The Puzzle of Christianity. Peter Vardy

God. What was more, the Ten Commandments had specifically forbidden any representation to be made of God so no statues or other idols were made. The people of Israel could not even utter the name of God and one of the Ten Commandments specifically condemned taking the name of God in vain. The result was that the nearest thing to a temple was a travelling ‘ark’ or tent which was seen as the symbol of holiness and the dwelling place of God on earth.

      In these years it was felt that only God could be the Lord and Master of Israel. Religiously, therefore, the idea of having a king was treated with scepticism. However, political and military expediency made the choosing of a king necessary. Three great kings unified and, in the case of two of them, extended the national borders: first Saul, then David (the greatest king of all, who was also a musician and a poet and who ruled over the kingdom of Israel at the time of its broadest extent) and finally Solomon. It was during David’s reign, many modern biblical scholars argue, that the story of Abraham was written down. The boundaries of David’s kingdom coincide closely with the land promised by God to Abraham, but it was only for a very short period that Israel actually controlled these territories.

      David was at one time held to be the author of many of the psalms which have been recited or sung in Christian churches down the centuries. One of the most significant directly attributed to David was Psalm 23:

      The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

       He makes me lie down in green pastures,

       he leads me beside quiet waters,

       he refreshes my soul.

       He guides me along the right paths

       for his name’s sake.

       Even though I walk

       through the darkest valley,

       I will fear no evil,

       for you are with me;

       your rod and your staff,

       they comfort me.

       You prepare a table before me

       in the presence of my enemies.

       You anoint my head with oil;

       my cup overflows.

       Surely your goodness and love will follow me

       all the days of my life,

      and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

       for ever.

      (Psalm 23:1–6)

      This psalm, with its message of trust in God no matter what the outward circumstances might be, represents a wonderful statement about Jewish and Christian faith in the righteousness, power, goodness and mercy of God in spite of all difficulties. However, what God required in return was obedience to God’s laws and, above all, acting justly. The prophet Amos was later to express this well when, speaking on behalf of God, he said:

       I hate, I despise your religious festivals;

       your assemblies are a stench to me.

       Even though you bring me burnt offerings

       and grain offerings,

       I will not accept them.

       Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,

       I will have no regard for them.

       Away with the noise of your songs!

       I will not listen to the music of your harps.

       But let justice roll on like a river,

       righteousness like a never-failing stream!

      (Amos 5:21–24)

      Failure to act justly or to obey God’s commands were seen as breaches of the covenant relationship with God and, when these happened, the people of Israel saw disasters, oppression and persecution as a direct result.

      The choice of a king was not considered a matter of expediency nor did the most powerful necessarily come to power. The decision was God’s and the choice often unlikely and improbable beginning with the first king, Saul, chosen by Samuel, one of God’s prophets, to whom the Word of God had come. Saul was in many ways a good king but he grew increasingly self-centred and no longer placed God and God’s commands at the centre of the life of the nation. He became increasingly jealous of a young boy, David, who slew in individual combat one of the most powerful champions of a neighbouring tribe with whom the people of Israel were at war – Goliath. David developed into a brave and fearless soldier and was the closest friend Saul’s son, Jonathan. He was good looking, young, a fine musician and ordinary people looked to him in admiration. Saul’s anger grew and eventually open enmity broke out between King Saul and David, by now one of his strongest generals. David had to flee for his life. Eventually Saul died by the intervention of God and David took over. This whole saga is recounted in the Hebrew Scriptures in very human terms, but God’s hand lies behind the whole of history and King David was to become the greatest of all the kings of Israel.

      When he was young, David was a mere shepherd boy with no lineage or power base, and yet it was he who was chosen by God to succeed Saul. It is important to understand that Israel did not see themselves as simply another state who happened to worship God. God was at the centre of their whole life and self-understanding. The debate over whether or not to have a king, and even which king to choose, was always couched in theological terms. David did not feel that he was worthy to build a temple for God and this task fell to Solomon, David’s son. Solomon was revered for his wisdom and wealth but lost some of his father David’s kingdom, and from then on the State of Israel began to contract, splitting into two to form a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. All the time, the Scriptures see God’s hand behind these developments and God, through the prophets who spoke in God’s name, directing the people and maintaining unity in the face of constant outside threats.

      King Solomon had many wives and many of these were not Israelites; the problem was not multiple wives but that these wives brought with them worship of foreign gods. This practice continued and increased after Solomon’s death and, under King Ahab, the worship of the God of Israel almost disappeared or, at the least, was under grave threat. There were few genuine prophets left, but there was Elijah, one of the greatest of all the prophets. King Ahab had married a foreign wife, Jezebel, who had extended the worship of foreign gods into Israel. There were over 400 priests of this new god, Baal, and the God of Israel was increasingly ignored.

      Elijah had to flee for his life because the priests of the other gods wanted to destroy him. God eventually came to Elijah and told him to stand on the mountainside. First a great wind came that tore at the mountains – but the Lord was not in the wind. Then came an enormous earthquake – but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then came a great fire – but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a still small voice asking Elijah, ‘What are you doing here?’ Alone, hungry, and isolated, Elijah felt that everything was hopeless. He replied:

      I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

      (1 Kings 19:14)

      Effectively the people of Israel had abandoned their God and Elijah was hiding in fear of being murdered. All hope seemed to have vanished, as is often the case in the long history of the people of Israel. God told Elijah to anoint two new kings, whom God names, and a new era begins. This is a pattern that runs throughout Israel’s history. Israel ignores God and seems to abandon worship and obedience