41: The Story Behind the Story

BEMA Episode Link: 41: The Story Behind the Story
Episode Length: 36:30
Published Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2017 01:00:00 -0700
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings revisit the two sources comprising this portion of the biblical narrative, analyzing the agendas found in each. They attempt to look at the differences between the sources to understand the reigns of David and Solomon and the split of the nation of God’s people, ultimately helping us figure out what went wrong.

The Story Behind the Story Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 41

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell and Don Golden

Transcript for BEMA 41

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 41: The Story Behind the Story - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

This episode examines the divergent perspectives of two biblical sources covering the same historical period: Samuel/Kings (Israel’s perspective) and Chronicles (Judah’s perspective). The lecture explores how these sources present different agendas in recounting the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon, ultimately revealing that Israel’s downfall was not merely about individual moral failures, but about a deeper systemic embrace of Empire over Shalom.

Key Takeaways

Two biblical sources (Samuel/Kings and Chronicles) tell the same history from different perspectives and with different agendas
Samuel/Kings emphasizes individual morality and idolatry as the primary problem
Chronicles focuses on systemic issues of Empire and injustice as the root cause
The Bathsheba incident, central to David’s story in Samuel/Kings, is completely omitted from Chronicles
Solomon’s many wives and idolatry, emphasized in Kings, are absent from Chronicles
Chronicles instead emphasizes the temple project and Solomon’s violation of Deuteronomy 17’s kingship laws
The “story behind the story” reveals that lust for Empire leads to moral failure, not vice versa
Both sources are accurate and inspired, but Chronicles offers perspective that comes from centuries of hindsight

Main Concepts & Theories

The Two Sources: Different Times, Different Agendas

Samuel/Kings - Israel’s Perspective (Source A)

Written closer to the actual events
Functions as “agenda-driven headlines” - contemporary journalism
Emphasizes personal morality and individual sin
Key turning points: David’s sin with Bathsheba, Solomon’s idolatry through his many wives
Agenda: Immorality and Idolatry

Chronicles - Judah’s Perspective (Source B)

Written centuries later with historical hindsight
Functions as a documentary looking back on history
Emphasizes systemic issues and the narrative of Empire
Key turning points: David’s request to build the temple, Solomon’s accumulation of wealth and power
Agenda: Empire and Injustice

David’s Story: Two Tellings

In Samuel/Kings:

Extended narrative of Saul’s pursuit of David
Emphasis on David’s commitment to kiddush hashem (hallowing God’s name)
Bathsheba incident is the definitive turning point
After Bathsheba, David’s life spirals into family dysfunction
Moral failure leads to national consequences

In Chronicles:

No mention of the Bathsheba incident at all
Focus on David’s pedigree and lineage (genealogies)
Turning point is David’s request to build God a temple (1 Chronicles 17)
After the temple request, David shifts from kiddush hashem to conquest and accumulation
Empire-building leads to moral failure

The Temple Request: A Critical Hinge Point

David’s reasoning: “Why should I live in a palace of cedar while my Lord lives in a tent?”

God’s Response (paraphrased):

“I like my tent, thank you very much”
“When did I ever ask for a house?”
The tent signifies mobility and presence with the people
A fixed temple implies a fixed, institutionalized God
David’s guilt about his lifestyle reveals he’s becoming uncomfortable with his own Empire-building

The Significance:

David is no longer the humble shepherd boy
He’s wrestling with what kind of person he’s becoming
The temple project, though well-intentioned, represents a shift toward Empire thinking
This obsession gets passed to Solomon, who exponentially increases the grandeur

Solomon: The Empire Builder

In Samuel/Kings:

Focus on Solomon’s 700 wives leading him into idolatry
The number 666 talents (Queen of Sheba’s gift) signals a turning point
Moral failure through sexual sin and idolatry

In Chronicles:

First chapter (2 Chronicles 1) deliberately shows Solomon breaking every kingship law from Deuteronomy 17
Accumulates horses (forbidden)
Imports horses from Egypt (forbidden - “you are not to go back that way again”)
Takes many wives (forbidden)
Accumulates massive amounts of silver and gold (forbidden)
The temple project overwhelms the narrative

The Cost of Empire:

When Solomon dies, the people immediately approach his son Rehoboam
They beg him to “loosen the yoke” Solomon placed on them
Building an Empire always comes at a price - paid by the oppressed
Solomon becomes a new Pharaoh, using slave labor for his building projects (1 Kings 5:13, 9:15, 9:21, 2 Chronicles 8:8)

The Mirror Passages: Census of Fighting Men

Two parallel accounts of David counting his fighting men reveal the different agendas:

