BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 1
Case Study on Biblical Integration
Tony O. Davila
School of Business, Liberty University
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 2
Keywords: Discipline, leadership, training, career development
Case Study on Biblical Integration
As you consider this case from the perspective of God’s character, was this situation handled
properly?
Was this situation handled correctly without considering God’s character?
Is there anything you would have done differently as Ralph’s supervisor?
Where is the evidence, both from the Bible and contemporary literature, for your responses?
Conclusion
As Merida et al., (2015) said, the decline of kings is centered on three key principles:
worshiping the one true God, obeying, and teaching His Word, and repenting from sin. In this
summary, all three kings shared a common weakness, human weakness, which led to their
downfall. They did not practice what they preached and disobeyed God’s commandments. Each
of these kings neglected their God-given authority to lead and serve their people righteously.
Instead, they prioritized their own desires for fame, fortune, and power, turning away from their
directed responsibilities. Despite receiving many warnings from God’s prophets, they refused to
repent and correct their ways. As a result, they failed not only as leaders but also in the eyes of
God.
References
Friedman, H. H., & Friedman, L. W. (2019). What Went Wrong? Lessons in
Leadership from Solomon, the Bible’s Wisest and Worst Ruler. Journal of
Values Based Leadership, 12(1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.22543/0733.121.1237
Giszczak, M. (2021). The quest of the king in the Wisdom of Solomon. Journal for the Study of
the Pseudepigrapha, 31(1), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211032890
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 3
Hamman, J. J. (2023). The King Stayed Home: David with Bathsheba and Uriah. Pastoral
Psychology, 72(6), 791–812. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-022-01044-w
Kim, D. (2019). Ahab and Saul (1 Kgs 22.1-38). Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 43(4), 525–538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089217743161
King James Bible (2017). King James Bible Online. https://kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015). Christ Centered Exposition Exalting
Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. B & H Publishing Group.
Unger, D. M. (2022). “And My Sin Is Ever Before Me” (Psalm 51: 3): A-temporality in
Seventeenth-Century Paintings of King David. Religion & the Arts, 26(1/2), 32–60.
https://doi.org/10.1163/15685292-02601002
Yap, T. (2022). (You’re) The Devil in Disguise: The Theme of Disguise in 1
Samuel and 1 Kings. Zeitschrift Für Die Alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft, 134(1), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.1515/zaw-2022-0006
Segev, J. (2024). Judges in Their Own Cases: Biblical Kings and Supreme Court Justices. Touro
Law Review, 39(4), 1147–1218
Leadership Failure of Three Kings: David, Solomon, and Ahab
Annotated Bibliography
Friedman, H. H., & Friedman, L. W. (2019). What Went Wrong? Lessons in
Leadership from Solomon, the Bible’s Wisest and Worst Ruler. Journal of
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 4
Values Based Leadership, 12(1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.22543/0733.121.1237
This paper demonstrated many insights into successful and unsuccessful leadership that
may be derived from the life of King Solomon, who, according to Scripture, was the
wisest man who ever lived. Solomon may have been wise but made some serious
blunders that ultimately led to the breakup of his empire. The paper examines the
mistakes and character flaws which contributed to the decline of Solomon from a great
leader to an ineffectual figurehead. This paper will also examine the Book of Proverbs
attributed to Solomon and highlight its pertinent leadership lessons. One question that
the paper will attempt to answer is whether or not Solomon followed the path of
wisdom discussed in Proverbs. The quality of this publication to learn about the
inadequacy of King Solomon is well presented as it provided details of King Solomon’s
weaknesses and effects of his sins against both God and his people. Authors presented
unique insight to biblical lessons from Book of Proverbs, and leadership characteristic
based on biblical history of King Solomon. The research article provided the biblical
facts, lessons, and implications to leadership traits of a king. This article was found using
Business Source Ultimate database.
Giszczak, M. (2021). The quest of the king in the Wisdom of Solomon. Journal for the Study of
the Pseudepigrapha, 31(1), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/09518207211032890
Historians largely agree that Hellenistic kingship was founded, not primarily on heredity,
but on military achievement and that Hellenistic kingship was supported by a mythos
that viewed obtaining kingship as a kind of moral achievement. The king’s virtues are
emphasized as godlike and worthy of imitation by his subjects, as he embodies the law in
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 5
his person. The Wisdom of Solomon reworks this kingship tradition by “democratizing”
kingship to all to call his readers to imitate Solomon’s choice of wisdom over folly.
Solomon’s search for and embrace of wisdom takes the place of militaristic emphases
and establishes a universalizable pattern for the moral quest of the individual. Wisdom
domesticates a Hellenistic pattern of seeking wisdom and thus achieving kingly rule,
which eventually allows one to be a benefactor of others. Wisdom is beneficent and,
rather than becoming a god, the wise Solomon benefits others with his wise and just
rule. Even the wise Israelites become benefactors to others. Thus, the quest of the king
for wisdom follows a familiar outline of the journey of a king from obscurity to conquest,
to rule, to beneficence. The quality of this publication to learn about the King Solomon’s
wisdom and it is well presented with leadership details of King Solomon and his failures.
Author presented unique insight to biblical lessons and parallel relations to Hellenic
leaders and their characteristics. The research article draws lessons from King Solomon
and his wisdom to Hellenic leaders in comparison in strengths and weaknesses of
various leadership traits of a king. This article was found using Academic Search Ultimate
database.
