The story of David and Goliath is known by many people at a relatively young age, but the account of King Saul is not as well-known. Saul is the first king of Israel, and the traits of his character in the Hebrew Bible are duplicated in the NBC television show Kings in the character King Silus, yet there are also some differences is his persona that occur between the two pieces of work. The main difference observed is that the humble beginnings of Saul described in the Old Testament are not divulged in the television show, creating an image that he has always been wicked. A parallel between the two pieces are Saul’s desperate attempts to please the country that he serves. Another similarity is Saul’s disposition, his stubbornness, hastiness …show more content…
An example of this in the Old Testament is when God commands Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, to “kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey,” (15:3). Saul does as he is told and slaughters all the people, but he strays from his command and doesn’t kill King Agag, and keeps the best sheep and cattle for his company. Consequently, Samuel is angered by Saul’s action, for he has disobeyed God’s order, and confronts him. Saul’s defense is that he defied God’s demand because he “feared the people and obeyed their voice,” (15:24) caving into his desire to be liked by the people rather than comply with God. Another example of this in the television show occurs when Silus decides to give the Port of Prosperity to the people of Gath. After the announcement is made that Silus will be giving the port to Gath, Silus meets with Reverend Samuels, who informs Silus that God is no longer with him because he decided to give the port and the surrounding land to Gath. It is not explicitly stated that God commanded Silus to not give the land to foreign nations, but it can be safe to be assumed that it was said from the connotation for conversation between Reverend Samuels and King Silus. In both examples, King Saul attempts to satisfy the wishes of the people rather than follow the orders given to him by God, and is the reason why God decides to leave Saul and searches for a new and better king for his
Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus Mark Mcleod Strayer University HUM 111 World Cultures 1 Dr. Darryl Claybon Nov 7, 2017 Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homers Odyssey both feature strong characters with disastrous flaws meant to teach life lessons to the Mesopotamia and Greeks respectively. The Epic of Gilgamesh is told over eleven tablets and teaches lessons that include love is a motivational force, the importance of respecting the Gods, the power of friendship, and the inevitability of death. The Odyssey, an epic tale by Homer featured Odysseus and reinforced the lessons of the brain over brawn, self-control, pride, and perseverance to the Greeks.
From this portion of scripture, we can see that God will not force His sovereign will on one who is determined to have a hardened heart and refuses to accept His mercy. This is also evident in the case with Pharaoh whereby God forced Pharaoh to do what was already in his heart, therefore, forfeiting his opportunity to be redeemed.
They respond to the superiors order as though there were from God. (Luke 10:16,) “Anyone who listens to you listens to me.” Instant response to command and the ability to giving up ones will, discontinuing work at the sound of the bell as a result of obedience, and this portrays the fear of God. Obedience will be acceptable to God and agreeable to man if done without complaining, Luke warmness, grumbling, and without delay. Obedience is motivated by love because their desire is to seek and do the will of God, in imitation of the master they are serving. (John 6:38). Furthermore, obedience must be done freely and in a joyful spirit. St. Paul in 2cor 9:7 says, “God loves a cheerful
The story of David and Goliath can be thought of as a timeless tale of
In 1 Samuel 28: 1-25 Yahweh guides Saul to his death because he has outright deceived and disobeyed God. This passage sets an example to obey Yahweh; otherwise he will inflict punishment upon the disobedient. It portrays that Yahweh's love, power, and covenant should never be taken for granted. Saul is, in essence, a pawn in an overall lesson and story by God. It is quite possible that the disobedience of God and punishment inflicted upon him was his very fate that only God could control.
Obedience may be a simple word, yet it has a powerful impact on the daily lives of millions. Obedience is simply when one follows the orders or directions of another figure, presumably in an authoritative position. This is something nearly everyone bows to everyday without even realizing it - and it can drastically change our lives as we know it. Obedience is, for example, how the holocaust happened. The Germans were ordinary people turned into murderers because they followed the orders of one man - their dictator, Adolf Hitler. Of course, obedience does not always result in horrid results such as the holocaust or result in such a large catastrophe. Obedience can have drastic effects on the lives of only a few men as well; this is showcased in the movie A Few Good Men.
