Week 9
1105 words by mlathon
My project has been going really well considering that I have had a lot more time to dedicate to it. I have developed a half day workshop that I hope will be getting off the ground soon. My church, Greater Antioch has given me first big break now im just putting the finishing touches on everything and finalizing my drafts. I am also in search of volunteers to assist me a room full of school age children can begin to get a bit overwhelming for one persoon to handle. So if anyone is reading this and would enjoy helping out feel free to email me i would gladly appreciate the assistance.
Deuteronomistic Historians believed that a good king had to do special things for God first. They thought God should be number one in every aspect. God was to be worshipped at put ahead of everything and anything. The king was supposed to enforce Christianity in whatever way and lead his people towards it. He was considered good by how many he could get to convert to Christianity. Of course, men were superior at this time at was considered head of their household. They felt that women were inadequate to protect a family. To be a good king, a king had to provide protection and punishment as well. War was also another sign of being a good king. A historian believed that a good king should have an army that they could lead into battle. All decisions were up to him. He needed no help making decisions concerning the war because after all he is king.
According to the Deuteronomistic Historian, what makes a good king is who the king works for, not how wealth his country is. In this I mean, whether he works for himself or the God. If he works for himself, than he thinks that he’s the all-mighty person that rules over the land and the people. If he works for God, than he must think of himself as nothing but an ordinary person that obey God. A Deuteronomistic Historian would say that a good king is one who works for God, one that would listen and implement God’s wishes. The one that would do everything in his power to carry out God’s wishes, no matter if it harms himself. Also, this person has to try to convince people to believe in God and to be followers of God. I believe that Deuteronomistic Historian both approve and disapprove of George W. Bush. In one way that Deuteronomistic Historian approves of George W. Bush is that he is a Christian also. He may not practice the religion strictly the way God would want him to, but he does praise God for everything in his life. He was raised in a Christian environment. Therefore, in some way, he is influence by God and does carry out God’s wishes. On the hand, Deuteronomistic Historian might disapprove of George W. Bush, because of his actions during his presidency periods. They might think he is not a good king because of the war event in Iraq. It might be that he encourages and continues the war instead of putting an end to it. However, people have different views on that subject. No one will really know his purpose for that except himself and God. In addition to that, Deuteronomistic Historian might think that he is misleading. He provides misleading information to the American people. Also, that he doesn’t think of his people and his nation except for his Texas rich folks. These are the characteristics that Deuteronomistic Historians don’t think a good king should have. Hence, George W. Bush is not considered a good king to them.
The worst thing that David did was having lust for Bathsheba. David was the king of Israel who could have gotten everything he wanted, including all the unmarried women in his nation. However, he went to having desire for Bathsheba, a married woman. A married woman whose, husband, Uriah, was off to war fighting for David’s kingdom. This led to him to sleep with Bathsheba. As a result, she was pregnant with his child. To cover up his act, David summoned Uriah home and told him to sleep with his wife. Instead of following David’s order, Uriah slept at the door of the palace and refused to go home. He stated that he won’t go home and enjoy himself while Israel is in war. David commanded Joab to place Uriah on the front lines & have the other troops withdraw so Uriah can be killed by the enemy. Uriah was than killed & David had Bathsheba and the child. This was the worst thing that David did. He took the wife of one of his soldiers who were fighting for his kingdom.
Jerusalem temple was built by King Solomon. According to the Bible, the inside ceiling was 180 ft long, 50 ft high, and 90 ft wide. King Solomon used huge block of stones from King Hiram of Tyre. The most important room in the temple was the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of Covenant & the two tablets of the Ten Commandment. The first temple was built within seven years in 957 BCE. This temple was a replacement for the Tabernacle built by Moses. The first temple was attempted to build by David. However, it was refused by Yahweh. In opposition, Yahweh decided to build David a “house” in the form of dynasty. Solomon, David’s son, ended up building the Jerusalem Temple in his fourth year of reign in Mt.Moriah. Today, it is the place of the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque. It took Solomon seven years to finish. It was destroyed in 586 BCE when the Babylonians took over Jerusalem. However, later it was rebuilt by Cyrus the Great in 520 BCE. It was under the leadership of Zerubbabel, a descendant of David. The second temple was 60 cubits tall and 60 cubits wide. It took five years to finish. In 20 BCE, it was renovated by Herod. He made it the largest sanctuary in antiquity. The Western wall (wailing) of today, one of the holiest places of Judaism, is part of the foundation of the second temple. In 70 CE, the second temple was destroyed by the Romans under the leadership of Titus. This also marked the end of the Temple Judaism. Only the outer walls of the temple were left. The temple itself has long been destroyed.
December 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
i would love to help you out, i love kids and I will have some free time since the semester is ending. I have also attended Greater Antioch Church and I really enjoyed it. How long have you been a member
December 8th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I agree this sounds great, and like a whole lot of one! I dont know where Greater Antioch Church is, but if you let me I would love to help out!
December 8th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
IM GLAD YOUR PROJECT IS GOING WELL. ITS ALSO GOOD THAT SOMEBODY’S IS TAKING THE TIME OUT WITH KIDS AS WELL. YOUR CHURCH IS SUPPORTING YOU WHICH ANOTHER GOOD THING. HOPE ALL WORKS WELL!
December 8th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I might have some free time during the break, if you’re interested in continuing your project. Working with kids is a great idea. I hope the project goes well for you!