2 Samuel 24:

“The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David”
Focus: David did something the LORD was not happy about
About David’s personal disobedience

1 Chronicles 21:

“Satan rose up against Israel and incited David”
Joab adds: “Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
Focus: A national problem, not just David’s personal sin
About Satan’s agenda of Empire alive in God’s people

Minor but Interesting Detail:

Samuel: Dan to Beersheba (north to south - Israel’s perspective)
Chronicles: Beersheba to Dan (south to north - Judah’s perspective)

Kiddush Hashem: Hallowing God’s Name

Central concept in David’s early life
Means protecting God’s name and reputation
David’s actions initially demonstrate this commitment
His military approach is counterintuitive - mourning enemies, executing his own men who murder the king’s enemies
Represents living in an “upside-down kingdom” that brings Shalom to chaos
David gradually loses this focus as Empire-thinking takes over

The Tale of Two Kingdoms: Empire vs. Shalom

Empire Narrative:

Accumulation of power, wealth, military might
Security through strength
Building monuments and institutions
Forgetting origins in slavery and wilderness
Creates oppression and injustice

Shalom Narrative:

Trust in God’s provision
Remembering the desert days
Being “living water” and “shelter and shade”
Resting in God’s sufficiency
Kiddush hashem - hallowing God’s name

The Split of the Kingdom

Rehoboam’s Choice:

Solomon’s son faces the people’s plea for relief
Older advisors counsel wisdom and compassion
Younger advisors counsel doubling down on Empire
Rehoboam chooses Empire: “My father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions”
“My pinky is the size of my father’s waist”

The Result:

Northern 10 tribes break away to form Israel
Southern tribes (Judah, Simeon, Benjamin) form Judah
Ongoing conflict between Israel and Judah
Both kingdoms continue the Empire trajectory with rare exceptions
Downward spiral toward exile

Examples & Applications

The Danger of Missing the Forest for the Trees

Many Christians have been taught extensively about David and Bathsheba’s sexual sin, and Solomon’s idolatry through his many wives. While these are true and significant, focusing only on individual moral failures can cause us to miss the deeper systemic issues.

Application: When examining personal or corporate sin, look beyond individual moral failures to identify systemic patterns of Empire-thinking that may be driving those failures.

Modern Empire Building in the Church

Solomon’s temple project parallels modern church building campaigns and institutional expansion:

Beautiful facilities (palace of cedar)
Impressive programs and budgets
Numerical growth metrics (counting fighting men/counting attendees)
Accumulation of resources and influence

Application: Church buildings and budgets are not inherently wrong (amoral), but there’s a persistent temptation to build Empires rather than embody Shalom. The question isn’t whether we have facilities, but whether we remember we were once “slaves in Egypt” and maintain kiddush hashem.

Remembering Our Origins

God’s preference for the tent over the temple represents His desire to remain mobile with His people and maintain a humble dwelling. The tent says “I am with you wherever you go.”

Application: Christians and churches must continually remember their humble origins - the “field shepherding sheep,” the “shade of a rotten bush in the desert,” being “slaves in Egypt.” Forgetting these origins leads to becoming Pharaoh ourselves.

The Subtlety of Empire

The chronicler helps us see that Empire is much more subtle and difficult to detect than obvious moral failures. David’s census wasn’t just about pride in numbers - it was about gathering resources for conquest and building projects.

Application: Empire thinking is harder to identify than moral failures because it often comes with good intentions (David genuinely wanted to honor God with a temple). We must develop spiritual discernment to recognize when our accumulation and security-seeking replaces trust in God.

Both/And Thinking

Both Samuel/Kings and Chronicles are inspired Scripture. Both are true. One doesn’t negate the other.

Application: Truth often requires multiple perspectives. Personal morality matters AND systemic justice matters. Individual choices matter AND the larger narratives we inhabit matter. Mature faith holds both together.

When Good Intentions Build Empire

David’s desire to build God a temple came from genuine discomfort with his own luxury while God dwelt in a tent. But good intentions don’t prevent Empire-building.

Application: Examine motivations honestly. Even our religious activities and desires to “honor God” can mask uncomfortable truths about our own transformation into Empire-builders. God’s response to David suggests He doesn’t need our grand gestures - He wants our trust and obedience.

The Cycle Continues

The rare good kings (Josiah, Asa, Hezekiah) who pulled things back toward Shalom were almost always followed by successors who immediately returned to Empire-building.

