around 1050 BC. However, to fully understand his story, let us start from the beginning in 1 Samuel 8. This was when the disgruntled leaders of Israel met with Samuel in Ramah to insist on him appointing a king over them. Samuel was now well into old age and his sons Joel and Abijah whom he appointed as judges were deemed unfit because of their greediness for money. He was displeased with their request for a king but acquiesced after consulting the Lord, who gave him permission to grant it. Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, was later on anointed as king over Israel.
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Saul started out strong, but his rash character and poor decisions ended his promising future as Israel’s king. The first instance was during the war with the Philistines when the troops of Israel were routed after a battle. Saul was at Gilgal and his impatience drove him to sacrifice the burnt and peace offerings when Samuel himself instructed him to wait for seven days (1 Samuel 10:8). The burning of the offering was a task delegated exclusively to priests (in this case, Samuel who was descended from the tribe of Levi) because of the degree of purity and holiness they were attributed to. Making Saul’s actions a severe offense to God and Samuel (1 Samuel 13).
“David and Saul”
The next example of Saul’s poor decision-making was during the war with the Amalekites. Through Samuel, God directed Saul to purge all the Amalekites including, their livestock. This was because they refused to allow the Israelites passage through their territory after they were freed from Egypt. Saul, however, failed in this task by sparing the Amalekite King Agag and keeping the livestock for himself and his men. Destroying only those that are of poor quality (1 Samuel 15:1-9).
The Lord was disappointed with him when he kept the plunder and Samuel admonished Saul for his disobedience. Saul added to his sins when he said that that he kept the livestock so he could sacrifice them to the Lord. This incident pushed Samuel to find a replacement for Saul as king of the new nation.
Mental Illness and Attempts at David’s Life
It has been proposed that Saul exhibited severe mental disturbance that may have contributed to his unstable personality and failed leadership. In 1 Samuel 16:14, the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul altogether, and an evil spirit tormented him. He may also have suffered from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Probably, as a result, of the violence he experienced during the war with the Ammonites, Amalekites, and the Philistines. David helped soothe Saul during these episodes by playing his harp.
As Saul’s behavior became increasingly erratic, he exhibited paranoia and jealousy toward David’s success and popularity. This would later drive him to make several attempts at killing David. These repeated attempts at murder would forever mar his reputation. It can even be said that he lost the kingship over Israel long before his demise. His death along with his sons on Mount Gilboa during a battle with the Philistines was the end of his reign. After his violent death, Saul was mourned by David and memorialized in a lament (2 Samuel 1:17-27).
Aftermath and Saul’s Legacy
Further violence erupted, and the young nation descended into civil war as Judah supported David as king while the northern tribes of Israel stayed loyal to the house of Saul. Particularly his son Ish-bosheth who ruled in Israel for two years. Ish-bosheth was later murdered by Recab and Baanah, his own tribesmen and leaders of his raiding band. David ruled over a united Israel and Judah after his death (2 Samuel 2-5).
Saul’s reputation as king and as a person overall was tarnished due to his unstable character and bad decisions. But he was also a mighty warrior who gave Israel some of its most important victories against its enemies during a time of chaos. He was then used by God to pave the way for David and future kings of the nation.
