The Fate of Saul’s Progeny in the Reign of David

Cephas Tushima provides a thorough analysis of the fate of Saul's heirs, focussing on whether their tragedies were due to continuing divine retribution, coincidence, or Davidic orchestration. He concludes that David was unjust and calculating in his dealings with the Saulides and, like other Near Eastern usurpers, perpetrated heinous injustices against the vanquished house of Saul. Traditionally readers saw Saul as evil and David as a hero; but more recently scholars have written about Saul as a tragic character and David as a villain, turning the book of Samuel into deeply contested interpretive territory. Tushima provides analysis of the critical literature surrounding this contentious issue and contributes his own study that will prove important to the continuing debate. He assesses David's character by analysing how he treats the surviving children of his predecessor, drawing upon the provisions for justice in the covenant community in the book of Deuteronomy. He demonstrates a connection between Samuel and the Torah through themes and motifs, and develops theological conclusions from them on such issues as the impact of human conduct on the environment, marriage, monarchy and Zion theology. This book, as a comprehensive analysis of the fate of Saul's heirs, shows that David, like other ancient Near Eastern usurpers, perpetrated heinous injustices against the vanquished house of Saul. It evaluates the relationships between David and Saul's heirs, using the criterion of justice, which is a cardinal directive principle for living in YHWH's covenant community as is enunciated in the Deuteronomic Code. Tushima focuses on the story of David and its interconnections with the fate of the Saulides to determine the factors that lay behind the latter's tragedies, inquiring into whether these tragedies were due to continuing divine retribution, pure happenstance, or Davidic orchestration. In his close reading of these texts, Tushima argues that David was, for the most part, unjust and calculating in his dealings with the Saulides. Thematic and motific threads arising from this narrative critical study (such as the impact of human conduct on the environment, the tension between election and the character of God's servants, the dynamics of sacred space and sacred typonyms, the Judahite [Davidic] kingship, the monarchy, marriage, and Zion theology) are considered within their contexts in Israel's traditions for their biblical-theological and redemptive-historical import Cephas Tushima provides a comprehensive analysis of the fate of Saul's heirs, focussing on whether their tragedies were due to continuing divine retribution, coincidence, or Davidic orchestration. He concludes that David was unjust and calculating in his dealings with the Saulides and, like other Near Eastern usurpers, perpetrated heinous injustices against the vanquished house of Saul. Traditionally readers saw Saul as evil and David as a hero; but more recently scholars have written about Saul as a tragic character and David as a villain, turning the book of Samuel into deeply contested interpretive territory. Tushima provides analysis of the critical literature surrounding this contentious issue and contributes his own study that will prove important to the continuing debate. He assesses David's character by analysing how he treats the surviving children of his predecessor, drawing upon the provisions for justice in the covenant community in the book of Deuteronomy. He demonstrates a connection between Samuel and the Torah through themes and motifs, and develops theological conclusions from them on such issues as the impact of human conduct on the environment, marriage, monarchy and Zion theology This narrative critical study offers a bold and comprehensive analysis of the relationship between David and Saul's heirs. Tushima inquires into whether Saulides' tragedies were due to continuing divine retribution, pure happenstance, or David orchestration. Focusing on the story of David and its interconnections with the fate of the Saulides, and employing the criterion of justice, the author presents the other side of King David, who is generally depicted as hero. Tushima argues that David was, most often, unjust and calculating in his dealings with the vanquished house of Saule. Thematic and motific threads arising from this study are considered within their contexts in Israel's traditions for their biblical-theological and redemptive-historical import. List of Tables Foreword by Tremper Longman III Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. A Survey of the Interpretive History of 1–2 Samuel 3. Narrative Criticism 4. The Contest for the Succession to the Throne of Saul (2 Samuel 2–4) 5. David and Michal 6. David and Mephibosheth 7. An Integrative Reading of Research Findings 8. Conclusion: Truths from David's Dealings with the Saulides Bibliography Index