{"id":57643,"date":"2019-06-18T16:57:36","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T13:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=57643"},"modified":"2023-01-11T08:23:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T06:23:35","slug":"the-reign-that-began-with-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-reign-that-began-with-rain\/","title":{"rendered":"The Reign That Began With Rain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[886,780,885],"acf":{"old_id":"57643","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34245,"related_cahpter":"244","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Foreshadowing a series of ill-fortuned misalignments","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Samuel prays for rain to show the people what a \u201cwicked thing\u201d they did when they asked for a king (12:17). But his method seems oddly misaligned with his message. Samuel rejects the people\u2019s request as equivalent to their stints of idolatry. But for all this harsh condemnation, a rainstorm is hardly a symbol of wickedness. Samuel\u2019s rain is only harmful because of the season; had it been winter, the storm might have been perceived as a blessing from God. Is Samuel hinting that the people\u2019s request for a king wouldn\u2019t have been a betrayal of God under different circumstances? Is he saying that it is only comparable to idolatry some of the time?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps. But even if Samuel\u2019s rainstorm isn\u2019t meant as a comment about what preceded it, it certainly sets the tone for what follows it: Saul\u2019s difficulties in ruling come down to different types of misalignments. Saul\u2019s actions are misaligned with Samuel\u2019s timetable: he offers sacrifices, as he should, but without waiting for Samuel\u2019s arrival (ch. 13). Saul\u2019s intentions are misaligned with the reality he is trying to shape: he makes an oath that\u2019s meant to rally the people to keep fighting, but instead, it condemns his heroic son, who certainly didn\u2019t require rallying (ch. 14). Saul\u2019s execution of God\u2019s orders is misaligned with God\u2019s full vision: Saul acts on his own instincts and the people\u2019s request in his Amalekite campaign, and loses God\u2019s favor irrevocably (ch. 15). What would have been an appropriate show of mercy under different circumstances \u2013 sparing enemy lives \u2013 \u00a0becomes a show of weakness instead, and disqualifies Saul in God\u2019s eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can we truly blame Saul for these blunders? Saul was tasked with an impossible mission: he had to establish a new form of government and be a true king of Israel as well as an obedient servant of God. He had to align his actions with his own role (after all, Samuel told him to \u201cact when the occasion arises, for God is with you\u201d when he anointed him), God\u2019s orders, and the need to preserve his authority in the eyes of the people. How could he NOT fail to align all these demands?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tragically, Saul\u2019s streak of misalignments got worse after God rejected him. His attempts to be rid of David bolstered the latter\u2019s popularity, his late-to-appear ruthlessness made its unfortunate debut in a case that called for mercy, and he ended his life in pursuit of a man he loved and against his own better judgement. The king whose reign began with a rain in summer ended his life misaligned even with himself.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":57667,"id":57667,"title":"isam12-rain","filename":"isam12-rain.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam12-rain.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-reign-that-began-with-rain\/isam12-rain\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"isam12-rain","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":57643,"date":"2019-06-18 13:57:25","modified":"2019-06-18 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