Application: Reformation is not a one-time event but requires constant vigilance. Each generation must choose anew between Empire and Shalom. We cannot coast on the faithfulness of previous generations.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Detailed Study of Deuteronomy 17 - Examine the kingship laws and how they were designed to prevent exactly what happened under Solomon. What wisdom do these laws contain for leadership structures today?
The Wisdom Literature in Context - Study Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Songs attributed to David and Solomon with this Empire vs. Shalom framework in mind. How do these writings reflect or resist Empire thinking?
The Temple Theology - Investigate the development of temple theology throughout Scripture, from tabernacle to Solomon’s temple to Ezekiel’s vision to Jesus as temple to believers as temple. How does God progressively reveal His preference for presence over institution?
Prophetic Voices During the Kingdom Period - Study the prophets who spoke during the divided kingdom era. How did they address both individual morality AND systemic Empire issues?
Comparative Analysis of All the Kings - Create a comprehensive chart of all the kings of Israel and Judah, noting which ones moved toward Shalom vs. Empire, and what patterns emerge.
The Slavery Connection - Trace the theme of remembering slavery in Egypt throughout Scripture. Study how quickly Israel moved from being oppressed to becoming oppressors under Solomon.
Rob Bell’s “Jesus Wants to Save Christians” - Read this book for a fuller treatment of the Empire narrative and Solomon’s reign from the perspective explored in this episode.
Naaman and Elijah Stories - Prepare for the next episodes by reading these narratives (2 Kings 5 for Naaman; 1 Kings 17-19, 2 Kings 1-2 for Elijah) with the Empire vs. Shalom framework in mind.
Satan’s Role in the Chronicles Account - Explore the theology of Satan in Chronicles. Why does the chronicler attribute to Satan what Samuel attributes to God? What does this reveal about the development of Jewish understanding of evil?
Economic Justice in the Kingdom - Study the economic policies and practices under David and Solomon. How did the shift from Shalom to Empire manifest in taxation, labor practices, and wealth distribution?

Comprehension Questions

Compare and Contrast: What are the key differences between how Samuel/Kings and Chronicles present David’s story? Why does Chronicles completely omit the Bathsheba incident, and what does this omission reveal about the chronicler’s agenda?
The Temple as Turning Point: How does David’s request to build a temple function as a hinge point in Chronicles? What does God’s response about preferring His tent reveal about His priorities, and how does this relate to the Empire vs. Shalom narrative?
Solomon and Deuteronomy 17: Explain how 2 Chronicles 1 deliberately shows Solomon breaking every kingship law from Deuteronomy 17. What is the chronicler communicating by structuring the narrative this way?
The Mirror Passages: In the two accounts of David’s census (2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21), who incites David in each version? What does this difference reveal about each source’s agenda, and how can both accounts be true?
The Story Behind the Story: What is the “story behind the story” that the chronicler wants readers to understand? How does Empire-thinking lead to moral failure rather than vice versa, and why is this distinction important for understanding the biblical narrative?

Personalized Summary

This episode challenges our typical reading of David and Solomon’s stories by introducing us to the different perspectives of Samuel/Kings and Chronicles. While we may be familiar with David’s adultery with Bathsheba and Solomon’s many wives leading to idolatry, Chronicles completely omits these stories. This isn’t an error or oversight - it’s a deliberate choice to help us see “the story behind the story.”

The chronicler, writing centuries after the events with the benefit of hindsight, wants us to understand that individual moral failures weren’t the root problem. Rather, Israel’s embrace of Empire over Shalom created the conditions that led to those moral failures. David’s request to build a temple, though well-intentioned, revealed his discomfort with becoming an Empire-builder. Solomon exponentially increased this Empire-building, deliberately breaking every kingship law in Deuteronomy 17 by accumulating horses, returning to Egypt for trade, taking many wives, and amassing wealth.

The true cost of Empire is revealed when Solomon dies and the people immediately beg his son to “loosen the yoke.” Building an Empire always comes at a price, paid by the oppressed. Solomon had become a new Pharaoh, using slave labor for his building projects. When Rehoboam refuses to grant relief and instead promises to intensify the oppression, the kingdom splits.

Both biblical sources are true and inspired, but they serve different purposes. Samuel/Kings functions as contemporary journalism, emphasizing individual morality. Chronicles functions as a documentary with historical perspective, emphasizing systemic justice. We need both perspectives to fully understand the narrative. The episode invites us to examine our own lives and churches for subtle Empire-building that comes with good intentions but ultimately forgets our origins in slavery and wilderness, replacing trust in God with trust in our own accumulation and security. The persistent invitation throughout Scripture is to remember where we came from and choose Shalom over Empire.

Study notes generated for BEMA Podcast Episode 41: “The Story Behind the Story”

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S2 41: The Story Behind the Story

David and Solomon in Chronicles [36:30]