The Road to Kingship: 1-2 Samuel, Paperback

Ancient stories invoking contemporary questions and providing insight for an uncertain future

The Road to Kingship is the second volume in the A People and a Land trilogy and presents a chapter-by-chapter interpretation of 1-2 Samuel, based on the author's translation. Johanna van Wijk-Bos reacquaints readers with familiar stories like David and Goliath while also introducing them to lesser-known biblical personalities like Doeg the Edomite and the wily servant Ziba. She offers guidance along the path taken by the Israelites during the rise of the united monarchy.

The books of Samuel unfold before us with multiple voices. One voice endorses a spontaneous charismatic form of leadership, alongside another that argues for hereditary kingship. In listening to the different voices, we will prefer some rather than others; we may turn our backs on texts that sing a melody we are no longer able to join. As readers, we enter into the text with our questions and in our very questioning tentatively find a way forward and draw closer to the presence of the Most Holy.

About author(s):
Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos taught as Professor of Old Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary from 1977 to 2017. She serves the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) as ordained pastor and is deeply engaged with issues of equity in terms of gender and race. A prolific author, her other books include Making Wise the Simple: the Torah in Christian Faith and The End of the Beginning: Joshua and Judges.