Period of the Monarchy
After the period of the Judges the Israelites were ruled by Kings. However, the religious leaders during this time were equally important. The religious leader at the time of the first king was Samuel. He had been dedicated to God’s work by his mother whose name was Hannah. She had dearly wanted a child but as the years passed she remained barren. Then one day she went to the temple and prayed to God making a vow that if she had a son she would give him back in service to God. And God heard her petition and answered her prayer.
The first king, Saul, took the throne in about 1050 BC. He was succeeded by his son- in-law David, one of the greatest kings of Israel. When still only a young boy David killed a giant, Goliath, by throwing a stone from a sling. King Saul was jealous of David’s popularity, but Jonathan, Saul’s son, was David’s best friend. When David came to the throne he was a most successful king, soldier and poet. Yet his weakness was his love for women, especially a woman called Bathsheba, whose husband was one of David’s soldiers. David deliberately sent the husband into the front line of battle where he would be killed, and then married his widow. The religious leader of the Jews immediately came to David and told him a story about a rich man who had stolen a little ewe-lamb, which was a poor man’s only possession. David understood that he was referring to David’s own behavior, and was ashamed. Later God punished David’s sin by causing the eldest child of David and Bathsheba to die young.
Another thing David is well known for is his poetry. He is traditionally believed to be the author of many of the Jewish religious songs known as Psalms in the Old Testament. Perhaps the best known one is the 23rd Psalm, which compares God to a shepherd looking after his sheep. (Christians often recite this poem in a time of fear or despair in order to feel comforted.)
(From: http://conservative-outlooks.com/2011/04/21/the-23rd-psalm-a-comfort-to-us-all/)
David was succeeded by his son Solomon. Solomon was also a great king and had the reputation of being the wisest man in the world. The most famous instance of his wisdom is his judgment of the case of two women, each of who claimed to be the mother of a certain baby. To decide the case Solomon ordered the baby to be cut in half, so that half could be given to each of the women. Immediately, the real mother renounced her claim to the baby, because she would not bear to see it killed, and by this means Solomon discovered the truth. Solomon is also famous as the builder of the great temple in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Like his father David, he was fond of women, and is famous for having had a thousand wives.
Literary Significance
These are the two most famous kings of Israel, and their stories are often referred to in literature. The friendship of David and Jonathan was so famous that even today very close friends can be called ‘a David and Jonathan’. The story of the ewe-lamb has give rise to an expression ‘my one little ewe-lame’, meaning my most precious possession. The story of David and Goliath is very popular with children, and unequal fights in which the weaker side wins can be compared to it.
Solomon’s reputation for wisdom results in the fact that we can call any specially wise man ‘a Solomon’. Literature is full of references to the Judgment of Solomon, meaning a difficult judgment requiring great wisdom.