King Saul's Asking

Who should lead us? Who should we, as a community, look to for guidance? These questions, as old as humankind, followed the Israelite community upon their return from the Exile: Should they return with Davidic kingship or without it? Their answer was King Saul. Reading Israel's first king as a riddle or the epitome of Israel's experience with kingship, King Saul's Asking explores the characterization of the figure Saul, the question of the apparent silence of God, the multiple complexities of responsibility for kingship, and the readers' opportunities for transformation. It provides a new approach to the Old Testament, supplying the reader with not only an in-depth character study but also an interesting, insightful read, and opportunity for transformation.

Chapters are "Asking a Child (1 Samuel 1-3)," "Seeking a Refuge (1 Samuel 4-7)," "Request for a King (1 Samuel 8-12)," "Obedience Wanted, Wanting (1 Samuel 13-15)" "Suspecting the Dreaded (1 Samuel 16-19)" "Futile Searching (1 Samuel 20-23)," "Sensing the Silent (1 Samuel 24-26)," and "Final Questions."

Barbara Green, OP, PhD, is a professor of biblical studies and a member of the core doctoral faculty at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Editor of the Interfaces series, she also wrote Like a Tree Planted, published by Liturgical Press.