the key items, the flashpoints in the ongoing historical interaction between deity and people. Immediately apparent was the fact that Israel’s historical experience would be defined by its response to the terms of the covenant, specifically how it dealt with the violations of the commandments. The very dramatic stories of David’s adultery, and the appalling behavior of Ahab and Jezebel in the murder and dispossession of Naboth, illustrated vividly the downward spiral that began with the radical rebellion