Hamman, J. J. (2023). The King Stayed Home: David with Bathsheba and Uriah. Pastoral
Psychology, 72(6), 791–812. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-022-01044-w
This paper explores the person of David (ca. 1010–1097 bce), a king of Israel and Judah,
especially his personal, familial, and professional undoing through his adultery with
Bathsheba and the killing of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. After situating this event in
the corpus of Davidic narratives, the paper examines David's inner world— the David
with Bathsheba—by drawing on the contribution of the British object relations theorist,
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 6
W. R. D. "Ronald" Fairbairn. This paper argues that David relinquished his central ego to
the castigations of an active inner critic and to the excitement of his libidinal ego. David,
caught between these powerful forces, sabotaged his own reign, violated Bathsheba,
became a murderer, and participated in his personal and familial demise. Men and
contemporary leaders can learn from David's failure. The quality of this publication to
learn about the fallacy of King David is well presented with his rise from a commoner to
a powerful ruler. The author presented leadership insight, rise and fall of a powerful
king with love and support of God. It also shares the burden of aging king who loses his
faith in God and turns to earthly desires of flesh, deceit and murder. The research
article provided the biblical history, lessons, and leadership implication with humanly
failures from a failing king. This article was found using EBSCO database.
Kim, D. (2019). Ahab and Saul (1 Kgs 22.1-38). Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 43(4), 525–538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089217743161
There are similarities between the stories of King Ahab in the Book of Kings and those of
Saul in the Book of Samuel which appear when examining the repetition of phrases,
similar motifs, and parallel plots. The linguistic links between 1 Kings 20, 21, and 22.138
indicate that the stories of Ahab are contrasted. These similarities and contrasts have an
effect on the interpretation of 1 Kings 22.1-38; it is suggested that Ahab's death in 1
Kings 22.1-38 represents God’s judgment on Ahab's two sins illustrated in 1 Kings 20 and
21, which constitutes a considerable parallel to Saul's two sins. Furthermore, the
parallelism between King Ahab's inquiry in 1 Kings 22.1-38 and Saul's necromancy in 1
Samuel. 28.3-25 reveals that Ahab's inquiry is condemned as syncretistic Yahwism,
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whereas the importance of God's words is highlighted. The quality of this publication to
learn about the King Ahab’s sinful leadership traits in comparison to those committed by
Saul in the bible draws some conclusion that sins against God will result in deadly
consequences. Authors presented unique insight to biblical lessons and parallel relations
to Saul as the second sinner who have failed to obey God’s commandments as Ahab has
done through his reign. The article draws lessons from King Ahab and his sin against God
to those sins committed by Saul, both have committed deadly sins. The article focuses
on deadly sins of these biblical leaders and the ultimate consequences from God.
This article was found using Academic Search Alumni Edition database.
King James Bible (2017). King James Bible Online. https://kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015). Christ Centered Exposition Exalting
Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. B & H Publishing Group.
Segev, J. (2024). Judges in Their Own Cases: Biblical Kings and Supreme Court Justices. Touro
Law Review, 39(4), 1147–1218
This article first used the biblical story of prophet Nathan's rebuke of King David for his sin
towards Bathsheba and Uriah to explain the problems, tensions, and conflicting. The second
interpretation, the poor man's ewe lamb parable is a juridical parable meant to induce David
to judge himself by the same yardstick that he applies to others. The practices of Supreme
Court justices are not like those of biblical kings as they are much worse. The problem is not
that the justices judge themselves but rather that, contrary to biblical kings, the rules and
principles to regulate their self-judgment are almost nonexistent. This publication is to learn
about King David’s leadership characteristics is adequate from a legal perspective in how
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judgement power is used against the people. The author presented unique parallel dilemma in
self judgement in comparison to biblical kings, more specifically King David, to those in
Supreme Court as justices who has the ultimate powers to judge themselves as King David has
done in the bible. The article draws lessons from King David and his power granted to him by
God to rule over his people and those high court justices who may judge themselves lightly as
King David has done for himself and those close to him. The article focuses on sinful act of
selfishness with little to no consequences as David have done with the poor man and his sheep.
Kings and judges may apply human standards against its people, but God’s judgement in the
end is only equal to the deeds. This article was found using Academic Search Ultimate Database.
Yap, T. (2022). (You’re) The Devil in Disguise: The Theme of Disguise in 1
Samuel and 1 Kings. Zeitschrift Für Die Alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft, 134(1), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.1515/zaw-2022-0006
This article examines the motif of disguise in the books of Samuel and Kings. Yap
notes that three royal figures wear disguises in the final days of their reign. These stories
place special emphasis on the word of God and end with punishments proclaimed by
the respective prophets. Yap explores the purpose and function of disguise, as well as its
relationship to the word of God and the judgments faced by the kings. Disguise allows
the kings to conceal their true identity while simultaneously revealing their true attitude
towards the word of God. In the story of Ahab, the motif of disguise is used to reveal
Ahab's true nature. The disguises serve to conceal the characters' origins and bypass
God's word. It also reveals the characters' attitudes and intentions towards prophetic
words, but disguises are ultimately useless, as God's word has the final say. The quality
of this publication to learn about the King Ahab’s true nature as a leader and a follower
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION 9
to God. His sinful actions and deceit against God have no effect on his deadly
consequences. The author presents a unique insight to biblical lessons of sinners who
have persistently disobeyed God’s commandments and try to hide in disguises, but they
all have failed in the end. The article draws lessons among three royal figures who have
tried to deceive God, and they all failed spectacularly in the end. The article focuses on
deadly sins, deceit to cover up the sins, and their ultimate consequences from God. This
article was found using Academic Search Ultimate database.
