CONTENT ESSAY ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
The content essay assignment provides you with the opportunity to take a “deep dive” into the content of a particular interpretive issue within an Old Testament book.
In an essay, answer the following questions pertaining to 1 Kings 1 – 11:
1. How does the text of Deuteronomy 17:14-20 relate to the narratives of Saul, David, and in particular, Solomon? Do you think that the author of I Kings has Deuteronomy 17 in mind as he writes the “Solomonic Narrative” of 1 Kings 1 – 11?
2. Does the author of 1 Kings depict Solomon in a positive or negative manner? Is there any indication in the narratives prior to chapters ten and eleven that Solomon is already going astray? How is it that Solomon, endowed with the gift of wisdom, could go astray as he does?
