The whole point of the Bible talking about Israel's kings was that the people didn't listen to God and it brought on trouble and heartache.
Q. Why did the Babylonian exile come 490 years after the coronation of Saul?
A. To provide the land with its missed sabbaths. Before installing an overweening central government, the Israelites let the land rest for one year out of seven. (Imagine being able to take a whole year off every seven years!). Afterwards, saddled with kings who demanded more than God Himself did, they could no longer observe sabbattical years.
181 posted on 01/17/2006 10:30:03 AM PST by TomSmedley
(Calvinist, optimist, home schooling dad, exuberant husband, technical writer)