Former Prophets: Joshua-Kings

Reading: 1 Sam 8:1-22.

Deuteronomic History
The so-called “Deuteronomic history” recounts the subsequent experience of Israel conquering, inhabiting, defiling, and surrendering the land:

Joshua: mobilized Israel conquering, and yet failing to conquer.
Judges: federated Israel struggling with external and internal threats, while God provides temporary ‘saviors.'
Samuel: centralizing Israel under an anointed prophet and falling into monarchy.
Kings: fragmenting Israel falling away under (largely) faithless kings, popular false prophets, and unpopular anointed ones.

If the Torah describes Israel’s conception, childhood, and early coming of age,

Joshua-Kings describes Israel’s traumatic adolescence and early death.

A Few Themes
History confirms Deuteronomy’s promises, blessings, and curses.

This calls the Torah’s patriarchal promises into question.

God is still purposeful, powerful, personal, and good: in contrast to human beings and the gods.
God is still providential: God bears Israel to the world, and God bears with Israel in the world.
God's people are still inglorious: failing, worldly (too like the nations), conflicted, and overcome by sin,

and without exception unable to represent God adequately or even heroically for reconciliation (so Nigel Kumar),
yet through God's patience not forever excluded from the possibility of covenantal life.

Judgment follows failure and restoration follows repentance;

yet both fail to prevent further failure.

Israel's succession of political embodiments reflects and advances Israel's spiritual state,

and no arrangement can end its decline.

The whole narrative begs questions:

What should Israel do now?
What will God do next?