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- Discuss the roles of Baal, Yahweh, "the Els," and Dagon in this chapter. How does the polytheistic worship of these gods discussed here help you understand the world in which David lived?
- Discuss daily life in Makor. How is it related to the central administration of David in Jerusalem? How might this discussion of Makor (a town on the outskirts of Israel) give you a clearer understanding of life at the time of David as it is presented in the Bible?
- Discuss Mikal. What kind of person is she? What does Yahweh command Gomer to do in relation to Mikal, and why? What are Mikal's "offenses"? What are her positive qualities? Is what happens to her in the end ethically acceptable? Why or why not?
- Discuss Gomer as a Hebrew prophet. Comment on her prophecies. Notice that while some of them point to the future, others do not (One is a discussion of the distant past). How does her activity fit the paradigm of Hebrew prophecy discussed in class and in your other readings?
- Compare and Contrast Tarphon and Jehubabel.
- Discuss Benjamin/Menelaus. How does he illustrate the young person's estrangement from the parent's faith? Is this still a problem today?
- Why was Paltiel significant?
- Why does Michener think the name "Jehovah" was never really a legitimate name of the God of Israel?
- Discuss the "armed truce" mentioned in the quote below taken from page 355. Use details from the story of Timon and Shelomith to illustrate your discussion.
- Does the story of Timon and Shelomith and their relationship to Herod change your understanding of the time in which Jesus was born? If so, how? If not, how does it confirm what you already thought about this time? Be as specific as possible in your response.