David is the first king that God chooses to lead His people (Saul was chosen by the Israelites). God makes a covenant with him that there will always be a descendant of his on the
Humans have free will and their ideas to do what they please but the gods intervene with humans to help or harm them as they please. The gods expect respect from humans, such as sacrifices. In book 4, “ It was in Egypt, where the gods still marooned me. Eager as I was to voyage home… I’d failed you see, to render them full, flawless victims, and gods are always keen to see their rules obeyed” (4.390-394). Menelaus explains how he was deserted on an island because he did not make the proper sacrifices to the gods. This misfortune was cause directly by the gods; the gods wanted revenge because Menelaus failed to
A classic example of dangerous obedience is demonstrated by Nazi official Adolf Eichmann. Throughout his trial for war crimes, Eichmann proclaimed his innocence. He placed the blame on his superiors and said he was simply following orders: orders that involved sending millions of people to extermination camps and ultimately their deaths. In their separate writings about obedience, Milgram and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm both compare Eichmann to the ordinary person, someone we can all see ourselves in. While he may not be the ideal person to be equated to, Eichmann’s submission to authority is understandable: had he refused his orders, he most likely would have been arrested or killed, then replaced by someone who was willing to follow commands. So it’s quite probable that those millions of people still would have been executed, with or without Eichmann’s compliance.
The issue of obedience figures prominently in both "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and the book of Genesis in the Bible. These works were produced by very different cultures and traditions (Middle Eastern and Hebraic, respectively) and the characters in each react to authority or advice with very different levels of obedience. Noah is found to be righteous by God and is rewarded with a means to escape the devastation of the flood. Gilgamesh, in his arrogance, thinks himself to be above the mortal concept of death. I have chosen the two opening paragraphs from the seventh chapter of "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and Genesis 6:8-22 to illustrate the conflicts between obedience and arrogance.
You may think Jesus isn't an epic hero or you may ask how is he an epic hero, but his story is more of an epic than you would think. On the other hand, Gilgamesh has the story and the characteristics of a good old fashion epic hero, that was brave, a strong fighter, and didn't back down for nothing. But Jesus never fought his enemies he fought them with love, and he was one hundred percent god on earth but Gilgamesh was only ⅔ god. Gilgamesh and Jesus have a good amount of differences. And in this essay I will be explaining the differences and similarities between these two godly figures abilities, the purpose of their quest,and what makes them very different from all humans on earth.
In the Bible and Greek Mythology both were the believe of us to God(s). In biblical stories, christians believe that the lord God created the world; he created birds, animals, and humans. Similarly, in Greek mythology, Zeus and his forces established the mount olympus to be there Eden, and he ordered to create all alive things in earth, even though he doesn’t want mortals, but the mortals still appears. Therefore, Biblical stories and Greek mythology have many similarities, both have the stories of the creation of human. In particular, the three examples that have the closest similarities are The Creation of woman, How god's punish those who don’t worship them and reward those who worship them. and The Kingdom of God.
In Greek mythology, the children of the gods are heroes known for their dedication and their accomplishments. Hercules and Jason are two very well known heroes in Greek mythology. There are many similarities between them because they both show great strength and courage; however, they are different by their accomplishments and life ending.
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed not only out of loyalty to God but also because of their high moral character.
In the beginning of the Iliad and The Epic of Gilgamesh there are similarities in the behavior of the leading characters. Gilgamesh and Achilles both have problems managing their emotions. For Gilgamesh the issue is in the form of sexual conquest and abuse of power. For Achilles it is pride and fury that causes problems for the hero. It could be said that these behaviors show how the heroes deal with and internalize feelings as well as emotions. Another similarity is how the loss of their comrades causes a transformation in the protagonists. In the Iliad the hero Achilles suffers the loss of his close comrade, Patroclus, and likewise in The Epic of Gilgamesh he experiences the death of Enkidu. The deaths of these comrades serve as a catalyst