| Perspectives |
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The Privilege of the Rooftop
FREDERICK
J. GAISER
(see full text of essay under “Editorial”) |
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In my article later in this issue, I speak
of David’s abuse of power, using his rooftop, his “place of
privilege,” to exploit those he was called to protect and defend. It is
a great temptation. Most, thank God, will not succumb to murder and
adultery, as did David. But all leaders of religious communities know the
lure of the cult of personality that seems to come with the territory, at
least as frightening possibility. There is inherent power in leadership,
but the distinction between the leader who empowers others, perhaps at the
expense of an aggrandized self, and the one who empowers self at the
expense of others soon becomes clear.
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| Articles |
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Who Was King David?
STEVEN
L. McKENZIE |
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The historian can justifiably assume the actual existence of David, but a critical reading of the biblical material produces a much less flattering picture than the one that takes the Bible at face value. The unapologetic picture raises the question of how a righteous God could support such a ruthless man.
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David, God, and the Word
MARTI
J. STEUSSY |
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The David story in 1–2 Samuel, read as it stands, depicts a frequently problematic God. What will present readers of faith do with this? If the genre of the story is “propaganda,” are we sure that God wants us simply to swallow it? What if God means to use it to make us think?
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Was the Chronicler a Spin
Doctor? David in the Books of Chronicles
MARK
A. THRONTVEIT |
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Yes, the Chronicler was a spin doctor—but a necessary one. He used the David story to address the needs of his postexilic community who questioned the value of God’s old promises to David in this new time of Persian domination, without a king, worshiping in a temple that was the mere shadow of Solomon’s glorious edifice.
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The David of Psalm 51:
Reading Psalm 51 in Light of Psalm 50
FREDERICK
J. GAISER |
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With clear thematic and literary connections, Ps 50 sets up Ps 51, providing the accusation and call to repentance that produce the confession of David and Israel in Ps 51. Reading Ps 51 in the light of Ps 50 enhances its meaning for us, calling us to task for our failures and our attempts to manipulate God to our advantage while announcing the steadfast love of God that promises genuine renewal.
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A House for God and a House
for David
TONY W. CARTLEDGE |
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God’s pledge to establish an eternal “house” for David represents a new emphasis on grace and becomes foundational for Israel’s self-understanding. The shift from a relationship based on human obedience to the divine promise of an unconditional bond resonates through the remainder of the Bible.
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And Then There Were the
Women in His Life: David and His Women
DIANE L. JACOBSON
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The relationship between David and the women in his life is complex and often disturbing. Examining the question will require the use of several lenses (political, literary, feminist, and artistic); in the process, we will learn about David and the women, but we will also learn a good deal about ourselves.
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The
Significance of the David Tradition for the Emergence of Messianic
Beliefs
in the Old Testament
ERNST-JOACHIM WASCHKE
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Although New Testament messianic expectations reflect significant developments during the intertestamental period, it is important to examine the source of these hopes in the David tradition of the Old Testament itself. The redaction of both the prophetic books and the Psalter are marked by this tradition.
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David in the Gospels
MARGARET
M. DALY-DENTON |
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The New Testament portrays Jesus as the descendant of David in a variety of ways: David is the ancestor of Jesus Messiah; he is a typological model for Jesus, establishing Jesus’ credentials for kingship; he is the inspired singer of psalms, which show most clearly how it had to be that the Christ would suffer and so enter his glory.
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| Resources
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Texts in Context:
Preaching the David Story
ROLF A. JACOBSON
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The David story is the longest and most
complete biblical treatment of any one human life. This allows the story to
speak to many stages of the faith journey. The story is not fully present in
the pericopes, but the preacher can choose to use this material in a sermon
series to address the spiritual and moral contexts of our age.
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Face to Face: Stem Cell
Research? |
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No—For Protection of the Innocent
ROBERT SONG
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Yes—Out of Love for the Neighbor
ALAN G. PADGETT
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| Reviews
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Life in Biblical Israel, by Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager
MARK SCHULER
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Acts: The Gospel of the Spirit, by
Justo L. Gonzalez
WALTER E. PILGRIM
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Florence Nightingale: The Making
of a Radical Theologian, by Val Webb
PAUL R. SPONHEIM
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Christian Contradictions: The
Structures of Lutheran and Catholic Thought, by Daphne Hampson
JANE E. STROHL
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A Graceful Life: Lutheran
Spirituality for Today, by Bradley Hanson
MARY ELIZABETH ANDERSON
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Spiritual Maturity: Preserving
Congregational Health and Balance, by Frank A. Thomas
JACK FORTIN
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Christians in Society: Luther,
the Bible, and Social Ethics, by William H. Lazareth
CHRISTOPHER M. CROGHAN
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Cultural Change and Your Church:
Helping Your Church Thrive in a Diverse Society, by Michael
Pocock and Joseph Henriques
ROD MAEKER
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