Why might editors have chosen to place a long story about the ark at the beginning of the story of Israelite monarchy?

Answer 1

The story about the Ark of the Covenant is contained throughout Hebrew Prophecy, beginning in Exodus 25 and continuing in Numbers 4, Deuteronomy 9-10, Joshua 3-4, 1 Samuel ch.4 (just before the Monarchy), 2 Samuel ch.6, and elsewhere. The reason is that the Presence of God dwelt over the Ark (Numbers 7:89). To the Israelites, dwelling with God was the most important thing, so therefore the events concerning the Ark were of paramount significance.

See also:

Where is the Ark?

Answer 2

Whatever else they are, the story of Noah's Ark and the other stories of the Ark of the Covenant were not literary inventions intended merely to glorify the Israelite monarchy. They are clearly based on ancient Hebrew beliefs, with much of the mythical detail now lost to us. They were no doubt preserved orally, along with many other early Hebrew traditions, until The Bible began to be written, and then included in the relevant books of the Pentateuch. Whether or not the biblical authors, in the seventh century BCE and later, really understood the original meaning of some of the earliest Hebrew traditions is open to debate.

Answer 3

The story is there because that is where it fits chronologically in the carefully recorded history of the Hebrew people.