1 Samuel

Introduction

The Book of First Samuel introduces three major characters, each of whom had a major role in the transition of leadership from judges to kings; this illustrious trio consisted of Samuel, Saul, and David.

Samuel is presented along with several fascinating minor characters: His mother, before she had children, had prayed so fervently that Eli, the judge and High Priest, believed that she was intoxicated; however God answered her prayer and Samuel was conceived. As soon as possible, Samuel was dedicated to permanent service in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. As he was ministering, he received a vision confirming that indeed God had called him into His service and rejected the family of Eli. Eli’s evil sons took the ark of the covenant into battle with the Philistines, but they were killed and the ark was captured. Hearing this news, Eli fell down and died, leaving Phinehas as High Priest and Samuel as judge. Samuel led the people in revival and continued by serving faithfully. When Samuel grew old and his sons failed to walk in his righteous ways, the people demanded a king. Samuel had many misgivings, but God allowed the people to have what they wanted and directed Samuel to anoint Saul as king.

Saul began auspiciously as a successful military leader, but he had little strength of character. Before the battle at Gilgal, Samuel should have offered the sacrifice, but he failed to appear at the appointed time, so Saul intruded into the priestly office and offered the sacrifice himself. For that offense, God rejected Saul from being king over Israel. Not immediately removed from his position as king, Saul was granted some limited victories. Largely as a result of the individual heroism of his son Jonathan, Israel defeated Philistines at Michmash; following that battle, Saul led the people in a victory over the Amalekites, but after that success, Saul failed to obey God’s specific instructions, by allowing the people to keep valuable animals and by failing to execute the Amalekite king.

Even though Saul was continuing to reign, Samuel found and anointed David as king over the people. Because Saul was subject to being terrorized by an evil spirit, his servants sought soothing for him. David was brought to the court to play music, which had a calming effect upon the rejected king. A second vignette concerning the young David was the account of David and Goliath. A third had to do with David’s friendship with Jonathan. Later, Saul promised David his daughter Merab’s hand in marriage, but then gave Merab to another man. David subsequently married another of Saul’s daughters, Michal. One day in court, following a terrifying outburst of emotion during which Saul attempted to slay David, David fled to take up an outlaw existence. He experienced many terrifying dangers during this period, finally becoming a vassal of the Philistine king of Gath. The Philistines did not allow David to participate when they fought with Saul at Mt. Gilboa, and Saul was defeated. The ensuing history of David’s career as king over Israel is found in the Book of Second Samuel.

This book has several titles, but the best known is First Samuel; this is the Hebrew name and is used by most non-Catholic English translations. First and Second Samuel were originally one book, but the Septuagint divided it into two and re-titled them I and II Kingdoms; the Vulgate then named them I and II Kings. The books usually called I and II Kings are called III and IV Kingdoms by the Septuagint; they are called III and IV Kings in the Vulgate.

The Rabbis credit Samuel with authorship of this book, with Nathan and Gad completing the account from I Samuel 28:3 to the end of II Samuel. Even if Samuel was not the author of the entire book, his writings were undoubtedly used in its composition (for example, “The Ordinances of the Kingdom” [I Samuel 10:24] and perhaps “The Chronicles of Samuel the Seer,” mentioned in I Chronicles 29:29). Other sources probably included at least some of the sources listed in the Books of Chronicles, such as the “Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet,” the “Chronicles of Gad the Seer” (I Chronicles 29:29), and the national poetical literature, including “The Book of Jashar” (which is mentioned in II Samuel 1:18). Since First Samuel, even with its closing chapters, and Second Samuel are of homogeneous style, Samuel was probably not the final author of this book, even with Nathan and Gad. The book is named, not necessarily for its author, but for its main character.

The English translations of First Samuel follow the Vulgate (which followed the Septuagint), placing the book in the “History” section of the Old Testament; the Hebrew Bible makes it a part of the “Prophets,” indicating that recounting of historical material, as important as that is, is not the primary purpose of the book. From the inspired selection of the facts, one may discern an active theological view of history. More than simply accurate historical characters and events, the facts in these books indicate the relationship of these characters and events with God and with His will.

At the beginning of the Book of First Samuel, Eli is judge as well as high priest; since he died at the time of the Battle of Aphek (ca. 1075 B.C.), and since he judged Israel for forty years (I Samuel 4:18), his years as judge spanned from 1115 B.C. until 1075 B.C. Samuel was born about 1100 B.C. and became judge in 1075 B.C., continuing as judge until his death, which occurred after 1020 B.C. A major change takes place during the history covered by First Samuel. Israel rejects the judgeship and the theocracy, insisting on a monarchy. Samuel the prophet is the major figure in this transition. He was the last of the judges, anointing both Saul (in 1050 B.C.) and David (in about 1025 B.C.), who did not actually serve as king until after Samuel’s death. So the events in the Book of Samuel occurred during the time span of about 80 years, from1100 B.C. until just after 1020 B.C.

Outline

Continuation of Judges Period until Eli’s Death, 1:1—4:22

Parents of Samuel and His Mother’s Song, 1:1—2:10
Presence of Samuel in the Tabernacle, 2:11—3:21
Panic at Shiloh and the Death of Eli, 4:1-22

Capture of the Ark until the Judgeship Rejected, 5:1—8:22

Philistines’ Capture of the Ark and Its Return to Israel, 5:1—6:21
Political, Military, and Spiritual Revival Directed by Samuel, 7:1-17
Petition of Israel for a King, 8:1-22

Career of Saul until Estrangement from Samuel, 9:1—15:35

Picking of Saul Vindicated by Victory over Ammonites, 9:1—11:15
Preaching of Samuel’s Final Challenge and Counsel, 12:1-25
Prospering of Saul and Jonathan over the Philistines, 13:1—14:52
Problems of Saul after the Amalekite Campaign, 15:1-35

Choice of David until Death of Saul, 16:1—31:13

Participation of David after His Anointing, 16:1-23
Philistines Defeated as David Slays Goliath, 17:1-58
Parting of David from Saul’s Court, 18:1—20:42
Protection of David During His Outlaw Wanderings, 21:1—30:31
Problems of Israel at Saul’s Battle and Death on Mt. Gilboa, 31:1-13

Reading 1 Samuel

1. 1-3, Eli to Samuel
2. 4-8, Samuel’s Judgeship
3. 9-12, Saul, First king of Israel
4. 13-15, Saul’s disobedience and rejection
5. 16-19, David in the court of Saul
6. 20-23, David’s escape from Saul
7. 24-26, David’s encounters with Saul
8. 27-31, Saul’s downfall and death